The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-05-21
I'm AMERICAN IN EUROPE.
Observations Upon the Life and Politics
Of Twenty-Five Years Ago.
BY THE LATH
JAMES SHEPHERD PIKE.

= n any being but man himself were to COM
tnsnt upon his relative position In the uni
verse, Il seems quito likely he would be put In
ysry different light from that In which he
. views himself
-Ih1sHcts sinus may alike be written upon
Ne hiStories Of the living and the dead.
Human life II one universal wall. High and
low. rich and poor. the lucky and unluoky OF the
world. all alike join In the general Jeremisd.
The multitude 20 groaninR. grumbling. and
k,somplAinina. siehinR and whining through
gths world because OF something they have or
av~omsthine they have not.
= The only exception 10 the little holy band
Who dwell In Imagination In the hand OF
= Providence. who believe in subduinG every
worldly passion ana every worldly appetite.
end who know that no sparrow ever falls to
ne ground without the direct interpretation OF
: eAsir Heavenly Father.
But this Il only . vory small class. The great
mass 10 the wailing tribe Of jeremiah. and
their only Bible Is tho Book Of Lamentations
There are great advantages In o long life.
fOnsis sxperisrces multiply vastly By the lapse
- time. especially II no leads . varied life.
We witness the beginning and end OF so
many oareera Contemporary life becomes
panorAmA with constantly shifting scenes
and figures. We see 80 many out down and
apAssing out Of life with o single experience.
md thst brief. that We learn to cherish . lively
satisfaction at being ourselves permitted to
enjoy 20 many. We are like persons who are
admltted to . vast museum OF interesting ou-
r~iosities. and who have time to pass from
room to room. to linger. and to return again
and again until we exhaust them all. while
thousands enter who are forced to retire as
soon 40 they have passed the Threshold. after
seeing Just enough to give them q longing de-
sirot to view what 10 loft.
, In this wretched war how many noble souls
are early laying down their lives. with hopes
Is warm and ~longings as ardent as our own.
Yet the night comes. the darkness falls and
forever shuts the scenes OF earth from their
gaze. Unhappy they. and thrice accursed
those who have initiated this bloody chapter
? oil, our history and brought this dreadful fate
upon such vast numbers Of our people. 1t Is
impossible not to feel q desire to WELD the
thunderbolt Of Almighty power to crush the
miscreants who have brought this woe upon o
: happy land.
There Is q great difference between wise
men and what are commonly called great men.
A man becomes noted as o lawyer. an orator.
or a writer. and forthwith he Is elevated to
high public ofice and deemed fitted for any
station. And yet how many such are totally
untitled to lead or give advice In the manage
ment Of affairs, The rarest and most useful
u dhi Vuhiltl0b Is bouuu JuoBhcuts uiS 10 AZ
fact what We call wisdom.
Being an orator does not confer It. but is. on
the contrary. prima facie evidence against It's
possession. And this Is Just as true Of the
facile writer and acute and able lawyer.
What makes the orator. the writer. tho lawyer.
Il special gifts. each peculiarly suited to
shine In its own sphere. And Of such gifts
Mature 10 not prodigal.
&C. They are not often found all In the Same
man. The best lawyer is seldom the best
talker, and vice versa. Tho orator par excel
lsncs 10 usually little else.
oS The faculty OF cleRr discernments and sound
deductions therstrom. which makes the man
OF wisdom. is as much OF a gift as any other.
and quito as rare. 1t Is u defect OF our popu-
lar institutions. thus fsr. that this class OF men
has been much overlooked In the composition
Of our public assemblies.
They have been filled BY the SNOWY. pushing.
aud especially the talking men. the inference
seeming generally to BIO that II q man con talk
fuently. he can do anything else.
Tho difference between the wise man and
many Of tho men OF the classes referred to. is
the difference between show and substance.
Now and then we see the union OF all the quail
tiles In one. but the case Is exceptional
i do not say 70 are not to look at the ability
to write or speak well as evidence that men
possessing gifts Of this sort are men OF wis
dom. for this is q kind OF evidence by no means
10 be overlooked. The difficulty is that it. Is
taken as conclusive evidence. which 1t Ia not.
And. what is worse still. 1t has been too ceners
ally assumed to be the only kind Of admissi,
bio evidence OF capacity for public affairs.
In this way quiet but substantial qualities
have been SGT aside wholly as Offering no claim
to public service. and the country has suffered
from It, 1t is quito time another rule WAS APP
q pied to the selection OF our public servants.
Truth and humanity make their way In the
world. nobody knows how fast. AGood book.
I veil written. Is an ever living teacher.
II Is said the Queen Of England keeps always
% her table the writings OF DIR Claiming.
; How much have this excellent mans
= writings had to do In shaping her opinions OF
/, slavery and OF the Northern people. toward
whom It is known she has friendly feelinRs2
But II would be o mistake to suppose any
member Of the dynsstic families OF Europe en-
tsrtsinsa warm regard for anything American.
FOR they oil regard America with an evil eve,
and would one and all rejoice TO see our sys-
TEN Of government overturned. 1t Is antaRo-
/, nistio to the European system. and Its success
ensures the ANAL downfall Of tho hereditary
ruling families OF the European continent.
The bare material facts Of human life afford
q no satisfaction OF any kind to the mind. and
their daily repetition is only wenrisome. To
VuO u II EcuuCou ~ tuo low loNci u uWeI-
Ing on them alone. life 10 nothing but the
counting Of links In q chain. Each days oc-
cupation Is the same. and existence becomes
amere treadmilL The pleasure In such q case
would not seem to consist In prolonGing the
experience. but In ending 1t. 1t Is thus that
people whose faculties are dim or gone. get
tired and weary and lnd existence a burden.
We cannot thus fail to appreciate the pos
Z session OF faculties which carry . mans
thoughts out OF himself and away from the
msterisl objects Of his daily experiences
In this way one discovers new Kingdoms.
through his intellectual conceptions. contain
ing treasures OF infinite variety and exhaust
less abundance. Here ne may indulge In In
vsstgatons which lie quite outside OF the
facts OF his own personal experience. and
dvsll amid riches and splendors Of which the
great mass OF mortals never dream.
Il 10 o lesson hard to les--. which the
nany never do learn. that every individual
should live his own life. and exalt and mag