Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1854-10-10
EURor AN INFLUENCE IN AMERICA.


EUROPEAN INFLUENCE IN AMERICA.
So far as h"w-Nothingism appeals TO the public
Judgment intplanatiou and vindication q" its spirit
and purpose it al!egcs undue and dangerous
domination othe foreign element in our SOCIAL syS'
TEN and potul administration and it proposes Tor
its mission tdresorc the Just prepondcrnnce o ha-
tive infurnc,al creed and race. These IDEAS II not
developed many formal and dspassionate v'ndea-
tion of ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS the champions OIL 'l'
mystical ord,. shrink from the scrutiny 'i Pu"".
discussi"nnn very current i'll the cant Phrases "''
notices Of its followers. In this way perhaps '"'!
have nladesome impression the popular hnh" !'''
from the ,ightst investigation, it Will appear "'a'
they are altogether false and deceptive
| The revelations Of the census have corrected m"h!
erroneo,, ur.cou. options amongst which WIN the
popular idea Of the vast power a"u reS'"'''s Vi '"'
| Roman Catholic Church la this country. Persons
,v,b,u, ;ut,yonce paid OF bigoted disposition, Ind
com. 10 regard tie American branch Of the Catholic
Church with sort Of superstitious awe, which III
vested the object of their dread with fictitious strength
md iuapiparv tcrrors. But, when the searching
scrutiny Of the census exposed to the public gaze Tie
s.cres of the sanctuary ~ we'll OF the Workshop
it was discovered that the power Of the Catholic
Church had been greatly exaggerated, and tiat' III
stead of being the vast and ovcrshadowing institution
as represented by ignorant sectares twas, IN trnth'
the least in respect of numbers, ot all tho Chrisl"
denominations. So tar from displaying the ht'erah'
and aggressive spirit which al solent pride ot pow
er always engenders in church establishments, the
American Catholics are reduced to the nccessity-lf
We give them credit for better motive-of pur-
chasing immunity from assault by quiot and con-
ciliutory policy. Instead OF conspirng thc over
throw Of religious liberty and freedom of consclence
they cling to these principles M their only security
against persecution.
In like manner has the census corrected the prcva-
lent idea of the immense influence of the foreign pop
| ulation in the country.
| In discourse before the New York Historical ST.
ciety the Rev. Samuel Osgood, minister OF the Pro
tesant faith in exhibiting the Providential relations
of the New World to the Old" presented some con-
sdcraticus touching the colonization OF this country
and the effect of tho miugng of different races and
crceds in promoting its prosperity and securing it-
liberties which should abate something from the
pride, bigotry and sefshness of Know Nottingham
| A few extracts from this remarkable discourse will
| illustrate lis argument ScHeFdi rPhh
Starting from that point OF time, lot us trace up ia
tb. present wear some Of the providenal relations OF
America especially part Of it. to Europe. BE-
gin (said Mr. Osgood) with the most obvious aspect
Of the subject, and consider the relations OF the very
soil of America 10 Europe. Our country long waited
for the race able to use its domain. Says Guyot -
.Americn looks towards the Old World all It's slopes
aud il. long plains slant to the Atlantic towards Eu-
rome [, seems TO wait with open and eager arms the
henefceut influence OF the OF the Old World No
| A. Andes
Rocky Mountains baushcd to the other shore Oh Inc
Continent will place no obstacle in his path, Thus
invited by the very inclination ot the land, the fu-
ropean came and took possession of tho s"ll which
the red man knew not how to use:
There has been quite n Of words OF late about
rc-cmnence OF race and the terms Celt ana ANGLO
Saxon have threatened to be the ralylnG cry "'
very noisy frud while il ID clear that conflicts oi
rival races have been and still one ut the man
sources OF national ruin in other lands Let us re.
joice them that while the best blood OF the strongest
race in Europe predOminates here. there is such
providepal balance of elements that no one Euro
pean caste can tyrannize over another.
