Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1865-02-07
Pr0snecfIne.

Q
as various as the inducements to vio
lence, and as diversified as the passions
Of mankind Nevertheless, they mas
all be classed under the one head oi
mental inactivity, with its concomitani
moral and physical inertia. There are
no stations on the road Of nations
Ceasing to advance retrogression is in,
evitable obstruct the spring of civil.
zation, and in proportion, its streams
are sluggish or run dry. This is a
mighty truth. Activity Of mind is The
foundstion Of pre-emineEce, and ita
freedom is the soEe necessity Of endur-
ing prosperity; for mental freedom is
impossible without activity. We mean
that community free in thought and
its expression are necessarily active.
Earnestness is the condition Of distinc-
ton, and freedom as its attendant, OF
enduring excellence and prosperity.
Certain peoples have exhibited iremen.
dous vigor, from some temporary excite
ments, and immunity IN one, or it may
be in more than one, direction, but the
ends accomplished, they sink into their
original insignificanee, or at least be.
come inefficient for further and con-
tinued advance There is no uncircum
scribed development without perfect
liberty. Variety of the food Of thought
is requisite for its digestion; the capacity
ofprocuring which many even Of our own
population, do not possess though none
else equal us in the numbers who haze
l said none, which is not strictly true
There are few who excel. Some OF
the German States, for instance, but
they do not possess the privileges and
surrounding exeitants which are ours
Neither are they allowed to carry out
the conclusions at which they arrive
They are restricted in legitimate expan-
sion by the existence among them OF
ancient prejadiees, corporations and in
stitutions with antique habits Of
thought, as well as by countless hered
itary ineubuses. The mind of thc
people is bound TO accommodate itself ic
the State, and not the state to It, as is
the proper and natural sequence. This
is also the chief cause OF distinction be.
tween ours aud every other Of the higheI
modern civilizations, The theory Of oul
Government is the logical elimination
Of the forms Of modern thought Blu
such is the binding power of surround
ing circumstances, that the leadinl
thinkers and statesmen of Europe fail /,
read history Alright, and don't see it.
The duty Of this Government is to af
ford every facility. or'exalting the cspac
tiles of its citizens. Still more ineum
bent is it upon it, to avoid attempting
the direction Of their energies, and 1
prevent the use Of any part of the put
lie funds for such purpose The slight
est approach to appropriations or distri
buttons Of that kind is most dangeroui
That there is no power without NOV,
ment, is as true Of the intellectual an
moral worlds, as it is of the physical
while prior excitement Of the intellect
essential to moral Improvement
These observations indicate the eaus
Of causes of every social amelioratio
or contraction, aud of every politics
impulse. They show the mainsprinI
on the efficiency or inefioiency of whic
depends the rise, the continuance, o
decline of uations--the lever OF exal
alton, and the food which overwhelmi
0bstruet the mind, and the sources {
its irrigating and fruetifying stream
are cut OF attempt to dam or tur
them aside from wherever they choo:
to mesnder, and you introduce Il
floods of igsorsnce, of deprsvity, az
of desoladon, They uncover the reasc
/ for the destruction of the Jew, aud Il
exaltation of the Gentle; the rise an
J. power and subsidepee of Islam; the tr
!. mendous energy Of Spain aud its e.
tinction; and the successive fall of Z
tons from prominence. Else, why {
peoples in the then existing maturity
power, sink into insigni6csnce witho
apparent reason; why do others wi
;. fewer advantages and less resources,
unknown and nndeveloped, outstr
them in the pursuits of art and scienc
" wealth, power and the growth of soci
well-being. Wealth and luxury has be
= accused as the curse. It is fall
A Wealth is a blessing from God, and t
reward of effort. The prop and stay
governments, and one of the ma
agencies in gaining further and high
8 acquisitions towards the undiscoyer
aecessions for which the capacity of m
NAV fit him. Slavery and barbara
invasion, have been blamed, but they
Q, mere secondary causes, Slavery cor
not exist among properly coustitut
people, and barbarous invasion col
he not succeed, unless the mo
IN powers which We have been describil
/. had been already dead or dying.