The southern press., 1852-01-15
Esr AZ So.ssslni Pres.
No. 8.

, to show that the interests of America and Europ
have no natural affinity with each other, but ar
: rather antsgonistcal than otherwise; that tn
establishment of republics in the latter, wouI
have no tendency to change these relations
that Russia is our natural ally, and England Gu
natural enemy in Europe; that by adopting tn
policy Of intervention, the United States wou
be inextricaby involved, mol only in the politics
but wars OF Europe; and that by making tina
declaration in conjunction with England, the,
will inevitably become instruments in maintain
ing, if not greatly increasing, the power and in
fiuence of government which has at all time,
employed both to their prejudice
! If am right, there is then no motive of poll
cy or interest operating with sufficient force tt
induce the United States to adopt the system
of intervention, so eloquenty enforced by the
Hungarian exile. The obligation to do this
must then rest on the basis of some high mora
principle, equivalent or superior to all domestic
interests, and not only justifying but demand
ing the sacrifice of that policy and those inter.
ests. This obligation is supposed to arise out
of the great principle of universal philanthropy
which, as now interpreted, discards all the duties
of patriotism, and converts the love of our coun-
try into crime against the rest of mankind
We are told that Hungary has been trodden un-
der foot by combination of despots that
Europe is either in similar condition, or about
to become SO; that liberty is now on the eve of
last decisive contest with oppression in that
quarter OF the globe and that the result will in
all human probability be fatal to the former, un-
less the United States become party with Eng.
land, in checking the progress of those who are
in league for it's destruction. Two questions
are here presented First, are the United States
bound by any duty which they owe, either to
the people of Europe or to themselves, thus to
interpose! Second, would their interference be
decisive in establishing the liberties of Hungary
and Europe?
Until within brief period of past time, the
first question would have been answered in the
preceding letters, which, unless am greatly
mistaken, show that the United States have no
interests involved in this struggle, sufficient to
call for their interference. But the world-at
least considerable portion of it-has latety got
on higher horse than it ever mounted before,
and | fear is galloping off pretty much in the
same direction with the beggar, immortalized in
the old proverb. Talk of comets their speed
is nothing compared with this little ball of ours,
which is whizzing and smoking round like a
squirrel in his cage, and raising such cloud of
dust it can't see its own way, but believes it is
making most prodigious strides towards the
millennium. The Golden Mean, 80 lauded by
the sages Of yore, is scoffcd at and despised ;
and extremes are now your only effectual ex.
pedients for reforming the world, which like
| blind old woman has been pokng her way, for
the last six thousand years under the guidance
of Deity, apparently as blind as herself. Man
kind, it seems, ever since the creation, have all
been set of selfish villains, wilfuly and wick
edly attending to their own happiness and that
| of those Immediately connected with, or depend
ant on them; and with diabolica depravty,
limited their duties to their families, their neigh
bOrs, their country, and their God. The new
| sect Of refOrmers-to wit-the Mormons Soci
alists and Abolitionists, think it is high time to
correct this system of enormities, and that, in
stead Of concentrating our affections in this mar
row circle, it is our bounden duty to expand
them to a comprehension of the whole universe,
including the planets, most especially the moon,
all the inhabitants of which are without doubt
within the sphere of universal philanthropy.
They insist upon it that we are bound not only
to love our neighbor as ourself, but great deal
better, and that this obligation equally extends
| to all men, and most especially to all women.
According to their doctrine, it is the extreme of
| sefshness in man to attempt to monopolize a
woman, and the extreme of folly in women to
suppose herself under any obligation to submit
to such an absurd pretension. She is bound by
the canon of universal philanthropy to love not
only her neighbor as herself, but all the rest of
mankind and to limit her duties to her parents
| husband, children, and those immediately with
In the sphere of her practical duties, is asserted
to be an offence to the Great Being who pre-
scribed them. To be disciple of universal
philanthropy therefore, is to discard all domestic
and social duties, well as all the obligations
of patriotism; for if the duties of universal phil
anthropy are superior to all others, and incom-
patible with them, it clearly follows that they
cannot exist together. One or the other must
be abandoned, and the question is thus directly
presented, whether it becomes rational, free,
and happy people to relinquish all those social,
moral, and political principles Oh which that free
dom and happiness is based, and rush into a
whirlpool that will inevitably swallow them in
it's vortex? Are they ready to stake those inst-
tutions and that happiness, which are the envy
and admiration of the world, on an experiment
equally absurd and impractcable; or which if
practicable can only be accomplished by bloody
revolution: for never were such radical changes
brought about, without convulsing the world /;
nor are mankind ever justified in attempting
them, except to relieve themselves from the last