La correspondencia de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 1890-1943, 1902-06-07
Latins and Saxons.


ference to opposite poles; to beings
of distinct geological orders; to men
divided by wide dissimilarity.
We would not dare to look
upon it in that light; much less
draw political conclusions from such
an erroneous conception of these
factors.
To base the science of politics
on the analysis of chronological con-
ditiOns, is to base it on a chimera.
And, then, to confound the real
origin of peoples (raceS have nothing
to do here) by describing the sourc
Of each as separate and exclusive,
is another error which applied to
politics, gives rise to great confu-
sion, both moral and material.
Many things have been pro-
pounded with reference to this sub
ject. We have been told, for example,
that France is celtic, Hiberian and
Teutonic; that Germany is Teutonic,
Cclhc and Slavonic; that Spain is
critic, Hiberian, Greek, Roman and
Arabic; that Italy is Gallo, Etruscan
Pelasgic and Teutonic, and that
England is Teutonic, Celtic and
Gaelic.
It might reasonably be inferred
that we all proceed from the same
source. We are all relatives; with
more or less affinity, members Of
the same human family. Why then,
base philosophical and political stan
dards upon imaginary differences in
order to constitute peoples as ter
1Il0riey not 0rg011ited? Valuable
time is wasted by thus allowing
ourselves to be misIed. Saxons and
Latins turn ont to be of one and
the same family. A few slight
dissimilaritieS brought about by
their respective surroundings, and
that is all. No one has yet thonght
Of establishing a difference between
the flight Of an eagle and that Of
a martin.
We should rather be more con-
ccrned in the study Of such histo-
rical differences as lead some people
to happiness and others to desister;
some to culture, and others to
barbarism. And be it remembered,
that nobody can be held responsible
for history. We are not to blame
for what took place before our ad-
vent here. Neither responsibility
nor glory should reach us on that
score.
That some, then. should wish to
Saroni@c everything, while others
are equally determined not to be
dc20lj1"*r1l, is simply childish The
manin question is to leave Nature
to perf0r N her indefinite task, in
which man, however willing, can
not interfere, and estrive to unite
mankind by a common bond of in
terc3t. The latter, indeed, can be
accomplished by politics, but the
former is like throwing stones at
the moon or striking in the dark.
The Latin family 1--WE accept
this designatioW appears at the
present moment to be undergoing
a series of misfortunes. We need
not go far for evidence in support
Of this assertion. france sucCumbS
under the power Of Germany; TIA
ly is next defeated in Abyssinia,
While Spain has just closed the
cycle Of her empire in America.
But a time will come when these
&mighty fallen~ will rise again.
No one can measure the height
to which these heroic peoples may
yet attain, when the dawn Of vic
tory shall again smile on then.
We're we to count the blows alter
nately given and received by the
peoples of the earth, the task wonld
be interminable.
The Latins, then, appear to be
somewhat feeble for the present
But it shonld be borne in mind that
this was at one time the case
with the SaXOnS, whose rise is one
Of the countless accidents or evO-
Iutions in the long process of hui
man history.
But What cannot be admitted
is that, to the end of IegiSlatine
convenient situations ind f0r 0kbrl
| purp0Sry, we shonld continne tt
revel in erroneous ideas, and claim
that peoples sprung from a common
stock, are different from each other
There is an old story to the
effect that when Babylon was deS-
troyed, she sprang up anew il
Egypt; that Egypt, when laid Was
te, revived id Athens; that Athens
after being leyeled to the grounC
arose in Rome; that Rome, devas-
tatcd by the warriors of the North
Tcappcared in Paris. A fatal law
seomS to determine this westward
march Of civilization. Latin peo-
plies swept over the America of thu
Indians, and a Saxon invasion o
Latin America seems now to have
set in. A huge error, has beer
offered by way Of prcteXt. Saxon
and Latins, it is claimed, are no
brothers, but two distinct and Sc
paratc peoples. The Latin people
it is added, is an Inferior r0rl
A twOfold error, this, for it is neithe
inferior, nor is it a rWcr. RHcc i
another thing; and as regards infe
riority, it has yet to be demons
tratGd.