Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1891-03-13

Europe or America that is not to a certain
extent pervaded and warmed with the
spirit and light of that new era which
seems already to be but half hidden in
the drapery of the Twentieth century.
More closely considered, the interna-
tional spirit of our epoch will be found
discovering itself in the relaxation of the
old time rigors of localism. The civilized
man has no longer that intense attachment
to locality and blood kin which character
lied his ancestors. The word country has
altogether Il new meaning in the ears Of
the modern peoples. Fatherland and
mother tongue are still good for us-for all
of us-and will be good for posterity, but
we shall no longer Confound the world
about the boundary of desert or 80 to
war because of a dialect 1t might almost
be SAID that the ancient ambiguous virtue
of patriotism has been swallowed up in the
love of the human race.
The leading causes of this change of SEN
timent among the nations are not Tar to
seek. The increase and diffusion of knowl
edge among men has been so rapid and
far reaching that the horizon OF human
sympathy and brotherhood, with their at
tcndanu pcnlImbra of happiness, has been
indefinitely expanded The habits, the
character, the purposes of every people
under the sun have been openly revealed
and laid bare to all the rest. The sunlight
of information and truth has flashed upon
the nations and whoever will lift himself,
or let himself be lifted but a little above
the plain may discover the heart and hope
and tendency of every considerable COM
munity in the world. The heart beats,
the hope expands, and the tendency draws
ever more strongly in the direction of in
terrational fraternity.
In the second place, the era of intercom-
municaton has come, The railway, the
telegraph the international post are every
where. The time is not far distant when
whoever will may send written message
under his hand and seal from the rivers to
the ends of the earth for a penny. The
flash of thought to thought, the echo of
word to word the response of pulse beat to
pulse beat can be seen and felt around the
globe. Physical science, that blessed evan
gel of modern life has at length broken
the barriers and surmounted the obstacles
which have separated the kindredo of the
earth. The bulwarks of localisn and
prejudice are hurled from their foundation
and cast into the sea. The human race
mas so TO speak, been turned together: ac-
quaintauce has come with intermingling
and mutual confidence with better ac-
quHntuuce. After this interchange of bcne-
fit, a corresponding change of opinion and
hope has quickly followed: and ont of th,
has sprung as if by magic, the sentiment
of brotherhood among the nations-the
dream and vision of internationally. The
reign of knowledge has thus preceded the
reign of reviving faith and fraternity
among the civilized peoples of the world.
Internationally has hitherto existed as
A., Int II l..
ing "A fact-a reality The legislation of
every enlightened people is now tinged
more or less with the precepts and princi-
pies of political unity among mankind.
The efforts thus far made toward the es
tabhShuent of international relations on
the basis of concord and fraternity have
been rather vague and tentative No
doubt politicians and alleged statesmen of
high and low degree, long accustomed to
slide about in the grooves and crevices of
mere policy and statecratt, have fought shy
of the broader doctrines of International
ity. No doubt the fact of internationally
is too large and sublime for the mental
compass of the gadhy political priests who
for the most part manage the affairs OF
states and kingdoms.
We may therefore note with special in
terest and pride the recent movements
made or making in our country in the di-
rection of the forward march. We have
seen within the past two years the progress
and elimination of an effort on the part of
the government of the United States to
hold at the national capital a Pan Ameri-
can International conference. We have
seen represented in that body no fewer than
nine of the Anglo-A Spanish
American and Portuguese American states.
". .,ft al dab t.,l lNt. h..
members of that body the great questions
of arbitration, reciprocity, intercontinental
railways, steamship communication, SAM
tary laws, customs, silver coinage, patents,
trade marks, weights and measures, regu-
lations for ports of entry, eXtradition, in
ternatioual banks, aud the general improve
ment of the law of nations. No doubt the
result has not proved as practical and fruit
full as we might have hoped. No doubt the
whole movement has been somewhat preju
diced by the fact that the administration
and the secretary OF state, representing a
party rather than the country as whole
have not been able to command for the en-
terprise the full confidence of the party out
of power,
But the American International confer
ence of 1889 was by no means barren Of
great results. More recently we note with
pleasure the rise OF a movement to pro
mote on still broader scale the interests
of pan republcanism. The movement in
question seems to have taken its rise from
the patriotic societies of the United States
The order of the Sons of the Revolution
has been sort of nesting place for thi,
sentiment About a year ago, at IA ban
quet given by the members of that society
in New York city. the idea was suggested
that the holding of "A pan republic con
gress in the United States during the Co
lumbar year was "A project not only feast
BILE but highly desirable. The suggestion
of this notion struck fire in the assembly
and the thought took shape in the forma
ton of Il committee to promote the enter
prise, Enthusiasm and zeal supplied tn
place of money and organization, and tn,
first body of workers in the cause wa
presently enlarged to a committee of 20
members. embracing many of the leading
statesmen. publicists and thinkers of tn
United States.
The first meeting of the great committe
was held in New York city on the 9th o
December, 1890. Through the efforts o