Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1878-03-08
From the Boston Globe Report.
What of The Night.
THE FUTURE OF AMERICA-RALPH WALDO EM-
EKsnN : LATEST LECTURE.


Napoleon Bonaparte affirmed in lSlG that
in twenty five years the United States would
dictate the policy OF Europe. That prophecy
was little premature, but it is Just confirms
ed 1t is proved 10y the fact OF the vast I'M
migration into this country from NIL the ma
tions OF Western and Central Europe, and
when they have planted themselves here and
looked about, they send back their money to
bring their friends. Meantime they find this
country Just passing through great crisis
in its history, as necessary as lactation, den
tition, or puberty to the human individual
We are this day settling for ourselves and
our descendants questions which, as they
slIlll be determined i'll one way or another
will make the peace and prosperity or the
calamity of the next age. lhe subjects oi
education, society, labor, the direction oi
talents and character, the nature and habits
of the American people may well occupy onr
attention The new conditions of existence
IN America are favorable to progress-to tho
removal of old restrictions and inequalities.
The mind is already better the more ii is
used and here it is kept in practice. The
humb!est citizen is daily challenged to give
his opinion on practical questions. Where
so much civil and social freedom exists each
is useful to provoke common sense. Lodg-
ing the power in the people as in republic
has the effect of moulding things closer to
common sense, for court or IN ar!stocracy
which must always be a small minority can
more easily run into follios than republic
which has too many observers, each with
vote in his hand, to allow his head to be
throttled by any kind of nonsense. One
hundred years ago the American people at
tempted to carry out the bill OF political
rights to its most ideal perfection. They
have made great strides in that direction
since. They are now proceeding instructed
by their successes and by their many fall
ures to carry out under the bill of rights the
bill Of human duties. And look at what
revolution that attempt involves. Hitherto
the Government has been that of n single
person and all arlstocracy, and i'll tins coun-
try an attempt to resist these elements must
throw us into Government, not quite OF
mobs, but, IN practice OF an inferior class
of politicians, who by means Of newspapers
and caucuses really thrust themselves INTO
place Hence liberal Congresses and Legs
latures would ordain, to the surprise of the
people. equiyocal, interested and vicious
measures. The members of these bodies
are suspected and charged with robbing the
Government. No measure is adopted Tor 1t
sell. but the opinion OF the people Is courted
i'll the first place, and the measures are per
functorily carried through under II seconds
ry consideration.
GLOOMY PICTURE.
We do not choose our own Candidates, no,
nor no other mans first choice, but an
available candidate. Instead OF character
there is a studious exclusion OF character IN
the selection. The people are feared and
;iattered. They are not reprimanded. The
Government is governed in bar-rooms and IN
the minds of bar-rooms. Each rival for
power vies with his rival which can step the
lowest and depart the widest from the riSnt
This is Il sad spectacle. when the great party
Of property and of education drirel and
huckster away every principle Of humanity
and the dearest hopes of mankind the
trustees of power only energetic when mis-
chief can be done imbecile when evil is to
be prevented, faltering and compromising
when the greatest issues arise, SO that We
cannot depend on them to save us. Parties
keep new names, but exhibit "A surprising
alacrty in creeping out OF one snakeSklh
into another The American looks on, and
says he does not endanger anything. lie he
heyes that what he has enacted he can repeal
if he does not like it. and does not anticipate
being seriously caught in the mesheS Of leg
islation. But one may ruh the RISK once to"
often. The people are right minded enough
on ethical questions, but must pay their
debts, and must have means of living well
and not pinch themselves. so 1t Is useless to
rely ON them to 60 and vote If any check
from the must t-haye-the- e-money' side arises.
If any party looks at II newspaper which con
demns their member of Congress, and be
comes aggrieyed, they take another newspA-
per and vote for another man. Gau, ,htcrD
The recurrence of an election every now and
then alarms the people by the almost unani-
NOUS choice of II rogue and burglar How
WAS 1t done? This was done 10y the millest
best-natured people. The only ground is
that they have been scared into Identifying
the candidate with their trade and property.
Our politics are covered with shame The
spirit of our political economy is low and lie
graded The individual mau exists for his
own sake and not to add to the welfare OF
the State. Parties sacrifice men to the
measure. The partisan ON moral questions,
even on religious sects or ON temperance,
will choose perfect rogue who can answer
the test questions in preference to an honest,
atiectionate. noble gentleman The partisan
ceases to be n man that he may be n secturian.
The faults that appear III the workings of
our system, however, suggest then own rem
edies If any great mistake liz made, ont of
which disaster grows, the people wait aud
correct it with energy. The gracious lesson
taught by science to this country Is that the
history Of nature, from first to last. is anne
h5ratioD Incessant advance. from less to
more from rude to finer ORGANIZATIONS thus
inspiring the principle of undying hope IN
man ON institutions of which the town IL
the unit are all educational
BEsPoNsIBILITY EDUCATEs BEsT
The town meeting is, aiterthe High School
u higher school. The Legislature, to which
eveiy good farmer goes once on trial, is an
academy Ours is country OF poor men
Here is practical democracy here is the hu-
man race poured out over the continent to do
itself Justice here is all mankind in its
shirt sleeves, not gong under false coors
like poor rich men in cities who pretend to
be rich, but ready and willing for hard work
when labor is sure to he paid The bulk of
the population IL poor In Maine nearly
every man is II lumberer IN Massachusetts
every twelfth man is Il shoemaker, and for
the rest, they are millers, sailors and so
forth The result is that instead of the dole
ful experience of the European economists
who say 'In almost all countries the great