The New York herald., 1874-09-30
Europe, Asia and American Ideas

Europe, Asia and American Ideas.
We call attention to the brilliant letter
from our Paris correspondent which ap-
pears elsewhere, reviewing the present
state Of affairs in Asia and Europe
What may be called the American spirit seems
to pervade the policy Of the European world.
Washingtons policy OF non-intervention in
foreign affairs was a wise one. But those
who look closely into events in Europe will
note the direct moral intervention of Ameri-
can ideas in Europe and Asia. Surely
no country would seem to be further re-
moved from the influence Of America or any
sympathy with it than Russia. And yet only
the other day We saw an interesting and inn
portant sect of the Russian people raising up
their hands and calling upon us from the
banks of the Caspian to give them shelter
from the severity of Russian law. Thousands
of these people-the Mennonites-have come
to US, and but for the gracious concessions of
the Car we have nc doubt the whole sect
would have come to find on the plains of Kan
sas the peace and freedom Of conscience de-
MED them in Russia. A few weeks since,
when the correspondents were in Iceland not
ing and recording the celebrations of the mil
lennial festivity, it was observed that the brave
people of that folorn, lonely shore, weary Of
their contests with nature, with the earth
quake, the geyser, the cold and the storm
weary with the attempt to found civilization
under the Arctic zone-were anxious to cone
to America to come as one people and create
the Iceland which could not grow under Hecla
under the gentier and more grateful shad-
ows of the Alleghanies and the Rocky Noun
tains. When Alsace, torn bleeding from the
loved bosom OF France, her mother. was rest
less under the new dominion of the German,
al eyes turned to America as the refuge and
the home. Since the rise OF the prodgious
military empire of Prussia, which regards the
State as only the drill-master's machine and
every German mother who loves her con and
breads the summons that may lead him TO .
sudden and cruel fate in Champagne, turns
70 the United States Here hundreds Of thou
sands have come, and from day to day they
are coming, so much so that no problem,
! not even tGe IOpe VI Aieace anu LOTrhlue Or
tie Danish question, disturbs The Prussian
mind more seriously than this American IT,
fuence in Germany, which takes from the
lighting strength Of the Fatherland SO many
regiments of men from year to year
Teeming Asia sends us her millions, and
we have an Asiatic question ourselves as per-
picking as any that perplexes the Continental
statesman Wha, shall we do with John ?
Here he comes from year to day--thousands
and thousands Here ne stands, industrious,
! impassive, intelligent frugal, silent, a model
servant, only toe willing tc work. Behind
him is the largest nation Oh the globe, larger
than all Europe united ii the figures tel us
/ .ruly-ten times as large in population as the
! United States On one side Of the Pacific
! sea is the overhowing reservoir: on the other
tee vacuum, tho overcrowded cities and the
unharvested acres-China and California
and only q sea between, which science has
narrowed into moons journey. Surely this
isa perplexing problem, which mathemati
cally can have but one result, which can only
bs contemplated with anxiety by th'