The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-12-17

religion must be yours II was not freedom OF religion
but freedom or princes TO prescribe freedom of rei
gi0n for their slaves and for this hundreds OF thou
sands have persisted on the battle field or been burned
at the stake or buried alive. 1t was seriously hoped
and believed that humanity could be thus remanded
to its dungeon bueted chea ed out OF rights and
paddock placed forever on the Immortal member. And
by political chronology would conclude that there
was deadly fate operating against man, unless. m
deed, we hold fast to the fact that In human well
as in physical affairs nature Is always producing ITS
effects through the lapses OF time, through causes
ory Is eU@ ani pSy
catastrophes, and It Is only Dy remembering
this that we have any reason to hope and
Great discoveries are apt to leap from the brain OF
men at Identical epochs. Christopher Columbus,
trusting to his own stout heart and mariners CON-
pass, sets forth upon the unknown seas and dis
covers America This was the great event thus RAJ,
a. time IN It's patience was TO prove: it one OF
ton seemed to find new field for her endeavors as
the discovery OF America revealed virgin world.
IL IS difficult to imagine more favorable position
than that enjoyed by this republic. Nature has done
her best and 1t is not for physical advantages only
the great Pachas OF the superstitons OF ASIA and
Europe is boon for which America ought to be
pserpetualiy upon ner knees Around the cradle OF
also on almost her natal day came cursed
bark with It's unhappy victims from unhappy Africa
ana the seeds were planted upon this Continent OF
her future woe. Oligarchy grew side by side with
democracy until the time was to come when it
ity. with the eternal law. Chemistry resolves the
universe into very few ingredients. Take
IS your hsro S your I przs fighter anu po iie
chemistry has also Its analysis. Oigarchy is found
to be composed OF the same gaseous vapors ON one
part OF the earth as the other So soon as the fight
with oigarchy began in this country the tears COM
menced running down the eyes OF Privilege the world
of war OF independence, sis the last refuge OF
scoundre" And there haveibeen q series OF DR..
and REPUBLICANS especially II their etorts were CAL
cuated to interfere with trade. ! had no idea,
sald an eminent statesman IN Europe on Two occa-
was having upon public opinion In England until
marked the universal congratuatlon when they
up. The result was closely watched In Europe, but
1t would be difficult to overstate the ignorance that
the progress Of the Contest But there was one man
who believed IN the great organic law OF human pro-
ON wa the wo
Never in human history has there been such o
battle with such q stake 1t was not for ter
ritOry empire power 1t was not merely for the In
tegrity Of the vast republican heritage These things
though precious, are OF little worth compared
to the sacred principle concerned in the struggle.
For it was to be decided whether the great law OF
history which we have been tracing was truth or
he; whether the human race has been steadily
although slowly progressing or whether we have
been fatally drifting back to chaos For surely II
freedom is an evil from which society," new or old, Is
to be saved, and slavery the great remedy and the
great hope for the world the only solution OF pot
cal problems then, is the science Of history. the
most dismal ana contemplate of all imaginable
but for the world. The toilIng mutitudes
Of this great s republic s OF refuge when
ceives and protects the oppressed OF every race.
''Aiy countrymen who WORK for your living" said
John Bright at Birmingham IN 1868, remember
this-there will be one wild shrek OF freedom to
startle all mankind II that republic should be over
thrown" But the game was fought out, and botil
winners and losers the gamers. The South,
while dceming itself to have lost all save honor, VIII
re man i o.
Let its 'brused arms be hung up Tor monuments
along with the trophies Of the triumphant North; FOL
| the valor, the endurance and seli-sacriice were
| equal on both sides, and the defeated party was
| vanquished because neither pride OF color nor i'm
| mortal hate can successfully struggle against the
| memorable law OF freedom and progress. ! nave
spoken much OF America. The political affairs OF Its
sister Europe are at this moment In more ud state
than usual. The effect Of the triumph OF freedom in
this country on the cause opr0gress nEurope plain
but 1t would be impossible IN the limits OF this al
dress to take survey OF the whole field. IL seems
natural however, to glance at the political anu So
| cal heart Of Europe-Germany. Ever since The
great rising for freedom against the Roman empire,
| from near the dawn OF the Christian era down to
| this hoor Germany has been the main source Of
European aud American culture me common
mother OF nations and emplres-1tntd mater JeiiJ
p0Iesshe still rules the thought OF her vast brood Of
| chidren-Franks, Saxons, Netherlanders, Amesi-
| cans-Germans all. Her Gothic branches In the
lfth and sixth centuries, sweeping to and fro
the extinct Roman empire from the ultima Thule OF
Britain to the confines OF Asla her energetic Norman
| branch OF pirates, seating themselves with such
happy audacity on every throne III Europe from the
| Williams and Henrys OF the North to the Rogers
Tancreds Godfreys Of the South and East; from the
the Rurics OF Russia TO the oderics OF SPAIN every
where IN high places and low, all-conquering Ger
many has stamped our civilization with her i'm
press and bequeathed to modern languages the
treasures OF her ample and varied dialects; but
everywhere separation into small national group
ngs was the initial characteristic or European his
tory. Seven German Kingdoms In what we now call
England; as many independent dukes and sover-
eigns In present France; dozen kings In SPAN;
In italy; hundreds OF them In Germany pr0per piu-
ray OF soveregns in short, IN all the districts OF
Christendom-tnus was Europe broken into hostile
write these jarring s0veregnties into q few solid
masses has marked her later history. A thou
sand years ago there was heptarchy In hail
the little island OF Britain Now, Europe itself IL
hardly more than heptarchy. Five hundred years
pete sovereignty within their own dOminlons. Three
centuries later, when the shameful peace
conflict Of demons, which we can the
thirty year war, the dsunion OF Germany was
completed. More than three hundred soverelgnties
3o7 Independent sovereigns regned an En-
peror enjoying the privilege Of issuing orders
possessions, too feeble to resist tyranny. such
was the "Holy Roman emPire'-an appeilatlon
cism on three points. Il was not holy, was not
those exceptions the description Is perfect.
that s had sccomp1isned ior humanity At sSs
IN Tes nSnaS and
went up to that political guilotine and only
Demos somewhat later, striving after union
and strength had partially achieved, under
the lead OF Prussia, q customs union. The national
league filed with larger ideas OF uni0n resolved
an exemplifcati0n OF q principle to free the German
inhabitants OF schleswfr Holstein from the Danish
crown. The two great Powers took the war into
their own hands, else had democracy taken the bit
into Its teeth. The Scheswig- Holstein war was
marx. Then followed the dispute for the booty
The rest OF the story Is familiar. The seven weeks
war; the disastrous day to Austria Of Sadowa; the
peace Of Prague-which passed all understand
ing-for, behold, when the smoke was cleared
away, not only was Austria excluded from Ger
many but even her allies In the defunct Buud-the
Southern States-had accepted by treaty the
military and commercial supremacy Of Prussia.
Having reviewed the progress OF late events
IN Continental Europe, glancing at the war between
Prussia and Austria, the lecturer contnued:-How
much has liberty gained by all this progress Time
will show that liberty and progress are Identical. II
IL impossible that the successes Of Prussia are To