Delaware inquirer. (Wilmington, Del.) 1859-18??, 1859-12-31
SOCIAL oUTLAWRY.

amusement and information.
SOCIAL OUTLAWRY.
In almost every ancientand modern state as
suming to be civilized, there has sprung up
class of persons deprived Of the usual priyile-
ges of citizens, and in sense outlaws The
commission of crimes or other violations of the
law, has OF course been in all ages a common
cause of expulsion from society; but history
ard experience too surely demonstrate that
misfortune of birth, NJ in the fragrant case of
the Parish tribes of India, has been a greatly
more prevalent source of this monstrous evil
| The truth seems to be, that disposition to do
eyen-handed justice to the whole of its deHi-
zens rrespectively, is about the last concession
made by any state-such being the force of in
yeterate prejudice and interest which requires
to be overcome. Curiously enough, this dis
like of justice is not exclusively or most fire.
quenty manifested by nations of a monarchi-
| cal or aristocratic character. It happens in
this, as in some other cases, that the aristo-
cratic in name is perhaps the least aristocratic
or exclusive in practice, and that the form of
injury and injustice we speak of is most strong
ly maintained by people who themselves have
suffered under similar oppression. Let us
select few OF the more fragrant instances of
social outlawry.
Switzerland is reputed to be the Jfreest coua-
try in Europe. This is an error, arising most
likely from the common notion that the coun-
tryis confedcracy of republics, which wrested
its freedom from surrounding despotisms. 1t
is one thing to throw off foreign yoke, and
another to establish internal freedom. Switzer-
land, at the present day, with all its wonderful
industry and spirit of liberality in matters of
international trade, is, in point of fact, clus-
ter of little despotisms the despots in each case
being majority of the population which op-
presses the .minority-oppresson ON the score
of religion and of birth. Ignorance, and sell
fishness-which is only a manifestation of ig-
norance ARE conjontly the cause of this dis
creditable state of affairs. Under the common
name of Swiss, three great European races
meet and nestle about the heart of the Alps
the French from the west, the German from the
north and east, and the Italian from the south;
and the want of communication, till of late
years, has kept these races apart and ignorant
of each other Nowhere, also is the distinc-
tion of religion more marked. Two thirds of
the Swiss are Protestant, and the remaining
one third Catholic; and the Protestant and
Catholic cantons, rs the the recent civil war
has shown, hate each other as the hostile clans
in the Highlands hated each other two hundred
years ago Besides, though switzerland, COM
pared with most countries, is land OF noun
tains, the greater part Of It is composed OF
plains amidstthe stupendous Alps. Two hours
stiff climbing suffces to change from the neat
trimmed flower garden and succeed cottage OF
the industrious artisan OF Zurich, into the lofty
hill-country OF Schweitz, where the mountain
Ger leads half vagsbond existence, tending
his numerous goats among storms and mist,
while his children run ragged and harefooted
along the road, begging from travellers BE-
tween people so rariously situated there can
be little sympathy.
consequence OF this national disintegra-
tion has been, that the rights OF citizenship
possessed in one canton have always been good
for nothing in another The citizenof Geneva,
who was driven to settle in the Valais, was al
lowed toleration; but neither he nor his pos
terity could, by any length of residence be-
come denzens of their adopted country
Roman Catholic at Eucerne, who turned Prot
estant, lost all his property, and was liable to
banishmenti Protestant at Berne turning
Roman Catholic, was punished in like manner.
Several of the present cantons continued, up
to the time of the French revolution, to be
Vassals 10 the larger ones. lhus .he canton oi
befhe was Tue sovereign ioto o' "e present
cantohS OF Nauu, or'' ana lessih, Which II
crusheu Win lhAa'ioh' ~'.hou' auhi'''ng ''s
suplects 10 any politicai rignts "ha.ever. iaus,
IN process OF tihe, IL came 10 pass that All over
switzerland there grew ur dls'inct pody OF
men, 'ne descendants OF ihuiYiauais VINO had
iost tnelr cHii r'ghts III 'heir respec'iso can
tons, either III consequence oi chahge Oh reh-
gloh, OF Oh misuemeanors lor Whieh ehey were
schtehceu 70 pah'sniheh'' or Vi Niegai maffiA-
ges, OF lastly as Foreigners settleu III owNAer-
anu' Inc st'gma 'hus cast upon 1he iathefs
descended upon the chiluren 10 the last gener-
ation' ihey formed separate CLASS calieu
helmathioseh-iiteraiiy, the homeiess-peopie
10 Wnom the ia"aiiowed dhothihg--ihVoiuhtafy
Outlaws. Iney exist at the present moment
IN steauliy increasing humoerSi anu as inJus-
tice Always reacts on itseii Tue parties so ue-
l n