The Sun.
London, England, 1864-10-12 00:00:00

LONDON, WEDNESDAY, OUT. 12, 1861.

There are many points in which the German
mind differs from the English, but in nothing is
the contrast more distinctly marked than in its ten.
dency to take a theoretical rather than a practical
yiew of matters. Englishmen like to keep to the
point ; they discourse, they dispute, they legislate
with special reference to action. The principles
which govern them are often allowed to be tacitly
understood rather than openly professed; and,
allthongh no public community is without its hypc-
elites and interested professors, yet English people
generally are very rarely deceived by a mist of
words and long-sounding phrases. Their politicians
and statesmen know this, and are well aware that
the high•flown theories of the Continent would
rather influence the popular judgment against them
than in their favour ; and, consequently, whatever
their views, their public addresses are usually
plain and practical in their nature. With our good
friends in the Vaterland the case is very different.
The popular leaders even contrive to envelope their
ideas and principles in such an atmosphere of
cloudland that they are not easily unfolded, and it
c Innot be very easy, one would think, for the bulk
of the populace to gain more than a vague idea of
what is intended. It is this vagueness that always
militates against the success of republican move-
ments abroad. The people do not very
clearly know what they want, and their leaders
discourse to them in high fllwn strains of the prin-
ciples which should govern their political actions,
wuereas in our English struggles the people and
their chiefs alike knew very well what they were
fighting for, and never rested until the end was
gained. Although Germany has consented to put
aside for the time all her efforts after national unity
and freedom in order to trample on a weaker Power,
it is interesting to learn what her Republicans think
of the present crisis in America. A letter, recently
addressed to a friend by one of the principal mem.
bens of that party, gives us some insight into the
sentiments with which the German Republicans
regard the Presidential contest. It is disap-
pointing to find, from KARL BLIND'S letter,
that his sentiments are wholly and exclusively
with the Unionists. It is another instance of
the tendency of the German mind to rest in
theories rather than in practice. He regards the
Union as the sample of Republican principles, and
looks upon its overthrow as a virtual defeat of those
principles. "I believe," he says, "in the necessity
of a great Republican power as a counterpoise to
the despotisms and aristocracies of Europe. May
the day be far distant when that hideous shout of
derision, the first accents of which have occasionally
struck our ears, could be magnified into a howl of
triumph at seeing the greatest Republican Come
mou wealth finally split asunder! It would be the
triumph of Absolutism."
KARL BLIND apparently does not recognise the
fact, long patent to all Englishmen, that the
reality cf the Republic no longer exists; that the
principles upon which it was founded are far
more likely to suffer, not only in the minds of
prfjudiced despots, but with calm and enlightened
judges, at the present unhappy combination of
the worst features of tyranny with the profession
of Democracy. 11.' e see an arbitrary rule, which
respects neither popular conviction nor private
nglet ; we see it enforced by the imprisonment or
exile of all who have the courage to oppose it;
by the virtual suppression of the opposition press ;
by a conscription which is altogether unpopular;
and these acts are carried out, not on the plea of
pressing
necessity or of a temporary suspension of
the national rights', but on
the grounds of the just
authority of the Presidential administration. The
Fcderals claim the right of enforcing on some
,millions of intelligent people a form of government
which is obnoxious to them. What could tyranny
do more ? They refuse to these intelligent millions
the right of selfegovernment, they deny them the
sower tfor Leguselveo, they NOWA force
legislate f