The Topeka state journal., 1898-07-16
AMERICAS FUTURE
As Seen by Bryce, Author of aThe
American Commonwealth
CORRESPONDENCE Associated Press.)

the speech QenN6TeQ Dy 1tC. E1On-
James Bryce, member of parliament
for Aberdeen, south division, at the
dinner of the American society on the
Fourth of July. No other Englishman
has made so careful a study of Amer
lean affairs as the author of The
American Commonwealth" and the
opinion of no other has greater inter-
est.
full text of the speech which was sum
married. in the cable report of the din
ner, and presents it herewith:
This is a memorable day to English
men as well as to Americans. 1t is to
us both a day of regret and rejoicing;
of regret at the severance of the polit-
ical connection which bound the two
branches of one race together, and of
rOrS which brought that severance
about and the unhappy strife by which
the memory of it was embittered. But
1T is also a day of rejoicing, for it is
the birthday of the eldest daughter of
England, the day when a new nation,
sprung from our own, first took its
Independent place in the world. And
now with the progress of time rejOic
ing has prevailed over regret and we in
England can at length join heartily
with you in celebrating the beginning
of your national life.
THE presence of so many English
men among you tonight, indeed, the
very aspect of our great London thor
oughfareS, bedecked from end to end
II,
completely all sense of bitterness has
passed away and has been replaced by
sympathy with all which this ami
versary means to the American heart.
Yet it is not only the lapse of time
that has worked this happy change.
England and America now understand
one another far better than they ever
did before. In 1875 there was on one
side monarch and a small ruling
caste; on the other side a people Now
our government can no longer m;Srep-
resent the nation and across the ocean
a people speaks to a people. The At
lantic is ten times narrower now than
it was then, the passage of men to and
fro has increased a thousand fold: and
through the personal knowledge of
Americans by EngliShmen and of I'm
glishmen by Americans there has been
laid the best foundation for good will
and mutual understanding between the
nations.
I'VE have both come. and that most
notably within the last few months to
perceive that all over the world the
interests of America and of England
are substantially the same, and in the
recognition of this fact we see a solid
There is also another change that has
powerfully worked for good on the re-
lations of the peoples. A distinguished
statesman has recently said that the
powers of the world may be divided
into those that are living and those
that are dying. The United States
anu GREAT B1la1n are among the liV-
ing powers. Those powers are now few
in number. They are growing stronger
while the others grow always weaker.
They are imposing their language and
their types of civilization upon the
world. The types that seem destined
to survive and maintain their rivalry
are now very few One of them is rep
resented by two nations It is that
which is common to you Americans
and to us Englishnen.
we speak the same tongue, we enjoy
and are instructed by the same litera-
ture; we live under laws which were in
their origin and are still largely the
same and we have created institutions
essentially similar in spirit and char
acter, though differing in minor de-
tails, just as the cOlOrs in those two
flags which I see intertwined at the end
of this hall are the same colors, though
the arrangement in lines and stars is
different.
''This sense of our underlying unity
over against the other races and forms
of civilization in the world has been a
potent force in drawing US together;
and its potency is shown by this that
it is at work all over the English speak
ing world. Our colonies have been fol-
lowing with the keenest interest and
sympathy all the events that have af-
fected you during these last fatefuI
months; and their hearts, like ours in
England, thrill at the record of the
exploits of your sailors and soldiers; of
the heroism and devotion which the
children of America have been display
ing, with pride and delight which no
like feats done by men of another
speech and blood could inspire.
1.-The thought of these exploits sug-
geStS one more reflection: Your ambaS-
sador in the singularly graceful as well
as eloquent speech to which we listened
with so much pleasure said that this
Fourth of July is day of happy augury
for mankind. That is true-but why is
it true? Because on that day America
nd lot, ,7-.l
principles of government which have
been of profound significance for man
kind. It could be said tonight that she
stands at the parting of the ways. She
may if she will, become a great con-
quering power, ruling over subject
races. She may civilize lands hitherto
left to savagery. Whether she will do
well to enter on this new path, it is not
for us here to say. But whether she
does enter it or not, her highest claim
to the admiration and gratitude of
mankind will continue to be this, that
she was the first country to try the
ment and that she has gone on trying
it upon the broadest scale. Upon the
success of that experiment, upon the
peaceful and orderly development of her
Democratic institutions, the future of
the world very largely depends.
Many nations have had career of
conquest and OF civiGZing dominion But
to make an immense people prosperous,
happy and free is a nobler and a gran
der achievement than the most bril-
liant conquests and the widest domin-
ion So we here who hold ourselves the
debtors, as well as the friends of Amer
lea hope and trust that whatever else
she undertakes, nothing will be suffered
to divert her energies from her splendid
task in her own ample continent. Those
in every country who love humanity
and it's progress watch with the warm
est and most watchful sypathy her ef-
forts in that task and rejoice in the
prosperity of her people. But none can
feel a sympathy so deep and true as we
in England, whose pride is that you and
we come of the same stock; that you
and we cherish the same ideals and are
swayed by the same traditions; that
lne,r nd q