The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1901-11-29
OUR NATION WILL ENDURE.
Confined from First Page.


ribbon of empire on its southern bor-
der, which stretches two-thirds around |
the world; so that the true Russia,
both of the past and the present, and,
especially of the future. is the Russia
of the south, and not of the far north.
Second. The next element in an
enduring people is that of size. A
country to maintain itself must either
be large enough to repel invasion,
or SO situated as to be easily defended. |
Rome China, Russia, England all
these have been nations of great terri
tory, and nations possessing long life.
The little republics of Greece and
of Italy were too small to protect
themselves against foreign conquerors
and too jealous OF their civic rights
to combine under central govern
ment, so after brief epochs of glory
they passed away. Mere bulk and
yastness will not hold nation to-
gether, for great empires suddenly
acquired, like those of Alexander. of
Zenghis Khan, of Napoleon, have rs
suddenly broken up, because their
elements did not have time for assim-
ilation. But when nation has grown
to greatness of territory gradually,
having time to unity its possessions,
it's size gives just ground of hope
for its continued existence.
Third. A third requirement for a
nation that is to live through many
generations is that it must be so sur
rounded as to possess natural boun-
Diary, and not an artificial one. tt
must be SO separated from other
States as to be easily defended. Look
at little Venice, for instance; there is
a small state-one city; but Venice
lived to be twelve hundred years old,
an independent state, because it stood
seven miles from the shore in the
Adriatic Sea, and only Venetian
pilot knew just where lay the tortu-
our channels through which alone
ship could reach the city. Look at
Switzerland, up among the mountains.
There have been times when it's indie
pendence was interfered with, but
not for very long periods. 1t has
stood for six hundred years, and it is
likely to stand six hundred years more
an independent state, although it is
not large one, and surrounded by
powerful neighbors. You remember
what Henry the VIII. said about Eng
land. He was wise statesman, though
not exactly a model husband. He
said once you remember, that England
was safe from France as long as
the big ditch" lay open between
the two countries You remember,
too, how that same big ditch stood
in the way of Napoleon's plans fer
the conquest of Great Britain. y
| Fourth. The next condition Of
| longevity for a nation is that of its
internal resources. In order to live,
a people must have sources of supply
within it's own borders; or else it
must either be strong enough to take
them or rich enough to buy them from
other lands. For example, England
has for thousand years supplied at
home almost all the needs of her pop.
ulation; with coal, iron, and tin un-
derground, with grain and vegetables
and fruits on the surface. China has
not needed to go abroad during four
thousand years, and if it were strong
enough to resist the encroachments of
it's neighbors it might live on for
ever. On the other hand, look at
Mexico. With large estate and east
ly-defended borders, it has never pros
pered. Perhaps the fault lies mainly
in its people; but a Mexican gentle
man who visited our land gave one
good reason for the weakness of his
own nation when he said MY coun-
try has neither coal, nor iron, nor
water. 1t has only gold and silver;
the two metals that never enrich
land, but always make it poor. 70
Fifth. We come now to consider
an element in national life, equal in
Importance to any, perhaps to all
that have gone before-The People.
The sons have as much to do with a
nations destiny as the soil has. The
land may help q nation, but after all
it is the men on the land who make
it. That big ditch" has done some
thing for the tight little island over
the ocean but the Anglo Saxon blood
has done more Ancient Rome was a
single city ON plain, open to attack
on every side. But those square
chinned, thick -necked Romans pos
sessed in themselves the qualities for
made themselves the mas
tiers of the Mediterranean world, and
built up state that stood for fifteen
years.
Sixth. Another element which
shapes the life of a nations and might
lily, aids in determining it's destiny,
is the form of its government.
1t is the fashion to say that repub-
lies die young" because in Greece
and in Rome, in medieval Italy and
modern France. the so-oalled demo-