Newspapers / The Morning Post (Raleigh, … / Feb. 21, 1904, edition 1 / Page 9
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SECTION TWO-.PAQES 9 to 16 ; - The MoIhimg Post. Vol. XIII RALEIGH. K C.SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21. 19 04. SIXTEEN PAGES. No. 73 . . -" 1 " i i 1 The; O'reaf .Ben r onci-fiife THe FigKt for Free Commerce; Humanity and liberty Against Restriction, Ignorance and Tyranny 5 ' " -. By A V. DocKory, Ex - B?fors the. time of the great Peter ; i?ia was "'little known to the then rivilized part of the world's inhabi t iit.i. she was not thought of even I.;.- her nearest neighbors except in c,;i manner as -we thought or our i.iian neighbors in the early years of . ii- history. That is, that marauders ; more to be protected against than jVare'd in actual contact. Kussia .could successfully attack no civilized nation, but employed herself ia harassing roaming bands of pro iV?ioaal robbers conquering them and annexing their territory. She had almost exclusive control of the trade with the great productive Tc-tChina and India and the im n?e fair at Novgorod was the mo t i :itous annual event when Marco j'o'.o and his caravan got through the ;hieving hordes from far away East to this Novgorod fair laden withr furs and teas. The frozen zone in the Russia of that day caused a congestion of goods Hi this fair and an outlet to the sea had to be found where people were able and willing to buy and pay for the accumulations of this inland traffic. There was no maritime influence whatever, few available open ports outside of those of friendly powers and none of these had been so friendly as to allow the "open door", policy (an old i lea) to overcome them in Russia's behalf. It was under these circumstances that Peter the Great . started out on his shipbuilding exploitation, whether Cisguised as a sailor it matters not to enquire, but he did go to Holland and England' where be learned something to the everlasting use and advantage of his own country. He returned and contaminated his knowledge amongst his people. He had Feeri a Jtehtnd hejliedltat home pnci tussia tooK strides suen as lrr those days greatly encouraged his own folks and dismayed some Other folks. IJut on Peter's death, some women got charge of the reins of the government and alternately every sort of oppres sion and cr,ucity has been practiced iipon the people to this day. Russia is not a great war -power. Fhe can provoke war but she cannot tight it-' out successfully except by burning herself up as she did at Mos cow and will shortly be .doing "at Port Arthur. Her warlike past has accom plished more in the field of grand pil lage than in that of, heroic valor. The number of square miles does not in a Ice a great naiton any more than the number of people. ) Russia Is a paper money country with, a depreciat ed credit. She exports grain, coal oil and tea the latter not the product of hr own soil but of China, The climate is noted for its extremes of cold and heat. Port Arthur which was stolen from China is practically the only open seaport, Vladivostock b-ir.g closed up writh i,ee the greater part of the year. The railways are mostly owned by the state and that from St. Petersburg to Vladivostock ? .600 miles long is practically the only means of communicating . with the scene of operations in the Far East. She has a Baltic fleet but cannot make it available because even if the fleet got through the straits of Den-- Juark or the Kiel canal England con trols Gibraltar and the Suez Canal. The Black Sea fleet is also of little ie bocause Turkey, the ancient and hnplarnble enemy of Russia, controls h? Dardanelles. Should either of these fleets sret through to the Ty phoon seas the chance is it would after 1 .six weeks voyage have to encounter iv.iccal'ed and disorganized , a more f" verful Japanese squadron fresh from the- flush of victory. The sympathy of the enlightened world is manifestly v-"Hh Japan and it is little wonder. Russia is the only big absolute mon archy left on earth. Form prescribes various degrees of . government but the Czar is autocrat of all degrees ,and of all men. He is more than Caesar. Ninety per cent of the population can not read or write and only one in a fs mily of six children Is permitted by : ' to get a smattering of education. ranny, bigotry, ignorance, and pequ- 't'on predominate and permeates ev ?:y class. The Slav is the dominant race and is absorbing-iall other races, M!e the religion is Orthodox Greek, r:ri intolerant in a measure. ' The lan guage is a mixture of grindstone, gruel, mmel and wind; and is rarely learn p'i or even studied by any other 1 people. t would be useless outside Russia. It was in 1696 that Peter the Great rot the attention of the civilized world to the existence of a. Russia, - since p-2-ich time there has been no real s-ce within the empire nor quiet irrong its rulers. She has annihilated :5"e last remains of Poland, annihilated aom, annihilated the liberty of 1 n-rry race. She whipped and harassed the Jews and1' fought the Turk to a standstill at the Balkans. Yet ; Russia ha prevailed naught against any ; big nation. She evaded Napoleon bs burn .Moscow, ia midwinter, not by fight in.. Written for The Morning Post ' U. S. Consul to Germany, ing. England . almost alone went out to her and thrashed her enormous ar mies at Inkerman and Balaclava and captured