The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-09-15

up with wars which founded her colonial en-
pire. When the vigor of the national mind
was again brought into action she achieved the
Parliamentary revolution Of 1882, and with one
blow d stroyed the last remnants of feudalism,
and achieved the political emancipation of the
great trading cities and towns This was but
the precursor of commercial emancipation, ac-
complished in 1916; thus has England annihi-
lated exclusiveness and invited the world to
brotherhood.
From this proud and dignifed elevation
Great Britain surveys, with fondest feelings of
paternity, the noblest of her offspring- the
United States of America. Those States were
founded by her own sons voluntary exiles from
feudal England 1t was feudal England, then
represented by its oligarchy, which compelled
the heroic Washington to unsheath his patriot
sword, and carry to a triumphant issue the
glorious war of independence; and industrial
England rejoiced in the victory of her trans
Atlantic brethren, whose cause had been nobly
advocated by the majestic eloquence of Chat
ham, and the profound philosophy of Burke.
America realized the fable of Minerva, spring
ing armed and perfect from the brain OF Jupi-
ter. Nothing in the history Of mankind, f"
said Edmund Burke lis like their progress
For my part, never cast an eye on their flour.
modious life, but they seem to me rather ancient
nations grown to perfection through long Sc
ries of fortunate events and train of success
ful industry, accommodating wealth in many
centuries, than the colonies of yesterday-than
a set of miserable outcasts, few years ago, not
40 much sent as thrown out on the bleak and
barren shore of desolate wilderness, three
thousand miles from all civilized intercourse
Such was America in the gristle, now it is the
bone. SO far as race is concerned, il is Eng
land in another latitude and longitude; the
identity is not TO be mistaken; the language
the literature, the habits, the modes of think
ing, and the interests, are not severable Who
shall decide whether Liverpool or New York
owes most to the other Let there be a gen.
erous rivalry, noble emulation; but may
heaven avert all angry or hostile feelings be-
tween the foremost nations of the earth.
war between them has all the atrocities of
civil war 1t is the revival Of the horrors of
the Greek tragedy repetition Of the trucu-
lent slaughterings of the Red and White Rose !;
and we may exelaim, in the language which
Virgil addressed to his countrymen:
Men patrie valinas in viscera vertite wires
1t was the mission of England to found colo
MES as a means to an end-that end being the
diffusion of Christianity, the only secure basis
of civilization for civilization does not simply
mean the conquest Of external nature by indus
try, but it further implies the conquest of indi.
vidu0l selfshness, by obedience to Gods com.
mand when he ordered us to love our neighbors
as we love ourselves, and to do to others that
which we would have others do unto us. II is
this obedience of the creature to the Creator
that lies at the root Of every system of pure NOR
ais, and also at the root of every form of polti-
cal government that IAN hope to be enduring.
Pagan antiquity obeyed by instinct, as children
obeyed their parents as the young obeyed the
old; and when royal superseded patriarchal
governments, this obedience mingled servity
with It's traditional character, and the glitter
ing and imposing pomp of thrones persuaded
men willingly to bear gilded chain. Pagan
ism obeyed the gods through some confused
notions OF fatalism; for the gods wero but tho
agents of an unseen destiny and when Jupi-
ter--fathcr of gods and men though he was
styled-swore by the Styx, his VOW was irrevo-
cable. Hence ancient civilization had no en-
during basis; there was nothing in it self-sus-
| tanning twas q form rather than substance
but modern civilization, resting on Christianity,
| which can alone teach us our duty, and the
| reasons why it is obligatory stands on an eter-
| nal foundation-that foundation being the VIII
of God revealed in Scripture and thus earth
is linked to heaven, the creature to the Creator,
obedience here being the condition Of reward
hereafter And this view excludes all conven.
| tionalism, and dethrones the aristocracy of
class and birth, of skin and color
We have said that il is the mission Of Eng
land to difuse Christianity, and the civilization
that follows in its train. ~ Ii has dene sthis
through the agency of ships, colonies and CON-
merce; and the United States, sprung from the
loins Of England, is entrusted with the same
mission, common to all the members Of the
Anglo.Saxon race England has annexed Brit
IAN India it is the duty Of the United States te
annex South America; and in both cases tn,
act is justified by tho obligation to diffus
Christianity. When Portugal and Spain colo
nized, they conquered and subiugated the abo
rhymes; instead of imparting the advantages o
the civilization they possessed, they extermina
ted the natives, or reduced them to bondage
What was the result? Rebellion disorganiza
tion, anarchy and why? Because neither the
Courts of Lisbon or Madrid perceived that the
conquest Of individual selfshness was a prime
element in pure and enduring civilization
France, also, has failed in this direction, and
is a nation without an offspring and il Eng.
land lost her American colonies, it was because
she violated the preccpt on which VIC have in
sisted. On the same ground, Canada, Australia,
and New Zealand, may be severed from the
parent stock but the mission of the Anglo
Saxon would still remain, and in due time India
will be Christianized by the descendants Of
those men whom gold has allured to the south
| ern colonies
The general result of the reasoning seems to
warrant these conclusions first, that the ulti-
mate end OF human existence is 10 diffose Chris
tianity throughout the habitable globe; second
| ly that this is the mission Of particular races,
especially OF the Anglo.Saxon race, wherever
planted, as in the days of old it was the special
mission OF the Jews TO preserve the knowledge
OF the unity OF God and of the unity Of the fam
| lily OF mankind---a mission which ceased after
the appearance of the Messiah the revelation
OF the Gospel, and the dispersion Of the He
brews
There is class Of political writers, az there
is class of material or corpusoularian philos-
ophers who, in the vanity Of their hearts, would
exclude Sod IRON the government OF his own
creation, and these writers are dfusc and elo-
quent and learned about what they term sys-
TENS OF government such ~ the systems Of
Richolieu or Mazarin, of Pitt or of Fox, attrib.
uting all excellence to certain dogmaa or con-
triyances of statcsmansbip without ever consid
ering whether they subserve the ultimate end
Of human existence--wbich, as already observ-
cd, il the teaching TO all /" tho glad tidings Of
salvation" A government not framed in this
spirit is worthless, for it must confne its action
TO classes and exclude humanity. This in
deed, is the testimony Of experience to the past
for the pages of history are smearcd With gore
and bIackened with injustice. France taught
its people to worship Louis XIV and Napoleon /;
Austria breaches up the Kaiser, and Russia,
the Gar this ia hat n seryia copv az anoient