The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-06-25

suit Is regarded with good deal of mortifca
, ton by Americans there and here.
For our part, we not only do not regret it
but We rejoice at it. We hope America neye
will become the successful rival of Europe il
the arts. Success in such competition involve.
sacrifices OF ten times the Importance of sucl
success Great excellence in art can be OBJ
tanned only by minute subdivision of labor anc
that depraves the man. He who would exec
10 any branch Of manufacture must devote him.
self exclusively to the cultivation of such facu
ties as belong TO that business, and renounce
all developments, moral and physical, not con
} nected with it, Life is short and scarcely af
fords time for the artizan of this generation ia
acquire by intense application the proficiency Of
him of the last, and to excel him. And when
population is dense, subsistence difficult, and
opposition keen, operatives of each class in man.
ufacturing States must give an exclusive deyo-
ton to their own pursuits, in order to keep up
with each other ut home, and their rivals abroad
Accordingly, one man devotes life to the fab
rication Of watch-springs. another to knife
blades, another to the loom, another to the spin.
die, and another 10 colors. Delicacy of taste
and OF touch, and mechanical ingenuity are in
dispensable, and nothing else. Vigor Of body,
activity and comprehension of thought, even
health itself, are not only sacrificed they be-
come impedments to success. Hence no ma
ton politically great, has ever supplied herself
at home, with the finer and more elegart art-
cles OF manufacture. Sparta prohibited not only
their production, but their consumption. Rome
imported her purple, her silks, and her gems
from her conquered and effeminate eastern prov.
nces And even England obtains her laces,
her jewelry, and her cashmeres from the CONT
nent of Europe and from India.
When people arrive at great excellence in
the arts, they lose their inventive faculties, be-
cause the mind with them loses its vigor and va
riety. Holland was inventive three or four CEN
turtles ago. 1t is no longer So Even in this
country, which is yet young, the number Of in
ventions does not according to the Patent Of
flee reports, at all keep pace in latter years with
former. In the Northern States, society is rap
idly approximating to the European and Asatic
standard of manufacturing skill, and intellect
ual impotence and inactvity-though we are
| glad to learn from the Worlds Fair that it is
still far behind them. When we shall have ar
rived at the excellence of Europe in the arts,
in subdivision of labor and of thought, we shall
have lost the energy, independence, enterprise,
and liberty which have formed our free institu-
tons, and subdued more wilderness in a Gen.
fury than any other people of ten times the num-
Der in ten times the period.
We have never desired to see dense popu-
lation in this country, nor excellence in the arts
of luxury and refinement. We would prefer
that the average density of our population might
never be greater than at present, and that we
may never excel at Worlds Fair.
The following commentaries are from the
London Times:
"The Americans, if we are to judge from
their newspapers, are puzzled what to say about
the figure they cut in the Exhibition From the
rem&fks, not only of the English press, but of
their own correspondents, they are aware of a
certain shortening. Up to the day of opening,
indeed, they were still confident that they would
astonish the world, but since that fatal day they
can no longer disguise from themselves the fact,
that, unapproachable as they are in the New
World, they have not acquired that position in
the Old. The more sensible of them refer with
honest and well-grounded satisfaction to the
C utility and to extent, the novelty of theiI
o contributions.
it aOthers show considerable soreness, and are
N scolding rather unfortunately. The Times is
scolded for its sneers. The federal government
" is scolded for not having granted money, as the
'r, European States are said to have done, for no
ly having disseminated information, or done othe
to things which citizens are usually supposed to d.
:, for themselves Queen Victoria and Prince AL
:, bert are scolded, we suppose, for having caugh
d. the Americans mapping the manufacturers anc
n tradesnnen of the continent of Europe arr
n. scolded for their mercenary intentions in exhib
s, iting what they think will bring customers; an,
the American manufacturers are scoded for no
'e contributing what will not bring them customers
o. "The correspondent of the Neto York Tri
in bune, expressing himself astonshed with tn
Exhibition, is nevertheless rather pleased to fin
that his country is not the only one in arrear,
AMI leaves it to be inferred that England ais
at was behind-hand. This is not fair. On the Is
te of May we were quite ready, with the single e,
~ ception of two or three of the working mi
chimes not quite IN gear RUSSIA ana FRANCE
er of course, must speak for themselves. As
as happens, the interchange of news has bee
rather tardy since the LIST of last month; but
~ we can judge from the papers that have arrived
we expect some unpleasant remarks, especial,
J. as there are writer's on this side of the Atlantic
S who wish to represent The Times as the expo
d nent of national prejudces, and the natura
r enemy of the United States.
aAfter ALL there is not the least occasion that
the Americans should be either puzzled or sore
i The peculiar greatness of their nation is that
J. which cannot be represented in a"glass house,
l. as they are pleased to call it, They cannot ex.
4 hibt their magnificent territory, except in maps
and, as it happens, their maps and their Indis
. rubber are among their most effective contrbu
is tons. They cannot exhibit their trumphs owe,
iy the forest except as they do in their cheap anc
ofI handy little poughs, adapted to wind rounc
stumps. They cannot exhibit Niagara except il
Us model. A few bales Of cotton wool, row whit,