The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1911-05-22
AMERICAN AND ENGLISH EGOTIsM

A great majority of the public men
and writers of America and England
are given to caustic criticism of the
temperament of Southern nations, as
demonstrated in lack Of order in their
governmental affairs. The criticism Is
doubtless deserved. and ii is no less
true that the American and the BrIton, |
and the other members of the Teutonlc
family of nations, have found bet
ter way, but their discovery OF 1t - not
so ancient that they can afford to be
pharisaical about ii.
A thousand years ago, before the
Norman conquest, England was IN !
condition very similar to that OF Mex
leo five hundred years later TWO
thirds Of the island was under one |
government and the SaxOns POSSESSED |
a civilization equal to that Of any OF
that time Then came the NOrmans, |
before whom the SaxOns sank into |
semi-slavery, and from that day till
16s2-from the death of the Norman
william to the coming OF the Dutch
william, one revolution succeeded an
other England being a monarchy IN
stead of a republic, her political up
heavals were not called revolutions
but they were practically the same
thing-all caused by efforts, generally
successful, of ambitious men to take
place and power from those who al
ready had them. England had kings
instead of presidents. but the principle
was the same. If a king was strong
and sensible he held on to his king
ship and turned it over to his son; if
he was weak and foolish, he lost his
crown and generally his life. Some
times a dynasty would last century;
sometimes only few months. Mexico
was never any more racked and torn
by internal dissension than England
during the wars of the Roses-When
English statesmen had been studying
in the school of government for
thousand years after the Romans had
given up the island.
When the Spanish invaded Mexico.
the Aztecs had civilization as high as
that Of any European nation. They
equaled the people of the old world in
the arts of peace, and had they known
how to make steel and gunpoWder,
would have equaled them in war. Only
through the lack of these two elements
of destruction were they conquered.
Their armies were mighty. their gen
erals were skillful and their soldiers
were brave. But their spears and ar
rows broke on the Spanish armor, and
their cuirasses of quilted cotton
couldn't turn the Spanish bullets ana
swords. So they were conquered. ana
remained for three centuries more ut
terly slaves than the Saxon had eve:
been. Since their revolution agains
Spain, which began just 100 years ago
and succeeded twelve years later, the
country has been torn most of The
time by internal dissension. Neverthe
less there has been much wise states
manshp, and the people show sign
that they are learning fast. Had Dia
trusted them a little more, had h
realized that he was not quite so nee
essary to law an dorder, it is proba
BILE that the country would have bee
spared the present revolution, and
is possible that it is the last one.
The white men who settled Virgini
and Massachusetts, had learned a
there was then to be known in n
science of representative government
And they acquired further knowledg
as they did territory-a little at
time. No subject nation was eve
handed over to them to wait on the1
with it's hundreds of thousands
poems. If the North American India
had been numerous as the Mexican
they would have driven the cavalier
and the Purtans back into the Sc
and as 1t was they held them down
the most hardy growth ever experien'
ed by a conquering race. 1t has bee
the force of circumstances rather tina
innate virtue that has prevented tt
people of these United States fro
rushing, in the words of Macaule
from despotism into anarchy and seel
ing relief from anarchy i'll despotisl
Its our devotion to our own intereS
that causes us to settle our diffe
ences with ballots instead of bullet
Revolutions uncomfortable to
man accustomed to ride to his VOL
a trolley car. have his three squar
a day and sleep in a bed at nigl
Selfishness, say many pessimistic wri
ers, is the handspring of progress, al
If they be correct, how selfish
Americans must be? At any rate,
us not claim so much until the retur
are all in, which won't be for yet a
other thousand years.