New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-05-06
THE GRECIAN PHOTOGRAPH.
AREpLY TO THE NETWORK WORLD.
10 ~ Edisov ef Tie N. y. T,isSss.


,.ru,or ., A.. ,.osnted man on whom the great bur
an ~ that ,,rurse most heavily lay made its perusal
M nspful that II seldom met my eye. friend how
~, ina, called attention liz three column notice
~ the p.mphlet on State Rights" and would ask
rp.cs in Tus TRIBUNE for reply to the only thing to
be found in It which has the appearance Of
eminent: Greece was too snail This Is the whole OF
H. Greece was too snnl and we too large TO allow
81 any comparison 1t is certainly most remarkable
Argument England is small ccmp red with Central
Asia Switzerland with her little Cartons. is small
compared with Sweden. The German States arc very
Email as compared With Siberia. Manhattan Island
falls into insigDifeance when laid beside the map Of
Eebraska or the Washington Territory.
What makes this argument TIE more remarkable Is
che undoubted fact of tho great space Greece has ever
OCCUPIED on what may be called the historical and poi
cal IN distinction from tho territorial mnpof the world
What writer OF any ernence Government or civil
humanity picture for yvidnsss unsurpassed, of the
Eason-what distinguished pubcist, English. French OF
German that has made Greece important and fun
eaDents part Of his WORK using it, indeed, as micro
cosln of beauties and tie defortics Of the social life
One great writer has called it the miniature map OF En
rope And nothing could be more truc for there we may
Gee played out two thousand years ago that boo bal
ence Of power game which still keeps Europe IN the
brink Of war. and makes oyery fancied peace but o
breathing spell for fercer combat.
II 10 not simply the literature and philosophy OF
Greece but the rich political lesson she furnishes that
las filed so many chapters o. many books Her his
tory in this respect many sided and each writer has
taken FROM il thai which he could to best account
In bis own argument Grote's great work is called
history but who can fail to see that its pcrvading de
Mgr is hold up Grecian politics study for modern
statesmen, and modern parties. Now If 1t is such al
Instructive map for Europe, surely We may take from
She ancient ruin photograph for our aide Of the At
fAntc. The old Greek demagoeue. SO keenly limned
By Aristotle lives agaln among us. The old Greek
dsmocracies AMI democratic parties, are reylvedwe
we're going TO say--in our American history. But We
will not say it, for the assertion would be doing them
great injustice ,shoud il lead any reader to coHfound
these old parties with what has borne that name emong
rs for the past ten years. We cannot help respecting
those old Greek democracies, turbulent as they were
Most feroe indeed they-laost bloody were they
like the wild revolutionary denocraces Of France
Chat partook Of the ferocoss epirit Very bad
shings they were, very awful but they were terribly
reo, ald this the redeeming Characteristic OF ther
both. They had all the dignity Of grad reality. II
was true Of them EXON as nOnstrons popular passon
bot they were something than this. In all thcir
wild fury In al their EXTREMIST deDagogueism' there
vas something Of glorious. though guded principle
Of the bottom Their State Rights doctrine was not
mere political weapon. mere polticaltriek OF words,
neither understood cared for except as 1t could Dc
turned 70 party secount Their demsgogues were bet
tor than demssogues-a higher class OF men al
together These old popular movements not snch
things % made to order for Cincinnati or Chicago
Conventions They did not attempt to bind together
I'm NJ aft 5iamefrioallv oDnosp1. Thew
were no shsma 1t could not be said Of them as Of a.
modern thing which apes their name that they were
miserable cheat thfoughout-ale from end to end.
Greece was small but her history was the tyre for!
She modern world and therefore II is that ill political
literature has been fn Of it. have Just glanced at the
late work of the French EmpeIorno dscTedits5le pro-
dueticn BY the wayand there Greece appears in al
most every chapter although the main ooupar son is
with the Roman State. Let open such work al
Nontesq uieus Spirit OF Laws Greece and Grecia1
politics are the warp and wool Of tina. immortal produc
tun The Eorid cites Madison; who more fond OF
rnnnng to Greece for examples than he, How often do
We find the and the reference In the Fedcraist
and in other writings Of Hamiiioni TakeJohn Adanlss
Defense Of the American Constitution his book is full
efGreece We say nothing here of the inferenees OF
reasonngs Of these writer's II is enough ss pres
ent purpose 30 show how much they made OF Greece.
90 too that sterling patriot and most consistent State
Rightsr man. Samuel Adams wss ever tsking about
Greece. To come nearer 10 The Worlds Own side OF
Che matter, take John c. Calhoun How far can We
read in him without coming upon Greece and her go-
rious little States" their institution OF Slavery their
boosted autonomy. their strong sectional patriotism oil
a. viewed from his side Of the question Il was in this
way that Calhoun got the reputation OF being very clas
vieai-far more 90 than Websera claim. by the way
"a false as tina. which has been made for him as the
great ogican. Southern orators all took Their cue
from him. They would he classical too They went to
Greece for arguments in favor OF sovereignty The
swelling praises Of autonomy which could be got from
che rhetorical sophiss and factous dplomasts were
Che very things the5 wanted. "Slayery the corner
stone" the only solid foundation of republican gov
eminent this famous Calhoun dogma they found IL
Illustrated TO their hard in tie false Spartan ogaIchy
AID they were tired Of citing il tire principle
Of true republic Having obtained ~ smatterine of
ancient lore in Northern colleges they ever aston
fsbipg the Western Of the plain Lincoln snd Doug
las stamp with their superior elasticity in this respect
20 too Southern elergymeu fond Of showing their
classical superiority 10 their Northern brethren In the
cse they made Of their piece Of Greek Arstotles
famous argument in favor OF enslaving barbsrians.
twill not be out Of place in this connection to refer
70 late work entitled Citizenship Sovereignty 1t
IL defense Of State Sovereignty in ts most radical and
aisorganizing form got up by j. S. Wright and Prof
Holmes Agnew d. D.. and brought out under the aus
pces Of benevolent association in NewYork OF which
Prof Cyrus Mason u. d., and Prof. Morse are dis
einguished memberssaid benevolent association being
established for the very sudable purpose Of discern
mating sound political information among the people
sche writer for The Word has, doubtless, very high
snion Of the work. 1t not intended TO notice it
acre. any further than cite 1t evidence oi the
salpe attached Grecan politics when one thinks that