Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-11-01
4 Philo'Oph3 3r'S Im1re iSiOnS.

Herbert Spanccr's impressions of Amer
lci, rs defined in The TribAPe, will increase
| he feeling of respect with which he is
| regarded by thoughtful men on either side
Of tho Atlantic We have no hesitation in
pronouncing it one of the most Profound
es'lm ties Ot the tendencies OF republican
institutions in the United States which have
| ever been formed. lie speaks not as an
hngll'hmPn, bnt as IA philosopher; and
while he lays hIre the weak spots in Amer.
lcan riviliz ltion. he evincas Il subtle appre.
clrtion OF he difficulties which nave been
encountered AMI tho magnitude Of the
work undertaken in the United Ssate5
He weighs what is good and what is bad
with great accuracy in the balance OF his
| philosophical Judgment lie does full
justice to the industrial development, the
material prosperity and the marvellous
lnventivcness of the American people.
Never has Il hoartier tribute been paid to
the material progress of the republic. AT
the same time he discerns defects in nation
al character aud in the working of our
political ins itulions. and he analyses them
with n masters touch. Yet so grave and
Just is his manner, so sympathetic is his
tone, that Americans have no reason to be
OIL 'ndrd by onJht thlt he says. They
ought rather to thank him for warming
| them against the dangerous tendencies CT
their political institutions and their social
life, and to find leisure for deliberate re-
Election upon words Of practical wisdom
SO benignuntly spoken.
The underdone American is he who will
not admit that there is anything at fault
| in the politics, morals and social order of
hiss own country. The overdone Ameri :
can is he who is disposed to disparage
everything that is characteristic in the
government and society of his own people.
The finest type of American citizen is
! neither cptimist nor pessimist in his views
| of the future of the country. lie has Tea-
son for the faith that is in him. but those
reasons are clouded by serious misgivings.
He believes and he doubts. He has the
critical mood. He glores in the signs of
| material growth, swarming population,
and all the positive achievements ofinven-
tive genius and Industrial enterprise. He
knows that in population the American
republic is already the second state in
Christendom, AMI the first in material
prosperity. This consciousness naturally
causes elation. AT the same time he knows
that at many points American civilization
is retrograding rather than advancing,
| and this reflection steadies anl sobers,
although it does not daunt or appal him.
The American who does not know that in
some respects free institutions have work
ed badly in the past, and are likely tow ork
| even worse in the future, lacks either can
| dor or discernment. What makes Mr..
| Spencer's diagnosis of the case so impor-
tant is the fact that the patient has already
| recognized the symptoms. Let Ameri-
cans be honest with themselves. Mr..
Spencer has told them some wholesome
truths, which they know in their secret
helrts to e truths. Let there be no hair split
ting arguments respecting paper constitu.
| tions and the necessities of political organ
izalion. Let the gravity of his charges be
colceded and disposition evinced to profit
| by his criticisms.
For what is it that the philosopher finds
amiss in our political and social life? 1t
is n defect of character which he thinks
education has proved powerless to remove.
1t is II dull sense of ones own claims,
rights AMI privile yes, and an equally dull
sense of tho claims, rights and privileges
of others. This sounds like philosophi-
cal abstraction, but it is plain and prac-
tical truth when the application is made.
Mr. Spencer finds in small matters an
easy going readiness among Americans
$40 permit small trcspasses, because it
would be troublesome or pIotitless or un-
popular to oppose, which leads to the hab
it of acquescence in wrong and the decay
of free institutions" Neglect of individ-
ual rights naturally promotes Indifference
TO the rights of others. The principle is
| illustrated by the license which individuals
are dealt with by the newspapers, the pop
ular notion that "the public have right
to lnlrude on private life as far as they
like" the impunity with which corpora
tions encroaoh upon private rights and
luminr,e over courts, legislatures and
governments, and tie facility with which
political machinery is worked by unscrup-
ulous IN lnagcrs until "the sovereign peO.
pie Is last becoming Il puppet which moves
and speaks rs wire pullers determine "
| Mr.. Spencer docs not allirm that republic
can institutions have failed in America.
He denies it most strenuously, and evinces
II profound apprt citation of tho magnitude
of the work which our people have md to
do i i Incorporating "vaSt bodies Of immi
grants of various bloods,' and in solving
social and geographical problems that are
essentially new and inconceivably COM
plex Yet he cannot conceal his disappoint-
ment at finding that material progress has
not been accompanied by equal progress
of higher kind" that professional politi-
clans have become the ruling power in
public life, and that individuals are not
Jealous of their own rights and also sym
pathetically Jealous of the rights Of others
a condition which he considers essen.
tial to the proper working of free institu-
tions.
Is there anything in these structures to
which intelligent Americans, with proper
sensibiities in regard to the rights and OBJ
legations of citizenship, can reasonably
take exception We think not. Those
who have read Mr.. Spencer's remarks in
the right spirit and with unclouded minds
will profit by them. They cannot helE
feeling an added sense of personal respon
sibility in matters small and large, in re-
senting trespass on private rights, in
bringing personal influence to bear in pri
vate elections, in discountenancing habits
of defamation and ilippancy in the public
press, in diScharging readequately and
from higher motives the duties of public
service, in discussing the problems of the
presant and the future with intelligence
and seriousness, and in helping on, il
public and in private, the cause OF goot
government and human progress Nea
IOrh 1riJWne