The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-11-11
THE TURE SEAS ON.
Lecture by Eawin p. WnlpPie, ESQ, ON the
English Mind

English Mind.
Yesterday evening, at O'Clock, Mr. whipple delivered
most able and eloquent lecture on the above subject at
the broadway Tabernacle large and highly respscta
HE audience were present The Chair upied by
the Rev Mr. BurchArd who stated that the lecture
in the course would be delivered by Professor FELTON,
Hartford University upon the subject of Modernism
ana Facilities anticipated by the Greek and Dramatic
Poetsn
The lecturer, who, on coming forward, was received
with great applause, said =;
The subject ladies and gentlemen, upon which will
address you. this occasion is the English Mind:
and, in commencing, it is hardly necessary for me
FAY that nation is q mere aggregation of
existing individuals q collection Of provinces and
colonies but orgsnic living body Of laws institutions
manners and literature, whose present condon is the
result Of the slow growth Of ages, and whose
roots reach far back into the past life OF people. BY
national mind, therefore / the whole moral and
mental life OF nation embodied in its facts and latent
in its sentiments and ideas. Now national mind is
great just as an individual mind Is greet-according to
the vgor and vitality At the centre OF its being ana the
fdsli with which 1t resists whatever foreign its
own nature and its consequent perseverance in its
inward inherent laws developements Tried by this
test that tyrannical organization John Bull which
call the English mind certainly unequaed in modera
times for its sturdy force of be its muscular strength
the variety OF its directing sentiments aud its tough hold
upon existence No other national mind presents such
vast aud varied creayeness. aud presents many
Trajectory views at the time marked by such dis
tipct,e. individual features as the English mind
Prince peasant cavalier, roundhead whig ttry penny
a-per, phianthiopist, rufian William Wibero rce in
Parliament, ana Richard rurpn upon the York road all
agree 10 being English--and al agree in
tempt for every thing that not Eugsh Liberty Eng
lish, wisdom Is English, philosophy is English. re
gion Is English. Earth is England, air Is England
Heaven is England and Hell is England daughter
IL d. cares With udson Adams that the schoom is
the greatest man andiay am the greatest schoolmas
teranG it believes what IL says Coarse harsh ma
sturdy practically organizing its thoughts into faculties
and toughenng its faculties into consistency of muscle
and bone Its whole soul is so embodied and UNFRAMED
that imprints its most collo manly efforts the
stern characteristic Of sheer physical strength 1t only
has fire. but fuel enough feed its fire and all It's though
acts ell its theories institutions all voons are
events 1t has ideas Inherent in its
or which has not asmated or absorbed into lis own ma
ture from contact collision with other national minds
This strongly exemplfed by the conquest of Eng
land by the Normans who absorbed iuto
itelf-thus blending Norman pride and Norman in
teiligepce with its solid substance of and
character and by the process it gradually incor
poraed the principle of Roman law into its jurspru
dence scrawlpg the mark of Engsnd upon what it bor-
roxed and what 1t created General maxms never dis
tnatey asserted from the force of character rather than
by force OF understanding. The English mind believes
never disturbed in it, actions by law morality intei
geBce hs than its own practical morality and intel
eeroe 1t brings everything to the test of common
and fact 1t is Ct blind to the operation of those
great laws Of iecttude external to itself but still be
eves that the same practical energy which heretofore
has met real events will meet impending dangers when
they become real 1t has fotcssting of right;
but when self preservation depends upon it's doing light
the most abstract requirements Of Justice will be done
into English in coarse and sensible way; but, in the
meantime, it prefers to in the good old maxim-
: That they should take who have the power,
That they should keep who can y
Indeed such complete location Of thought morality,
and religion before Witnessed in civilized
lion Look at the history of its Indian empire built up
by the wars and crimes of Give and by the
morseessness of Hastings contrvipg intellect When
Edmund Burke made his grand effort to induce the high
est court OF the realm to apply the higher law TO Hastings
he not only failed of success but the English mind
sn eminent servant of the public Indeed in all mat
trs either ride Of the water there is but
to taa in crime We have heard lately the maxim quoted
from an English judge that the Law OF God overdes the
Law OF man but II i remembered when English
justice speaks Of the Law Of God he reay the Law
of England (iaughter) The national mind, thus proud
and practical thus arrogant and in, lar exhibits in its
institutions two fold atocracy Of blood and Of capi
tai and hence results the most shameful Of thu English
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES tendency Of of each order OF
English ocety to play the sycophant to the class above
him and the tyIapt TO the class below him (ipplause
He is not like the Frenchman who will violse the ten
commandments upon philosophical principles aud with
out the disturbance OF one single rule OF etiquette.
