The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-09-19
WISDOM FOR THE DAY.


From the A. Y. Sun.
The downfall of slavery in America, of serf
dom in Russia, and of imperialism in France
are the three great humanitarian achieve
ments of the century, majestical landmarks
in the progress of the rights of man. The
degradation of labor and of the working
masses of mankind is the alpha and the
omega of all tyranny, whether of the landed
monopolists in Russia or in England, or of
the despot who now bites the dust before Ger
man civilization. Wars like those fought in
our country, and like the one now progressing
in Europe, are redeemed from barbarism by
extirpatiDg the enemies of human progress,
and by eliminating in positive oonquests for
the emancipation of the masses from the
thraldem of oppression and ignorance. The
feudal theory of vesting all the goods of the
earth, and all the blessings of knowledge and
culture, in a few powerful, fashionable, and
privileged people, still fingers on in the
world, and holds its place in the traditions of
politics and legislation. 1t is init
mately interviewer with human selfshness,
and commends itself to the imagination by
the glitter and the power of the privileged
classes.
But Christianity has been from its very
foundation at war with this pagan conception
of life. The emancipation of humanity from
slavery, serfdom, and the one-man power
illustrates this protest of the Christian reli--
gion against the overwhelming tyranny of
strong, ambitious, and unscrupulous men
and women, and holds out to the toiling
masses of mankind greater blessings of pros
perity and of moral and mental culture. 1t
is to little purpose to draw invidious con-
| trasts between the Latin and the Teutonic
races and to point to the fact that the former
are rather controlled by sentimentality and
fancy, and the latter by principle and reason,
one favoripg fictitious and the other sub
Il IL
| this intrinsic variation in the natural en-
| dowments of various countries by animosities
and resriminations, the mission of the dawn
ing era is manifestly to harmonize these
differences by education and liberty all over
the world. But all political and educational
institutions are dead failures, unless they
tend to curb the power of the privileged few,
and to promote the happiness of the people
at large.
The new republic in France, too, will soon
| be doomed to confusion and shame, unless it
| applies itself to emancipate the French
peasantry and laborers from the curse of ig-
norance, and to consolidate the power of the
nation by elevating the culture and the pros
perity of all its members. The degradation
of the people, the Generalization of the upper
and middle classes, and the benighted con-
dition of the laborers constituted the cause
of Napoleon's successful usurpation of
absolute power for nearly a generation,
as well as of the defects of the French
armies Soldiers are drawn from
the people; and the German people are edu-
Gated and the French are not. How then
could they hope to cope against an immensely
superior array of numbers as we'll as of
knowledge? The secret of success in our
civil war-was it not rather in the intelli-
gence and spirit of the masses of our citizen
soldiers than in the prowess of one or the
other general? 1t is evident that nations are
strong and powerful only in proportion as
enlightenment, prosperity, and the spirit of
independence pervade the whole people.
Under Napoleon, the real estate specula-
tors, stock exchange gamblers, and moneyed
gentry of Paris took the place of the ars
tocracy of birth. Their suprem acy was even
more noxious than the frivolity and reckless
ness of the old mobiles. 1t is difficult to say
which was most disgusting, the rottenness of
the fashionable world, the cowardice and
servility of the middle ranks, or the debase-
ment, Ignorance, and superstition of the
French Five Points. The professional classes
| the journalists, the literary men, and
few of the lawyers-seemed to stand alone
in their protest against the general degrade
ton; but they could hardly tell the full truth
without being subjected to persecution.
Society, controlled by vile, corrupt men, and
facile, feeble-minded, and heartless women,
became one putrid mass of debauchery and
corruption; and when the Empress, on the
news of her husbands captivity, fed in
despair from the imperial palace, there was
not even one woman among the thousands
who had been pampered at the Tuileries with
soul enough left to give parting blessing
to the deposed mistress of French fashion.
Nay, worse, the army, which had ever been
the boast of France even in the direst hours
of her misfortunes, was infected by the gene
raj Generalization. No wonder that the
Germans are proud of their superior civiliza-
ton. The masses of their people are edu-
Gated; their public service is free from cor
ruption hard labor and unhinching integrity,
and mental and moral culture, are the order
of the day among high aud low and SO
blessed is this elevating influence that not
even all the evils of monarchy and semi
feudal aristocracy can mar its effect.
Whatever may be the future complications
of the Franco German contest, this much is
certain, that the ruling classes all over the
world are sternly admonished by the collapse
of their fellows in France to pause in their
selfish and grssping career, and to do justice
to the masses of the people before they too
are overtaken by providential justice, like
the Emperor BOnaparte and his innumerable
parasites.
MORAL WEAKNESS OF PRUSSIAS PO
SITION.
From the ~ T. Times.
The marvellous series of victories which
have enabled hostile armies to travers'
French soil from the Rhine to the gates O
Paris, were the work of united Germany
Prussia, unaided, would probably have founC
a match in France. The hearty cooperation
the ready sacrifices, the gallant services O.
the lesser Germanic States hava oraatl1 "a al