The native Virginian. [volume] (Orange Court House, Va.) 1867-187?, 1868-03-06
WHAT'S AHEADi

ant ''complex of things both here and
read some articles, which are longer and
more studied than newspaper editorials.
We have read FELIX Hours Address to
the Working men of England )" MAT
THEW ARNoLD's "Anarchy and Authori-
ty; FRANCIS CoBBE's s'IIouschold Ser
vice." with the Editorial Note accom-
panying it in The New Eclectic; and,
lastly, SoUTHALL's strong and learned
speech before the Mongrel Convention.
We would like to say word or two
about each of these articles. SoUTHALL's
speech we could discuss to our satisfac-
tion only in two-columns Of type; for in
him we discover if we mistake not,
leader, or, ut any rate, young man
much in advance ofthe men of his time.
And while there is in him-a good deal
of MATTHEW ARNoLD's ''light"-we say
nothing here of the "sweetness"-there
IS, at the same time las we think, a deal of
error, which is not light, but darkness.
We would fain hold up TO him our lit
tie torch for few moments, but time
and space both forbid.
Somehow, III the midst of disclaimers,
there runs through all of these articles,
including the speech, a vein of sadness,
which is little short of despair. FELIX
HoLT's adoption of the working mans
tone and style, is confession ofjudg-
ment on the part of the Tories. MAT
THEW ARNoLD's discovery OF ''the idea of
the State" prentice of Louisville, lee
tured the same in Virginia, ten or more
years ago) as the residuum after his ex-
haustive analysis of British Society and
the conclusive proof of the unfitness of
any of its three grand divisions for
governmental duties, is wretchedly
unsubstantial Eureka. Miss COBBE's
plan of promoting faithful servants is
poor substitute for the common-sense
old fashioned mode Of enforcing duty in
servants as in children; and the placid
Editorial Note in the New Eclectic
could have come only from bachelor
or Baltimore family-man in easy cir
cumstanccs-so easy indeed as to make
him incapable of comprehending the
domestic trials ofSouthern house keep
ers. ..
SoUTHALL, like the rest, has also his
"hope of humanity" but it is based
wholly upon the experiment OF free in
situations III the United States. If that
fail, his hope of humanity is gone.-
Cousin has the same thought, worded
differently. Asia, says he, represents
the Infinite; Europe, the Finite: Amcri-
ca, the junction of the Finite and the
Infinite. Further than that, humanity
cannot go. This is his thought, given
roughly.
Well, we, too, have our opinion of
things to come and of this America
But we hold with none of these teach
ers. We tell you Madame, Messieurs the
pendulum must swing back. The Past
was not all lie. 1t was not wholly
rotten and worthless. Some things
about it were good-yea good enough
to be abiding and toIemain in the midst
of the highest Progress humanity will
ever know. One thing is this:
Subordination of the inferior to the
observation-disclosures of the ignorant
and the wise alike to the law-unques-
tioning obedience, first of Of all, in the
family, without which there will be no
obedience anywhere, and least of all in
your DemOcracies.
TO that, the pendulum must swing
back, or we go, in Europe and America
alike, to Everlasting Smash and U tier
Pot, III spite of Press, Pulpit, Free
Schools, and "Universal human free
DOM" poh ! of every kind.
But we haven't the time, scarcely the
patience, to dwell on these things. 1t
is. flattering, doubtless, 20 think that
here in America, in these very United
States, the grand consummation of hui
manity will occur. 1t is delusion,
though, and q very weak one. America,
gcologcaliy, is the old world, not The
new. And if new were wanted, lit
tie DETECTION of the present inclination
of the axis of the earth to the plane of
the ecliptic would soon supply fresh
continents, full of mud and broad
enough for any number, of noVelexperi-
ments in government.
The frost, says Emerson, freezes a
thouGand men as indItlerently az it does
an apple. Time seems to have tram
pied under foot the splendid civiliza-
tions of the East without conjunction.
Nay, the Aztecs, the Toltecs, and the
peruvians have gone under here with
out sign. And it were strange indeed
If the Eater of Things should be con-
ccrned about the fate of Democracy in
America
For the nonce, the devil is doing his
work, East and West. That he will do
it well, we may be very sure. But the
end is not yet.
"Drink, and let the parties rave
J44tey age 7lled with idle spleen,
RistAg, filling like wave,
For they know not what they mean.
He that roars for liberty
Faster binds e tyrant's power;
Aud the tyrants crnel Glse
Forces on the freer hour.
F.. I'll the can. and fll flse cur;