Shakspere concentrates the
brilliancy of the centuries of feudalism on the proud personalities
they produced, and paints the amorous passion. The books of the Bible
stand for the final superiority of devout emotions over the rest, and
of religious adoration, and ultimate absolute justice, more powerful
than haughtiest kings or millionaires or majorities.
What the United States are working out and establishing needs
imperatively the connivance of something subtler than ballots and
legislators. The Goethean theory and lesson (if I may briefly state
it so) of the exclusive sufficiency of artistic, scientific, literary
equipment to the character, irrespective of any strong claims of the
political ties of nation, state, or city, could have answer'd under
the conventionality and pettiness of Weimar, or the Germany, or even
Europe, of those times; but it will not do for America to-day at all.
We have not only to exploit our own theory above any that has preceded
us, but we have entirely different, and deeper-rooted, and infinitely
broader themes.
When I have had a chance to see and observe a sufficient crowd of
American boys or maturer youths or well-grown men, all the States, as
in my experiences in the secession war among the soldiers, or west,
east, north, or south, or my wanderings and loiterings through cities
(especially New York and in Washington,) I have invariably found
coming to the front three prevailing personal traits, to be named
here for brevity's sake under the heads Good-Nature, Decorum, and
Intelligence.
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