Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1858-07-29


1t is The surprise Of Europe that the Uni
ted States has so many really great self made
men. In the old individuously privileged
and distinctive classi6cations of European
social organization, nothing, or less than
nothing, can be self made men, because all
is made by theories Of arbitrary distinctions.
In such distinction of the social compact,
everybody is trying to find out what his an
cestors were By birth, instead of what he
himself is intellectually by nature. This is
certainly the fttest way possible to make
TOOL OF any inan, who has not had the mis-
fortune to be born one, while nothing could
more cfectually stiAe ambition or even hope,
on the part of those not born Alright. Self
made men, under such state of things, are
out of the question. There is nothing to
make them Of The masculine gender, in
such lands, must needs become rOutine men,
so far as they become men in any sense.
Why, then, should it pot be matter of
surprise, in Europe, that it is easy for brains
in this country, to make its way in crowd?
The law asks not when or of whom one was
born, nor does it define any position which
one is given to occupy, by reason of any con-
tingents of that birth Here, then, man has
only, in the freest manner possible, to emf
ploy his capacity as he sees occasion, in
field open to all. His own free choice can
alone direct his efferts as regards the objects
of his exertions, and his capacity in the
premises will solely determine his measure of
success, With these contingcnts in view, and
their vast influence duly appreciated, neither
Europe nor the world need longer wonder
that Franklin the mechanic rose as he did !;
or that the thousands who come after him
from equally obscure beginnings have so GER
tainly risen and so gloriously shone along the
paths of greatness which our nation has trod.
Genius is certainly not the exclusive in
habitant of any one realm or cline; but gen.
ius is naught, even if existant, without devel-
opment. Can only be iull and complete
when all restriction is absent. When this is
the case, genius, if it exist, will be found
will come forth into activity, mingling its
resultsswith passing events, any lending its
aid in their direction. Such is genius here !;
and such is the result Of its activity
and its freedom. Europe has stood anna
zed at our progress, for the last half CEN
fury. 1t has never comprehended the secret,
as it seemed of our national success; the
reason has been that it has never realized the
facts of which we speak. Hence, every new
move that this Republic has made in the form
Of progress, has been promptly pointed out
by Europe, as the sure clement Of our de-
struction. When we purchased Louisiana,
England instantly saw that such an extension
of our borders was to be fatal to the Union
&c. again, at the formation of each new State
at the west, the English press has faith ully
repeated to the world, thatthe last hour of our
confederation had come. But still the I'm
ion survived, streng hcned and prospered ;
and its calumniators wondered, while waiting
in silence. We added California; and again
the announcement game from London, that we
had now finished our career, and that the sun
Of our glory was soon to set in Lynch law
and in blood Since that, the London Times
as if tired of waiting for the fullflment Of
its own evil prophesies, has found the seeds Of
our national chaos and ruin in the Japan ex.
petition; and again still in the report that
we were to take part in some way in the
Chinese rebellion.
One would think that such constant dis
appointment, in predictions, would induce the
suspicion that erroneous data had been en-.
ployed, and so provoke revision of them
But it has not. That we could receive into
the body of our nation such masses Of emf
grants from Europe, and still only grow
stronger and richer, by the process, has more
than snce been declared by the London pres.
mystery past finding out for that press
has again and again predicted our ruin from
that infusion of population.
Nothing, then, results with us as Europe
predicts and fortells and hence the certain
ty that Europe does not see things as they
are here. Europe does not know becaus,
Europe has never seen, that man, in all hi
despotisms, is governed too much, and above
all not by his oacm consent His capacity 70
selfgovelnment is there treated as nlacy
and hence the suggard inactivity of his men
/, tai existence, there. 1t is only in a state O
!, sclf-governed freedom that eau be developct
|, the powers which men possess; and whe
Europ shall have fully comprehended thi
, noble idea, then will it cease to wonder a
f the strong and steady step Of this nation on
ward, and above all at the constantly recur
: ring cases of really great and valuable me
rising from obscurity, in the midst of gu
, people, to intellectual positions that astonis
while they benefit mankind.