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12 The Conservative.
Copyright In Religion.
The noble exclamation of Captain
Philip of the Texas to Jiis men in the
midst of the naval battle off Santiago ,
"Don't cheer , they're dying , " has elicit-
cd a complaint from u well known
Jewish rabbi that this tender mercy for
an enemy hors do combat lias been
claimed as n typical Christian exhibi
tion. Ho call * attention to the fact that
Hebrew teachings antedating Christiani
ty di-play the same spirit. It may bo
readily roiu'cded that the body of ethical
truth , whith Christianity more than
any other religion incarnates , is eclectio
in its variety and sources. Confucius ,
the Indian sages , Zoroaster and Soc
rates , as well as the lawgiver and
prophets of Hebraism , taught much if
not all of the moral truths essential in
the creed of Christ. But Christianity ,
despite the evil and intolerance which
iu different ages have been imported
into its practice , moro than any other
religious system has made moral power
a living force. It has touched ethics
with a burning coal , kindling them
into a purifying flame. It has been the
organic force in making and inspiring
the modern civilized world. Working
aloug all the lines of social and political
morals , its most marvelous work has
been the diminution of cruelty as be
tween man and man. Pity , mercy , sym
pathy , the sense of human brotherhood ,
have fruited from it logically in a thou
sand diverse forms. Christianity claims
110 copyright on the divine spirit of
charity. But it has been at its best the
unsurpassed vehicle for its beneficent
play. Therefore men's minds instinc
tively associate the beautiful utterance
of Captain Philip with Christianity and
the mandates of its crucified Founder.
An English writer in The Contem
porary Review comments on the vast
increase of what are known as "bach
elor women" in Great Britain. This in
cludes tor the most part women of small
income or tiioso with some professional
talent of which they can make use. The
result , wo are told , leads to a diminu
tion of marriages of convenience. It
may bo so , too , in America , whore the
"bachelor woman" is a growing class.
But she is as quick hero to succumb as
any other woman when fate pierces her
in the form of Cupid's arrow , nor is she
aver.se to the wound.
China siuco her war with Japan has
suffered seriously as a "grab bag" for
the European powers. But a now and
possibly far moro serious thing has
como to the helpless and unwieldy em
pire. The insurrection making rapid
progress iu Kwaug-tuug , the province
of which Canton is the capital , has all
the show of a recrudescence of the terrible -
riblo Taiping rebellion. It has started
among the same turbulent people , vaunts
the same symbols and warcries and
propagates itself by the same methods.
It has the look of being much moro
than the mere local tuinu. f..y , , .
"
tcriiig in some part of China. .
ping deluge of slaughter and ru
which devastated the country for .
year. " ( from 1841 to 1805) ) , it is esti
mated by Demetrius Boulgor , a well
known authority , cost the empire $500-
000,000 and the loss of 8,000,000 lives.
It planted a pseudo emperor , originally
a Ilakka schoolmaster , who professed at
first to bo a Christian convert , ou a
throne at Nanking for a period of 15
years. It came withiii a hairbreadth
of exterminating the Mantchu dynasty
and filled China with indescribable woo
and horror. "With the increased interest
which European ambition has in China
of course no rebellion could conquer
such a headway now. But its further
progress , unless it can bo quickly stamp
ed out by the Chinese authorities , with
out assistance , will make the further
partition of China almost inevitable.
It is one of those opportunities which
Russia , Germany and Franco are nat
urally watching for and of which they
would have no scruple in availing to
the uttermost when the situation be
comes ripe. Perhaps it is only the logic
of history that they should do so , for
civilization marches oftener with the
sword than with the olive branch.
English author-readers do not meet
with much success in this country now
adays. Mr. Le Gallieuuo has just left
with empty pockets , as did Anthony
Hope and Couan Doyle. Dr. Watson ,
the "kailyard" novelist , to bo sure ,
carried off a little fortune , and is com
ing again fishing in the same waters ,
but ho appealed eminently to the vast
"Tupperized" public. Dickens and
Thackeray gained immense returns in
this way , but then they were Dickens
and Thackeray.
Dr. Ohauncoy Dopew thinks that the
return of the Spanish prisoners to Spain
will help the benighted people to un
derstand the Americans better and so
assist the coming of peace. The greater
good , however , will bo in the arrival
of a powerful re-enforcement to sustain
the government against revolution when
negotiations are opened. That fear has
been the great obstacle to Spain's pub
lic recognition of the facts of war.
European Dlsllhcsol't in _ mtud Suites.
A cynical essayist once wrote a very
suggestive article ou "Tho Mutual
Hatred of Nations. " The very title puts
the theory out of court , however wise
and witty iu some of its speculations.
Hatred in n political sense simply means
that kind of alienation which conies of
opposed interests and ideals. Individuals
may hate each other , but nations cannot
in any essential way , unless it bo as the
temporary effect of a terrible humilia
tion. Yet the feeling of divergence maybe
bo so strong as occasioually to have
some taint of the bitterness of private
hatred. While this cannot bo said to bo
true of the feelings of continental Euro
peans toward the United States there
has been for eoflie time evidence of a
growing jealousy , which Americans
sincerely deprecate. For , a a people , v , u
> vo very social and fond of the good
will others , however willing to criti-
wWoiaod.
ciso and
The Gouuii ' > e r ° this feeling ; in > -
of < dislike Alllcrft
quo'stio.n to *
volves no .
* * B * writers- ,
cans as individuals.
to bo sure , have alwa/ * boou easl1
tempted to sneer at Amorica'u aKU3te * *
istics. That may easily pass ab" * "
ural instinct to find fault with .
foreign to one's own environment , .
Americans themselves are not free
it. The cause goes deeper than the per-
6'ortal and links itself to political and
comm'ei'cial ' facts.
This country has always been the
fountain stfeaih of those complex influ
ences which Imvo tended to shako the
old order of thilfg'ffin Europe. In the
very nature of facts- she is sure to re
main so in increasing * measure asher
strength and bigness oxp&iul. Nations
resting ou ancient traditions'eanuot for
give this , for it presents a threat which'
tugs forever at foundation stout ? * . To
this political fact are added the' tre
mendously expanding radius of our in
dustrial energies and outf keew
tion with foreign producers' ' aftf-hefe
hearthstone as well as in * tfllo commom
field of export. Effective reabon showsi
in this for European opiaion' ' and policy/
arming themselves against . The re"
cent aspect iu which we have with or
without grounds como to appear to Eu
rope as n candidate for a still niord as
sured position has been a forcing ageiifi
in an already strong sentiment. To bo
sure the continent feels similarly to
ward England , but in our case there ia
an added anger at the notion of an up
start people strong in its own sense of
right and might moving with an assur
ed stride in the race of nations It ia
not magnanimous , but it is hutoau na
ture.
The Russian editors complacently'
curl their mustaches with the remark
that the American political status in
the eaal apropos of the results of the
war hangs on the verdict of St. Peters
burg. The Muscovite press forgets thi.t
the world's accepted sea meridian passes
through Greenwich , England , and not
through the city of Peter.
It seems that only a portion of the
harbor mines in our great harbors will
bo removed , though all danger from
Spanish attack has ceased. Governmer < -
evidently feels it imprudent to make
every channel a fairway until all inter
national outoonio of the war has been
settled.
"Justice is the bread of nations ; they
are always famishing for it , " is the < seu-
timoutal apothegm of a grout French
man. We have been the great producers
of breadstu Ts so far , and we are now
adding this new cereal to our export list.