Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-07-06


cumstances Of their environment"
What John Hay snid in reference to
the influence Of the pen Of the Wizard
Of Abbotsford upon America can be
said TO a greater or a less extent Of oil
the leaders of English and Scottish and
Irish thought.
EnGiand's Assoclstions.
British thinking cannot be divorced
from American thinking. To the Amer.
lean mind a map Of the British isles Is
not mere collection Of city or town
names. Each spot has its sacred his
tory on account of the mon who have
lived there and whose fields Of influ-
ence were transatlantic as well as cis-
atlantic. Some years ago rode through
Scotland and England on bicycle.
Prom Glasgow l went to Ayr. There
I found that my youthful idol, Burns,
once lived. From Ayr I went to Ban.
nockburn and Stirling castle. There I
found that Bunker Hill was only an
echo Of Stirling castle. Those old Scot.
fish chiefs inspired Americas indie
pendence. From Bannockburn I went
to Edinburgh. There l stood at the
graves Of Guthrie and Chalmers and
went into John Knox's old home and
recognized these men as my teachers.
From Edinburgh went down to the
luke region and there found its poets,
my poets. There reverently stood by
the roadside while a nurse led John
Ruskiu past me-John Ruskln then
with his mind Melrose abbey in ruins,
but John Kuskin Still-who wrote tho
books that are on my library shelves.
From there l went up to London. A.
most every place I stopped could 60
and find the grave of one Of Americas
benefnctors.
England has conquered America by
the power Of the tongue. Because the
same linguistic doors are opened to
both people the two nations are one in
sympathy and one in life. There Is ON
old saying among the Spaniards. Co
lumbus set sail from Spain and dis
covered America, but not until Wash
ington Irving set sail for Spain was
the Alhambra discovered for the
Americans That is true. From near
~ all foreign lands are we separated
by the great towers Of Babel, the
towers Of unknown tongues" Around
these or over these but few Of US have
the linguistic ability to go or to climb.
But, though between US and England
rolls the Atlantic ocean 1000 miles
wide. the bridge Of a common language
spans it. Over that bridge every day
walk the British statesmen. the Brit
ish reformers. the British authors, the
British preachers, the British leaders
Of thought.
The British empire has conquered US
by the tongue, but not by that alone.
Every year she sends over n great in
vadlng army. This army Of invaders
nre stout Of muscle and clear Of eye
and brave of heart They have the
bravery to cross seas. Yes, but
they are also brave enough to bring
along their wives and children, and
gold. and picks. and shovels. and ma.
sons trowels, and plumb lines. They
plainly and bluntly declare that they
have come to capture our lands, and
sit upon our mercantile thrones, and
And Us soon as they can get foothold
here they say they will send over for
their fathers and mothers and brothers
and sisters to come and live with them
In their new homes which they have
built in the new land and which they
are already beginning to rule.
We find in America the English and
the Scotch and the Irish families every
where. Supposing should ask all
those whom I address to arise and say
who were born in the British isles and
who are sons and daughters and grand.
children Of ancestors who were born
there, how many do you suppose would
stand up: A twentieth? A tenth? A
fourth? Yes, think fourth or even a
third Is not overstating the numbers
When the original thirteen colonies
won their national independence we
had all told IN this country between
three and four millions Of people We
then had smaller population than has
the present city Of New York. In lit.
tie over hundred years we have near.
~ S0.OOO,0O0 inhabitants. Whence did
these people come? From the Ameri.
can cradle? Yes. The American stork
has builded her nests In the chimneys
Of many homes. But the American
stork from 100000 parents could not
produce So0C0,000 living descendants
in little over hundred years. The
vast numbers Of the American inhabit
ants today came over as emigrants
from Europe or their fathers or grand
hthers came thus. And by far the
largest proportion Of these emigrants
came as an invading army from tho
shores of England and Scotland and
Ireland.
The Great British Army.
Great is the British army Of emigra
ton! England defeated Napoleon DO
naparte ut Waterloo with an army Of
less than 10000 men. The British EN-
plrc hurled back the Russian Slav from
the shores of the Black sea in the Cri
mean war with an army Of only $4,000
men. Havelock fought his way ur
from the coast to Lucknow and Gavin
pur with only 1900 men. Robert
Give. afterward Lord Give. subjugat
ell the whole Indian empire with only Q
few thousand troops.
But. though the British empire ha!
won many successes OH land as wei
as on sea with small armies and ma