Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1831-05-06
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last Columbia Telescope, and which nothing but the
want OF room prevents us from transferring entire
into our Columns We should say that It's spirit was
little too rudica--that it reposes rather too much
confidence in the glorious, and beneficial, but iuso
ry theory, of the infinite perfectibilitv of man-but
il is impossible to withhold from it the credit of pro-
found political observation great depth and concen-
ton of thought, and vigor of language.
The author sets out with the following proposition,
to the accuracy of which fully subscribe, Mr..
Jeferson's dictum, that great cities were great
sores on the body polite" being con,radcted by the
entire experience of modern Europe. In the towns
the spirit of liberty first revived after the long
ecpsn which followed the overthrow of the Roman
Empire In the towns, the feudal system was first
resisted London has always been democratic. and
Paris the head spring from winch democracy has
flowed into the departments. These are historical
truths. and Philosophy might have forekuown them
antecedent to experience Solitary man is tmid and
ignorant; associations of mon communicate know
ledge from each to ALL and learn to RELY upon their
aggregate strength for defence ana resistance.
hondon was the cradle of the Revolution of ls42-
Boston of that Of 1776-Paris of that of 1889 and
1880. In cities men FIRST learn their rights and
frat, from the moral influence of numbers, acquire
the courage to defend them. We always esteemed
that opinion of Mr. Jefferson unjust and unphloso-
phical. (''The has the right to survey the
eagles fight"
POLITICAL PARTIES
The forms of Government, and the changes thai
take place in them, depend on the actual state of
public information, and the consequent progress of
public opinion-The effect of this power but lat civ
noted is irresistible More or less time NAV be re-
CURED to produce Its necessary results. These will
.t,o
of the actual rulers Of the country, and partly
the quantum OF knowledge, and the facility of prop
agating il, throughout 4 community 1t will be
found by the examination of istorcal facts in re-
ference, to this last observation that, for nation to
be scientific learned, wise, and virtuous to the
highest degree large cities, of less than 500 900
inhabitants absolutely necessary.-There IS no
demand for Science or learning for the results
produced by men of science and learning-there are
no facilities of communicating acknowledgement accu-
rate observation of political events-or wise deduc
tons of the consequences that flow from Them but
in large Cities where intellectual pursuits of eyery
kind belong to classes of men, who attend to them
as business, and where the numbers of the people
furnish adequate demand for the inventions dis
coveries useful truths, and literary publications. that
flow from these classes of men, who thus make of
thes Objects occupation of regular and incessant
pnrsuit and who receive, consequence, an ade
quate reward, either in solid emolument or In repu-
taon and consideration among the members of socie-
ty. with whom they live
France has Paris. Bordeaux LYONS Marseilles
and some other large towns.-EDglanG has London
Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Sheffield OK
ford, Cambridge, and some others. The Capitals Of
Paris and London, lead public opinion and give the
tone to it gradually throughout the nation The
time required for the propagation of use al knowl-
edge and the march of intellect, longer or shorter
in proportion to the number and population of the
large towns, scattered through 4 rational community
They the era d conductors of the electrical ma
chine In this country. shall for n century 10
come be IN the rear of Europe, and behind European
energy and information, owing TO the great difficulty
OF creating literary and scientific class of men, and
OF propagatng literary and scientific information, in
sparse community. Never shall we have really
national and popular system of education, open to
every cItlzen-never shall we get rid of the gno-
rance, the blgotry. the rancorous intolerance, the
political lntermeddlInG, the never diving expectation
OF an union between church and state and the ava
rIcous ambition, that, in every country has so of en-
characterized the priesthood-never shall we recur
! to the PLAIN, honest system of DIRECT TAXATION
instead of the fraudulent conceampnt Of public bnr
thens, by custom house duties-never shall we be
able to PROSTATE the selfish, Unpncipled plumber
lngs OF protecting dues, or leave to every man the
! easonable liberty of spending his money at the
market where he can get the most for it--never
shall we get rid of the nuisance of governing too
much that annually periodical itch for ntermeddling
ana law MAKING so prevalent among us, because an
ignorant man suddenly "a sed Up into a LEGISLATOR
thinks he has nothing else to do but to make laws
never shall we learn wisdom enough to reject all
banks, banking, money dealing corporations. and
o'her forms OF swnding The poor, which people who
1--we by head work speculation are so fond of-never
shall we cease to create corporations ind monopoes
Those parasite plants upon the public tree
shall we be wise in these or twenty other cases.
where we must by and by inevitably retraco ,ur steps
as common sense finds resting place among us, ~
TILL we have half Dozen cities in the United Stntes
OF half million Of inhabitants each All these i'm
provements will come with TIME: they are all in sure
and certain progress but truth is a snail sloth a
mere terTapin IN It's motions: its steps are not bv
years but by generations and a scattered population
WI require two centuries for truth go bis round
OF visiting. when, IN community Of great towns be
might leave his cards Of compliment, in a fourth OF
the time
The author then proceeds to trace the first French
Revelation, its causes and consequences It was not
brought about he says. by Voltaire, Monicsqueu.
Tu'got, ConGorcct, Freref, Hoboch Grimm. Du.
marsais or Rousseau but "the liberal truths propa-
gated w'tbso mach assiduity. in tho writings Of these
fearless searchers after truth and very able men, set
tied forever the general train Of thinking in the
minds Of the n6re informed and better educated