The Portland daily press., 1865-05-13
American Sensitivsness to European
0ninion

Among the benefits which are ultimately to
grow out Of the events Of the last four years,
may be reckoned the rapid advance In the
emancipation of the American mind from the |
thraldom of European opinion. Anew years
ago nothing was more manifest in political,
social, ard literary circles than the exaggera-
ted estimate of the weight and Importance OF
foreign criticism. Our uneasy sensitiveness
on this score subjected US to an immense
amount of impertnence from those who were
pulled by it into an undue sense their ownim-
portance. Every petty litterdteur and maya
zine scribbler who had made six weeks,
scamper through the country, felt himself 1
called upon to write book; and sensible Am
orleans were not wanting who really cared for
comments of these gentry. That the books
showed no insight into American institutions
and manners, and served to illustrate nothing
but the conceit and shallowness of their
writer's, seemed to make no difference. They
carried sting. By far the greatest portion OF
this kind of criticism has been the work of
Englishmen. Frenchmen and their continent
al neighbors have written less upon our affairs,
but their works have been pervaded by spir-
it Infinitely more discriminating and philosoph-
ic. But though English books and comments
in America have, with scarcely an exception,
been shallow and worthless, it was English
good opinion which seemed most valuable to
us, and which we were most anxious to con-
cilate. England was the land Of our ances-
tors, the home to which we still looked back
with affectionate pride in all that was noblest
in her traditions and achievements. The sem
timent SO misunderstood was but the natural
and graceful respect OF the younger for the
elder, the desire of the child for parental APP
prevail Our trans Atlantic relations enjoyed
the Aattery of this Difference, but they forgot
| that the only way to retain it was to manifest
some degree of the superior wisdom they had
credit for. Their entire failure to do SO has
proved fatal blow to their prestige.
Not all at once has this respect for English
| opinion been destroyed. A succession of
shocks were needed to unseat a sentiment SO
firmly established. Wheni in our hour of.trial
we were sneeringly told that the "bubble Of re-
publicanism had BURST we felt keenly the pref
udice and the injustice of such declaration.
4 Now that it has bean as.>sasrrateT That repuo-
leanism is no bubble but bomb proof, we are
In situation to appreciate the worthlessness
of that judgment. And so In every case,
throughout the struggle now ending. Not an
event has been understood in its causes or its
bearings, not prediction for the future has
had even an approach to fulflment Theruin
which has been so constantly foretold for us,
has not overtaken US; the temper we were ex-
pected to show, we have not shown; that
which we were declared incapable Of, we have
accomplished; and the enormities we were
said to be about to commit we have avoided
altogether. For long time we trusted that
despite this almost universal voice of the pow
erful governing and commercial classes, the
sentiment of the great body of the English
people would be found intelligently In accor-
dance with truth and right. These men, we
said, have their own selfish interests to serve.
They are special pleaders, and we must not
expect fairness from them. But the English
people have a genuine sympathy with freedom
and justice, their judgment viii be true. Alas,
for our confidence! The result showed that
the English people were profoundly ignorant
of the merits of the case, and nearly indifer-
ent to the event except as 1t promised to af-
feet themselves! Here and there, it is true,
were some honorable exceptions, but they
were mainly among the more cultivated minds
of the liberal statesmen and philosophers,
men whose sympathies are with the cause of
freedom and progress the world over. They
did not represent the average English mind,
but something far higher. This is the unvar-
nished truth of the matter, and if it was at
frst source Of some modification that the
question of our national life or death, ques-
tion in which were bound up such mighty in
terests for all humanity, should be matter of
indifference to the foremost nation of the
EARTH" we have reconciled ourselves 10 the
fact, perceiving its true cause-that the fore
most nation could not rise to an intelligent
comprehension of the circumstances.
Still it could not be expected that our an
Gent generation for English opinion should
survive such repeated demonstrations of its
worthlessness. Our past Difference to SO
incompetent an authority is folly we are in
al fair way to be fully cured of. When Black
woods Magazine informs its readers that 'sthe
error of England in dealing with the Ameri-
can war has been in taking too much notice
of it; If we had treated it from the first as
only vulgar row, it would have been ended
long ago,"-and when the Times, commenting
on the recent victories, grimly predicts that
our troubles are only just begun, we can az
ford to greet Me shallow impertinence of the
one and the malignant enmity of the other
with the same smile of contemptuous indif-
| ference. ~ ossetAN At IA