The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1885-05-06
For the Farmer ana Mechanic
New BERNE April 26th.

A'A-"' D'-h>-''-y - ~ - -Dti4'
Mr.. John Fiske's "1nlerican Poftfcul
ilco& riarud from the staa3po,Ht of Eni-
cersH HjStoyg recently published by
Harper 4 Brothers, Is valuable book in
relation to the past history of this re
public. but. when it comes to prognosti-
cations Of its future puts Us in mind Of
the reply made by one OF kosSuth 5 fol
lowers when asked why he had left his
leader, ''ko>suth, replied the blond
giant who stood. SIX feet three IN his
stockings, "hossuth was too narrow Ia
his views for me, be thought only of free
ing Hungary ! am for freeing the whole
human race. SO Mr.. tIske. not salts
fed with predicting the expansion Of the
United States until they embrace the
whole Of Amerloa, thinks there is really
no reason ID the nature OF things why the
whole Of mankind should not constitute
che huge Federation, each little group
managing Its local affairs 10 entire indie
peudence, but reIegatIng all question OF
international interest in the decision Of
one general tribunal supported by the
public opinion of the entire human race.
He believed that rhe time will come when
such a state of things will exist upon the
CdI Ill, anu - W tAi hC l'OoSAblI " SENNh VI
the United States as stretching from
pole to pole.
The lecture on "Maniiest Destiny +"
opens with an anecdGte of dinner party
given by the American residents in PIr!s
| during the war, at wEiah the first toast
was The United States, = bound, d on
the north by British America, on the
south by the Gulf of Mexico, on the east
/ By the Atlantic, and on the west by the
Pacific Ocean. The second toast was
The United States, bounded on the
north by the North Pole, on the south
| by the South Pole, on the east bJ the
rising, and on the west by the setting
| sun.
These limits, q gentleman from the far
west, considered too narrow, as they re
ierred to the historic past and present
only, so he gave as his tcast The Uni
ted States, bounded on the north by the
Aurora Borealis, on the south by the
| Procession of the Equinoxes, on the east
by the Primeval Chaos, and on the west
/ by the Day of Judgment.
Mr. Fiske quotes this anecdote to show
that he does not 90 as far in his views Of
the formation and extension of tederall
zation as some persons do. In other
words be does not begin at material chaos,
! but at historic, and does rot end at the
day Of Judgment but in the millennium.
! For, not until the lion shall he down
with the lamb, and ID little child shall lead
them" can human nature be so entirely
changed as to render the realization o1
his predictions possible.
But, leaving these dreams of the future
and turning to the facts of the past there
is much that is interesting and instruc-
tive in these lectures. How many peo
pie who use the term can tell why the laws
OF "a society or town are called by laws -
Mr. Fiske traces the town meeting back
to its primitive source from the mark, ;
of the aryan times, which is the first re-
cord of self governing community Cor
responding to our town. La the shire:
where the Danes acquired a foothold ths
township was called 'by,' and had tn,
power of enacting its own bylaws o
town laws.
He regards the term Anglo Saxon
rs a barbariSm IN language, Anglo
American he thinks might be detensi
Bile, but it has already become restrlcte'
to the English descended Inhabitants Q
the United States and Canada alone, i
distinction from Spanish Americans an
Indians
In less than century the Englisl
race, or descendants of the teutoni
tribes who conquered Britain in the tift
century, will, our author thinks, ou
number the Chinese and be the domina
ting race of the earth. SO Great Britai
need not fear the fultilmept of the predle
tions respecting the future developmer
of the United States, as it can only b
: fulfilled by the amalgamating power {
the great English race which wi
either absorb the United States or b
absorbed By them.
The object of these lectures is to sho
that the Government of the Unite
States is not special creation, but is th
result Of evolution in the working out {
, the great political problem, how to insul
peaceful concerted action through th
whole, without infringing upon local an
individual freedom in the parts, -th
has ever been the chief aim of clviliza
ton, viewed on its political side; and "
rate the failure or success of nation
politically, according to their failure
success in attaining this superior end.
NJ B. {.