The Express.
London, England, 1862-11-11 00:00:00

MR. EMERSON ON PRESIDENT LINCOLN'S
PROCLAMATION.

Ralph Waldo Emerson contributes to the Novem-
ber Lumber of the Aff antic. Monthly the following masterly
review of the President's proclamation of emancipation, its
purpose and its probable effect :
" In so many arid forms which states encrust themselves
with, once in a century, if so often, a poetic act and record
occur. These are the jets of thought into affairs when,
rouged by danger or inspired by genius, the political leaders
of the day break the else insurmountable routine of class and
local legislation and take a step forward in the direction of
catholic and universal interests. Every step in the history of
political liberty is a sally of the human mind into the untried
future, and has the interest of genius, and is fruitful in
heroic anecdotes. Liberty is • slow fruit. It comes, like
religion, for abort periods, and in rare conditions, as if
awaiting • culture of the race which shall make it
organic and permanent. Such momenta of expansion in
modern history were the Confession of Augsburg, the
plantation of America, the English Commonwealth of
1648, the Declaration of American Independence in
1776, the British emancipation of slaves in the West
Indies, the passage of the Reform Bill, the repeal of the
corn-laws, the magnetic ocean telegraph, though yet im-
perfect, the passage of the Homestead Bill in the last
Coogriaa, and now, eminently, Resident Lincoln's procla-
mation on the ZZud of September. These are acts of great
scope, working on • long future, and on permanent interests,
and honouring alike those who initiate and those who
receive them. These measures provoke no noisy joy, but
are received into a sympathy so deep as to apprise us that
mankind are greater and better than we know. At such
times it appears as if a new public were created to great
the new event. It is as when an orator, having ended the
compliments and pleasantries with which he conciliated
attention, and having run over the superficial fitness and
commodities of the measure he urges, suddenly, lending
himself to some happy inspiration, announce@ with
vibrating voice the grand human principles involved—the
bravoes and wits who greeted him loudly thus far are sur-
prised and overawed ; a new audience is now found in the
heart of the assembly—en audience hitherto passive and on-
concerned, now at last so searched and kindled that they
come forward every one a representative of mankind, stand-
ing for all nationalities. The extreme moderation with
which the President advanced to his design—his long-avowed
expectant policy, as if he chose to be strictly the ex( naive
of the best public sentiment of the country, waiting only
till it should be unmistakably pronounced—so fair a mind
that none ever listened so patiently to such extreme
varieties of opinion—so reticent that his decision has taken
all pia ties by surprise, whilst yet it is the just sequel of his
ps for acts—the firm tone in which he announces it, without
inflammation or surplusage—all these have bespoken such
favour to the a-A, that great as the popularity of the Presi-
de-it has been, we are beginning to think that we have under-
estimated the capacity and virtue which the Divine Providence
has made an instrument of benefit so vast. He has been per-
mitted to do more for America than any other American man.
He is well entitled to the most indulgent construction. Forget
all that we thought shortcomings, every mistake, every
delay. In the extreme embarrassments of his part, call
these endurance, wisdom, magnanimity, illuminated, es
they now are, by this dazzling success. When we consider
the immense opposition that has been neutralized or con-
verted by the progress of the war (for it is not long since the
President anticipated the resignation of a large number of
officers in the army, and the secession of three states on the
pron.uleatima of this policy)—when we see how the great
stake which foreign nations hold in our aifaita has recently
brought every European power as a client into this court,
and it became every day more apparent what gigantic and
what remote interests were to be affected by the decision
of the President—one can hardly say the deliberation
was too long. Against all timorous counsels be
bad the courage to seize the moment ; and sorb
was his position, and such the felicity attending the action,
that he has replaced government in the good graces of man-
kind. "Better is virtue in the sovereign than plenty in the
season," say the Chinese. 'lie wonderful what power is,
and how ill it is used, and bow its ill use makes life mean,
and the sunshine dark. Life in America had lost much of
its attraction in the later years. The virtues of a good
magistrate undo a world of mischief, and, because nature
works with rectitude, seem vastly more potent than the
acts of bad governors, which are ever tempered by the good
nature in the people, and the incessant resistance which
fraud and violence encounter. The arts of good governors
work at a geometrical ratio, as one midsummer day seems to
repair the damage of a year of wrr. A day which most of
us dared not hope to see, au event worth the dreadfri
war' worth its costs and uncertainties', seems now to
be close before us, October, November, December,
will have passed over beating hearts and plotting
brains ; then the hour will strike, and all men
of African descent who have faculty enough to find their
way to our lines are assured of the protection of the
American law. It is by no means necessary that this
measure should be suddenly marked by any signal results on
the negroes or on the rebel masters. The force of the act
is that it commits the country to this justice—that it com-
pels the innumerable officers, civil, military, naval, of the
republic to range themselves on the line of this equity. It
draws the fashion to this side. It is not a mess..ue that
admits of being taken tack. Done, it cannot be undone by
a new adminisaation. For slavery overpowers the diegust
of the moral sentiment only through immemorial usage. It
cannot be introduced as an improvement of the nine-
teenth century. This act makes that the lives of our
heroes have not been sacrificed in vain. It makes a
victory of oar defeats. Our hurts are healed ; the health
of the nation is repaired. With a victory like this,
;we can stand niftily disasters. It does not promise
the redemption of the black race; that lies not
with us ; but it relieves it of our opposition.
The President by this act has paroled all the slaves
in America ; they will no more fight against us ; and it re-
lieves our race once for all of its crime and false position.
The first condition of success is secured in putting ourselves
right. We have recovered ourselves from our false position,
and planted ourselves on • law of nature.
"' If that fail,
The pillared firmament is rottenness,
And earth's base built on stubble.'
The government has assured itself of the beet consti-
tuency in the world : every spark of intellect., every
vir.uous feeling, every religious heart, every man of honour,
every poet, every philosopher, the generosity of the cities, the
health of the country, the strong arms of the mechanics,
the endurance of farmers, the passionate conscience of
women, the sympathy of distant nations—all rally to its
support. Of course, we are assuming the firmness of the
policy thus declared. It must not be a paper pro-
clamation. We confide that Mr. Lincoln is in
earnest, and, as be has been slow in making up
his mind, has resisted the importunacy of parties and of
events to the Least moment, he will be as absolute in his
adhesion. Not only will he repeat arid follow up Upstroke,
but the nation will add its irresistible strength. If the
ruler has duties, so has the citizen. In times like these,
when the nation is imperilled, what man can, without sh
receive good news from day to day without giving6=
Dews of himself? What right has any one to read in the
journals tidings of victories, if he has not bought them by