New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-04-29
THE CENTENNIAL,

It is, perhaps, fortunate fact IN
human composition that the woman
fought the pangs of maternity, in the
ioy that man child is born into the
world, and that men behold their figure
in the glass, and straightway forget the
manner of men that they are. Those
who made the revolution of 1916, had
studied carefully the history of kings and
priests. They renounced and denounced
both. They had read of King Henry
VIII; of Leo Y. They knew the atroci-
ties of the Bastile, and had heard the
shrieks of the victims of the Inquisition.
1t was in their solid hostility to the rule
of any single person, or of any eccle-
siastical authority. The present gener-
alton, which enjoys the fruits of these
sacrifices, are, to some small extent, the
descendants of those who were neu-
trails, or even Tories, in the war of the
revolution. Many are the offspring OF
those who came to America after the
struggle for freedom. A percentage have
been to Europe. They have seen the
wonderful exactness of the police, the
splendid display of the nobility, the great
wealth of the capitalists. These tourists
have enjoyed the Opera and the Jardin
Mabille, and have admired the science,
art and skill of the high schools OF
Europe. These persons have not seen the
degradations and ferocity Of the lower
orders in England. They were not
present at the pouring of petroleum by
the Commu1 its of Paris.
Everything to these visitors wore the
color of the rose, and they returned to
the United States to complain of those
things, political or social, which they
did not like, and to charge on
republican government the social de-
fects which were perhaps inseparable
from the condition of comparatively new
country. There are partisans among us
who deem the result of our civil war suf-
ficient to establish the superiority of those
nations which fought the War Of Roses, of
the Commonwealth, the Thirty Years War
in the Palatinat. the Eighty Years War in
the Low Countries, with the slaughter of
the Gabelle, and the atrocities of the
Vendee.
We have noted with little surprise that
one of our journals, devoted apparently
to the development of commerce, goes out
of its way to say;
Were it not for our tradition al and in
herted prejudice against heads that wear
crown. we are almost prepared to admit
that it would be cheaper to have king.
What the cost of kingcraft may
be was better known to our ancestors,
perhaps, than to ourselves We regret to
note the sneers with which some speak Of
the centennial celebration. Perhaps the
Philadelphians may mix with their patriot
ism the desire to make money from the
expenditures of the occasion. The crafts
men of Ephesus held stock in the worship
of Diana, and We do not doubt that
Phineas Barnum would take the whole
exhibition as a speculation. This ten
dency to make money out of great ma
tional demo nstration no more offsets the
doctrine of republican freedom than the
corruption of the Levltes impaired the
sanctity of the affairs which they de-
famed.
Why should not all men 'desce nded |
from revolutionary loins' come together
in the spirit of fraternity? Why should |
they not note any deficit in the for
tunes of their fathers and repair it? |
Why should they not remember that |
under the shadow of that acorn of liberty |
planted by their fathers forty millions Of |
people take shelter? Why should they
forget that ree-fourths of these millions
are the people and the descendants of the
people who have since the revolution
quilted the governments of kings through
choice to become citizens under the
majesty of the people?
twill be well for those, ifany who wish
the United States, or any of them, to become
again an appendage and colony of Euro
pean king to remember that while it may
not be given to all to realize the inestimable
value Of self-government, the people who
.acritice or surrender it and invoke again
lie Bastile and the inquisition will be held
o a solemn account by the impartial
world and suffering posterity.