Delaware Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1843-1874, 1866-12-10

greatness, let us pass to the examination of
vital element in that greatness, tie character 0
our population. 10 this we present an anoma
lous spectacle among the nations. We are
nation made up of the representatives of man
nationalities. We have represented mon
US 'all nations, tribes, kindred and tongues
As has been said, whole communiti les are ma
church, its Jsfes, its newspaper, costumes an,
habits organized In America. Every convul
sion or disaster abroad brings it's commuuit,
of exiles to our shores. After the French Rev
| olutions mobiles and people focked hither.-
After the massacre of ST. Domingo the Creole
| who escaped found refuge here Famine send
thousands Of Irish annually To our shores ,and
| in the great West is a vast aud thrifty German
population. Hungarians make wine 10 Ohio
Jenny Lind found her countryueu on the bank
of the Delaware. An Italian regiment was or
ganized 10 few day., when Nav York sum
moned her citizens to the defence ofthe Union
And as the author from whom we quote, re.
marks OF New York city, so OF most OF oui
country, I'VE nay find everywhere the tokens o
every nationality. Am. and hel
commentators, p,ge 441.)
Since the close Of the Revolutionary war W.
have had our population increased about sil
millions $1,000, ,o0O) from emigration alone
aud at the present time emigration brings
greater numbers to our shores than at any
preceding psriod.-(See Draper DIV. Pol. oi
Am. page l02, ,l0S)
Thase em'grants are not m ere adventures. -
. They do not come here to accumulate fortune
and then return. They come to stay-to be-
come citizsns. They come to live with us and
to abide under the laws OF our government, in
the framing of which according to the provis
ion OF our constitution, they soon obtain a
vote, aud an influence. Tbey are an element
Of power. In whatever relation we view them
they are a power. As we all know they have
become great weight Ia oar political scale
They contribute in no small degree towards
nouldn the morals of our couatry. They
are having their influence upon our religious
views aud institutions. It is true, indeed fhst
these emigrsuts for the reason that they Dome
to our shores to better their condition, ,aud
make this their permanent home AMI that Of
their Posterity, do, in soma degree, sccommo-
date themselves to the new order OF things by
which they are sueroundoi. But they do not
do so altogether. They bring with them Eu-
ropeau ideas OF morality; they bring European
ignorance OF American Institutions; they bring
European Formally, aud state churchism, in-
stsad OF vital godliness and New Testament
christianity ana therefore while the institutions
aud opiaious they fad dominant here have q
modifying influence upoa them, the reverse ia
also true, that their views, customs, ideas OF
morality, and reli yious dogmas all must exert
modifying influence upon our institutions.--
In this respect onr population 10 different from
that OF any nation in the world, for there Ia no
other receiving an influx OF emigration, while
there 10 scarcely country with which we sus-
tain commercial relations but its inhabita
are being attracted to our shores, aud there is
every probability that for many years to coma,
the ensign of American freedom W III remain the
standard around which the poor and oppressed
of all nations will gather, for America is the
grave Of all European nationalities, but 1t is a
Pho nix grave from which they shall rise to
new life. Either humanity has no earthly fu-
ture and everything is tending to destruction,
or this future lies, l say not exclusively, but
mainly in America. .'-[Dr. Schaff, Am. Social
Political and Religious.
The anomalous character OF our population
is also seen In our unparalleled enterprise. That
we are people ot unprecedented enterprise
the rapidity of our growth since the achieve
mont of our indep endeuce abundantly proves,
The world has kaown nothing like it, SO rapid
has 1t been that at an early period in our his.
tory, Talleyrand said to the frs. Napoleon,
America Is a giant without bons,.' Bat since
that half earnest, half jest observation of the
willy statesman OF France, we have shown both
bone and muscle, having bsen able not only to
subdue such a rebellion a5 would have crushed
any European govsrnms IT. bat kept both Eu-
gland and France at bay while doing it. Such
civil commotion as has just swept over our
country would have Paralyzed any other na-
tion, but we have been scarcely checked in our
career. All our graud en- erprises have been
and are now being carried forward with no
difference, except it bs greater an
imation. 1t has been observed oil the American
people that they are rsstlessness and agitation
personi6sd. Even when seated they push
themselves to and fro in their rocking chairs,
and live in state of perpetual excitement in
their business, their politics an their religion.
They are excellently charac.erized BY the ex-
pressons, help yourself and go ahead which
are never out Of their moulhs.'-[Dr. Scbaff
Our people undertake and achieve what the
nations OF the Old World regard as impossible.
They pause at nothing. The irrepressole Yam
kee stops for nothing If he cannot go over
the mountain or pass around il, he will 20
through il. If there 10 demaLd that a certain
thing be done the mesns for its accomplish
mont will soon be forthcoming. Everywhere
the ring of the anvil, the whir of the plain, the
screams of the steam engine, and the tramp OF
rapidly advancing progress in every department
are heard Industrial works rise on every side,
Cities spring up like magic on our prairies, and
along eur Western Rivers. In the great " est
the waste places are being made glad, and
the desert rejoicss and blossoms as the rose.'-
Before the advance OF our emigrauts from our
Eastera to the Western States, the forests fall.
The Indian Wigwam 10 superseded by the COM
Portable hsme OF civilizsd life. The canoe is
laid aside, and the majestic steamer Goats
proudly on the broad bosom Of our Western
rivers. The treasured ores, SO long in the Gus
tOdV 0f nnthar aarfh naaaa1 % tha
age, ignorant alike Of both their existence aad
their value, are sought after, discovered, and
added to the riches of our nation. This en-
terprise of our people is found in every de-
partment. 1t 10 confined to no one thing. 1t
is limited to 40 section of onr country, but is
felt in all that relates to our happiuess, and
never among all classes, and in all sections
more than now. American society presents the
aspect Of an ever changing, ever struggling
mass We are restless as the ocean, our en-
tsrprise as people Is irrspressib!e. Upward
and onward is our motto, and our aim appears
to be, not only to do what mankind have done,
but to perform achievements in civiliza ion, in
all that belongs to mans happiness and great
ness, such as the world has never known. Our
enterprise 10 marked by this. 1t lie not the enter
prise of tho government; 1t is the enterprise OF
the people. Our great achievements have not
been effected by government patronage, but by
individual and corporate efforts. 1t is the peo-
pie who move. 1t is the people who are entcr-
prising and who have infused into our govern
ment all the enterprise it has ever shown, (and
being progressive people we must have a pro-
grsssive government,) tor the tendency OF
governments left to themselves without any
pressure from au adYapcing people, inspired by
a progressive spirit, is to conservatism. Thev
fall into the ruts of tradition and legislate
rather for the past than the present. But with
US 1t is we the people who are in the advance
From the people spring all our great move
ments, aud it Is BY the enterprise and directing
intelligence of the people we are achieving
such woudors in every department for "Th'
brotherhood of man, aud federation of the
world"
But again our population is characterised by
the loVs ofgsin. The impoverished masses ofth,