Evening star., 1925-06-08

The old Romans and Phoenicians
were great colonizers, the Romans
from imperialistic motives and the
Phoenicians from desire TO extend
their trade. The European migra-
tion to the American continent rep
resented in its various phases all the
causes that have operated through
the ages to bring about such shifts
of population.
In the beginning there was chiefly
the motive of exploration and adven-
ture. Later came the desire to be
freed from onerous clerical or politi.
cal restrictions. Then, with the reali-
zation of Americas enormous re
sources, there was the wish 20 share
, in it's developing riches. Only in the
later stages of the movement did the
people of this country reach their
hand of welcome to the friends across
the Atlantic, buth urging and assist
ing them TO come.
inverted Crusade
Though l make no pretense to deep
studies in the subject, vet I have been
impressed that in this last regard the
shift of Old World peoples to this side
of the Atlantic was perhaps unique
From the time when their fast -deyel-
opinS institutions of popular govern
ment, religious freedom and intellect
ual liberality had begun to take def
mite and attractive forms, the people
OF the colonies took Il new interest in
Inducing their European relatives to
follow them thither. They engaged in
an inverted crusade, a conquest with
out invasion and without force The
new country offered not only material
opportunities, but possibilities Of a
spiritual and intellectual emanclpa-
| ton. which they ardently wished their
friends on the other side to share.
Citizenship In the New World meant
something that 1t had not meant in
the Old. 1t was seen that the New
World offered something new. There
was increasing realization that many
burdenSome traditions and insritu-
tionS had somehow been shed. Here
at last the individual was lord OF him.
self. master of his own destiny keeper
OF his own sovereignty. Here he was
free.
With the eighteenth century,,
epoch of intellectual liberalism there
came yet more sharp realization that
the new country was not bound to
ancient manners and prejudices, and
that therefore 1t offered 10 the com
mon man better chance. Here he
might realize that ideal Of equality
which by this time was so genera lly
finding lodgment in European
minds. This spiritual evolution moved
rather slowly during the first two
thirds of the eighteenth century. The
Seven Years War, or as we common
ly call It. the French and Indian War,
was for the colonies a period of rapid
awakening and realization. They be-
gan to find themselves, to formulate
more definite aspirations for their fu-
ture. But II does not appear that this
new conception of American destiny
began in any important way to be
shared in Europe until the Revolu-
ton, independence and the establish
ment of the Federal Government fore
ed IL upon the old countries Then a
new idea began to fix itself in the
European mind.
The new country was seen as an
essentially, vitally, basically different
conception of human relationships 1t
appeared not merely as a new coun-
try, but as n different kind of coun-
try. II was considered not only diff
ferent from Europe, but different from
any earlier social creations. The Euro
pean peoples had been greatly stirred
bv the intellectual awakening of the
eighteenth century, and the liberals
among them had been deeply disap-
pointed at the seeming meager results
which accrued from it. We may we'll
wonder what would have been the
fate of Europe after 1915 if the lib
eralism of both England and the Con
tinent had settled down to disappoint-
ment and cynicism. We cannot doubt
that during this period. say from 1915
to 1848. the beacon which they saw
had been lighted over the western
Atlantic was a lamp TO the feet and
a hope to the hearts of liberals
throughout Europe.