Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1893-07-09

yieldsd her liberties ~ Norway. snd
Later - u<nnArk. vhs,ss vas>al -
ssiu rensin&
TIE list u rspablies that hsss pssasd
swsy may eloss With the United NEITHER
iAsds sna ~ fsrss Frvneh rcyahilo-
They we're hosA founded on blood. sAsd
during aiyss Of insslerable oppression
In the eHss ~ the NssheriAndA. and
daseng ti1e s<xvine r~venw~s of the
reign OF terror ia that Of Rsanes- The
f4rst deserved their freedom. and used
IL WE'LL aud the deelavstion Ut the In
dependesce al the united provinces In
las Vas thu beginning Of splendid
and useful coreer. As for franc<.
il 10 not easy TO sympotkixe
with her management Of repub-
lean institutions during sho&e
ssnguinkry years between iTts and
i-e4 The prcvocstion To outrage had
been great. and the ssvages who
snzfche& the supreme power got their
ssvagery by due operation Of the laws
Of human nature. But terrible neees-
sity. though il may serve a. . salusary
warning. Il not therefore IN agreeable
object Of contemplation. Nor need we
fear that such scenes must be repeated
In order 20 enforce the lesson which
the French revolution taught. Wealth
and rank will never agais DC in POI
sition to 80 opprcss the poor ana
humblc IS TO render possible another
reign of terror.
The oldest existing republic In the
world is that Of 81. MArino. near the
shores Of the AdriAtic. 1t WAS founded
thirteen hundred years ago by the
saint 81 the same name. who was
y DaluAatian stone-mason. HE ex-
psrienc-d religion. became . hermit.
performed miracles, aud the people
fiocked TO him. The republic thus
formed now comprises five villages
with eight Thousand inhabitants The
annual expenditure of the government
is about ave thousand dollars; there-isa
standing army, but no printing press
or newspaper; and its one prison Il
without Tn occupant. The population
is homogeneous and virtuous. and has
kept itself apart from all foreign com
plications; in consequence whereof, IL
Is a. prosperous to-day as in any period
of it's career. and there seems no rca-
son why il should not continue 10 be
so for ten centuries To come. Andorra.
on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees. Is
another ancient miniature republic.
whose independence was the gift of
Charlemsgrc In 100. The inhabitants
are = simple. Industrious. hospitable
folk. employed in farming and stock
raising.
Switzerland has had several "Fourths
of July" the latest occurring in 1s4s;
but the present constitution was rati-
fed on May 20, 1874. The people are
descendants of the ancient Helvctii.
who are mentioned by Cesar. and for
nine hundred years they fought for
freedom against Romans, Ostrogoths.
Burgundians aud Franks. Later they
resisted the Austrians and the French:
but in isoa Napoleon conceded their
independence, observing: Mature
made you To be federative state; no
reasonable man attempts to conquer
nature"
The contemporary French republic.
though founded in blood like its predc-
cessor shows the benefit of the influ-
cnce of the new age. Its birthday was
February IS. 1875. and the progress of
France during the past nineteen years
has outdone all reasonable expecta-
ton. The possibility of relapse into
monarchy or Imperialism is not entire
ly past; il might come from causes
either internal or external; but there
is every porspect that were a change TO
come il would not last lorg. Eu-
ropean monarchs are on their last legs:
and the great war. should IL come. will
probably result in general federation
of states. whose natal day viii be even
more moIncntous and salutary than
our own.
As for Liberia. the Transvaal and the
Orange Free state. their condition is
too insignificant and their future too
precarious To detain us. The repub-
lies of Hsyti and San Domingo seem to
indicate that the negro Is incapable OF
self-guvernment. The Central Amer
lean republics are born one day TO ex-
pire the next. The sun of the tropics
appears to be hostile TO steadiness and
consistency. without which true political
freedom Is impossible. But Mexico.
since 1857. and notably under the sway
Of President Diaz. has taken her place
among nations with a strong. healthy
assurance Of continuance. In South
America. Chilli. in 1858. aud Brazil the
other day. have made themselves free
Of hereditary sovereigns- The Argen-
tine republic. founded May Is, is.sS. has
been hitherto costly experiment for
European flnanciers. and the same may
be said OF Bolivia. PARAGUAY. Uruguay
an! Peru. pictators and toudholiers
have played havoc with these weak
and turbulent communities Nowhere
IN the earth. perhaps. Is man yet good
and wise enough TO merit free govern
isent; hut II i better to look upward
than downward and the glorious
promise II cur own Fourth Of July VIII
educate Us up 10 It's own fulhllmcnt.
Julian HAWTHORNE
Fatigue and exhaustion overcome 10y
Promo Setter. Contains no opiate.