Daily Iowa State Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1859, 1857-01-09
,Fvr he State d mocras.
The DOCTRINES ~ Human PrOgres-
oOM ards ultimate GcrGeCitbility .
eHAaasinsd by tnc lights oG liistory
(ContinueJ]
CHAPTER

tyranny they engender. II the states OF
Greece had not been settled BY emi.
grants from other parts Of tho Earth,
who we're compelled to establish new in
s,itu,ions OF their OVID, suited to their
condition, Tree institutions and . liberal
government ~oa,i never hase been secu-
red. Not az AL soy moro than the Uni
'ea Ssates would haSo been land Of
F.; roedom had not America been settled
by cmigranis from differen. sections Of
the world, AID for timo left without
any government except the restraints OF
their own Individual wills. So Of Eng
land may it be SAID, tina, had no, her
population been Of q mixed character,
she would not now enjoy such glorious
position in advance Of every monarchy
on earth. The original Britons we're in.
term'xed with Cells, Danes, Saxons and
Sormans, and tho rulers Of E0gland were
compelled to govern in a spirit OF CON
cess'on, and seek to harm onizo the con-
tlcting races, whose stubborn spirits ur-
gej them tn rebellion whenever the hand
o! oppression was heavily laid upon
them. They could be exterminated blu,
not conquered by their rulers, ami this
secured for them o government e,senti-
ally liberal aud we'll adapted to the con.
dition Ut the people. In further illus
trailon OF this principle upon which SIM
liar systems are founded it would be
easy 20 produce copiou. l,st OF exam.
ples from the history Of both ancient
and modern nations, but this would lead
rs aside from the conclusions which we
have at present in view.
The examples ct iadiridu1i progress
towards perfectibility, are first to be OK
amincd and compared before treating a,
large upon national progress IN the path
OF social Improvement. From Solomon
NO take long stride in time. and pause
not in our search after notable types CT
intellectual exaltation, until we reach
the name of Scion and his cotemp oraties,
'ae seven wise men Of Greece
The greatness Of the individual are not
found 10 their writings, but 10 the his.
torical records Of their wise sayings and
teachings, which became the adopted
and popular maxims Of the people, Civ.
Ing v;gsr, integrity and economy to the
gosernnens, and making tho rirtues
moro fashionable than the rices Of mer.
Even the laws Of that eminent statesman
Lycurgas. are unknown except tho.
meaeer digest Of them which history has
preserved from tradition. We must ne.
ccssariis pass over many men who fill
place in the history OF the eminent. be. !
cause they were not original models. A
mere representative character has no
claim to the title eminent. A man with. |
out the genius OF originality, may soar
high in the atmosphere of actual life,
and be admired as tho greatest genius OF |
his time, without possessing greater
claim to the title, than that Of initiating |
the great minds who have gone before.
Few men ever attain that summit Of i'm
mortality which leaves them the undis-
puted possessors Of minds employed only
in the conception snd production Of new
troths in art and science. They are Gre
atsrs--so to tpeak-and leave to others,
tho labor OF imbellishiug and making
moro practical the creators Of their
brains.
There ars many Gsl!ileos. but in dif-
ferent fields Of discovery; for but one
man couM first discover the spheri,y and
motion o. the Earth. Tbsrs orc many
N'w,ons. ,pt only ooe carld FIRST discos-
q the laws Of gravitatioc. There are
aany Rr antiins bot epl. .sse could first
discover the laws Of electricity; ADD 90
could 30 enumerats hundrsds who have
been the 6rss 10 advance Of the Sge, to
leek ieto The hidden svents Of che future
aud the concealed conditions Of the pres.
snt, and publish to 90 sssonishee world
which gave renewed energy
md activity to the sas 10 which they
lived. A thing can be Discovered but
once, unless il be lost to the memories
Of the living. Therefore NJ man can
claim title to originality ~ geoias I'M
Iess he discovers something before aodis.
covered, invents something Of great util- ,
ity 10 the vsrioss depsrtnents Of col.
ence, or for the elevation Of labor, or
co0biaes add construcss fsoa The scat
tered materials before him, sass thing
that works . new revolusioo In the con-
ditioa Of socisl life. ~
This 10 what Ne tern ovigirslity;-whso
one mind alone among . n,illios cotsn.
pesasiee, eonssisss hidden ssa inpos.
lent tsssh asd briaes it fosth clothed ia
hs hsbiliosats Of power ed beauty,
tosisvsss ed bisss ssassasiess Of ass. J
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