On this page
-
Text (2)
-
Untitled Article
-
Untitled Article
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
-
-
Transcript
-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
Untitled Article
affection to an Idea . The tyranny which dominant Ideas exercise over some few energetic souls , coercing them to cruelty as to martyrdom , is finely painted in Hollingsworth , the philanthropist , and in his two victims . What the author says of Hollingsworth deserves a place here : — " This is always time of those men who have surrendered themselves to an overruling purpose . It does not so much impel them from without , nor even operate as a motive power within , but grows incorporate with all that they think and feel , and finally converts them into little else save that one principle . When such begins to be the predicament , it is not cowardice , but wisdom , to avoid these victims . They have no heart , no sympathy , no reason , no conscience . They will keep no
friend , unless he make himself the mirror of their purpose ; they will smite and slay you , and trample your dead corpse under foot , all the more readily , if you take the first step with them , and cannot take the second , and the third , and every other step of their terribly straight path . They have an idol , to which they consecrate themselves high-priest , and deem it holy work to offer sacrifices of whatever is most precious ; and never once seem to suspect—so cunning has the devil been with them—that this false deity , in whose iron features , immitigable to all the rest of mankind , they see only benignity and love , is but a spectrum of the very priest himself , projected upon the surrounding darkness . And the higher and purer the original object , and the more unselfishly it may have been taken up , the slighter is the probability that thev can be led to recognise the process by which godlike
benevolence has been debased into all-devouring egotism . And only over Zenobia's pallid corpse does the philanthropist become aware of how much cruel selfishness was cored in his philanthropy . The law of our life is , that we should ray out life , living by all the various activities of a various organization , not suppressing them in favour of one which becomes despotic ; and yet to do great things in the world concentration is necessary . Thus is the individual sacrificed to Humanitygives up his life to become a mere instrument . And there is a sublime aspect to this , as to all other forms of self-sacrifice ; but to give it sublimity we must give it success—we must see that the sacrifice is not wasted . This Hawthorne has failed to do . He has made Hollingsworth the incarnation of an idea , ruthlessly destroying those who come within his influence , yet failing after all , failing because he cannot withstand the consequences of his own acts . Hence the sadness of this book . Failure everywhere . Faiths are shattered , hearts broken , the purpose of a life foregone : nowhere triumph , nowhere hope !
Those who have read Hawthorne's previous tales will not need to be told that in the strong markings of character , and in vivid description , The SlitJiedale Romance is of different quality from circulating library material , and we know not how to praise it more highly than by saying we did not skip a sentence of the two volumes .
Untitled Article
THE CONQUERORS OF THE NEW WORLD . The Conquerors of the New World , and their Bondsmen . Being a Narrative of the Principal Events which led to Negro Slavery in the West Indies and America . Vol . II . Pickering . It is well said by this author , that " The course of history is like that of u great river wandering through various countries ; now , in the infancy of its current , collecting its waters from obscure small springs in plushy meadows , and from unconsidered rivulets which the neighbouring rustics do not know the name of ; now , in its boisterous youth , forcing its
way straight through mountains ; now , in middle life , going with equable current busily by grout towns , its waters sullied yet enriched with commerce ; and now , in its burdened old age , making its slow and difficult way with great broad surface , over which the declining sun looms grandly , to the sea . The uninstructed or careless traveller generally finds but one form of beauty or of meaning in the river : the romantic gorge or wild cascade is perhaps the only kind of scenery which delights him . And so it bus often been in our estimate of history , Well-fought battles , or the doings of gay courts , or bloody revolutions , have been the chief sources of attraction ; while less well-dressed events , but not of less real interest or import , have often escaped all notice . "
Certainly , among the varied annals of our race , there are few presenting equal importance with tlio . se which tell of the discovery and conquest of the New World ; and yet how lamentably deficient our historical literature is in works on I his . subject , at once trustworthy , sagacious , and readable , tho . se only Iniow who have had occasion to seek . Something , no doubt , lies in ( he want of that associated interest which clusters round events of . European history . Our author has seen this , for elsewhere he nays : — " Throughout these ; expeditions in tho Terra Firina , whicli would else perhaps bo
: » H interesting as they are important , the reader is vexed and distracted by new and uncouth names of the people and of places . The very words Koine , Constnntinopl ; ' , London , ( icnoa , Venice , stir the Mood and arrest tho attention : any small incident in their fortunes enjoys . some of the jiccuniulutcd interest which , is bound up with these time-honoured names ; while it requires an effort of imagination to care about what may happen to ( 7 omogra , Dabuybe , l ' onclm , or Poeorosa . It is only on perceiving the immense importance ' of those events whicli happen in the early days of new-found countries , that we can . sullicienfly arouse our attention to consider such evenls al . all .
