La correspondencia de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 1890-1943, 1902-06-09
LatinS and Saxons. q

1t precisely as II 1t were a question
Of fishes or birds; as if it had re-
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 (r0ces have nothing
to do here) by describing the source
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, Iberian and
Teutonic; that Germany is Teutonic,
celtic and Slavonic; that Spain is
celtic, Iberian, Greek, Roman and
Arabic; that italy is Gallo, Etruscan
PeIasgic and Teutonic, and that
England is Teutonic, Celtic and
Gaelic.
1t 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
/ilOricy not Ofguuise0? Valuable
time is wasted by thus allowing
ourselves to be misIed. SaxOns and
Latins turn out 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-
cerned in the study of such histo-
rical differences as lead some people
to happiness and others to disaster;
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
$m.roui>r everything, while others
are equally determined not to be
d"lufi1i;rd, is simply childish. The
main question is to leave Nature
to perform, her indefinite task, in
which man, however willing, can
not interfere, and strive to unite
mankind by a common bond Of in
terest. 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 designation) 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 time will come when these
~mighty faIlen~ 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 them.
Were we to count the blows alter
nately given and received by the
peoples Of the earth, the task would
be intcrmlnable
The Latins, then, appear to be
somewhat feeble for the present,
But it should 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-
lutiOns in the long process of hu-
man history.
But What cannot be admitted
is that, to the end Of legislating
convenient situations 0Ud for OTHER
| pnrp0SrS. we should continue to
revcl 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 in
| Egypt; that Egypt, when laid waste,
! revived in Athcns; that Athens,
after being leveled to the ground,
arose in Rome; that Rome, devas-
! ! t2te4i ts,tei 65y the warriors of the North
reappeared in Paris, A fatal law
seems to determine this westward
pies swept over the America of the
indians, and Saxon invasion ot
Lain America seems now to have
~ 0r;roc IN +ha ,,7onU +vnO-