the stronghold of Sebastopol humbled her. . Osman Pasha against his wishes was compelled by the Turkish government to go into Plevna where with 80,000 men he held the .Russian in check more than three months when famine compelled ,his surrender. The Rus sians lost 65,000 men while the Turks only lost S0.C0O. But Osman Pasha was not, a Turk but a Bohemian Jew. He ranks today as one of the ablest gen erals of the latter part of the 19th century. Russia is a land of rugged contour and rough interior and tough citizens who, when "flighting anywhere away from home, are as "happy as happy can be. Everywhere else Is paradise to. the Russian soldier, and while, he enjoys the outdoor vJcisitudes of war fare; he is but an ordinary in the GEO R.G E midst of the truly brave. The Cos sack of doubtful . fame as a cavalry soldier would not today muster against the intellectual force of the American, English or Japanese soldier In courage or endurance. In truth the Cossack has been always a good buttock to be rushed by the aid of the knout, "rather than by any spirit suggestive of a patriotism inspiring bravery. The Jews who have been the , money gatherers of the world have been, most fea.rfullv acoursred by Russia, What ever may be said of: the Jews nobody has doubted their energy, thrift, gen eral honesty and ability to take care of themselves without cost to the com munity. I never saw a beggar Jew. They have been in this world before, with and after Christ. It is; in their power today to still further bankrupt the Russian government did they pos sess the average ? human resentmen t they could destroy the Russian govern ment without;.- Japan's burning an oun.ee ol powder in retaliation fox tbe ising Sun . rv - V Battle Arrqy: -.- Portugal and England wholesale robbery, murder and expul sion of the Jewish race within her own territory during the last few years; especially. ' ; ;? I will drop Russia for a little to go to Japan the Rising Sun shall I say of civilization? Japan has been most aptly called the England of the far east. Its three largest earthquaking islands; teem with forty-odd millions of people of small stature and swarthy complexion, but there exists on . the face of this green or parched earth no more rugged, thrifty, energetic, honest nor brave people. I say this - gladly, because I know it. I have met them in. many stations of life-commerciaI, diplomatic and naval in this home of ours and abroad. -Indeed it was (I consider) my good fortune to be at the United States naval academy at, An napolis, when In 1869, the first three Japanese students arrived there to take the academic course. It is needless to WAS HINGTON'S B I say they acquitted themselves most honorably in gentlemanly conduct and creditably in the course of study. Presi dent Geo. T. Winston "was in my class at the same time and will verify this statement. - ' - The soil of Japan is not naturally fertile, but careful husbandry has en abled the people to eat at home. Rice is the staple product and the general diet. Some sugar is raised and a con siderable quantity of tobacco, although the latter is of inferior quality." - , Japan has a complete system of edu cation. In fact' we could learn much from her on educational Tines. Only seven per cent, of her population can not read and write. . Shintoism and Budhism are the pre dominent religions, but full and .. com plete toleration Jnd respect Is extend ed to all other forms of religious wor ship. This is the new Japan. The. Jesuit Francis Xavier. introduced Christianity in 1549t but til meddiiDST j I "', ' 8 of priests with,, secular affairs created distrust and the cry was raised "Japan for the Japanese' resulting in the ex pulsion - of - priests, bloodshed and -the retarding: of the cause of Christ. Japan, be it remembered, is a gold standard country, whose financial credit stands high among the nations of tho earth She has always kept her in ternational treaties inviolate and really has only been hampered from still farther progress by strictly adhering to the exactions of some of these onerous and should be considered obsolete treaties.-, . .'. , .'. Until 1853 Japan had for 21$ years been ;a; terra incognita when our Com modore Perry under instructions from that great North Carolinian, William A. Graham, secretary of the navy, ar rived off the coast for the purpose of opening ' ports and establishing trade relations with Japan. After weary months of threatening and cajolery he succeeded in opening- three treaty ports to tile United States, from which time the- friendship between the two na tions takes date. Russian and other .embassies had failed to accomplish what Commodore Perry did. Nor be it understood that the usual ' method of civilizing a country was car - ried into effect in Japan; that is, flrX cpme missionaries, then come coiy1 then some soldiers. - The latterwas . ntever necessary, if practicable, because Japan jumped to the front to outdo her teachers in the race for commercial progress, . political and religious free doms and the general disenthalment of mankind. J2id we are presented with the won derlful Spectacle of a nation only fifty yeirs, out of barfarism fighting the battle for civilization, astonishing the world and gaining the sympathy of all liberal minded men. "Yellow race indeed! This is an age RTHDAY, when color cuts a very poor figure. England, the. oldest colonizer