Two great classes Of men appear in history-thc
on ,.la.s impui.vr impassiontd tending strongly I"
| u rrn,uous ritual and centralized priesthood and
e,u,ire; more ready to persuade than to reason L"
venture than To lerscvtre; yet full oi generous fecl-
inr and by very temperament, electric and eloquent
the other class self poised, deliberate, Jealous OF
pr.rthoods and dcspotsn, calculating the end care
fullv and slow to yield inch ot their own ground:
M once cautious and courageous; fond OF comfort YET
reader starve than beg suspicious OF mere senl'
ment, and more prone to deeds than words. VI inc
former class the Cet s the most characteristic spec-
men, whether full-bloodcd, in most OF Ireland, or
i'm ths Scotch Highlands, modified by other races,
az in France, Spain and Italy Of the latter CLASS,
the o-Tcutou, or the Anglo-Saxon 1t we must re-
tain common but incorrect word, is the most con-
spcuous specimen that choose from the Srcnt
Teutouic or Gernanic family, to which he belongs
Ii is he who has given on: country most OF It's char
ac.r and institutions. The Frenchnan on the north,
with his volatile nature; tho SPaniurd al the SOUTH
with his stern impassoned ZEAL were not to rule and
the ,l,stincs OF North America were to be decided
chiefly by tho race that founded Jamestown and Ply
mouth and gave language aud law to our land.
But mark the interesting fact Although the An
ylo.Ssxon WAS the most conspicuous rnce, Its people
have been 80 various in position and history IN our
country az TO prevent them playing the tyrant over
Others by too close consultations and thus America
had their energy without their domination !hey
have been balanced also by other branches OF the
Teutonc family like tho Swedes, Danes Sorwcgians,
Germans, and Dutch, who at once conine Their gen
eral tendencies and check their pride.
So then we remark providential balance between
the ruces that make up the American nation closer
view reveals to s interesting aspects OF the two
classes who followed the Anglo-Saxon to America
the Irish and the German. The lrishnan 30 closely
the Anglo-Saxous ncighbor originally, and the Ger
n
blood. The Irishlnan, impusivc as to be some
times troublesome citizen, is kept often within
somewhat wholesome control by Church Influences
aud his npassoned nature Ii trained To conscrva
tive order which promises to act aS powerful chcck
unou the f.rocious Socialism aud Red Republican,
ism which are invading us through recent mlgraons
from the European continent. There il something
remark able between the Irish and German lmngra-
tiou each of which counts millions on our shores
The German brings to us in the best instances grcut
1. piel f,.l,u domestic
ent vet in far too many cases he IL less tavoraby re-
presented and the last quarter or half million that
hnve come over seem infected with the widest rudi'
calism Many OF their two three hundred newspapers
are rross and incorrect in the extreme Yet, OF our
American Germany IN whole, We must say, that II
il n great blessing 10 us, enarglng our wealth by lts
decided agricultural tnse, confirming our ireedom ny
it's decided Protestant tendency, balancing the tcltic
Immigration bv it's intellectual independence lnd hnb-
itua nursuiis and promising nj last to learn the thrift
and quicken the artistic taste and social feelings o
the Ango-SaSon.
Now take all these circumstances together, and we
have certainly most interesting view OF tie EURO
pcan races in America. There is room Tor them ll
and they so placed as to DO natural help anu oa
lanccrs
The foreign element ii fairly understood, is not
dangerous, constituting as il does but eleven per cent
of our whole free population; and II we add To tins
pruuortinn of residents of foreign BIRTH all direct I'M
migrants, the probable number OF descendants OF mi
migrants, the proportion will not be doubled IL w'
be seen how wild the estimate OF our foreign
population has been. A little upward OF 2,o00,ooo
is the whole number Of born Foreigners and little up
wards of 4rOO0O0 the whole number of Foreigners and
their descendants from 1870 to 1850. Won Rauincr
some Years aeo estimated the German element at
1000 200 or 900, and popular lecturer with
llibernian tongue estimated the born IRISH at 3UOoo,
and their dcscendants at i,5O",oOo.
-1s---
FIRST GUN FROM FLORIDA.
G.. nt fnps 81