The Press.
London, England, 1858-09-04 00:00:00

ENGLAND'S PROGRESS.
IF there is one thing that characterizes the
present age, externally, more than another,
beyond doubt it is Progress. Progress enters
into everything—civilization, mechanical inven-
tion, philosophy, physic, politics, manufactures,
the fine arts, science, agriculture, national wealth
and prosperity, social improvement, the means of
locomotion, of correspondence, of transmission,—
all except man's moral nature ; so that man may
fairly be said in these respects to have got ahead
of himself.
There have been periods in history when the
world seemed stationary, or even to go back-
wards. Our own country has not always been
upon the ThP-- time when it
had not
instructi,
back •

Gradually, too, she has been consolidating her
mighty empire. China is now opened to her ;
India has just been added to her imperial domi-
nion. " Queen Victoria has kingdoms," as a
contemporary has justly remarked, "not only in
" Europe and Asia, like the CZ Alt ; not only in
" Europe and Africa, like the Emperor of the
" FRENCH ; not only in Europe and America,
" like the ancient Kings of Spain ; but in
" Europe, Asia, Africa, America, and Australia,
" together. From the Arctic to the Antarctic
" Ocean, in British Columbia and the Falkland
" Islands, on the confines of Bokhara and the
" confines of Burmah, in Southern Africa and
" Australasia, may be found territories de-
" pending on the Crown of England." In
'lendid lii

of MACK INTOBH

emphaticall

far from

acquire
80 that
itself
Allan.

Wonder

won& Progress
national, social, and religious, or as it bears upon sophy England has discovered the means of
the world at large. lengthening human life, of mitigating pain, of
First, let us look at it as it respects the nation. arresting destructive diseases; she has found out
Without aggressive wars England has gained how to increase the fertility of the soil—how to
unbounded territory; without ambition she has secure almost certain safety to the mariner in
acquired universal influence. ller commerce is crossing the mighty waters—how to annihilate
the life of all nations ; her language has become space and bring remote continents within speak-
ilimiliar in all clinics; her liberty is the envy ing distance; she has imported the fruits, plants,
and the hope of every other country; her sceptre and productions of all climates into her markets,
touches the antipodes; her gigantic embrace and naturalized them to grow in her ground, and
goes round the whole globe. New continents adorn her gardens ; she has learned to bridge
have been given to her enterprizing population ; over mighty rivers and estuaries at a single span—
she has scattered the seeds of mighty empires has added vastly to the mechanical powers of the
and constitutions over regions of the existence of human muscles—has furnished new and more
which no bright guess even ever gleamed upon effective weapons to the warrior ; she has suc-
the mind of Grecian or Roman historian; she ceeded in lighting up the night with all the
has created a maritime power that would annihi- brightness of the day—in guiding the lightning
late in one half-hour the navies of Tyre, Car- harmless from heaven to earth—in penetrating
thage, Greece, Rome, Venice, and Genoa put into noxious mines secured from danger of fire-
altogether ; she has opened up fields for trade, damp, and bringing up their treasures for man's
for the advance of civilization, and of true reli- use ; she has extended the human vision by tele-
gion, in every quarter of the habitable world. scopes, brought new planets into view, and

determined their periods. By her invention,.
and appliances, in short, she has enabled
man to descend into the depths of the sea ;
to soar into the air ; to whirl in cars without
horses at the rate of sixty miles an hour
over the earth ; to cross the ocean in ships
that can make swift progress against wind and
tide; in fine, she has subdued all the elements to
her sway, and turned them into agents for her
own advancement. Nor is this progress yet com-
plete. The goal of to-day is but the starting
place for to-morrow. Every new discovery,
every new invention, every new appliance, is
hut the groundwork and prelude to some further
improvement ; so that, socially considered, we
arc never able to say that we have already
" attained, are already perfect."

awake , beginning _
century. But since that period she has been
sending forth her missionaries into every quartos
of the habitable globe, building churches and
founding bishoprics in the most remote regions,
and spreading the trove' with " the speed and
" splendour of an angel's wing."

There is only one respect in which England
seems not to have made progress, and that is in
morals. But here the heavy drag of corrupt
human nature comes in and retards. This is not
peculiar to any one country, but is common to all.
Progress in this is uphill work—every advance in
which, if followed by the slightest remission of
the motive power in the
by a swift decline. Indivith.
efforts, attain to a high degree
ment, but to make a ve-
never yet given to mortal
sorrow confess that our
no exception to this law
may be, and we believe is,

worm seemeu STALLIUII4I y t un ~..... ..., h-____
~
Australasia, may be tonna territAniv. ,t,- Itnints• ,isa,aal , ...... ...---,
wards. Our own country has not always been o
" pending on the Crown of England." In arc never able to say that we have already
upon the advance. There was a time when it
had not come under the law of Progress. It is the productions of a solid and splendid lite- 'L attained, or are already perfect."
rature _England may compare with the noblest
instructive to observe when this began. It dates There is no just ground, however, for glory in
which Greece or Rome has bequeathed to us,
appoint-
back as far as the reign of " Good 'Queen all this. It is owing far more to the
while in physical science she has far out- _ ..), \
Bess," but it emade its most decisive start in ments of PROVIDIINCX than to our own powers;
stript all ancient nations by her discoveries, ; I
the reign of WiLuAtir 111. "of glorious me- Our insular situation has probably had much to 1.-.
more especially as regards the subtle powers of •
mory," or at the period of the " glorious Re- do with it; for, as it has been remarked by some
stoam and electricity, which arc working such
volution." We have tilt unequivocal testimony one, "No people ever become highly civilized
wonders towards the universal intercourse of
of MAcensTostt and MACAULAY, and of all the without the sea" ; without the sea men have no •44
mankind. In her internal history, too, there has
leading writers on our history, that no country of salt to season their thoughts with, and no object
been a constant movement of the public mind
enter-
ancient or modern annals ever attained to such before them to excite them to adventurous
towards reforms in the institutions of the country ; ,11144\
prosperity or made such progress, so rapid and so prize. It was the ALMIGHTY who placed Eng-
a desire to advance in these marked by a politic
solid, as England between that period and the land in the midst of the ocean ; and there cannot i
caution, giving to it emphatically the character
present. In one word, the history of England is be a doubt in any devout or reflective mind that .1
of Conservative progress, in all which respects
emphatically the history of Progress. she was placed there, and has had such vast
England must be acknowledged to be the leader
power given her, to fulfil some high destiny
The remarkable thing is, that this Progress, so of the human race in the career of improvement.
towards the nations.
far from being stopped or even slackened, is pro-
Second. Viewed socially, or as regards the
Third. In a religious aspect, the progress of t\''
reeding with more rapid strides. It seems toI
internal condition of her people, England has
England is scarcely less striking. •She com-
acquire an ever-increasing velocity as it goes on,
I
also made marvellous progress. If the half-
pletely shook off the trammels of Popery pt tile
so that it is impossible to say where it will stay
naked and degraded inhabitants of ancient
Reformation. From that period to this, with
itself or find a limit. By its striding over the
Britain, or even our forefathers of the age of
one short exception, she has been the freest
Atlantic in the electric cable, it has already left
HENRY VIII, could arise from their graves, they
Wonder in the rear, and outstript Surprise. country in the world. It is true she fell into a
would be perfectly amazed at the state of things,
spiritual slumber for a long time after the Re-
It may be interesting to take a review of this
the social improvements of all kinds, which they
wonderful Progress in its several relations,— formation; her religious activities were not
would now behold. By the help of her plat-
, awakened till near the beginninK of the present

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