The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-06-09

| 1870, was scarcely able to bold to its old po-
monarchical and religious forces could give a
| transient lease of life to old IDEAS The ma
tional annual incomes Of the five principal ma
tons in existence at that date were =
Great Britain. 81, $50 900
france lOO0,0o0,000
Austria ...--......-........... e50o0o,o)o
lniteI states Observation-Disclosures. 631,0oo,o00
Irussid o5o,oOO,UoO
From this the world has leaped forward with
| strides which have threatened the overthrow
| of every political system not born of progress.
| Since the year 1915, iron, steam and cleo
tricty have pushed forward their work, and
their great work has changed the world. 1t
has left the Pope far behind in infallibility.
1t has blessed the world more than all the
preaching since the days of Peter the Hermit,
for it has made religion practicable and caused
morals to be appreciated. There is no dis
putting the mathematics of 1870, as shown in
the following incomes per annum =
United States IS oon 600 ooo
Great Britain ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 4s1o, 90lGoD
herman Empire .................. 5,t25,o1 100
ria.'ee' aOlh0Joo0o
Ausrla. 1900, oJo. 900
Can you thilk that tie brains OF Europe
have not expanded with this mighty pros
perity! Can You wonder that Ecumenicai
councils, Papal infallibilty, established
churches, thrones, boundary lines and con-
sentative institutions 90 to the ground against
the tremendous forces he'd in line Of battle
by these figures? Is it surprising that the
disestablishment Of the Church OF England is
following rapidly upon the track Of that Of
Ireland; that En- -lish aristocracy, the finest
in the world, hopes for bat short lease OF
life for its prerogatives; that Scotland,
quicker to feel the movement, quietly presses
forward to a peaceful conquest of England, as
is seen in the propitiatory marriage between
the Princess Louise and the Marquis of
Lorn?
But progress gives no less results in France,
however red the bath into which monarchical
ambition has plunged her. That France can
arise from her disasters, and, in addition, pay
a thousand millions for her folly, is some proof
of prosperity and what the century has done
for her. If Europe does not understand the
Commune we do, and define it as the effect of
French progress working upon the brutalized
humanity which ever lies in ambush under
throne. This always watches its opportunity,
and strikes, tiger-like, at the mercless hand
which, in France, has never relaxed its pres
sure since the days of Charlemagne. The
Commune felt the impulse Of the times, and if
it failed to enunciate sound republican princi-
Piles the fault should be credited to that
European element which thrives on ignor-
ance-not to the Commune itself.
The Versailles party, with all its education,
has been scarcely less stupid 1t has wan
dered in the dark and without programme
ever since its election. 1t has vague idea
that it must rule, but how, or to what purpose,
i. apparently knows not. The truth is, France
in July, 1870, had outgrown her statesmen
Her material elements had so far outstripped
her political ones that when the latter were
called upon to WELD the former for the defence
Of the nation they found the problem too gigan-
tic for monarchical education. In other words,
the monarchical forms were too weak, too
infrm, too inadequate to the necessities Of
modern progress, which changes forms of
government day by day, and refuses to allow
the world to become fixture.
With Germany, although she now sees an
Emperor, there is no difference. The Ger
mans had not reached the imperial period
when the late war broke out. No great and
homogeneous internal development had taken
place Instead of this scores Of petty princes
had combined their territories together for
protection but, powerless to resist the move
ment Of the age, they have emerged from the
struggle consolidated nationality. Germany
promises to push forward along the German
Ocean, and, obeying her commercial destiny,
absorb Belgium, Holland aud Denmark. When
she does this she must rest in her conquests,
for progress will be too unwieldy for monarchi-
| cal FORMS and in republicansm she will find
| peace.
In this march OF the nineteenth century we
feel that the United States should more thor
oughly study and appreciate the great rifle
which destiny has given to us. The day is
past when we should talk of war with any
| European State II becomes laughable to
| speak of the conquests of the world in COM
parison to the victories which mark the track
| of modern republican IDEAS For instance, to
make war against the England of to-day
would be to strike at ourselves, for we should
wound liberalism. Let England alone she
will conquer herself, and, doing 80, will rid
/, her territory of Its evils and the stings which
! envious souls have thrust westward across the