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THE HESPERIAN STUDENT.
2
Political Ethics.
The epoch at which wo have arrived in
our national history and the necessary
reflections and anticipations which it calls
forth concur in drawing our attention to
tho doctrine of Political Ethics. As our
majestic ship of state plows on through
wave and billow, we are naturally led to
inquire, What shall bo her fate? Has her
iramework that perfection and Inherent
Btrength that will enable her to bravo tho
fury of every storm and sail on into fairer
seas? Oris sho destined sooner or later
to be wrecked upon tho shoals in this
hitherto unsailed sea?
Greece, tho nursery and home of liberty,
the metropolis of tho arts, and the birth
place of literature, yielding to the Irresist
ible allurements of wealth, became the
habitation of domestic discord, of civil
dissension. That vast structure of gov
ernment, once the admiration of the world,
is now a ruin.
"'T'h Urocco, but living Orci'co no moro!
So coldly Hwi-ut, so timidly fnlr,
Wo start, for eotil Id want Inn tliltro."
In her brief, though dazzling, career, sho
tells what history continually reiterates,
" Nations, like men, are born and die."
Thus it is Unit the past projecting itself, as
it were, into the futitro predicts the early
decline and fall of this glorious Republic,
"We nro over forming a picture of our
country's future : fear imparting her som
bre hues, it is emaciation death ; hope
lending her brighter tints ,it is invigora
tiou life.
This country, on examination, is found
to be a sagacious and harmonious coali
tion of three governments two subordi
nate and one general. To regulate the af
fairs of a city or community, to make
those provisions and improvements upon
which its convenience and comfort im
mediately depend, some regime must be
inaugurated. This gives rise to the mu
nicipal government. Such a system of
rule would, however, of necessity be local
in its interests, would be constantly tempt
ed to infringe and trample upon the rights
of other like institutions. Hence, the ex
igencies of the case demand a government
of wider range than the municipal one
to prohibit and arbitrate all matters of
contacting interest. And this we have in
our state governments. But commerce
between different states and sections of
country would still be held in check by
serious impediments. Besides, there
would bo no protection afforded against
foreign invasion. Something with still
greater compass is yet wanted, something
that has tho protection and welfare of both
individual and society at heart, something
national. This all comprehending institu
tion wo also have in the Republic of the
United States, .which to us has become a
bynonyme for everything noble and patri
otic, " a tiling of beauty" and " a joy for
ever." The liiot thing that presents Itself for
adjustment in organizing a government is
the delegation to an individual or number
of individuals of it.s various powers and
functions. Laws must be made, expound
ed and enforced, in other words there are
three functions: legislative, judicial and
executive. Wisdom and study of tho past
led the founders of this government to
avoid the dangers consequent upon the
centralization of these powers in ono or
oven a clns9 of persons, by constituting
them separate departments with mutual
checka.upon each other and all indirectly
under tho control of the people.
Wo are now prepared to form some idea
oftho culture anil insight that should bo
possessed by those Into whose hands tho
existence and development oftho state Is
confident. To understand what the proper
sphere of government is, to say how far It
may go in prescribing bounds to a man's
personal educational, or religous freedom
nro questions of no little difficulty, of no
small moment. To draw a lino between
tho authority of municipal and state gov
incuts, to determine with precision what
relation they bear to tho general aro prob
lems of vital Importance to a nation. A
glance at history shows that these ques
tions in tho past have been very imperfect
ly understood, and little regarded. Tho
statute books of England and Franco have
been frequently marred by laws displaying
an Ignorance of the fundamental truths of
ethics and of tho llrst principles of politl
cal economy. These emergencies can bo
met and those errors avoided in but one
way, that is, by making them subjects of
profound and penetrating thought. Let
those who are called to perform tho var
ious functions of government bo men
with enlarged views, men capable of trac
ing all anomalies in the operations of hu
man institutions to their remote, underly
ing causes. Knowledge, such as this, can
not be acquired by a superficial observa
tion of phenomena No; it is labor i is
severe, critical, mental labor alone that
can procure it. Among those who havo
occupied stations of trust under our con
stitutiou, there have been many philosoph
ical and classical scholars. Few, however,
I apprehend, ever received that careful,
special training that would seem desirable
to fully qualify tliem for their positions.
