The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-01-06
NATIONAL ANTIPATHIEs.

The Washington Union, commenting upon
some high-fown remarks of Mr.. Ingersoll, our
Minister at London, at the annual banquet Of
the Lord Mayor, says:
In the artificial society of our large cities,
and among monopolists and money changers,
whose hearts have no pulsstions in common
with the masses of America, a strong English
feeling is perceptble but no one can 90
among the people in any portion Of the Union
without seeing on every hand, thick as leaves
in Vallambrosa, evidences of deep seated
hostility to Great Britain, caused by sense
Of repeated wrong and injury suffered at her
hands. The animosities engendered by the
Revolution had not died away when they
we're revived in all their original force by the
wrongs which produced the war of 1912, and
by the events which marked the progress of
that contest and they have been kept alive
to the present hour by repeated attempts to
check our progress to injure our commerce,
and to destroy our domestic tranquility Our
national anniversaries commemorate important
events in our contests with England; our ma
tional songs tell of the deeds of our fathers in
those contests; and, what is Of more Importance
still, the first books placed in the hands of our
youth are the histories. Of the Revolution and
of the noble men who broke the shackles of
British tyranny. 1t is idle to speak Of our orr.
gin Of our language, and Of the great princi-
Piles which we have derived from the British
Constitution, for such things but serve to fix
and deepen arrangement. Civil wars are pro-
verbally the most bitter and for the same
reason the wars between England and the
United States have left more lasting wounds
than those which result from collisions between
nations that have nothing in common-that
have different origins, that acknowledge differ
emit religions and speak different languages.
When our people are told of the ties which
ought to bind them to the people of England,
they are not soothed, but rather exaspcrated
by recalling to memory the many instances in
which those ties have been spurned by the
English Government, which has outstripped
all other Governments in its efforts to depre-
oiate our institutions degrade our character,
malgn our motives, and injure our interests'
He who cherishes an antipathy is anything
but a wise man. ltdisturbs his peace, detracts
from his dignity blinds him at times to his
true interest aud tends to snslsve his judg-
ment National antipathy is National
absurdty and weakness How does it help
our interests, 10 hate England Are the Eng,
lshmen of to-day responsible for the acts Of
their Government in the last century The
generations which fought each other in 1914
have nearly passed away. They fought like
men, settled their qusrrels, and became friends
Are we dissatisfied with the mode in which
their controversy was conducted, or with ii
resultss Msgnsnimous men, after reconcile
alton, forget their past grievances the grovel
ling and rsvsngsfal alone brood over theirs
For thirty-sight years the two countries hsv,
been at peace. Their language, their religion
their modes Of thought their habits Of self