(In the
Southern States, under slavery, much of the same.)... In coincidence,
and as things now exist in the States, what is more terrible, more
alarming, than the total want of any such fusion and mutuality of
love, belief, and rapport of interest, between the comparatively few
successful rich, and the great masses of the unsuccessful, the poor?
As a mixed political and social question, is not this full of dark
significance? Is it not worth considering as a problem and puzzle in
our democracy--an indispensable want to be supplied?
RULERS STRICTLY OUT OF THE MASSES
In the talk (which I welcome) about the need of men of training,
thoroughly school'd and experienced men, for statesmen, I would
present the following as an offset. It was written by me twenty years
ago--and has been curiously verified since:
I say no body of men are fit to make Presidents, Judges, and Generals,
unless they themselves supply the best specimens of the same; and that
supplying one or two such specimens illuminates the whole body for a
thousand years. I expect to see the day when the like of the present
personnel of the governments, Federal, State, municipal, military, and
naval, will be look'd upon with derision, and when qualified mechanics
and young men will reach Congress and other official stations, sent
in their working costumes, fresh from their benches and tools, and
returning to them again with dignity. The young fellows must prepare
to do credit to this destiny, for the stuff is in them.
Pages:
540
541
542
543
544
545
546
547
548
549
550
551
552
553
554
555
556
557
558
559
560
561
562
563
564