Graham's Magazine, Vol XXXIII, No. 6, December 1848Various
General
Graham's Magazine, Vol XXXIII, No. 6, December 1848
Various
Literature -- Periodicals; Literature, Modern -- 19th century -- Periodicals
It is not our intention to place before our readers an array of
political facts, nor to make out a chronological table for the year
now drawing to a close. It would be better at once to refer the reader
to the easily accessible columns of the daily papers, which have
really been crowded with statements of convulsed states, and
revolutionized governments. It has not been a question with them as to
commercial changes, the fluctuations of a market, or the variation of
stocks; but they have had to record the fate of kingdoms, and the
flight or concession of kings and emperors. And we write necessarily
so much in advance of printing, that our quarter of the globe might
change its rulers between our pen and the type of our compositor.
We have been content to notice some of the most exciting movements in
Europe, without pretending to write their termination. We see in some
kingdoms the freshness of new institutions, and in others the renewal
of contests which had been deemed closed forever; where power has had
its heels upon the neck of the people for centuries, there are tokens
of _turning_; and from all this we learn that there is a spirit in the
mind of man, and that, in spite of all attempts to crush that spirit,
or to darken it, the inspiration of the Most High is giving it
understanding, and it is asserting its high prerogative, doing justice
to its lofty teachings.
How will all these things abroad affect us here? What will be the
influence upon the United States of these revolutionary movements in
Europe?
The effect is now being felt; it is only to calculate the increasing
power to understand the augmentation of results. Rapidly and more
rapidly will the number of inhabitants be increased; the amount of
wealth will be more than proportionably great, because not only will
not immigration be limited to the poor, but those of the rich who
_cannot_ come, will send hither their hoarded means, for safety; so
that while the abundance of our fields shall make us "the exhaustless
granary of the world," the permanence of our institutions shall make
us the depository of European wealth.
It may be asked whether our own country may not be exposed to the very
convulsions which make European nations so unstable. We answer, no;
agitation may occur here, and momentary excitement lead to fear of
local violence, but he who strikes here, strikes at himself. The very
nature of our institutions are such as to make it the interest of all
to sustain them, and the very causes which operate to the disturbance
of society in other countries, can have no existence here, or if they
exist, they have nothing to act upon, that evil effects may result.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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