Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1863-11-26
Are We "a Thinking Nation


The Americans have many pcculiari-
ties in their national character. many
Of which are due to our institutions, to
our dry climate, TO our stimulating 80
enormously with coffee, tobacco, and
whisky, and the modes Of thought crea-
ted by the perfect freedom that has hith-
erto cnveloped the person OF every Amer
ican sovereign. II must be confessed,
that among our pcculiarities is want OF
thought. With all our enterprise, pro.
gress, and inventive genius, as n nation
we are not thinking people. The roar
Of the ever flying train Of progress the
Kaleidoscope rapidity of the changes
about us; the hurry, rattle, clatter and
rush OF our existence, leave us little time
for thought-litte time for reaching pro.
found logical conclusions on subjects
which present themselves for considera-
ton. We take a large majority Of our
opinions on trust-we have not the leis-
ure to examine one half which claim our
attention, and thonce it results that we
have more religion and less religious
feeling than any other nation in exist
ence. From this the popularity which
we present OF having an infnity of po.
itical and theological faiths, and yet
without well grounded hope in any
thing.
Puritanism exists in one, ana slavery
in the other extreme of our national linn
its, while in religious and social opin-
ions we are divided among Catholicism,
Protestantism, Spiritualism, Fourierism,
Free Love. Deism, Atheism, Mormon
ism, Dunkers, Shakers, Quakers, and a
dozen others who have no belief what.
ever.
Not only do we show our UNIVERSAL
want of thought in having so many
faiths, or none at all, but also in many
other respects, some of which have as
sumed marked prominence. during the
present war We beg,n the war unthink.
ingly-people went at it with rush
which cbaracterizes their general move4
ments, and proposed to end it by over
running and annihilating a territory sew
eral times as large as Great Britain in
ninety days. When Wilkes captured
the rebel commissioners, everybody was
crazy with enthusiasm over the justness
and brilliancy of the exploit and yet,
their hurrahs had scarcely died away
when they were again hurrahing over, or
receiving without comment, the an
nouncement that the Premier at Wash
ington had concludedto denounce Wilkes
and release the prisoners.
Our unthinking character is also shown
| in ha frapnapox with ,rh,ah
spread through the masses. How many
times has there been panic over the
news that Washington was endangered
What a panic prevailed when Pennsyl.
vania was invaded! And again, what
unfounded excitements have arisen at the
thousand and one Rebel Plots " that
have been discovered, chief among which
are the Ohio conspiracy and the "Inva-
sion" from the Canadian border! What
a .furore has been created over the
threatened capture of Cincinnati and
Louisville, and over the raids of Morgan
t Forrest, and other partisan leaders!
We did not think about these matter
r ourselves; in our usual manner we receiv
ed impressions upon trust or from tn
sensational eXaggerations of newspape
dispatches, and thus allowed the creation
Of silly and unjustifiable fancies. D
Tocqueville says that " every man VIII
receives an opinion upon the word O
some one else puts-,is own soul in bon
dage;" hence there is probability that
in the very enjoyment of the wildes
freedom, we are in reality nation il
eminent danger of becoming slaves
Chicago Times.