The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1854-10-27
REPUBuCs-ANCIENT AND MODERN.


REIMBURSEMENT AND MODERN
From Derby's forthcoming Wide Awake Annual
II is idle to measure the United States rs
nation, or the Americans as people, by draw
ing parallels. The entire history OF the word
furnishes no parallel, either TO the republic or
the people, so that all differences drawn ana
prophecies made, on the strength OF what ma
tons and races have done in past time, are
lost illustration applied to us. Every nation
has its peculiarties, every age its phase, and
every people its distinct manifestations. The
nation is an image of the people; the people
are reflex OF circumstance and condition; and
the age is a cycle through which nation and
people pass. The attempt to Justify or con-
denim, by contrasting mOderns with ancents,
generally shows the imbecility of searchers
for analoges The only analogy that can be
drawn between nations or races, is, that the
one were either kingdoms, empires, herarch-
les, olgarches, or republics, from their form
of government; and the other either savage,
bsrbarous, civilized or enlightened. There is
just so much similarity, and no more. Seythia
pds kingdom, and 80 is England-Grcece
,cas republic, and so is the United States;
and there the parallel ends.
The old kingdom and republic founded
their politics upon their peculiar positions, ac-
cording to the character and circumstances of
their people, and the new do the same. But
how different may be those positions, charac-
tiers and circumstances! England is not like
Spain, yet both are kingdoms Nor is our
America Of to-day, like the Rome of two
thousand years ago, though both republics
The warnings and prophecies Of those who
divine tie future from the past are, therefore,
mainly mere cant. 1t is barely possible to say
man is The same an all ages. lie is only so in
certain sympathies and wants Men in all agcs
and Of all conditions, require air TO breathe,
food and drink for their nourshment and GER
tain protective raiment and shelter-and these
not in the same proportion, but according to
climate and occupation; whatever is higher
than these instructive necessities, depends
upon the character of races and the age in
which they live.
The United States has been compared to
Greece and Rome, and warnings have been
founded on the comparison Where is the
likeness except in the name republic? Had
Greece or Rome free people educated, ell
lightened, and surrounded by Institutions like
ours! Had they commerce, agriculture, arts,
and sciences like ours Had they even armies
and nayes like ours, and what is more, soil,
climate, resources, and people dispositioned as
in the AlgIo-Saxon Republic! Certainly not;
therefore there is no parallel between them.
Ballot-boxes, common schools, the printing
press, steam, electricity and christianity, make
us one thing; Greece and Rome with their
inheritanccs and requirements, were quite
another. five push conquest or enlarge
bound OF empire, some prophet owl is ready
to boot in our ears-"Remember the fate of
the ancient repubcsw Away with such nom
sense. 1t the darkness Of their ages and the
scantiness of their genius belonged to us with
the name Republic, we might heed their
warnings. But we only bear the name-the
old circumstances and conditions are swept
away, lost forever. Warnings are worthy of
our heed only when they are based on our
violations Of true republican principles.
Rome was military republic, born of force
and magnified by INSCRIPTIONS conquests.-
She held her empire together, not by unity of
language, not by community of interests and
equality of enjoyment among her captive ma
tons, nor by common government, but by
the sword, and when the native hand that held
the sword grew weak, the empire was broken
and scattered. She had no art but the tread
of her legions to compass and annihilate dis.
lance; no lightning winged wires threading
the air from ocean to ocean, making near
neighb-rs Of men at the remotest distance -
Nay, scarcely feature in common with us
had she or her sister, Greece. They were, in
the aggregate of respects, infinitely our nfe-
rior; and yet there are living, egslating fools,
who strive to judge us by their Standard
Stuff! II were rs well to compare the fight
OF n buzzard through London fog, with the
majestic rise of an eagle through transparent
atmosphere into the suns eye.
t-B leo. IL. Green. n wealthy bnnker of