The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-10-06

people talk of the departed. And why is all
this :? What should put so unnatural force
upon the very instincts of the heart, but the
cold tradition of a Christian enthusiastically.
Manning.
THE ENGLISH EMPIRE.
The capacity of organizing and governing is
one OF the rarest endowments of individuals or
OF races. Polybius affirms, that of all the his
torical races of antiquity, the Romans alone
possessed this talent. The Persiaps acquired
extensive sway in Asia but when they passed
over into Europe, not only their conquests,
but their iginal power, became insecure, and
were speedily lost. The Lacedamonians strug-
gled long for the ascendency in Greece; but
when they had secured the coveted prize, they
were only able to retain it about twelve years
The Macedonians conquered Asia they de-
molished the colossal fabric of Persian power,
and reared another of yet grander dimensions
ON Its ruins. But it passed away with the last
breath OF the great architect, Alexander. The
Romans alone knew how not only to conquer,
but to consolidate into one empire and polity,
men of all races, regions, and languages. The
European, the Asiatic, and the African, alike
bore the yoke OF Rome, and were assimilated
by the powerful influences of her system. The
proud races which had conquered and ruled in
earlier times-Egyptian, Assyrian, Persian, and
Greek--successivelyb bowed to her sway The
whole world, as far as then explored and civil
lied, was governed from the banks of the Tibor,
and measured its roads from the Golden Mile
stone in the Roman forum.
What race in modern times has inherited
this high and singular attribute The Anglo
Saxon, beyond doubt. London is at this
hour the centre of wider realm, including a
greater number of subjects, and perhaps
larger variety of races, than Rome, when the
Greek historian above mentioned extolled her
Incompatible greatness, or when her own illus
trious orator denominated her the Home of
Empire" She rules the rich and popuous
India, and large part of Central sia, from
Calcutta and Bombay She dictates to China
from Hong and Canton. She max s her sug-
gestions with an authority that is seldom slight
ed, to Persia at Bussorah and Tabriz, to Portu-
gal at Lisbon, to Egypt at Alexandra, and to
the otiesa"n Empire at Constantinople. She
The pqweIFb es at Africa Iser-n;s sR~1-;---..
through Cape Town and Sierra Leone. She
is the proprietress of large part of this CONT
nent. The sun never sets on her realm-the
roll of her morning drum is heard without
ceasing, as the ever-dawning light encircles the
earth.
Her power is by no means limited to the
countries or colonies which she politically gov
ems. When the Declaration of American
Independence" says Michelet, lost her an
empire in the West, she turned and grasped
another in the East" But she did not lose an
empire in the West. Her language, her laws,
her literature, her faith, the very spirit of her
system, are as completely in the ascendant now
as when the thirty-three United States were
thirteen British colonies. They are, in fact,
H. 81 tbov lv ha va
been in the bosom of free and separate ma
tionality. The branch that was cut off has
grown into deeply-rooted tree of far spread
ing branches and abundant fruit But the leaf
and fruit show the genuine type of the native
Stock and that native stock, too, has been IN
vigorated by the excelsior. England is greater,
freer. in herself, for the American Revolution.
And here she has, instead of subject colonies,
an associated Empire, which, from narrow
strip of the Atlantic coast, is carrying out her
ideas, her moral, social and political spirit, her
trade even, from sea to sea, sending them south
ward with pacific but resistless force, and dis
persing them, as if from new centre, over the
whole world. s
The most admirable quality of the Roman
Empire was its permanency. When Polybius
wrote, its growth and power had occupied about
six centuries. He looked upon an existence
thus long extended as sort of historical mira.
Gle. The Empire stood, however, through all
the stages of its decadence, for some ten GEN.
turtles after. Will the Empire of Britain last
50 long? The answer to that question is among
the secrets of the future The downfall of Brit
ish greatness has been predicted any time these
two centuries And yet her sway was never so
wide, the fabric of her power never 20 selid, as
at this hour. If we we're to venture predic-
ton, it would be, that her Empire will be as
remarkable for its endurance as for its extent.
She is free from certain elements of decay and
destruction, which precipitated the rum OF
Rome. She includes certain vital forces which
Rome had not. The great armies aud ambl-
tious generals who subjugated distant nations
to the yoke of Rome, returned TO crush the
liberties of the citizens at home. From julius
Caesar down, the title of General and Despotlc
Sovereign (Imperator) became the same. he
| fixed its new significance by simply putting II
before his name instead Of after, as had been
previously done-so natural and easy Is the
| transition from commander.in-chiefpf power
| full army to autocrat of the whole body polite
| England has avoided that peril. Her people
have always had that wholesome dread of stand
ing armies which is one of the instincts of free
men--the fear that the yoke which they make
! strong and heavy for the neck of others may
haply be put upon their own; that the PIT
which they dig for the liberties of others may
some day entomb their own. England has by
far the smallest standing army of all I" the great
Powers" She trusts, rs every free people must
do, for great emergencies, to the spontaneous
exertiou of her own full energies. She has less
fear of invasion by foreign armies than OF en-
| slaveraent by her own. 1t remains to be seen
| too, whether Christian civilization has not q
vitality of its own, superior to and more long.
lasting than that of any earlier system. The
| civilization Of England is strictly Christian
one As popular emancipation and culture ad-
vance, they assume, more and more distinctly,
| Christian type. The lowest strata Of the Eng.
lish people are more and more profoundly pen.
etrated every day by the truth and life of the
! Gospel. This can hardly be said Of any other
great nation of the Old World. France, for
example, seems not yet to have learned the les.
son which history for the last century has been
| teaching her--that to be free, she must be
! Christian. Montalembert says he has already
| Witnessed ten revolutions in his native country
within his own time. The absolute monarchy
which now cramps her energies, though some
what relaxed at present, will not probably be
thrown off without another of those bloody and
IN, ba~,