The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1866-03-31
England the Third Power.
The Baltimore American saws.


Matthew Arnold, in his Cornhill Maya.
zine article, gave Just offence to his Eng
lish fellow-countrymen by the indepen-
dence with which he uttered certsln dis.
agreeable truths. His article was headed
MY Countrymen," and looking at them
through foreign speetscles, and measuring
them by other standards than their own self
sufheiency, he found good deal that was
not commendable. He advises his readers
that they are by no means as well thought
OF abroad as at home, and that it would
! quite surprise the great middle class which
have risen to such preponderaucs of late
| years, and glorifes itself accordingly, to
hear how eaValierly foreigner treats the
| great country Of their making and manag-
/ ing. He quotes a Prussian official, who
with the graceful tact of his nation, said /:
at IS not 50 much that we dislike England
as that we think little of herr" and the
Cologne Gazette, perhaps the chief news
paper IN Germany, which, in 81 article
upon the military system of Europe incl
dentally remarks: "ln consequence Of their
purely mechanical training, the Russians,
in spite Of their splendid courage, were, in
the Crimean war, constantly beaten by the
French-nay, decidedly beaten evea by the
English and the Turks"
II is common thing in European news
papers 70 say that probably England may
make fuss, but what England thinks is Of no
Importance, and Arnold expresses the belief
that the German papers keep a phrase Of
The kind stereotyped, they use it so often.
Speaking of Lord Palmerston and the
laudations that had been made of him and
his career, Mr.. Arnold says: "Why, taking
Lord Palmerston's from 1880 (wheI he first
became Foreign Secretary to his death,
there cannot be a shadow Of doubt for any
one with eyes and ears in his head, that he
fonnd England the first Power in the worlds
estimation, and that he leaves her the third !
after France and the United States"
This is as Just an estimate as one could ex-
pect even a liberal minded Englishman TO |
mako of the relative position of the three |
leading Powers. He makes the mistake of |
putting France before the United States, |
but that is TO be accounted for on the ground /
of proximity. He lives so near France,
and sees 80 many evidences Of her power
and influence in controlling the petty Gov
ernments Of Europe, that it prevents his
vision from taking the view of our still
greater power. The material evidences of
the strength and greatness of the United
States are not constantly in the view of Eu-
ropesns, and consequently the object nearer
to view appears the larger. They will get
gllmpses like guns at long range after
awhile, and be able to see little better
Then we shall hear the natural relations of
the great Powers always spoken of as the
United States, France and England. Mr..
Arnold, however, does very well, consider
ing what a pompous, self-cOnceited, stiff
necked and bull-headed constituency
ne is trying to convince. For in
stance, he asks them: Can you, your
Ielves, with all your powers of self-satis-
action, suppose that the Crimean war rails
ID you, or tnat your Indian mutiny raised ]
7ou, or that your attitude in the Italian war {
aised you, or your performances at the be- {
,inning of the century raised you? Surely ! (
'ou cannot. You held your own if you
will; you showed tenacity; you saved your
elyes-did not advance one jot Can you,
n the other hand, suppose that your atti-
ude in the Danish business, in the Ameri-
an business, has not lowered you? You I
re losing the instinct which tells people /
.ow the world is going; you are beginning
0 make mistakes; you are falling out of the | ,
ropt rank. The era of sristocracies is over; .
ations must now stand or fall by the intel !
gence of their middle class and their peo- !
le."
These are very wholesome truths which I
eed telling TO the self-sufficient and selfish (
british nation. 1t has so longgloried in its I
over, bullied weaker nations, dictated in
ernational law, invaded the rights of other
atoms on the high seas, and made the Z
7orld tributary to its manufacturers and 2
hopkeepers by force and fraud, that it is l
me the lane should have turn. Mr. Ar T
old is not the only one who sees the drift y
{ the times; he is one of the few who dare +
D speak oft. 1t is written by one of her :
wn sons, and the world believes it, that
England is the third Po11er."