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Show 40 In 1656, when Boston sent out her colonists, they took hl l d naphances to fend off the red savage of the mate oc \:San s . w1' ld erness; m. 1756 , they needed weapons only agamst F l · but in 1856 the dreadful tools of war the rene 1 enemy, ' ' are to protect their children from the white ~or~er-ruffians, whom the President of the United States 1nv1tes to burn the new settlements, to scalp and kill. In 1850, we heard only the threat of arms; in 1851, we saw the volunteer muskets in the kidnapper's hand; in 1854, he put the United-States cannon in battery; in 1856, he arms the savage Missourians. But now, also, there are tools of death in the People's hand. It is high time. When the People are sheep, the Government is always a wolf. What will the next step be? Mr. Cushing says, "I know what is requisite; but it is means that I cannot sug· gest!" Who knows what coup d'etat is getting ready? Surely affairs cannot remain long in this condition. To understand this present emergency, you must go a long ways back, and look a little carefully at what lies deep down in the foundation of States. The Welfare of a nation consists in these three things; namely: first, possession of Material Comfort, things of use and beauty; second, enjoyment of all the Natural Rights of body and spirit; and, third, the Development of the natural Faculties of body and spirit in their harmo· nious order, securing the possession of freedom, intelligence, morality, philanthropy, and piety. It ought to be the airn of a nation to obtain these three things in the highest pos· sible degree, and to extend them to all persons therein. That nation has the most welfare which is the furthest ad· vanced in the possession of these three things. Next, the Progress of a nation consists in two things : first, in the Increasing Development of the natural Facul· 41 ties of body and spirit,- intellectual, moral, affectional, and religious,- with the consequent increasing enjoyment thereof; and, second, in the Increasing Acquisition of Power over the Material World, making it yield use and beauty, an increase of material comfort and elegance. Progress is increase of human welfare for each ancl for all. That is the most progressive nation which advances fastest in this development of human faculties, and the consequent acquisition of material power. There is no limit to this progress. That is the superior nation, which, by nature, has the greatest amount of bodily and spiritual faculties, and, by education, has developed thern to the highest degree of human culture, and, consequently, is capacious of the greatest amount of power over the material world, to turn it into use and beauty, and so of the greatest amount of universal welfare for all and each. The superior nation is capable of 1nost rapid progress; for the advance of man goes on with accelerated velocity: the further he has gone, the faster he goes. The disposition in mankind to acquire this increase of human development and material power, I will call the Instinct of Progress. It exists in different degrees in various nations and races: some are easily content with a small amount thereof, and so advance but slowly ; others desire the most of both, and press continually forward. Of all races, the Caucasian has hitherto shown the most of this instinct of progress, and, though perhaps the youngest of all, has advanced furthest in the development of the human faculties, and in the acquisition of power over the material world: it has already won the most welfare, and now makes the swiftest progress. Of the various families of the Caucasian race, the Teutonic, embracing all the Germanic people kindred to our own, is now the most remarkable for this instinct of pros |