The glory of a Republic is that it gives
freedom to all In the cultivation of their
own intellects whoso lists may have a
mind free from perturbations and preju
dices, capablo of discovering and con.
templating, with gratification, nature's
mysterious laws, and so teeming with
thought as to make it an oxhnustless spring
of ideas. This boon, however, which wo
cherish so dearly has its disadvantages.
Man is created with two naturesa high,
sympathetic and a low, solfish one. The
character of tho mind is such that there
can bo no development, no expansion of
ono class of these faculties without giving
greater scope to the other. Increase a
man's power to do good nnd you increase
his power to do evil in a direct ratio.
How often do we see tho animal naturoof
man in tho ascendency? How often are
we " presented that saddest spcctaclo of
all that the sun beholds in his course
about tho earth, as mind endowed witli
capacity of reason and intelligence, but
enslaved to Its own base passions?"
Conscience, that unseen, marvelous
power that slumbers within the bosom of
every man, and restrains with gentle per
suasion when he oven contemplates the
wrong, must be made to tower high over
and awe into obedience the other elements
of his chui actor. Instead, then, of main
taining military schools to educate men
to carry on war war that spreads devas
tation, lays proud nations in waste, niukcw
unhappy homes and lonely flrjtmlos in
stead of tills, I say, found institutions in
which tho youth of our nation may receive
that political and moral instruction that
shall lit them for the high rank for which
tho God of nature designed them. "Then
will our fair fabric of government, woven
so peerlessly by the hands of our fathers,
crimsoned by tho blood of liborty-loving
heroes, moistened by the tears of orphans
and widows, become tho elysinn home of
the true nud tho brave. Mo.
Tlic Mystery.
In treating tills subject, wo do not pro.
pose to enter upon a minute description
of our antiquities, as many of them aro
quit" familiar to tho reader, hut will con
fine our space to a few remarks concern
ing their character and significance.
An Important ililloronco Is at once no
tlcoablo between tho antiquities of tho
Eastern and of tho Western Continents.
In the Old World the monuments of the
ancient nations often record their history,
but in America such Intelligible records
aro wanting. In the former case, It is
true, civilization lias frequently nourished
without Interruption around thoni; na
tions havo risen and fallen around them,
but their origin has generally boon kept
In view. In America, on the contrary, the
mystery which surrounds them is nearly
as deep to the native Inhabitants as to us.
Tho antiquities of the Old World are glv
lug up the secrets which they have thus
far retained, under tho por&ovoring re
searches of the investigator, and is it not
possible that a like result may follow in re-
gnrd to ours, as they are just beginning to
receivo the attention which thoy really
deserve V
At the time of tho conquest of
Mexico there were vast numbers of old
manuscripts in that country, which wore
destroyed by the victorious invaders. By
this act of vandalism, which should forev
er disgrace the Spanish name, has been
lost to tho world, that which would un
doubtedly have cleared up to an untold ex
tent the mysteries which enshroud our ru
ins. The purely historical manuscripts
were all destroyed, anil only a few miscel
laneous ones remain to shod a partial light
over the past. By those who have investi
gated these and all other accessible records
on the subject, tho following is a meagre
sketch of American ancient history.
Tho ancient inhabitants appear to have
consisted of three races; tho Chichimcls
Colhuas and Toltois. Tho former, a rude
people, ignorant of agriculture, dwelling
in caves, wore tho most ancient people of
Con trul America, and claimed to have
lived theie " from the beginning of time."
The Colhuas came from tho east in ships
at a very early date. Thoy introduced
civilization nnd founded in Mexico nnd
Central America a large empire. ThoTol
tcis, probably our mound-builders, evl
dently settled first on our Gulf coast and
thence spread over tho Mississippi valley.