" Then , however , we may see that the fate of future empires , mid tho distribution of races over the dice of the earth depend upon the painful deeds of a few adventurers and unreuowiicd native chieftains --they themselves being hko players , whose names nnd private fortunes we do not cure much about ., but who are acting in Home great drama , tho story of which coucoriiH tho whole world . " As far an it Heein . s possible to invent tlieso annals with tho far-reaching interest of history , the delightful author of . friends in Council lias ¦ unquestionably succeeded in doing so in these volumes , the second of which , after an interval of four years , ho now places before us . The tangled thread of events is admirably unravelled , duo importance being given to apparently trilling , but really indicative circumstances ; a most unwearied and eon . Mcient ions erudition is brought into unostentatious application ; while the absence of nil apparent effort , niul nn honourable disdain of " writing Tor eHect" ( that weakness and curHO of our historical literature , more especially in tho biographical portions ) , give u calm dignity to tho ¦ tyle , which luiu neither frigidity nor stilted pomp to flouro tho reader .
Those who know and love his other writings ( and do any of our readers consent to remain in ignorance of The Claims of Labour , of Friends in Council , of Companion ^ of my Solitude ?) can readily picture to themselves the calm and luminous style , the gentle traits of humour , the kin d and acute thoughtfulness of a large and meditative mind , which serve to make these pages fascinating , and to disguise the immense labour that must have been employed in their composition . For quiet power , his writings always remind us of Goethe . This second volume opens with some brief , yet striking , indications of the nature and customs of the Indians , with whom , throughout , it is easy
to see he sympathizes , as with an ill-used race . He bids us be cautious how we accept Spanish testimony on this point , not simply because the conquerors were speaking of those they had ill-treated , but also because of the extreme difficulty of one people fairly appreciat ing another . " We see in this day that civilized people of the same race , religion , habits , manners , and language , often misunderstand each other utterly . Imagine , then , how great must be the chance of false interpretations , when men of different races talk together in language most imperfectly understood , eked out by signs , about subjects upon which they have scarcely any common ideas !"
After setting the Indians in a favourable light for sympathy , he proceeds to narrate the various stages in this strange history—such as the establishment of Darien , discovery of the South Sea , occupation of Cuba , and the administration of affairs by Cardinal Ximenes and by the Flemish Courtiers . He narrates these with a breadth of effect not unaccompanied by felicity of detail , which imply a real mastery over historical art , and the reflections are always in the right places . Here is one : " In considering the long tissue of mis-directed efforts narrated in this and the preceding chapters , it is natural to endeavour to think out what would have been the best , course to have been pursued by men of power in those days . That many of them earnestly desired to do right , is manifest , and it seems hard perpetually to criticise their doings without suggesting what they ought to have done . Had they been contented with a reasonable gain in trade , there is but little doubt in my mind that they would have prospered greatly . We see , I think , that the expeditions
which were thus conducted , were almost the only successful ones . This would not have prevented the gradual settlement of the Spaniards in America , but would only have made it proceed in the most natural , and , therefore , successful manner . Mercantile forts would have been erected : these would have depended for their supply not wholly on the surrounding country , but on their fellow countrymen , and by degrees that knowledge of the ways , customs , and especially of the language , of the Indians , would have been learnt , that would have proved most serviceable im further communication with them and in forming more extended settlements of the Spaniards . If , on the other hand , settlements were to be made without reference to trade , it is clear that agriculture should have been the first and the principal object of each new settlement . Trade and agriculture : these are the two chief sources of well-being for an infant colony . No colony is supported for any long time upon conquest ; unless indeed the conquerors at once adopt the ways and means of procuring livelihood in use among the subject people .
