Buchanan County bulletin and guardian. (Independence, Iowa) 1866-1869, 1867-04-26

4
absolute duties OF governments sud mon
which necessarily grow out Of them. Such
men reason, If reason I, can be called, as if
\ experience was not the mother Of wisdom,
ASH the institutions and customs Of rsst
generations were to be our only models: and
because these might have been 10 our am
cestors, their beau ideal, the product Of the
accumulated treasures Of the wisdom and ex.
perience Of the tacn preceding ages, there.
tore these laws and institutions are to be our
only patterns and guides. the most suitable
to our present wants and conditions. They
talk. as if when our ancestors died, all real
| 'risdom and knowledse and power cied with
them as II Gods e:erna. law Of eternal pro.
gress was suspended, or found its entire
completion and eXac; fllhllmen, in their day
and when mas Gares to utter his couyic.
tons on the side Of progress and to think for
himself, or advocates something more nee.
essary and suitable TO the wants of this ems
lightenedag than the hoary headed .bar5a o.s
customs and laws Of the past, which progress
and Civilization have rendered obsolete. he
IS accused OF being a fanatic Of railing against
and impugniug the wisdom of the great ana
good OF past ages, instead of TESTING his op;n.
ions and theories by the wants A,si neces of
the age. and III the iTts Of all the wisdom |
and sources OF Information which have flown !
down to 70, on the streams o. history and /
time, and which are infinitely more unbound. |
ed IN their acl umulations than in anv age
or period that has preceded us. There new
er vas law or custom. under the canopy OF
the heavens, except the laws Of God and iu>
situations OF christianity, that were not made
to be either modified or abroga,ed BY the
increased wisdom and necessities of every
subsequent age or generation for the wisest
of human Legislators can only legislate for
the present.-God. who only can foresee and
foreknow the wants OF the race. can legis!a,e I
for the future.
To argue, therefore, as men in our dav |
attempt to argue, influenced either BY blind I
conservatism or n bold, ou;spoken opposition 5
to truth, that our foreia;hers, our ancestors, u
with comparatively few centuries If an uned> v
ucated wisdom and experience to guide them. II
we're better qualified to legisla,e for us, and Il
our wants than we are ourselves with Gil the b
treasures Of wisdom. which hG> v
man history and human life so incentrover.. II
IDLY supply, is to argue RErsoGsgss,oN in W
stead of progression, or that We who are the Ii
'co'td' . mature mon are not as wise as thew. Sc
the worlds infants, falsely called in tie true Sd
sense OF the expression, ancestors. er
II is this braialess generation, this snper> VIC
sti,ious dedication of the dead past, With its res
mmutsble ciri!i,dfion, its immutahle men, ma
Is immutable la,cs, and harbarous csstoms, CO,
Il the expense Of the living present, that has ,ro
'ursed our world aud our race, and been the one
trongest argument by which every blood ant
tirssy tyran; from the DAYS of Nero and Cali so
ua, has attempted to support his throne. the
I has been tie foundation upon which the or ,
host tyEannical despotisnas at tie earth have one
cen reared and perpe,uated. This was the mig
rgunent of Rebellion, for cnslaving four this
ilions Of men, TO throw Of whose shackles qui,
I'd mel; whose chains our nation las been dres
.luged with its own bleed. ard the first born befo
every family had to be sacrificed in order Woy
preserve our national history and national wen
2, and TO TRANSMIT; TO future generations. wish
rihed BY the terrible ordeal through which She
have SO fearfally passed, the blessings of men
ii and religions liberty. 1t is this dispo- do
on to inimortalize the pas. and unimmcr. max
ize the present II is Ii $ making the vague show
musings o. men, who lived ten centuries islat
,, our models, rather than ,hasrt.l led con. won
tons and absolute necessities Of the pro d. L
ssive present, Of which no stretch of hui eide
VISION or political sagaei;y IN the men then
those GAYS ccaia form any inst Idea or wh c
per concep,ion-this, sir. this indeed is
OF our grea; and mos. fatal mistakes.
10 age, however golden, no law or Gus
however wise or expedient. no set o
! however towering or gigantic their DO III
al wisdom and foresight, in any century good
oh has preceded rs. should he ,.ke, ax. l.
,ively as our guides or permitted 10 usurn in ii
prerogatives Of despo,ism over Us. e
b as good sense and logic might we IN. the
take to legslate for the wants Of our race Ii
centuries hence or throughout, all time very
ONE, and thus chain, with an memorable /
!, the future 70 the purifying present. or ings
petrifed carcass OF the dead past and Nus
) eternally annihila;e all the inevitable in Il
5 which pertain 10 human progress, and Jou'
be moral and intellectual elevation Of our pet
ion aud race. We are liyiisg in the age L
has lived from the beginning, and which fifty
al freighted with all The wisdom and ex. IN il
enee of all The ages which have preceded !
an age from all ages learning, and upon pors
ages telling, and in which we are reaping j.
rich fruits Of all past developments, and peil'
which wisdom heretofore unknown and Vim
Us are rapidly incrs asing and deepening. y Z,
: Civilization Is not that Of heather China i
movable and unprogressive. We worship the
our faces toward The future. they With the
r faces toward the dead past. whe
: age and civilization is that Of an en- i
tened christianity. progressive and 40. lsei
ssive. Progress is our watchword, is iiao
is idea developing itself in human !
DRY. in philosophy. in science and in re- mort
on, guiding our race. like the pillar of mar
i'd By day and the pillar of fire By uighi, shol
he brigh. star which led the wise men of 4
east to the manger where tie author Of mon
igEer aud hol:er life, the author of our A
gressive civilization, lar. Progress is the gan
icn force which Ike the volcano is turns doll;
and oyerturniug the monarchies Of the ~.
world, and barying beneath its mighty l
p'ions the unjust and the ,yrannieal despo very
of the east. eigh
be mighty revolutions Of our own times amo
but the footprints Of this divine progress the
its glorious march onwrad, people !
men then, Mr.. Editor, fight aoi
inst progress in society and morals, if By Z
! will they are but sighting against God; SO,
are the majority they the minority. And 1
n they are driven by the logic Of events Des
upper. their unjust theories Of govern was
IT by foolish babblings about the wisdom r
heir ancestors. by references TO the bar. dest
ic customs and laws of the past, end west
ose to CRY Out against the few who are SUPP
eavoring to keep step to the tune of pro- are
IS. and the rich music Of its melodies; i
them, if they will, call us fanatics stab
Gus innovators," "in6dels," utopians," Cd +
ind theorists, female franchisers,. &C., he !