among nations, is also the greatest possessor of colored people. The United States perhaps ranks next in the latter re spect. While Germany seems to want to fear a yellow alliance she also is trying to own some negroes in South Africa. She was never a successful colonizer, .her people losing their nat ional identity away from the father land, unlike British, Spaniards and Portuguese. France could colonize such places as Devil Island where "a human being can not live lc3er than two years on the stretch. Russia has heretofore conquered everything color ed on her eastward march from the Ural Mountains to the Tellow Sea. ; The vast territory of Manchuria which, with ' Corea, Russia seeks to own, needs to be- clothed in our cotton goods, and we of thie south are espe pfnllv Interested In the success of Ta- nan:if we would 'have an onen market 1 J . JCContined, joa 13th pas;e -MeiTiorioi Address " to ..'Elks of "Winston- Delivered day, By A. B. Andrews, Jr., of XalelrH Exalted JRuler. Brqyier Elks, Indies Again, in thls,r city has assem bled a. body c'tnen to hold a memo rial flav sorJee. commemorative of men whose life- and vocation have: been in yrr midst, "why this assem bling?" ySbt well be asked by any one, ar4 "Is Jt a ctertain set of our citizens accidentally met together to shov tha.t; they appreciated the good tptTts atid compairionship, while he ved. of some now deceased associate?" nificution in that this assembling to- day is due to some- organized insti tution, and, does the influence of that organization extend beyond the con fines of our immediate community?" Another inquiry would be "How is that Influence exerted, for good or for evil?" and whatever may be the answer to that Inquiry a further one arises "Does the past history of the institution sus tain the statement as ' to the exertion of its influence?" Our service today is not due to any chance assembling but i3 in obedience to a mandate of the Grand Lodge of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, which sets aside annually this day to be observed by all of Its lodges as a memorial day, commemorative of our .deceased brethren. This order of which we are members, exerts its influence far and wide throughout our nation, and he who fol lows its: teachings will be a greater respecter of law and order, a more loyal .citizen and a better lover "of his fellowman. While it is true that a chain is no stronger than its weakest link, yet our institution (while a crea tion of almost the present generation of men) is not a welded mass of mol ten metal, -which, must stand equal pressure and strain at all points to thereby retain its usefulness in society, or else in case of a single break or flaw be consigned to the scrap heap of society as refuse material. It is com posed of human beings, who oftentlme differ each one with the other, just like -all other men, and they differ in teiiprainea,tf in Tank and position, in usefulness in society, in religious Be lief -and Screed, "aye 'they differ in in telleicttiaj --'thought , and strength, but should ntever; In the tenets and ideas of our- order. Np;!me-claims -for it anything of a religious - character, excepting that each and every member must believe in .the.; existence' of a Supreme , Being, Whose existence, is everlasting and eteraalrland.Whose power is Infinite, and .Who 'will judge . us by our acts and deeds , done - upon earth, and will reward us . accordingly. Around our altar, .to' take" the: obligation of our brotherhood kneel "alike the Hebrew and the Gentile, t the Catholic and the Protestant, and all assume the same, burdens- arid - receive the same bene fits, -arid before taking that obligation each must, openly -declare his belief in the' existnece of Almighty God. To"those peOpie,'J whether members of our Order, ' or of some other Order, who state that their , lodge occupies with them - the place of their rel igious be lief, and that religious belief, or asso ciation :with- any; . religious body or church is unnecessary on that account, our Order off ers no .welcome and lends no encouragement,, and let us hope that as long as there are God-fearing men In: this American land of ours that they jriay -stilf rule over our Order and thereby perpetuate the usefulness of our institution. Too recent is the experience ' of the French Revolution and the . attempted abolition of the Sabbath Day of rest, with its harm ful and anarchistic teachings follow ing so close behind cur 1 destroying the very foundations itself of integrity. justice, society "and civilization, for any man or set of men, even claiming to be of sufficient intelligence as to be an Ameican citizen, to even dream of such idle thoughts, much less to be guilty of attempting to put them into prac tice in this enlightened age of the world. For such we have neither place nor position. "Our little systems have their day; They have their day and cease to be; They are but - broken lights of Thee, And Thou, O Lord, art more than they' The home of a brother we are taught to protect as our own, and to guard jealously the family, that divinely in stituted establishment , which is the very foundation as well as the corner stone of our civilization and social fabric, and without which it could not exist. . Can an order with such tenets be working for evil, even if some men unworthy of its member ship do not live up to its teachings? The