" It would also have been possible , perhaps , for a more extended colonization to have taken place with good effect , under a strict and limited government , such as might have been provided if one of the young princes of the house of Spain , Ferdinand , Charles the Fifth ' s brother , for instance , had been sent out to administer the Indies , and afterwards to possess what he should there acquire . For the want of unity in government , the distance from the centre of power , and the consequent strength and temerity of faction , were some of the main causes of the deplorable failures whicli have just been described . " This , however , is all ' ex post facto' wisdom . The recklessness of the conquerors , their love of wild adventure , the attractive power of gold which uses men for its divining rods , drawing them hither and thither through the utmost dangers to tho most wretched parts of the earth as it lists—all these together prevented , and must have prevented , anything like patient , steady , forbearing , concentrated colon i / iition .
" Throughout the history of the peopling of the Terra Firma by the Spaniards , it is impossible not to feel the greatest pity for the Jndian . s , who seem , from tho first , like a devoted people given over to destruction , and for whom there is no chance of gaining anything but despair from the presence of their invaders , who might , however , have brought and taught them so much that was good . For the Spaniards , too , seeing their undaunted energy and immenso endurance ( it is curious to observe , that they make little or no mention , for tho most part , of tlioso minor miseries which wo know thoy miiut huvo Hudered ko much from ) , it is impossible not to huvo some pity . They tire conquerors , but they suoin , utter all , liko demon-driven men . Little , apparently , is gained for humanity by all they do , ami tho majority of them , after filling up their measure of destruction , die miserably and contemptibly , with tho hard eyos of suffering companion !* , suffering too much themselves to pity others , upon them .
" The reader of these things feels , as the Indian sometimes felt themselves , that great prophecies of old were being unrelentingly fulfilled against them . " I am reminded of an old proverb of awful import which in these wars and devastations , applies to the conquerors us to the conquered , and whicli says , ' God may consent , but not for ever' ( Dios consicntc , pc . ro no para . siempre ) , and which indicate that there is an end , however remote , to all that is not built up in consonance with JI in laws . " Turning back to the discovery of tho Pacific , by Vnsco Nunez , wo quote the concluding passage , for the Hake of the remark appended to it :
"A little before Vasco Nunez , readied the height , Quurequu ' s Indians informed him of his near iipproueh to it . It was a sight which any man would wish to be alone to see . Vasco Nufio / , bade his men sit down while ho alone ascended and . looked down upon the v"st Pacific , the lirst man of the old world , so fur as wo know , who hud done so . Fulling OI , i , ; H ] LlW / 0 H > ]„ , ^ nve y , ani \ < j () , i j ; . i \ favour shown to him in bis being the first man to discover und behold this sou ; then with his bund lie beckoned to his men to come up ; when they had come , both ho and they knelt down mid poured forth their thanks to God . ' He then addressed them in these words : — ' You noe hero , gentlemen and children mine , how our desires are being accomplished , and tho end of our labours . Of that wo ought to be certain , for , as it him turned out true what King Oomogro'n hou told of this turn to uh , who never thought to nee it , ho I hold for certain that wlmt ho told uh of thoro being incompurablo trawuruB in it will ho fulfilled' God and hw l > los » od
Untitled Article
664 THE LEADER . ___ [ Satorpay ; ' ¦ ' ¦ — ' ¦ ' i ¦ . 1 i i i n ¦¦¦— ¦ ¦¦ - ¦ ¦ ¦ "'"'¦ " ' ¦¦* ' """ *^^^ i ii i i - . . ^ ^^^ m ^^^^ M ^ M ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ i ^ M ^ J
-
-
Citation
-
Leader (1850-1860), July 10, 1852, page 664, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1942/page/20/
-