The Hawaiian gazette., 1906-07-06
LITERARY EXERCISES
CONTINUED from Page 50

spheres.
At our Antipodes are cities. states,
And thronged empires, neer OWNED
of yore.
But see, the sun speeds on his western
path
To glad the nations with expected
light"
THAT which had been the vague Wis.,
ion of Strabo and Seneca. the burden
OF the verse of Pulci. came, under the
indomltable energy OF Columbus, to be
a substantial fact. From the moment
the gates of the new world were flung
open, men of discernment saw that the
course of empire must be towards the
golden West Very few, however. be-
gan to realize what the westward move
ment really meant. 1t was the pouring
of old wine into new bottles. Four
mighty empires had risen in the worlds
history. and passed away. What did
the steady tramping of the countless
thousands mean? 1t meant that Ameri-
ca was to be the seat of the fifth en-
pire." Nearly two centuries ago Bishop
Berkeley wrote the words we quote so
often:
Westward the course of empire takes
| It's way.
The first four acts already past.
The fifth shall close the drama with
the day:
| Times noblest offspring is the last"
THE Pilgrims drilled into a granite
boulder on the shore of Monument
Bay. text for Bishop Berkeley's in
spired lines:
THE eastern nations sink, their glory
| ends.
An empire rises where the sun de-
| sends
| And yet, 1t could not be expected
that the old world would understand.
The eighteenth century had nearly
completed its cycle of events before
that which had been-the prophets vi
sion began to be considered seriously
by practical men. Suddenly the whole
| world seemed to be keyed to a new
idea. The revolutionary war was the
logical outcome of the worlds thought.
III a work published just before the
breaking out of that war, occurs this
remarkable passage: An idea, strange
as 1t is visionary, has entered into the
minds Of the generality of mankind,
that empire is travelling westward; and
everyone is looking forward, with eager
expectation. to that destined moment
d when America is to give the law to the
rest of the world The destined mo-
ment came when the Declaration of In
dependence was drawn and signed by
that heroic band, again in 81, and yet
once again when the guns of our Amer
lean fleet Numbered forth in Manila
Bay their Notwithstanding message,
America was giving the law to the
rest of the world.
AT the heart of every great society
there is some vital, actuatjng principle
Among the Spartans, 1t was patriot
ism; among the Jews, it was religion:
among the French, at the time of the
Revolution it was liberty. Among the
Americans it has ever been-at least In
theory-the idea of equality. We hold
these truths to be self-evident,' reads
that great document, that all men are
created free and equal, and are en-
bowed by their Creator with certain
inalienable rights, among which are
life. liberty. and the pursuit of happi-
ness No word can ever displace that
great utterance. That sentence stands
as the final expression of the American
idea, which is that of equality.
: THE greatest battle of the world:
history is being fought out today. i
Is the battle for equality. We are try
ing, on this American continent, to dc
something that has never been accom-
plished before-to upbuild "A nation OF
! this principle. Not people known Il
history, under whatever form of gov
eminent, despotism monarchy, repub
Iic-not one but has had it's caste sys
TEN. And Gods curse is on a caste
system, whether it be the aristocracl
OF England, or the petty social distinc
: lions of a country town In spite o
birth, culture, wealth, position, inhu
% ence, no man is better than any othe
man, unless he is better. Gods ours
is on all artificial aristocracy. HI
benediction is on the aristocracy o
manhood everywhere.
Loosely speaking, there can be blu
two types of government, the Arlsto
cratic and the Democratic;. one found
ed upon the presumption of an inheren
- inequality: the other upon the asser
t ton of fundamental equality amoni
. men. Every government of despotic o
r aristocratic tendency assumes tina
( some men, by virtue Of their belonging
- to a certain race or class, are by ma
e ture superior to other men. \ Democ
racy assumes that all men are bori
Y equal. Every man has right to al
4 equal opportunity with every othe
.l.nan in the pursuit of happiness; and
= Democracy is that form of government
I which undertakes to assure to ever.
t man that right. \ privileged class Is
e direct violation of the initial principe
5 Of Democracy the reign of the people
5 one reason why the Old World ram
today To understand the New World, i
20 because she has not yet grasped, ever
5 theoretically, the central idea aroun'
t which We are organized. 1t took u
= nearly a century to get hold Of It our
= selves. The civil War is the price w
Y paid for the mastery OF our own Idea,
= What now shall we say OF IN
e golden future? The past Is no longe
In our keeping, We must move for
= ward TO meet the grave Issues OF TO
a morrow. our battlecry must be equal
I lty-the universal brotherhood; IN
|, Is the new law We are 10 give IN
! world. The struggle has only begun
= II only we can hold 10 our idea, !
/, only IL II not lost through the gree
. 80 s.INeh Interests AR swallowed up u