In domestic affairs the En1lishm4n Is pre-. emf
nent The FIenchmaD in wider and more generous
in hi generalities his JOY OUT OF doors and
home for the sairaton OF his soul daughter In the
node Of conducting political disputes in the sro.ity of
coarse political nbe and in the habit of calling
pleasant objects b5 their most unpisa ant names dts
Germ the national contempt for all the decent dapeEes
which mental refinement casts sensual tastes ami
passions. Chsucer aud Shakespeare, and then John
and fieldpgthe two latter being exclusive
ly English than sill their her imaginative sriters--
represent ts aud at its general exp1unders AMI
ts bluff expopens and Swift whose large Saxon
rendered teuler by mssnthropy ab.1uely riots in the
gutter No genius Il The fl est sind aud stand
before its usoent perousness Thus mid bar ulster,
Tiiog for the first ine N The Cohr; Of Kings Bench
nsolence OF office began his argument hesstingy May
it piesse your lordshp, mr. unortuuate clent,"-thcn
besitated ana stanmered recommended nay untortu
nate ctpt-' go SIR said the bland Chief Justice
" so far the court agrees with ycu.n (Lsughter) AS
II 2lh mauneIs grow entirely ont OF English character
So thel social and political Institutions have grown
tiIely cut Of English manners and all Of them are
hieIoglIhicsl Of its national qualities The
Law punished az period th.its capital crimes aud
LORDS Eldoa and Llsnooroush opposed a. yehemsntly
the repeal OF those laws If the national safety
depended upon Their remaining as scars upon the
statue BOOK though ne JUDGES they no more would have
eaeeuted iban they would have committed murder; aud
II j. perfectly veil Understood IN Eogand that when the
national mind outgos the law, Its enacements Ia Lord
Plupset phrase il t. only for existence aud to
propose its repeal i to lay under the npua ion of
,Iacobin u. The wisdom OF their ancestors is the
Engi linens reverence; but will do him the justice
TO that he keeps the ugly and old symbols Of his bi
ographs for orpau emit aud not for use The pnomsnt
that James H. Lard his hsugman's fingers upon the laws
The Whole nation flew away from him - the tory,
who bad preached submis ion as q duty. AMI
the VIII who had claimed rebellion right both
OF Them instantly united in defence Of their
heritage and tempest Of opposition whose
brngs us 10 the essentially national character Of English
freedom, which having its foundation in the Of
the people has whtood al attacks that have been
made upon IT, The genius OF the nation holds its rights
with giants Crap and seeing in them the grotesque
TENDERNESS CT lioness for her whslps. 1t cares
very little about abstract liberty, bat IL will al
ways defend lis liberties to the death. II very
little about the rights of but for the rights of Eng
shmen, IL will fight t from its bones the flesh Is hack
Cd 1t very little about grand generaites relating
TO liberty. equality and fraternity but swearing lusty
osbs il boldly informs the ruler that II will pay
that 1t does not itself impose and that bsipg proud IL will
stand no innovation OF its inherent property and political
privileges IL will allow the government to exercise almost
tJrspIca power provided violates OF the estab IL
Cd forms Liberty whore laws de in England
so its attachment To the exterDas Of its darling
rights has puguscious, mastin like grip, which
times resembles something like obstinate stupidity This
was very spty riocued by Sheridan when he objected
in Parliament, to tax upon mile stones, because he
said they who could meet to remonsrate
England and the United States the only nations who
have resisted tyrans. (Applause) The lecturer then
procet ded to discuss what be deemed TO be the gio-
tesque feature in the English character which rei
gion, for however much Of practical atheist the
EDglshnan nigh, be, yet he ready to by and
fight for he religion. lie allowed IL to interfere
with the patriotic service Of his country with
bis paions An lustrotion of this might be found
in the odswearipg, drinking church ard king cavalier