Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1876-09-09
TnE YkNk ENs

a highly imaginative transatlantic
geograpber has lately informed tin
world that America is. snys the London
Telegraph, or shortly will be, n "coun.
try bounded on the north by the Arctic
Circle, on the south by eternity. on the
east by the rising sun, and OIL the west
, by the day of judgement" There are
a set of bitter and bilious gentlemen,
chiefly of the tory persuasion, to whom
this kind of patriotic imagery is gall
and wormwood. They are miserable
because America is big, and because
she uses these laughably big expressions
The real reason why they hate her SO, is
because her government is so free and
the success Of it so wonderful; but since
it does not do to confess these facts, but
arc always grinning at her faults of
manner and style-a practice which it
about as useful as to rail at the Alle-
ghany Mountains for being huge and
craggy.
For our part, we experience no more
surprise or vexation at the hyperbolics
of our descendants beyond the Atlantic
than we should at seeing likely lad
split his trowsers in growing, or fine,
healthy baby reach his plump palms
out for the moon. The thing is natural,
and even satisfactory with the young
giant which we have bred; and Eng
land, the mother o. empires, ought to
be heartily pleased and amused at the
gloriuos gasconades of her mighty
child.
Is she to be an elderly coquette, and
vex herself because her sons outstride
her, and her daughters shoot up with
beauty and vigor that remind her
how she ages?
She ought, if she were honest and
hearty, to be glad and proud of the
youngsters-th like of whom history
never knew-to knit them 10 herself in
bonds of firm love, and aim at max
ing out of them an Angle Saxon family
of empires which should girdle the
world with the language of Shake
speare, and the happy influence OF the
little matron island!
We like to read these ridiculous sub
limities, wherein our imperial cockerels
crow themselves well-nigh off their legs
with lustiness round the old Britannia
hen. What q bird the American
chicken will be when all the feathers
come, if it can scratch, and crow, and
flourish its spurs like this in an epoch
when it is going through the barbarism
of a new civilization, and has the best
part of its hackles to shoot.
And if bigness justifes big words, we
should like to know who is to blame
for these inventive and flowing pa
triots?
Has any other nation forty million
square acres of fat corn ground for a
back yard, which will grow six quarters
to the acre, as long as you like to plow
the old crop inP
Has any other nation a mountain of
solid iron to make the plows of, like
Pilot Knob, in Missouri, or seas of oil
under the ground, and shores of solid
copper along the lakes?
Does any other nation double the
population every twenty years, and such
in the emigration of BsGspe without
counting it; or carry cargoes two thous-
0ndS miles along one river; or venture
on the imprudence Of Monroe doctrine
or fight war with one million soldiers,
and have them all home again, like
boys after school, within year?
Or what other people collects reve-
nue. of one hundred and eighteen mil
lion pounds in gold at time in it's ex
chequer, laughs at debt of five hun
dred million pounds, and engages to
wipe it out in ten years?
Mr.. Artemus Ward says he never
knew Yankee who didn't talk about
the Rocky Mountains except one, and
he was deaf and dumb; but even he
wrote q book about them. Who is
stupid enough to laugh at that?
It is the nature of the people; the
young giants must have gigantic topics,
words, politics, schemes and sayings;
and if we laugh, let it be with hearty
good nature, and as the old folks do at
the bra. and buncombe of the young
ones, whose strength and health are SO
beautiful and so full of the promise of
noble days and works.