The weekly Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1852-1855, 1853-11-03


y the native artist, be he dancer, singer, actor
e Inner, or sculptor, and even Of the natiy,
: author, inventor, orator, bishop, or states
5 man, until by fatteribg those who habitu
ally depreciatc bis country, he passes safely
the ordeal Of foreign criticism, and so com
) mends himself TO our own most cautious au
probation! How do we not consult fofeigr
, mirrors, for our very virtues and vices, no
: less than for our fashions, and think igno
rance, bribery, and Slavery, quite justified
at home, il they can be matched against 81.
pression, pauperism aud crime 10 other eoun.
, tries!
: On occasions too, we are bold in applaud
ing heroic struggling for freedom abroad;
and we certainly have hailed with ehthusi.
asm every rep iblicau institution In South
J America, in France, in Poland. 10 Germany
: and in Hungary. And yet how does not our
J sympathy rise and fall, with every change
of the political temperature in Europe! In
} just this extent, weRre not only not inJe-
Pendent, but we are actually governed By
the monarchies and aristocracies of the Old
World.
J You may ask impatienty If require the
American citizen to throw off all submission
to law, all Difference to authority, and all re-
spect to the opinions Of mankind, and that
the American Republic shall constantly
wage an oppressive war against all foreign
systemsl answer. no. There is here, as
everywhere, middle and a safe way. |
would have the American citizen yield al
ways cheerful acquesence, and never a
servile adherence, to the opinions OF the ma
jority of his countrymen and of mankind,
whether they be engrossed in the forms OF
law or not, on all questions involving no
moral principle; and even in regard to such
as do affect the conscience, would have
him avoid not only faction, but even the ap-
pearance oft. But demand at the same
time; that he shall have his own matured
and independent convictions, the result not
i Of cry authority, domestic or foreign, on
every measure Of public policy, and so, that
while always temperate and courteous he
shall always be a free and outspeaking GEN.
sor, upon net only opinions, customs and ad-
ministration, but even upon laws and con-
stitutions themselves. What thus require
of the citizen, insist, also, that he shall al
low to every one of his eliow-citizens.
would have the nation also, though Goder-
ate and pacifci yet always frank, decided
aud firm, in bearing its testimony against err.
ror and oppression;' and while abstaining
from forcible invention in foreign disputes
yet always fearlessly rendering to the cause
Of Republicanism everywhere, by influence
and example, all the aid that the laws of M.
tons do not peremptorilyi or in their true
spirit, forbid.
Do propose in this hefetical of even q
new standard ofpubic or private dutyl All
agree that the customary, and even the lie.
0aI or Il rds in ofhar foo Lon,
Must we then abide by them now and for.
ever1 That would be to yield cur independ.
ence. and I'd BE false towards mankind -
We will maintain that the STANDARD estab
lished at any one time by majority in our
, country is infallible, and therefore final! Il
it be SO, o,why have We reserved by our Consti-
tuition freedom of Speech. of the Press, & oI
Suffrage. to reverse it, No, we may change
everything first complying, however, with
constitutional conditions. Storms and CON-
motions must indeed be avoided, but the po-
litical waters must nevertheless be agitated
always, or they will stagnate. Let no one
suppose that the human mind will consent
to rest in error. II vibrates, however, only
that it may settle at last in 'mmutable truth
and justice. Nor need we fear that we shall
be too bold Conformity is always easier
than contention; and imitation is alwas ca
sier than innovation. There are many who
delight in ease, where there is one, who
chooses, and fearlessly pursues, the path Of
heroic duty.
Moreover, while we are expecting hope
fully to see foreign customs and institutions
brought by the influence of commerce into
conformity with our own, it is quite mani
fest that commerce has reciprocating iniu-
ences, tending to demoralize ourselves, and
so to assimilate our opinions, manners and
customs ultimately to those of aristocracy
and despotsm. We cannot afford to err at
all on that side. We exist as free people
only by force OF our very pecuiarities.-
They are the legitimate peculiarities of Re-
publcanism, and, as such, are the test of ma
tonaliiy.
Nationality! It is as just as it is popular.
Whatever policy, interest or institution is
local, sectional or foreign must be zealously
watched and counteracted for il tends d.
Irectly to social arrangement, and so to the
subversion of our democratic constitution.
But it is seen at once that this Nalionali-
ty is identical with that very political inde-
pendence which results from high tone OF
individuality on the part of the citizen. Let
it have free play, then, and so let every cit
izen value himself at his just worth, in body
and soul; namely, not serf or subject OF
any human authority, or the inferior of any
class, however great or wise, but freeman,
who is so because "Truth has made him
free;" who not only, equally with all 9th
ers, rules in the Republic, but is also bound,
equally with any other, to exercise design
ing wisdom and executive vigor and efficien-
cy in the eternal duty of saving and perfect
i ing the State. When this Nationality shall
prevail,we shall no more see fashion, wealth,
social rank, political combination, or even
official prescription, efectivs in suppressing
the utterance of mature opinions aud true
convictions; and so enforcing for brief per-
iods, with long reactions, political conform
ity at the hazard of the public welfare, and
at the cost of the public virtue.
Let this Nationality prevail, and then, in
stead of keenly watching, not without sin
lister wishes, for war or famine, the fitful
skies, or even the more capricious diploma
cy of Europe; and instead of being hurried
, into unwise commercial expansion by the
: rise of credit there, and then back again
4 into exhausting convulsIons and bankrup-
tcy by its fall, we shall have steady snd a
: prosperous because it will be an independ-
ent, internal commerce.
Let this Nationality prevail, and then we
shall cease to undervalie our own farmers
mechanics and manufacturers, and their pro-
ductious; our own science ,and literature ,and
inventions: our own orators and statesmenI