idea of the Benevolent and Pro tective Order of Elks originated in New York City thirty-six years ago (al though the. present name was not adopted until a year later.) Its first origin was as a social club, whose members assembled every Sunday evening, composed as it was of a set of congenial men,,, engaged in similar pursuits in life, whose daily avoca tion occupied, tneir axiernoons ana evenings during the week, and the day of rest was taken as the day of their IgatheringB. WitA a, .considerable num-i December 6, J 003 2 ber of lta members whose bread-win ning- worjc waa tn entertainment of others during the week days, it is no surprise to learn that their evening gatherings partook ' largely of th nature of an in-expensive social as sembly, at which the various members in turn assumed the part of entertain ing each other by recitation or song. The young Englishman," (the son of a clergyman) Charles Vivian, who was the originator of the Order, fell an early prey to disease, and In 1SS0 (thirteen years after he had organized the so-called social club) he died from pneumonia in Colorado, far from home and friends, far from the ministration and assistance of those, who should have been ready . to make his declin ing' days peaceful and have relieved his suffering. He builded far better than he knew, when he originated the Institution of this Order, and the secret of his success was that he tried to, relieve the isolation of his fellow men, by making' them realize that they were creatures of the same God, members of the same human family and bound together by numerous -ties. Burled as Charles Vivian was by another secret order, of which he was a member, at Leadville, Colorado, his grave rudely marked by a wooden slab, on which the name had been scratched with a nail, it was almost scant justice, to say the least, which our Order did hlai later, when under a resolution his body "was exhumed, carried to Bostor and there interred with, honors befit ting those due him and his grave de cently marked by the Order for which he did so much. , How such a life work, cut short as was the career and earthly existence of the founder of our Order at the early age of thirty-four years, must appeal to us young men now in the flower of youth with our golden oppor tun i ties open before us. , His life work is completed and he is released from sufferings. - .., To any one needing inspiration for work and achievements, let him con slder the triumph of this Order, its humble beginning' and the obscurity of Its founder. He did not-live to see his great masterpiece crowned with the great success it has achieved in recent years, nor did he living receive from the Order the laurel wreaths justly due him. "Hence in silence and in sorrow toll ing still with busy hand. Like an emigrant, he wandered seeking for the Better Land. Emigravit, is the inscription on the tombstone where he lies. Dead he is not! But departed for the artist never dies." Early restricted as our Order was to only. American citizens and to those only who owed allegiance to the gov ernment of the United States, it is no surprise that it has In an almost in credibly short period extended from the Atlantic to the Pacific to be bounded only by the Canadian and Mexican frontiers. In every state or territory, excepting the isles of the seat, there is one or more Elk lodges, and these lodges stand for the teachings of our Order, and through their numerouf membership, now over one hundred ani thirty thousand members, they ar spreading thoughts and ides of lav abiding, God-fearing and man-lovlni citizenship. Within our closed doors meet men oi all political faith; their political idea? and opinions, outside of good citizen ship and obedience to lawful K.uthorit? we do not attempt to control or t hamper, and would not if we could. We teach moderation and freedom or ideas and thoughts so long as those Ideas and thoughts can be measured by the golden rule of "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" and as long as an Elk measures his action and conduct by that rule he cannot stray far from the peaceful green feeding grounds' of truth and upright living. To all people, who, in dealing -with their fellowmen, act upon the assumption that they are dealing with a set of Ishmaelites, and that the medaeval idea of might making right, the victory always being to the strong and the race to the fleet, which existed when the barons of England- lived in their castles surrounded by their re tainers and never associated with their fellowmen, this Order offers no in ducements or even temptation for them to Join. While the cloistered halls and the silence of the monastery develop the Intellectual ideas ,of scholars, and through the Intellectual progfess har our civilization advance very greatly, yet Intellectual advancement Is net everything. Rome with her intellec tual strength, which produced a Hor ace, a Cicero as well as a Virgil, and Athens, with he Homer and her other learned men, who have Immortalized their names by their work, both retro graded when their Intellectual progress was stopped as It was their sole de pendency, "While stands the coliseum, Rome shall .stand. When falls the coliseum, Rome shall fall."
The Morning Post (Raleigh, N.C.)
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Feb. 21, 1904, edition 1
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