The southern press., 1850-11-06
The power of the Sword, and the power
'. ~ arE Ef'rtt. .lF of the Press. -.sF ,-fE g..

r...'.H Oh Iue FIcSS-. .-.gf H[a
The suboined extract, from one of the essays
of Thomas CARLYLE, in the days when he wrote
plain English, and did not make his thoughts go
masquerading, is worthy of republication in
every newspaper in the land-though trite to
many readers. ... . a.... ~..'.
Never was the lesson of the superiority of
moral over mere physical force more eloquently
or powerfully portrayed. At this hour, when
men welding that potent instrument, the pen
seek to familiarize the popular mind with the
idea of "coercion"-the appeal to brute force
the sitting of opinion by the strangling rope, and
the silencing of truth by threatening the punish
ment of treason-such lessons of warning wis
dom may be well pondered over, and sink deep
into the popular heart. In this Republic more
especially, moral and not material force alone
can control, and the words of the dramatist we'll
apply to its rulers, >ra.".a.s.sr 1.' -". ssa".a
''Take away the sword,
States can be saved without it,"
Thus writes CARLYLE: .n .~- . ..
81" When Tamerlane had finished building his
pyramid Of seventy-thousand human skulls and
erng in steel, with his battle axe on his shoulder,
till his fierce hosts filed out to new victories and
new carnage, the pale looker-on might have fan
cied that nature was in her death throes; for
havoc and despair had taken possession Of the
earth--the sun of manhood seemed sitting i'm seas
of blood. Yet it might be on that very gala day
of Tamerlane, that little boy was playing nine
pins on the street of Medtz whose history was
more important than that of twenty Tamerlanes
The Khan, with his shaggy demons of the will
derness, "passed away like a whrlwind," to be
forgotten forever; and that German artisan has
wrought benefit, which is yet immeasurably
expanding itself, and will continue to expand itself
| through all countries, and through all times.
What are the conquests and expeditions of the
whole corporations of captains, from Walter the
Pennyless, to Napoleon Ronaparte, compared
with those movable types of Fausti Truly, it is
| notifying thing for your conqueror to reflect
how pershable is the metal with which he ham
mers with such violence; how the kind earth will
soon shroud up his bloody foot tprints and all that
he achieved and skilfully piled together, will be
but like his own canvass city Of q camp-this ev-
enng loud with life, tomorrow all struck and van
lshed-''a a few earth pits and heaps Of straw. -
For here, as always, 1t continues true that the
deepest force is the stillest that, in the fable,
the mild-shinng Of the sun shall silently accom-
plish what the fierce clustering of the tempest in
vain essayed. Above ALL it is ever to keen in the
mind that, not by material, baa by moral po,cer,
men anu their aCtlonS governed, HOW nolSeless
is thought No rolling of drums, no tramp OF
squadrons, or immeasurable tumult of baggage
wagons attend its movements. In what obscure
and sequestered places may the head be meditat-
ing which is one day to be crowned with more
than imperial authority for kings and emperors
will be among its ministerng servants it will
rule not over but in all heads-and with these its
solitary combinations of ideas, and with magic
formulas bend the world to It's will The time
may come when Napoleon himself will be better
known for his laws than his battles, and the VIC
tory of Waterloo prove less momentoua than the
opening of the first Mechanioa' Institute"