The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1882-11-26

Last night Mr.. Froude, president Of the
birmingham and Midland Institute, delivered his
inaugural address 90 tho nltmiugham Iown nan.
lie had considered what WAS The greatest common IN
tcrcst which they could have together, and he found
II In the relations In which they ll so1d at this time
~ thcr common country. II had been governed by
kings, II had bcon governed 10y IN aristOcracy-it
was now governed 10y tho people. What the people
said should he done would he done. What the people
said should he the law would bo Tie law. Tho dcs
tinies Of this great empire wcto now wholly IN tho
hands Of the nation ITSELF ana they all, collectively,
would have to answer 10 those Who came after them
FOR the condition to which they brought IT,. Nations
like individuals, succeeded or failed they man
aged their anats well or M lie pointed TO the eN-
ample Of Athens, Sparta, fhcbos, and other common
wealth States, aud said they found In their de-
vcopmCnt all the phenomena With which they
were familiar In their larger stage. Ihcre
were reform hills and revolutions: hngshipS
passing into constitutions constitutions into
domOcr3cics; and dcmocr1cics ucrishiug bY
their own excuses. aud turning into dcspoiisus.
such phenomena occurring In innumorablc instances,
aud under an varieties " circumstances, polluted to
tendency IN human nature Itself Whenever men OF
vigorous temper were gathered Into civil society. u
might be asked why IN the Greek states 10 which he
had alluded the large had not swallowed tho small.
The answer was that 1t WAS against the Interests of
free race. Tho Greeks during the period VI their
GREATNESS, held that liberty tho parent of every
thing that was excellent IN man. Another reason
was that they believed that the state which aimed ut
empire would have to ray for VI by losing It's own
liberties, but the breed could not last forever. Not
every Ulysses had 1ccmaclus for son. To lie
born to high places might make one man Into hero,
but 1t would make another into n blockhtad or
pronlgae. There were only many concrete
rights IN the world there powers a. enforce.
They might say that men had right to Justice be-
cause they could not he governed without some de
gree Of 1t, but al had not right to share IN the
government TIL they Were strong enough TO Insist
upon their share, WarlikGraCes whose business was
In nghtlng preferred to he under chief. SO ala
people who had warllko neighhors aud were
liable to Invasion had been said that good gov
eminent must be Of q Kind which should possess
the confidence OF the people. That law was but the
accumulated wisdom 0t the ablest men Of many gone
rations. II had no force save what II derived from
the consent ana respect OF those who lived under IT,
II might need amending, but real improvements did
more harm than good II they shook the feelings of
reverence with which the law was regarded. lnpol-
tics when so much depended upon custom, the changes
ought To he rs few as possible aud always to he under
taken reluctantly II had been said that dwellor In
\ house was n better Judge NJ Its merits than the
architect ihat was quite une' w nus own btotes-
sion the world was better Judge OF literary merit than
authors critics. Shakespeare stood as high above
all his contemporaries as the OAK IN the forest above
the garden evergreen, hut II was the world which
found 1t out. The highest fame was the slowest
growth, aud writer's who had been ultimately recog-
nzCd rs the wisest of their Mud had been received
when they began life with Indifference and contempt.
In literature this was Of little consequence, hut III
politics time was just what could not he granted.
IN the Grcek republic, MS In modern Europe aud
America, majority Of the people was presumed TO
DO strongest, The balance Of force was assumed to
be with the greatest number When any great ques-
tlOn arose, even In the most advanced community,
the same difference was produced by superior con-
stancy, by superior courage by readiness 10 die
rather than submit to what was false and unjust,
the differences which existed between the Greeks
and the Asiatics. In such eases minOrles OF brave
men had carried their points against the majority
by force trusting to time to acqult them, aud
81 he believed they would continue to do as
long there was any worth In human nature.
The army which made oliver Cromwell Pro-
tectur represented hut u small fraction OF the
English nation counted by heads II the vote
could be taken now, the English nation would perhaps
still hc found unfavorabe To him; yet Cromwell was
slowly taking his part In this estimate OF the inieii
gent part OF mankind Of the very greatest and
hest Engllshmcn that ever lived. The government ut
nation 10y itself had ITS dangers, and might degencr
ate into mob viii and anarchy. MajorieS might 20
wrong, being composed Of fnllible human beings; hut,
taking things all In all, the national spirit
was likely To rise higher, the laws were
likely to he more impartial and TO he
more impartially executed when the people were
their own legislators and chose their own olhcerS
Decidedly that State ought to he In its happieSt
dtion when all citizens had equal rights, when there
no privilege either of birth or wealth. and each
man could rise tn any condition TO which nature and
Industry had qualified hm.-LOHdDn DdilD Tele-
0rUDL