, 1864-12-20
FAREWELL ADDRESS. OF rROF.
GOODWIN. SMITH.
Ills Impressions Of the Country
aud It's Cause.


your name. This is my last evening in America
The list evening Of three months which the Kind.
ness Of American friends has i1l1cd with happiness
SscS Rat b
have received from my visit not only great enjoy
1nent, but some instruction, every facility for
manner, 80 TINT should be dull iesrner indeed Il
|; / went away wholly unfnfor1ed. l have bad the
advantage not only Of seeing I'LL that stranger
@ conld @ sso within ths limits Of NJ tour, but tho
eminent men, rom whom have Obtained l1nowf-
edge and food for future reflection, not with re-
gard to Amerlcan a1aiEs @ apa Institutions alone.
witnessing the conduct Of this nation at = great
political crstsa crisis unequaled. perhaps. In its
importance. both as a test of national character
and az an cvcntin the history Of our race.
'1he acquaintance with America which carry
anny is In the highest degree imperfect, yeti IS
such as could never hare obtained By reading;
and it will enable me- trnst TO read for the futnfe
with more Intelligence and more profit on the
most interesting and important subject which the
whole range Of history sad politics atfords-the
"Dn the point Of departure ind myself, and not
for the first tine, guest In the house Of the Union
League UDder ordinary circumstances ! should
receiving an attention from political party. Bat
1t 1s not IN ordinary circumstances that
PLACED. The party whose gucst1 an is not con-
Is sectional lind In which stranger has no fharc,
or in which he Eoula shrink from showing his
Interest," TX Is NOT coD1GQd1nE only 1of the E1fT4-
ton of this country, though that would be m OBJ
jcct which might well enIist tho sympathies and
excuse the Jealous participation Of an English man
who believes that the arstlny Of England is init
caute dear and vital to the whole race Of man. 1
do not feel that stranger, BY coming to this club
portion of yonr nation. FoF ills Tsr IS earr1ed On
cot 70 sntjneats or oppress the people Of tho
Sonthcrn Stntes; but to cast out the demon which
possesses thGm, to overthrow tho tyrannteal oil
gnrchy which crushes them, to restore them.to q
right mind and to make them really free.
II came to America. however, believe INC, with
no intention but that Of seeing your country gain
ing such Information about Il and it, inhabitants
As could. Witnessing the Presidential election,
and verifying the views ! had formed as to the
progressive character Of The history q man. Or.
ging my own feelings Of anxious interest and ar
dent sympathy- Nothing was farther from my
thoughts than to address uny, PUBLIC assembly, or
! have been drawn into any public ueterances, 1t
has been po1ely from tho desire Of contributing.
IS iar as N MT power. TO a1la{ the feeling which
believed 70 arise IN part ut least from niscon.
ceptieD a to the real attitude Of the main body OF
cur people. trust an not wanting In apprecl1-
thn in loyal attachment to her intorcst snd honor.
But the greatness Of the English race in England
ts bounded BY ths narrow circumference Of a.
By the possession Of conquest, which history
Geucies which, as little reflection will chow u.s.
9s n n t1e eng ee Ms5e The
a continent which In extent and In the variety
Of ita resources is in itself world. Some
k Pnot %sff fbe ue ena aos2 =
: treat America as natural enemy, and
to conspitc even with power 90 alien to English
principles q. slavery, ior the destruction o. her
unity uud strength. am one Of those who be-
lese that t1is policy Is At once malignant and chi
1neracaI End that The opposite policy. that OF en-
dcavoring to promote the lastipg unity Of the two
eeutcd to ns By tTuc wfadcm as well as Sy - pene-
rous sentiment and b5 the tie Of blood. And such
1leliese te 70 u,a view or tic English people; to
or interest, owe as IN Eng1ishman, Loyalty and
allegiance. 1twas inevitable that In speaking Of
20 delicate subject as the relations hetwecn the
two nations, should run the risk OF eIposin. my
self to some unfavosnb}e criticisms and cons,1uc-
uorA; bnt without fucnrrfne some risk, things
MoEtn doing can yssy seldom be dons do not
tsnee s'.a!l te passed On ms endeayors, however
weak nnd lll.dirccted, to promote peace and good
vii, s5 On e. &c persistent efforts q powerful or
Kindred nations and to SOW tie secds Of disaa-
irons and fratrtcidal war. 1eren venture to eug-
gest that the writer's in the 15a<s, and its conio-
!atcs Of ouf press. If any sense Of responsibility,
may hereafter be thankful to those who, without
6ctlaeting from tle popularity OF the profits OIL IT.
prevent the actual confasra iun-a cont,asrntfon
in which, possibly, not the habitations Of c peo-
pie Or Of llerais alone would hare pefiahed.
