Loudon free press. (Loudon, Tenn.) 1852-1855, 1854-10-25

From Derbys Forthcoming VIDE Awake Annual.
REPUBL1CS-ANCIENT AND MODERN.
1t is idle to measure the United States as
nation, or the Americans as people, by draw
ing parallels The entire history of the world
furnishes no parallel, either to the republic or
the people, so that all inference is drawn, and
prophecies made on the strength of what nations
and races have done in past time, are lost IL
lustration applied to US. Every nation has its
peculiarites, every age its phase, and every peo-
pie its distinct manifestations. The nation is
an image of the people; the people are reflex
of circumstance and condition; and the age is
cycle through which nation and people pass.
The attempt to justify OF condemn; by contrast
ing moderns with ancients, generally shows the
imbecility of searchers for analogies. The only
analogy that can be drawn between nations or
races, is, that the one were either kingdoms,
empires, hierarches, oligarchies, or republics
from their form of government; and the other
either savage, barbarous, civilized or enlghten-
ed. There is just so much similarity, and no
MORE Scythia 1cas 3 kingdom and so is Eng
land-Greece acqs a republic, and so is the
United States; and there the parallel ends.
The old kingdom and republic founded their
politics upon their peculiar positions, according
to the character and circumstances of their peo
pie, and the new do the same. But how differ
ent may be those positions, characters and cir
cumstancesl 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 the future from
the past are, therefore, mainly mere cant. 1t
barely possible to say man is the same IN all
ages. He is only so in certain sympathies and
wants. Men in all ages and of all conditions,
require air to breathe, food and drink for their
nourishment, and certain protective raiment
and shelter,-and these not in the same proper
ton, but according to climate and occupations;
whatever is higher than these instructive neces-
sites, depends upon the character of races and
the age in which they live.
Greece and Rome, and warnings have been
founded on the comparison. Where is the like
ness except in the name republic? Had Greece
or Rome free people educated, enlightened,
and surrounded by institutions like ours? Had
they commerce, agriculture, arts, and sciences
like ours? Had they even armies and navies
like Ours, and what is more, SOIL climate, re-
sources, and people dispositioned as in the
Anglo Saxon Republic? Certainly not; there
fore 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 Uncertain
ces and requirements, were quite another. If
we push a conquest or enlarge bound of en-
pire, some prophet owl is ready to boot in our
ears Remember the fate of the ancient re-
pubIics!" Away with such nonsense. If the
darkness of their ages and the srantiness of
their genius belonged TO us with the name Re-
public, we might heed their warnings. But we
only bear the name-the old circumstances and
conditions are swept away, lost forever. Warn.
ings are worthy of our heed only when they
are based on our violations of true republican
principles.
Rome was military republic, born Of free
and magnifed by INSCRIPTIONS conquests She
lolJ he. l-.t-ea -
I tons, nor by a 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 distance: no
liehtning-winged wires threading the air from
ocean to ocean, making near neighbors of men
at the remotest distance. Nav, scarcely fea-
ture in common with US had she or her sister,
Greece. They were, in the aggregate of re-
spects, infinitely our inferior; and vet Their. are
living; legislative FOOLS who strive to Judge us
by their standard. Stuff! Tt were as well to
compare the flight of buzzard through Lon
don fog, with the majestic rise of an eagle
througha transparent atmosphere into the suns
eye.