Speeches, Addresses, and Occasional Sermons, Volume 2 (of 3)Parker, Theodore
Religion
Speeches, Addresses, and Occasional Sermons, Volume 2 (of 3)
Parker, Theodore
Sermons, American; Unitarianism
But amid this general uncertainty there are two capital maxims which
prevail amongst our huxters of politics: To love your party better than
your country, and yourself better than your party. There are, it is
true, real statesmen amongst us, men who love justice and do the right,
but they seem lost in the mob of vulgar politicians and the dust of
party editors.
Since the nation loves freedom above all things, the name democracy is a
favorite name. No party could live a twelvemonth that should declare
itself anti-democratic. Saint and sinner, statesman and politician,
alike love the name. So it comes to pass that there are two things
which bear that name; each has its type and its motto. The motto of one
is, "You are as good as I, and let us help one another." That represents
the democracy of the Declaration of Independence, and of the New
Testament; its type is a free school, where children of all ranks meet
under the guidance of intelligent and Christian men, to be educated in
mind, and heart, and soul. The other has for its motto, "I am as good as
you, so get out of my way." Its type is the bar-room of a tavern--dirty,
offensive, stained with tobacco, and full of drunken, noisy, quarrelsome
"rowdies," just returned from the Mexican war, and ready for a "buffalo
hunt," for privateering, or to go and plunder any one who is better off
than themselves, especially if also better. That is not exactly the
democracy of the Declaration, or of the New Testament; but of--no matter
whom.
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Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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