Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1864-04-22
FRIENns ANIl EoIs IN ENGI,ANp.


10 article In the As!G,<ts 6fosa;ly, Oliver Wen
dell Holmes sum, up she faeis Of tsa "grost e1pec.a.
lions" Of Eogsh sy lty 10 tfa lated States in this
war. He says:
We have as true Eisrts g. tlGvS and generous ad-
vocates of our sacred ccrse in G;eat Bri ain our
fat hers found in Their long struggle for liberty We
have the intelligent corporation of few leading
thinkers and the Instructive sympathy of large por
ton of the pee piensy Cod be nercilu to them and
to their children in me Day Of ,konng wGich
or later, awaits rstca TIA: IS alse to advancing civ
iEzadonl =.
Bat with I'll gretitr5o tc the noble few who have
pleaded oui oicse, ob yed to own that have
looked in Vsia ter sJnpGtsy in many quarters where
should sggnTed,g have expected it, Where is the
Eugish church - the ncmentous sIugges Has 1t
blasted rts "a rTatore re rising barbarism thrC at
eaing or rather piO s-f to nationsze ITSELF which,
as o cardinal principle denies the Word Of God aud the
sanctties of the marriage relation to millions CT its
sutjeetas does it its Indignation the authors
OF Essays and Reviews" aud the over curious Bishop
OF NaRlY Where the men whosc voices ought to
RUG like clarons among the hosts OF their brethren Ia
the free States oil the North?
Where is Lord B;ougham, ex apostle of tie Diffusion
of Knowledge, while the gu ston is of enforced perpet
ua ignorance the cement of that rnhalowed
ture with which this nineteenth century il 10 be out
ragged if treason has It's wsyy Where is Dickens, the
haler of the Lesser wrongs Of Chancery Courts the
scouge OF tyrannca beadles aad hearess schoolu as
tiers? Has he word for those who are striving,
blss ding, dying to keep from spreading itself
continent system which lsgslizes RACES almost
fearful to be told even TO those who know all that il
darkes in the record of English pauperism and crime
Where Is the Laureate so full OF fue indignation and
high aspratonss HIS he, who holds 60 cheap those
who vase their genius
"To make old basaness picturesque"
no sir gle staDza for the great strife OF this living CEN
tuyr Is he too busy With his old kn ghts to remember
that .-a
zone great elmo
Yet rears her crest unc fingered and tublms
Above the far A!lantic?'
Has he song for the SIX hundred aud not line for
the six hundred thousands Where the London Times
SO long accepted the true index OF Eogsa in ell =
gence and enligh eIed humanity? Where are those
grave organs oil thought which always qiarelng
with slavery long the thorn in the breast OF
on natOu tu almost do homage 10 it that IL is
poisoned arrow aimed at her life Where is tho little
huDchSack's Journal whose wit the dog vane of
ashionai IL opinion, once pointing towards freedom
the prevailing wind seemed TO blow veerug round
to OBEY the poisoned breath of slavery? ALI silent or
hostile subject as they are themselves to the overnas
tering auence Of class which breads the exisenee
of self governing ate like this majestic Union worse
than falsehood worse than shame, than robbery
worse q completely with tho foul,st of rebeions
worse than partnership in the gigantic scheme which
was 10 blackeu half hemisphere with the night Of
Il is the miserable detection of many OF the think
irg classes in this time of the great popular Struggle
known T. history, which impresses W. far more than
the hostility Of few land graspng nobles the cold
ness OF Government maiaiy guided by their counsels
The natural has been the complete destruc
ton OF that undue Difference to foreign judgments
which was so long characteristic of our literature
The current English talk about the siirs that now
chiefly interest us eIcites Us very moderately The
leading organs OF thought have lost their hold upon
49, af hiuttu "
learned to distrust tic responses of Their time serving
oraces, and to laugh ut the ignorant pr ns. ns Of
their literary artisans. These outsiders" have shown
to our entire satisfaction that they thoroughly in
comp 4tent to judge our character community and
thai they have estimate OF it, spirit and its re-
sources The vi,w they have taken of the strife in
which We havs been and engaged Is not only de-
void of any high moral sympathy, but utterly shallow
and Algranty ialsiici by the whole Of events
political, financial and military.