The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1925-06-08

out invasion and without force. The
new country offered not only ma
terial opportunities, but possibilities
of a spiritual and intellectual eman-
cipation which they ardently wished
their friends on the other side to
share. Citizenship in the New
World meant something that it had
not meant in the Old. 1t was seen
that the New World offered some
thing new. There was increasi ing
realization that many burdensome
traditions and institutions had some
how been shed. Here at last the
individual was lord of himself, mas
ter of his own destiny, keeper of: his
own sovereignty. Here he was free.
With the eighteenth century's
epoch of intellectual liberalism there
came yet more sharp realization that
the new country was not bound to
that therefore it offered to the COM
mon man better chance. Here he
might realize that ideal OF equality
which by this time was so generally
finding Judgment in European
minds. This spiritual cvolut ION
moved rather slowly during the first
two-thirds of the eighteenth CEN
fury. The Seven Years War, or as
we commonly call it, the French and
Indian War. was for the Colonies a
period of rapid awakening and reali.
cation. They began to find them.
selves, to formulate more definite
aspirations for their future. But it
does not appear that this new con-
ception of American destiny began
in any important way to be shared
in Europe until the Revolution, in
dependence and the establis h ment of
the Federal Government forced it
upon the old countries. Then a
new idea began to fix itself in the
European mind The new country
was seen as an essentially vitality,
basically different conception of hu-
man relationships. 1t appeared not
merely as a new country, but as
different kind of country 1t was
considered not only different from
Europe, but different from any ear
lier social creations. The European
peoples had been greatly stirred by
the intellectual awakening of the
eighteenth century, and the liberals
among them had been deeply dis
appointed 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 liberalism of both England
and the Continent had settled down
to disappointment and cynicism. We
can not doubt that during this per
iod, say from 1915 to 184s, the beacon
which they saw had been lighted oyer
the western Atlantic was lamp to
the feet and hope to the hearts
of liberals throughout Europe.
Within this period immigration
from the north and west of Europe
was not only rapidly building this
country into numbers, wealth, and
authority in the world, but it was
having tremendous reflex upon
Europe itself. But for American
example and influence the democrat
tic movements of 1882 and 1848 in
Europe might have been long post
poned. The broadly democratic evo-
luton which swayed Europe so great
ly in the latter half of the nine
teenth century might have failed en-
tirely.
In the period we have been dis
cussing nearly all the immigration
to the United States was from north
ern and western Europe. Through
its reactions UPON Europe it gave
constant encouragement there to lib
eral thought and action. In this
country, by gradually giving the
North great preponderance in
numbers, it FASTENED the downfall |
of slavery and helped rid our in
stitutions of that great and threat
ening anomaly.
These Mortimer, one of whose
we are celebrating to-
day, have from their first appear
ancc on the margin Of history been
the children of freedom. Native to
a rigorous climate and a none too
productive soil, they had learned the
necessity for hard work and careful
They were moved BY
that aspiration for free holding
in the land which has always marked
peoples in whom the democratic
ideal was pressing for recognition.
Eager for both political and econom-
ic independence, they realized the
necessity for popular education, and
so have always been among the most
devoted supporters Of public schools.
Thousands of them volunteered in
the service of the country during
the Civil and Spanish Wars, and
tens of thousands in the World War.
The institutions and, the manners of
democracy came naturally to them.
Their glory is all about you, their
living and their mighty dead. They |