Out of such considerations, such truths, arises for treatment in
these Vistas the important question of character, of an American
stock-personality, with literatures and arts for outlets and
return-expressions, and, of course, to correspond, within outlines
common to all. To these, the main affair, the thinkers of the United
States, in general so acute, have either given feeblest attention, or
have remain'd, and remain, in a state of somnolence.
For my part, I would alarm and caution even the political and business
reader, and to the utmost extent, against the prevailing delusion
that the establishment of free political institutions, and plentiful
intellectual smartness, with general good order, physical plenty,
industry, &c., (desirable and precious advantages as they all are,)
do, of themselves, determine and yield to our experiment of democracy
the fruitage of success. With such advantages at present fully, or
almost fully, possess'd--the Union just issued, victorious, from the
struggle with the only foes it need ever fear, (namely, those within
itself, the interior ones,) and with unprecedented materialistic
advancement--society, in these States, is canker'd, crude,
superstitious, and rotten. Political, or law-made society is, and
private, or voluntary society, is also. In any vigor, the element of
the moral conscience, the most important, the verteber to State or
man, seems to me either entirely lacking, or seriously enfeebled or
ungrown.
I say we had best look our times and lands searchingly in the face,
like a physician diagnosing some deep disease.
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