The herald., 1897-04-11
os.s-ag-sa.,a-sa.-l~'aasS9l.> : Z 3 + r + +
s.
ea THE AMERICAN AND :
THE ENGLlShMAN 1.
81 II
i JITTT-Ss.Sfs.sSF-t F-ts5'ET+S'
A CONTRAST
written for The Herald.)

The following description of il we take
from the Natural History of Linnaeus;"
'Instead of following that which Is
right he is subjected to the guidance of
manifest error; this envelops all his fac
ulties under the thick veil of custom;
thus governed by opinion, he lives con-
formally to custom, instead of being
guided by reason.
: If we examine the history of many ma
tions, to see If this description OF man Is
universally true, or if he anywhere rises
above that degraded thing, the puppet of
custom, described by l.innaeus, we ma
a much nobler being in republican coun-
tries. With the exercise of freedom,
the intellect expands. and habit is DOM
mated hy reason. We have only to con-
trast the American with the English
man TO discover how rapidly the human
| mind progresses under republican lnstl-
| tutions.
There is no mystery in the process
! 1t is a necessity growing out OF the ma
| ture of things. In ancient monarchles
abuses have been accommodating for ages
| Those who profit by the abuses, being
aware that ii is custom alone which rec
onciles the public to these abuses. and
having the direction of the education of
the nation, foster in the pupil docie
| obedience to custom, and distrust 0t
reason. Referring to this, Sydney Smith,
| in the Edinburgh Review, writes.
.N hen reason is in opposition to
mans interest. his study will naturally
| he TO render the faculty itself. and what
| ever issues from 1t, an object OF hatrsu
| and contempt. 1t might aiiiiose
| be imagined that there was something
| wicked or unwise in the exercise ol
| thought"
MI England at the present hour the
crusade against reason is even more en-
ergetic and universal than in the dat
Of sydney Smith. The crafty animal of
the Gymnosophists has succeeded in
getting the whole of England s eaaca
ton into its hands and is manipulating
it's prize in the manner Whlch misht pS
expected from its character. as drawn
byLinnaeus Custom is held up to ven
Grafton under the euphemism of con
servatism." and obloquy heaped on rea-
SON. This cult not only prevents all ra-
tional progress, but actually tends, by
reversing evolution, to return man Il
a cephalous state from which he has, 10
a limited extent, emerged.
If reason is an untrustworthy guide,
then it is clear man has just cause OF
complaint against nature Tor having
furnished him with brains.
But on looking into natural history TO
see if it throws any light upon this veXe
cues ton, what do we fin0?-heads are
trumps. Animals with small cerebral
DEVELOPMENTS are always and every
wrere. the prey of the victims. of those
who have more head. 1t is superior r. a.
son which enables man TO subject the
less intellectual animals to his wants anc
wishes If the ass had more intellect
than the man it would ride the man. II
the pig had more mind than the man
II would stick him, bleed him, cut him
m. salt him, smoke him, cure him anc
turn him into bacon. II is reason alone
which stands between man and this
appalling fate. Reason is the only
protector man has against the hosts oi
parasi who seek to feed on him. Rea-
SON is the faithful dog which guards the
sheep; the crafty wolf would persuade
the sinple animal to discard his natural
protector
The hidden wisdom in the answer OF
the gymnosophist is now manifest. Mar
the craftiest of all animals, intimately
| acquainted with all other animals Is
unacauainted with himself His vanity
renders him blind. You show him MS
photograph, free from the disguises OF
| fiattering rhetorical pigments, draw
| with the plain straight truthfulness OF
! the sun, and he fails TO recognize the
unpicturesque parsonage. He recolls
| from his own portrait, faithful as the
| reflections of a mirror. He sees What
| puppet; a clockwork mechanism,
| moved by the spring of habit; Marion
ette dancing to the strings OF custom
| an automaton, of the weather-cock pat
! tern. marking how opinion blows anc
shifting with every change of wind; az
| animal the loftiest faculties of WHOSE
| mind are imitation and memory; only
raised above the level of the monkey By
| speech: and only above tina. OF the
| startling. the magpie and the parrot (Who
have been to schooD by having a little
memory, and therefore larger vocap-
| ulary. ,,,.,.
| What animal is this?" the English
| man asks. affecting not to know. The
gvmnosophist replies, This is the craft
iest of all animals-and animal with
| W hich man is not yet acquainted
| But this is man only in the countries
where it is the interest of those VINO
bova his education in their hands to rob
him of his reason. In republic man
is very different being The English
man and American are types. Let us
note the difference between them: Ihe
| Enelishman is a Conservative is
| rl,led by habit The American is
t3hilosopher-he is ruled by reason The
| Enelishman decides question by prece
dent. or by authority; the American
decides ii on it's merits. PROFOUND
problem to an Englishman and he con-
suits. not his reason, but his memory.
| He asks: What does Shakespeare say?
| or what does Salisbury say? or the
| Times or Standard say? or antiquity,
| traditions or preeedents say or lhe
! court society or fashion say? He pins
| his faith on the oracle and never goes
| behind the revelations. His answer IS
| as the echo Of the mocking bird which
repeats the notes it has heard the often
| est. or the last; or as the voice of Edi-
sons phonograph which talks when YOU
turn the handle but can originate moth
| ing
But the American is self-contained.
| He has learned the necessity of examin-
ing every question for himself. instead
| of taking his opinions on trust from
others. Thus has grown up within him
a spirit of inquiry which raises him
| above the narrow little prejudices oe
| school and custom. PROFOUND the prop
osition to him and you get rational
answer. He inquiries. What does COM
| mon sense say" He holds that to shirk
deciding question on it's merits, to
shuttle it over to an authority is the
act of a cultivated faulty, an induced
intellectual i'''a a"t ar re--the last refuge
of folly and ignorance.
-. Vs.. MOLYNEUSE.
Bournemouth. England.
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