The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1852-12-01

Tue WOTIu bAhbAhIANS. AHo SnIHeSo III
habit the "cen,ral Aowery Kingdom" and
the other races Of men are '.outside bar
barians." They are said to have told
some Of Lord McCartney's reiinue in 1899
that the soil Of Europe was SO poor and its
inhabitants so wreiched that to avoid
starvation, they wandered away to China
to get some Of their provisions. Surajah
Dowlab, just before he lost his life and
crown, by the horrible atrocity of suffocat-
ing the English soldiers in the "Black
hole" at Calcutta, told his followers shat
all Europs did not contain ten thousand
men, and that they were too ignorant and
savage 10 resist his prowess." But enough
Of this! 1t would be endless to multiply
instances in which the most pitiable igno.
rance has affected airs Of naughty superb
ority and treated the most intelligent men
and the most enlightened nations with
sovereign contempt. Intellectual culture
may fail to reform our vices, but it is
complete aniidote to local prejudices. It
shows US that virtue and vice, wisdom and
folly, genius and dulness are found in all
climates, in all localities, and that igno;.
rance is rank weed which Aourishes on
every soil till extirpated by careful cult-
vation. But there is one other crcum-
stance, which ought to be taken into con-
sideraton in estimating the folly and wick
edness of propagating these base sectional
prejudices. Our entire country has suf
iered the same injustice which political
bigotry now attempts 10 inflict upon Mon
roe.
The lapse Of time is short, since it was
a prime article in the creed OF European
naturalists, that "all animals degenerate
in America" that the body becomes weak
and The mind dull and depraved. NJ.
Button, perhaps the most eminent Of them
all, devotes great labor TO the proof Of these
propositions. In the controversy with him
Mr.. Jefferson was induced 10 relate the
story Of Logan. the Mingo Chief, and thus
TO involve himself in lifelong conirover.
sy with the Cressps. shall omit here all
mention OF the delectable accounts Of our
country and our countrymen by the 1'rol.
lopes, the Halls, and the Marryatts. Tom.
Moore, Of poetcal fame, fully endorses
the doctrine Of Button. Speaking Of Amer.
lea he says: sraatt
.In glorious beauty woods and fields appear,
MAN is the only growth that dwindIes here " &
8 In another place he characterzes our
country as
"A land Of fevers and of fogs.
Reset with Yankees, bears aud frogs"
Charles Dickens speaks Of some Of our
principal rivers. as deformed and hideous
things which he hopes "never 10 see again
except in troubled dreams and night.
mares" 2s."
Gentle reader, if you suppose that Mr..
Dickens gives a more favorable account
Of the human beings, whom he met in his
travels, just take glance into his "Amer.
loan notes for general circulation" Road,
if you can. read till you grow sick and
see what accounts he gives Of our beloved
country, and recollect that the line Of his
peregrinations lays in part through our
Buckeye State. far, far from the bounda.
ries Of Monroe. But it is our national
misfortune that writer's much more candid,
truthful and honorable than Charles Dick.
ems, have both adopted and propagated
opinions most humlia,ing 10 our national
vanity. ! shall not stain my paper by the
quotation Of single line from Blackwood.
The writer's in that Magazine are tories
and may be supposed 10 be hostile. Not
so the Edinburgh Review. Its contrbu.
tors are the advocates Of popular ins,tu.
tions, of America and Americans. From
that journal we may learn what is thought
and WHAT'S written Of Us by the most in.
telligent and candid foreigners. One Of
the most honest and friendly Of those
writer's, and with q single exception the
ablest Of them ALL. after having wearied
himself with defending US from the attacks
Of his countrymen, thus gives up our coun.
try and our cause as alike hopeless and
indefensible. tsa "a lgrie ..is,,.,
Gentle reader, mark the dates, you will
find that these despairing and responding
were written BY this literary
Colossus, 50 late as the good year Of our
Lord 1920, and Of American Independence
the FORTY.FIFTH: Hs 20 =,
s'In the FOUR QUARTERS OF THE GLOBE,
who reads an American booki Or goes 10