Smyrna times., 1878-03-06
The Future Of the Republic.

hePuolc, ventured such rOsy and conf
uent predictions of our coming glory =,
oentted patriotic American, and cop1fortad
his listeners with the assurance that i, o.
cordance with the prophecy of Napoleon
bonaparte, the United States would ora
long dictate the policy of Europe. We are
passing through great crisis in our history
OUT nevertheless "the humanity of alI
nations Is now in the American Union y;
mere alone Is the pathway of progress free
ana open, the barrier of ancient restr;o-
tions and inequalities removed, the activity
OF the human mind constantly stimulated
OUR institutions are all educational We
advance necessarily from ruder to finer
conditions. " If any great mistake is made
out OF which disaster grows, the people
correct 1t with energy" "Our civil system
oy perpetual appeal to the people, pre,
serves It's life. The people shrek their ex-
carnations against the shortcomings Of tho
Government. The fact that we ara
nation OF individuals, with a highly intel.
lectual organization, that we can see and
nave such organizations that moral law and
moral forces must be heard and felt. tboso
thlngs are our hope" 1t is true that our
clVlilzatlon IS yet incomplete, but Mr.
Emerson feels that in all directions the
llght Is breaking; that trade and govern.
ment will not lose by the overthrow Of tbo
enemies of mankind; that the useful and
the elegant arts will be exercised with 70
as Nation; that reason, the noblest affec.
'lons' and the purest religion will find
their abiding home in our institutions y
1t is significant circumstance tbo+ Arn
hmerson's hattering sketch of the character
tendencies and destiny of American civil. |
zatlon has been received with loud crios of
oiSseht. In the passages which We have
quoted there IS nothing particularly new.
American orators have uttered the saro
praises and the same predictions time ont
oil mind, and American audiences bouo
listened to them with enormous oor,
piacency' We seemed, little while apo
TO nave settled into the fixed belief tbot
there never had been, never conId bo
people so wise. SO just, so good, SO strono as
the people Of the United States Of Ar,or;oo
I nu' suddenly our temper has changed.
W nave awakened from the placid 20,
temptation OF our own greatness. and dis
covered that we are, after all. very n,,ob
IKE the rest of the world. only conr,o,
men, with the faults and failings and
temptations of our race, subject to tbo
dangers which have beset all other nations
ana TO the punishment which suroIv f,I1s
upon all countries which violate the nr;,,o;.
pies OF morality and social order Some
Of our political leaders have cultivated
vulgar prejudice and ignorance. winked Of
and flattered demacocues. and
we nave thought it no matter, because onr
constitution was so strong that poison
;ouId not hurt it. Now comes the rudo
lrousing. just and free covorrn,ort
needs some other foundation than inst
ana free constitution. 1t can rost soo,,ro
'niy upon the broad basis of popular
hofailty and intelligence, and the dreadful
ear Is beginning to attack us that tb;s
'asis we have failed to supply. In tho
lght OF recent events the Americor ,,oo,,.
10 not appear to be quite so good as thew
nought themselves. The quality ofwbicb
uey sho" the greatest lack is Just sens. {
liity to moral distinctions and moral l
orces which Mr.. Emerson mentions as our s
trongest hope. &
undoubtedly the depressed feeling so !
Vioeht just now in those parts of the
ountry which have escaped the prevaiInc c
ianla for reputation is not altogether
lstihaole. But it has some good cause
L. Emerson says that here We have Gall
lanklnd in its shrt.sleeves." We ora oil +
work, and we have naturally come TO
lace an exaggerated value upon merely ?
aterial prosperity, and to pay an ex.
sgerated respect to material success. We r
* OF proposed measure not "Is II q
onorable ?" but "Will it nav ?n The f,
ost disheartening thing about the CHEAP m
'liar movement is the indifference of the II
aJorlty OF its advocates to all remon. vi
RANGES against the instrinsic dishonesty of r.
nat they propose to do, and the nIain W
'termination of great many of them to W.
pport 1t expressly because it gives tho in
'otor an unfair advantage over his credi. m
7. lhere was, perhaps, not one of the th
heated Senate amendments which thew On
Jected with more scorn than that which 70
'uld have made the silver dollar of eouaI M
lue with gold at the start. If the new ne
liar is to be worth one hundred cents fe,
ey do not want it. We shall live tbrouob du
is trouble. There is still too much virtue wa
our people, too much vitality in our M,
litical institutions, to permit us to dies. he
Ir OF the Republic. But we fear we shall tb,
rise again from our disgraced situa. Go
n until we have learned by painful ex. us
rience that moral uprightness "paysn die
tier in the long run than shrewd opera. we
n in finance, and that there is a saving on
lth in the old-fashioned provsrb, Honesty
The best Policy.-N. Y. Tribune.
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