Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1866-12-10
WESTWARD THE STAR OF PRO
GRESS.

served through all its changes and VI
c;ssitudes; and although individual
nations seem liable to the common lot
of mortality, yet the fortunes Of the hu-
man race partake of the immortality Of
the works of nature, and amid all the
successive rise and fall Of individual
States, II vast system for the extension
and Improvement of the species is TO be
discerued. And yet there is nothing
that Alison so %reprobateS in the Ameri-
cans as their great faith in this progress
of mankind, and practical acting on that
faith. In Europe, generally, while the
perpetual alienation Of progress and
decline in human affairs is admitted,
aud the error of supposing that any n
state of things a continue permanent,
all %perceptible progress as a hope of
man is generally secuted; alterations
of action and reaction are alone believed
in, aud hat which hath been shall be,
and nothing more. Nations rise and
fall. and all move round in one vast cir
Gle to precisely the same spot, and the
wisest and best are thus perpetually
compelled to admit that much which
appears like progress is deceptive, and
that it is at best spirally, in vast cycles,
that progress is alone attained. History
seems to perpctually to revolve and to
be repeating herself; yet, as the centre
moves, the whole is steadily advancing.
There is no direct and uniform advance
for US, but only through a thousand
counter currents, reaction succeeding
action, and conflict destroying good
ness itself, where weak and exposed.
But vet the world moves to something
higher and better always, and the poet,
a hundred years ago, sang, "We'trdrd
| the star of empire takes its way"
The earliest literature Of man places
| his birthplace and Paradise "east-
ward" or in the eastern country, show
| ing that when these records were writ
ten, men were moving from East to
West. The comparative study of lam
guages shows that the progressive races
have made progress as they have emf
grated in the same periods and in the
| same direction. The Indo-Germanic
| race has moved from Chinese Tartary
| both southwark into India and west
ward across Asia, through Europe to
| the Atlantic coasts Of America, across
Ito California. Just in proportion to the
| activity Of this movement has been the
power and impetus of the new and inn
proving element in the shape Of durable
| principles added to the stock Of human
| knowledge and social force. This shows
| either that emigration is in itself the
cause Of progress, or else both are
owing to the same causes. Let a ma
ton stay for n few thousand years with
out e~migrating, and it stagnates and
becomes weak and decrepit until a new
and conquering ace sweep over it. Let
it move and it progresses.
When the earliest Vedas were written
was when the conquering tribes had
lust poured down from the 0xus into
Upper India, but not yet become ener-
waited on the plains of H~indoostan. The
progress and conquests of the children
Of Abraham were as they moved west
ward from the other side Of the Eu-
pirates, until after the reign Of Solo
mon, stopped by the Mediterranean,
they stagnated and declined till stimu-
lated into a partial recovery by disaster
and defeat. Conquest, language, art,
science, and religion have all moved and
in one direction-from East to West,
| except in the case of the nations repre-
sented by the Vedas and the Avestas,
where conquest, and also literature,
moved from North to South.
Why is it that the tide of emigration
is also that of progress? DR.. Bushnell
indeed thinks it has a contrary tenden-
cy-namely, to barbarism. But that is
only for a time, and not permanently.
1t certainly infuses new yigor and new
ideas into a race to transplant them.
This is, in part, because the most yigor-
Gus move, the decaying and inert stay.
In this way the great stagnant masses
are left behind, with all their old sources
of rottenness and feeble life. Hence,
while the best leave, the inferior obtain
power, and the whole remnant give
signs Of declension.
Beyond all this, hardship brings vigor
by the exertion it occasions, and each
new opportunity stimulates to fresh hope
and energy, and the habit of taking
fresh opportunities of improvement.
The wise farmer often changes his seed,
and the downy thistle in the corner Of
each fence has wings provided by ma
ture that it may emigrate in quest Of a
new soil. The distinction between the
conqueriug and servile. races, between
slaves and masters, has in former ages
often correspondent with, and exhibited
the fresh powers and vigorous progress
connected with emigation, and the ser
vile or stagnsnt masses have at last
dragged down the superior race and de-
generated it. But now that u modern
civilizations refuse this settled Unequal
ity to be recognized and supported by
the laws, the progressive element does
and will exhibit itself in each individual
who will not want nor submit to be i'm
peded by the company of the less pro-
gressive. The laws of advance, there