but it las appeared to nc that for some tune past
the feeling ii this country against England, has
been growing less bitter, Notwithstanding the oc-
spite Of the pcrscyering efforts oi indlvidua writ
ers and speakers, on both sides Of the water, to
keep animosity alvc. Whether I'm risht a to
fnoW Sa he a@ rsa a
1uatc tendency. In the Ion. run, The more power
fnl and tle deeper forces 9ssert their ascendancy
The less powerful and more superficial forces arc
those temporary misunderstanding and tranzitory
disputes, which, aggravated By invectiyes and cal
tween kiasmsn. Tt,o more powerful % md dsepsr M
force which will ultimately assert 1t. asccndancy,
Is the unity Of our raee m combined xlth The upiy
gion which We together represent, and which it is
Sga o o11 Il aicn @ f Sepye prspsts t s Svcs snt th
nans1! nG e! %ant II sypaiy ssaast Eqa M
item under thla trial. 1tself proceeds from outta-
Nhi1h has bound and vii again 5Ind % thc nations Dos
to each other. VIC do mot expect sympathy from
s.t MeEe stranger nof issl spss1a fesent%ent
; better WY of accounting for the fact that the
direc: solicitation Of interference under color Of
mediation, address By her to the maratime pow
doned, while the least oiIense committed ~ En-
gland. cysn OF q negative kind, SCENE to produce
/! pie. 1he more powerful and deeper force, t re-
peat. will ssseEt Its nsccndencr in the long run
and those politician Of either nation, who choose
them, may look perhaps ior aaisK prodts, but thcy
t must not count on permanent honor or enduring
! gratitude For them there will be no etatne when
b5 side il tie cante Of religion and humanity. We
together build the Walhalla Of the Anslo-saxon
! 1aSc:
partly deserves to aye, on Ibis Side Of the Allan
lie, Here, as in Europe hereditary bitterness the
offspring Of centurie. Of religious war and pcrse-
a.
in Ireland and The Protestant IN Spain, still fllg
| the Irish breast. Few have felt more warmly Of
fR93 n sn have The en5s
| and eomc progress towards rcdressins them has
already been made. BY the e1ertions Of the Liberal
party in the Britieh Parltament and nation. They
! would not he redrcsscd, but exaggerated tenfold,
b. stirring up another war Of races and religions
IN 1s11and Ia ara ang the unhappy island again
TN ono respect, If i may venture to say 80,
J Americans are apt cren to do England too much
! honor. They are apt to think, or to speak as Il
they thought, that the past errors OF oifenses OF
Englieh Governments Wonld cover the errors o,
! oGenses Of m American government at the pres
enl day. In this case OF tie Florida, for example
) the erndite and eloquent chairman Of your Com
|
bis while to appeal to Instances, or alleged IN.
stances, Of British aggression, drawn, most oi
them, from times anterior TO tee growth Of
nccted IN some cases viii names, such as those q
as VEL as to eurs know tat this has been done
1S rstoSs = +" e portion q i5s BlitisS pr pfsss' 8
j en1nity, had maniiestlyy forfeited all claim
nrG7T nfphf rprh hnn IN Fsi1
/; without reply. But the tendency Of such a line
/! OF argumcnt besides increasing tho amount ol
! 10 confuse Tie nationa! conscience in regard
10 question nearly touching the honor Of the NJ.
tion. sna to Lead ~ A%ensa to put on The casto
| happy woald it DO for England II either By bad
example, OF through A. The perversion Of youi
q pat {remenber that It ID part oniyj oR hei
prcse. ehc shall have really made the hard path o.
honor harder to you on this occasion For surely
It is not too mnch to say that had the Florida and
her crew been at restored to the Jurisdiction
from which they had, as the American press and
nation hare honora1ly admitted, been. wrougfullJ
world greater than that Of any victory. And those
be they the kngliah rulers of former days, or &C
have conspired to incline the mind of ofAmerica K
the less noble side. hare done their utmost II
pluck wreath OF trne and rare glory from he
"And now, with one foot as 1t were on tho decl
OF IN English yessei. let me presume with MI de
ference to offer yo1 a SINGLE word Of advice. II
mode Of dealing In controTertcd matters with ID
English nation. Eng1iabmen, unfortunately, hay
como qualities which are not calculated to max
them popular among other nations, and pcfhap
thcir popularity among. their European rivals ha
not been Increased By that which seldom does Ia
crease popular.ty-a Somewhat dispnoportionat
regardless, perhaps they are more regardfa1 thai
most other nations, ofjustice and Of honor. ]
England has done you, II ever she should hereal
, ter fio you wrong, approach her as one man q
honor would approach mother man bS whom b
felt TINT be had been aggrieyed, witt frank
manly and courteous request for reparauon, bu
lion OF motives which can lead to no practical r.
suit, aud which after all may be undescryed. Dc