New-York daily tribune., 1859-12-28
CHARACTERIZATION.

usisn OF the various tribes and States composing
Germany, asder the lead trship of some one royal
4, nasty, or Of the Sta.e ruled by il. The saSra
mental word is bege,heny. Upon hcgemony rs to
&speDd the standing, ef Germany 10 the worlds his
tp-( gOtgesehklitsc1s Steitasg) g)-snother sacra
mental expressio-A--which Standing in the opn"n
ssd m the sAvstahons Of Germans, does mol
correspond TO die national dignity. The cIamor Tor
beth general q becomes lsud when any stber ha-
teB, or, to- se more definite, when france' 10
sSne way er ether, srouses the nations, and aston
ishes or srrsfes the Governments and aristocraes
s6 Eurors. HegcmoOy and the Standing are rep
Yesente ne depending upon each other, or at least
MS as Eted that the sta0ding never can be reached
pith0 q ebe mst, gwen by hegenony.
Va ssis eBorts have been made ia bygone centu-
Ie., ssd are now being aade to establish hege-
nol a. but hitherto 10 vsia. Powerful dndercur-
rsPEs have always dissolved and carried away
ID structuFes r~ared by the founders of heeemony
hoe structures have been erected on the surface;
tks uniercurrents gush from the womb Of the ma
hen. The rIis which feed those currents well out
ea the wbole national aud historic life OF the Ger
nm people lneontestibly this national stream is
aoaed ard modified wth many egotstical, petty,
AyBashe ambitions and interests Gernan writers
.eanp,sherd ais such interests under the name Of
perncularBmus, another sscrsmebtal expression.
ParticnIarlsmus, however, could never, singehand-
ed, prevent begemouy, except BY beng aided and
gettLg bold 0f feelings and traditions rooted IN tue
constitution OF the German people. THIS people,
frUm its FIRST historical manifestation is cOwpOsed
Of various tribes of equal tnnic brthfght, issuing
from ore aud the same etaDic stem. These III tho
course OF their hlstOr cal existence and growth,
worked cut their iOdividuaities and became na-
kons Such are the normal riyuets composing
tke anti hegemOnic current
Federation is antagonism 10 begem0ny. And nu-
neTsus German writers and historians claim feie-
ration as rational speciality. History, however,
points TO various crude federatous previous to
the APPEARANCE OF tho Germans on its horizon
ali Of them for offensive aud defensive wars.
Not 10 speak Of Greeks and ltaliots, the Celto-
Salli, federated and combined with few German
iTibes, conquered Itaiy, Rome Greece, and ASIA Mi
Del; III fact, almost The whole civilized world The
German race IN It's various osisboots has PRESCRIBED
federation pOhtcaI combination down tO our
times ArmIius, Cnihs, The Cheruses, the Frank
ahd the Saxons, all organized f,deraOns for defense
or for INVASION The Germao Empire, the Bud
new existing, is another manifestation Of the same
pIioeple. Switzerland manly represents a Ger
man O1shoOt u better perfected state of union,
~ bO canton claims supremacy, aud no such
supremacy or leadership is conceded or recOg
nlEtd Even the American Union is claimed
BY some to be the product of the GermaDic
hosa or f,If.
LOw introduced into American political history un
DER the naue OF Anglo. Saxonism. III that how
ever, we're bot faHaey, what some philosophers
ass IT of history aud of natural science tnat trans
planted sprouts often bear better irut than the on
giLa would be justified.
Tse World. historical Standing Of the German
rnee began with tue overthrow of the Westera Ro-
u,aa Empire. The Germans then became one 0f
lie corn. i-stOnes Of the Western Europe, |
which at that time emerged from toe ruins of the !
Rsman world Ihat evrut, which was u real |
progress m the dsseLupuSnt Of the human race, is
sAn.ed by the Germans as their own exclusive
w.rh; but at aDy rate it was lot completed, aud |
perhaps uoteveR orginat.d, b, through any excu-
sNelJ German agency aud hegemODy. Atta's bloody |
iOIay, to Gsul and Italy, in tDer passage through
Germany, terrified and dispersed the German trioes
all ever the country. The Bes Invaders thus hurled
upon Italy, gave the deathOow to its power, aud the
brsBks, the " est. Gotbs aud the BurgundIaos--up
- that epoch sort Of armed, warke eolomst.
w,ta,n the boundaries OF the Roman Empre--be-
sase wholly independent Each Of these in turn
CHOPPED up the prOstrate giant. The first impulse
10 lie standing came, therefore, to great extent
frou the sa, aye liuRs u Flnnic or Mongolc stock
AID rom their lcader. All German poetry adopted
and natioDal,zed that terror striking apparltion,
Atbs general subject icr tue primitive Ger
b6n lOets The Scandinavian aud lceland,c s Syalds
aAd BtrseIkerr, in their Sagas and Eddas, 10 their
Alta Nal aud Ata-Qulda, tho Gothic aud Frank
NIlkiDasagas, the Ane lO-Saxon bards aud the Ger
nan hinbesngcrs Of tho NeOeluOgeD. sing aud
grSRe AttLs, make national god of him, aud
trsSsIort hlm to Valhala, the paradise of Odln's
children.
Cssrlemagne combined aud held in his powerful
grasp newly all the German tribes, destroying most
81 their hereditary chiefs. Under CharleInague's
successors bew dy nastes grew Out OF the officials
appointed BY om counts, markgraves, and the
hAe The evil and military guardians and admiuistra
tsrs Vi his Empire. Tue original subdivision OF
trlbes thus again restored, athOus WITH mcdi-
Esd charactensbcs. The CariosingaD dynasty,
k.ihmate and lefthSnded, scarcely survived to the
1Ssh century. The great Unity finally became dis
nPted Ardent German hegemonIsts deeply de-
plort that disruption. Sui II Was one Of the great