In regard to their disappearance, we have
only the statement that they were sudden
ly assailed by a wild race called Chichi,
mels united under one great loader. There
was a terrific struggle for about thirteen
years, but, unable to avoid destruction,
the Toltois lied to tho Gulf coast, from
which they wont to Mexico, partly by
land and partly by sea. Thoy may have
original'y been Colhuan colonists, who af
ter a long lesidence in a far-oil' land had
become so changed as to seem a distinct
people They are said to have nftunvrrds
overthrown the Colhuan power, and to
havo ninile a divbiou of the laud In tho
year 055 B. (J. Their power ceased and
left the country broken up into a multi
tude of small states, three or four centuries
before the Aztecs appeared. Tho latter
are commonly supposed to have come
from tho North, but there Is 1 it tip reason
for this huliof wliile tho probability is that
thoy were at first an obscure branch oftho
other people, and that thoy came from tho
southern part of tho country.
t tho llmo of tho Conquest tho native
population of Mexico was evidently
composed of remnants of all theso
races. It might be further asked,
what peoplo expelled tho Tolteis
from the Mississippi valley? T10
word Chichlmei was a general term .
piled to any wild race. Tho Irlquols mid
nnliiu'imi T milium have a triiritllmi it....
while coming from a far distant country
lu tho west, In search of a more pleasant
land In which to settle, they found upoi
tho Mississippi a civilized people t-ailea
Alligowi. Tho Indians demanded a pas
age through tho country, and when It wai
refused, fell upon and drove them dowA
the rivet they never returned. It would
at first view appear that tho Mound Build
ers and tho Alligewi were the same, but
other considerations make it doubtful.
Tho Indians aro not supposed to have poo.
pled America a longer period than twelve
hundred years, and besides, the Mound
Builders and their remains nro as niysteri
ous to them as to us. There is reason to
believe tho Indians of the United btntesto
bo entirely distinct from those of the more
southern parts of America, and also from
tho Peublos of Now Mexico. The people
on both sides of liehring's Strait have
many characteristics in common. This
and the traditions of the Indians plainly
show wlioncu they came.
As regarding tho ruins in our
country, strange notions havo pre.
vailed; in the attempt to measure ev
ery thing American by the standard which
the Old World furnishes, tho most unrea
sonable theories havo been advanced. A
certain old enclosure in the Mississippi
valley may resemble a Roman fort ; somo
of our mounds, Celtic barrows; certalu
tribes of Indians ninj- have Hebrew, Greek,
or Hindoo customs; and tho conclusion it
at once jumped at and defended b tho
most extravagant assertions, that colonics
of Romans, Colts. Jews, Hindoos, etc. must
have caused all this. Some otherwise val.
liable works on this subject aro prone to
such conclusions. Now if mounds of
earth In our Western States should per.
chance resemble others found on tho
plains of Russia, would not that show that
tho similitude in the physical character of
the two regions was productive of corre.
sponding habits on the part oftho old peo
ple; or must it necessarily be inferred that
tho same race positively produced them
all V
Again, if the remains of the Mexi
cans and Egyptians should show a resem
blance, would it not indicate that both mi
tions had arrived at n like stage of civill.
zation; or must it necessarily bo inferred
that the Egyptians erected all these struct
u res V On a careful examination, the ru
ins of our country aro found to be entirely
distinct from those of others, thus showing
that the civilization which pioduced them
was original. It has even been contested
by able inquirers that the crumbling re
mains of Copan anil (Juirigua represent
the oldest civilization of tho world. Thl
may sooin too bold an assertion, but witli
our present knowledge it cannot he dis
proved. When was this country settled?
It is an interesting but oxtrenielj obscure
question. For several good reasons, which
for want of room can not hero bo given, it
is inferred that not less than two thousand
years havo passed since the earthworks
of the Western States were abandoned,,
while it is evident that a dense ngrieultu
nil population occupied tho same region
for a very long period of time. Souio of
the ruins of Central America seem to show
a orcater nj?e. it the out peopiw
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