The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1871-04-07

exile or death to dishonorable life Of
slavery.
Let us glance for moment at the his
= tory of the conquerors. They held pos
. session of the country they had won for
upwards of five centuries-a fair time
it must be conceded to try their merits.
Civilization and christianity were adj
vancing and shedding their influence
over the nations of Europe. During
that long period the Anglo race had full
time, Notwithstanding their contentious
with kindred races, thinking like them
selves for territorial plunder-conten-
tons common there throughout Europe
they had full time to settle down, to
advance themselves in civilization, in
arts and literature, as other nations as
France and Italy were advancing. Dur
ing that period of five centuries they
made no progress in arts or literature.
Their architecture at the era of the Nor
man conquest was rude and only wor-
thy of u half savage people, utterly des-
titute of taste, they destroyed all the
vestiges of Roman civilization, its tenn
pies and TOWNS and iuxHrisnt villas and
substituted nothing better than mud
palaces and wooden cathedrals. Not q
single man of genius arose amongst
them to adorn their literature. They
had no literature. Their social condition.
according to the testimony of their own
historians, was degraded and brutal.
The most atrocions crimes were COM
mon. Drunkenness and gluttony were
universal and regarded as meritorious.
The sancitity of the marriage VOW was
utterly disregarded, and societies for
the prOmiscuous intercourse of the sex
es were numerous throughout the coun-
try. Such people were wanting in
all that constitutes national greatness.
They were incapable as they were I'M
worthy of true liberty. They fell at
length u prey-an easy prey to the more
noble Norman Rod. But vainly do we
seek in the history of the conquest the
redeeIning quality of patriotism strug-
Cling for national independence. One
great battle was fought and won.
With a mere handful of men in COM
parison with the countless multitudes
that overwhelmed the Saxon popula-
ton of the country the Norman people
swept over it like conflagration, and
the spirit, and the resistance, and the
courage of the people melted away like
wax before the power of the conqueror.
In seven years they were utterly subju-
gated, gave up the lands they had won
from the Briton and submitted to live
upon them, the slaves and hirelings of
their worthier masters. Not one pat
riot appeared among them. No Carac-
ticus, or Arthur, or Llewellyn-no Wal
lace, or Bruce, or Tell arose to save his
country. One Hereward lie Wake, it is
true, made some slight resistance rous-
| ed by the loss of his domains, but a
bride of land soon quieted him. In
| seven years, without any brave or
mem orable assistance the whole Anglo
Saxan population were utterly subju
gated by a single army of invaders.
Never was country more easily con-
quered; never did a nation so cowardly
and basely relinquish its freedom and
| existence.
But let us return to the Britons. A
portion of them remained possessors of
the soil-though not independent, in
the counties of Cumberland and Corn
wall, retaining in the last place the Ian
guage of their ancestors until the end
of the 18th century, and distinguished
| for their virtues and their loyalty to the
| soVereigns of the country. a large
number passed over into France settling
in its northwestern provinces, where
their descendants exist. But the lar
gest portion took refuge with their
brethren amid the mountains of Wales.
And here again for eight hundred years
they maintained their independence and
kept the Saxon and the Norman GAL
lantiy and fiercely at bay-a handful of
men against a kingdom. 1t is not in the
design of this article to record the excit-
ing events of this long protracted and
| glorious struggle for independence. Its
history is yet to be written. The hero
ism of that brave but unfortunate peo-
pie, unexampled in its duration, and
unsurpassed in its devotedness and val
or would throw lustre on the history of
nations, and he, who with fitting genius
shall undertake this act of justice to the
memory of noble deeds will confer a
blessing on the cause of freedom.
Wales was finally subjugated by Ed
ward l. Her princes-the most ancient
royalty of Europe were murdered or
fed into hopeless exile. Her lords,
who with inspired envy had oft-times
reused the failing hearts of their coun-
trymen and sustained their valor in the
hour of battle were treacherously mas
sacred. 1t was an act of savage, re-
morseless, but doubtlessly necessary
policy. Without leaders-scattered
and broken this gallant people, who for
eight centuries had fought the battle of
freedom, fell. They were given up
prey to their relentless foes-murdered
or piundered and impoverished. But
in the midst of all this accumulation of
misfortunes, the love of country and
of law-the spirit and act which consti-
tute and perpetuate in spite of oppres-
sion the true nationality did not utter
ly perish. Through every vicissitude
they chung with faithful resolution to
the land and the language of their faith
ers. :. In that they were Rerer conquer
ed. In that they are less subjugated
than Ireland or Scotland. In that they
still live nation--distinct, ALLEVIATE, free.
1t is to this day the language of the
common people throughout the princi-
pality. 1t has been assaulted in turn by
power, and ridicule and misrepresenta-
ton, but it has survived the storms and
attacks of six centuries and of host of
foes. 1t is still cherished and beloved
with an abiding and unchanged affec-
ton. There is at least twice the num-
Der of people speaking it now that
spoke it two centuries since. 1t has a
revived literature, developing itself in
periodicals, newspapers, original and
translated works. Eisteddfods or
Bardic Congresses for encouraging its
cultivation and maintaining its purity
are held annually in England and Wales
and are increasing in strength and pop
1 Ia Tn h. IL. 4