, 1876-05-20

working out Hn en''i thAI WITH "t''1''' ~
sure for ever And so you have this land
Of yours, as we have ours,-not perfect, -
still grinding out through generations, with
much friction OF opposing wills, many prob
lens that one clcar.headcd imperial genius
might. perhaps, settle in II year but we nc.
ccpt the friction, and we wait the time; and
weknow that these free sell. governments will
be the ones that will shape the destinies OF
the world
But now turn to my second point; How
can such institutions OF free self.govcrnmcnt
he kept strong and living, and effective
Because, you know, institutions are nothing
of themselves. Their whole significance is
as the vehicle of human action; and, the
more they are arranged upon the scale of all
doing their part, tho more effective and re-
sultlcss will they he if all do not do their
part So Pope was partly right when he
said,
Now. os have put it, the very origin and
basis of Engand's liberties, and Americas
liberties, hes in this: not in the peculiarly
Of your laws or ours, hut strength and hope
of our future liberties lies in this; not so
much in popular reforms, however abstract
ly proper but in the people taking an active,
living interest in the work OF government,
and doing whatever may he their personal
share in it diligently and we'll This is one
absolute essential; without it the old forms
of popular institutions may themselves be-
come only the more insidious means Of decay.
There was fnr-seeing wisdom in that saying
of Queen Elizohcths great statesman, Bur
leigh, If ever England is ruined it will he
by a parliament" He knew that English.
men were far too sturdy and widc-awake to
allow themselves to be ruined'by n king,
but that it was possible that trusting parlia-
ment as their own power, they might allow
it to ccntralize in ia own hands more and
more Of the subjects nnciently left tn the
people in their local action, and so lessening
that local action, might gradually sap the
very life og the nation. This is one danger
that has to be guarded against-but it may
seem theoretical and long way off The
other danger is one which lies close at your
doors, and touches the very heart of all
your social life--I mean the danger of men
ncgleCtiug to take that fair, mOnful part in
local government upon which its worth and
efficiency depend. And this is no imaginary
danger. 1t is one which may just as readily
affect the noblcst institutions rs the poorest
II in France you may see the mischief ars.
ing from the absence of municipal institu
tons in mnuy parts Of America you may
see the process which robs them even where
they do exist of half their value. Sixteen
years ago the New York correspondent Of
The Times wrote: "The cXertions of its
better citizens are still absorbed in private
accumulation, while the duties of admins
tration are left in other hands" And the
same thing is only too common in England
Those who are engaged in the duties OF
citizenship, who cannot bear to sec things
going wrong without giving hand to try
and help them right, constantly find the
burden pressing unduly upon them, because
there are so few who will fairly do their
part There is the old danger, which can
not I've too often pointed out, arising from
the increasing righteousness of life. How
can 'Aen find time for public duty who set
no bounds to their projects for their own
advancement If Il man will rcsOlutely set
his face for simple, frugal life, he may gen
orally provide that and have something OF
liIes time to spare for aims and works he.
yOnd himself But how many will do this,
or even dream of doing it The way Of
the world is just the opposite. A mans
success in one palt OF his business is usually
the signal for him to add on new enterprises,
and life is worn away in finding more and
more of livelihood, till men can hardly get
time for bit of quiet useful living. Now
can man so occupied do anything 70? the
community No! As Emerson says, They
have usually u great deal more to do for
themselves than they can possibly perform ~
And SO throughout these local institutions
of sclt.g0vcrnmcnt there is this universal
complaint Of the lack OF true man.power.
Everywhere a few nobel heated men strive
hard bearing double burden 10 try and
keep things right, but n large proportion Of
the rest are doing nothing except it he to
find fault. | do not say that there is yet
any visible decay; do not believe there
really is, either in your country or mine
but danger am sure there is. And such
dangers are not to he lightly regarded. 1t
is not to the purpose that for the time you
may see little pNlpable change. 1t is very
slowly that nations change The greatest
changes in national character changes that,
as we look back on them in the survey OF
wide sweeps of history, I'LL us with awe and
wonder, were just as invisible at the time
those who lived in the midst of them, those
whose very errors and neglects were bring.
ing them to pass, were wholly unconcious OF
them. When the old free institutions oil