National Adversity [pp. 789-792]

1National Adve'sily.
instance, in one period of the history of ancient
Rome, society becomes divided into scarcely more
than two classes, the luxurious and corrupt on the
one hand, the avaricious on the other. Under such
a state of things, selfishness assumes almost universal sway; for to our minds the profligate spendthrift is quite as selfish as the miser. Philanthropy
and patriotism are consequently banished,-a condition more to be dreaded than any we can imagine;
one, in which free institutions must perish, and in
which, the tyrant, who would protect the miserly
in the hoarding of their gold, and the idle, in their
profligate expenditure, would be welcomed with
shouts of rejoicing. Now, if before such a period
arrives, a nation becomes impoverished by adversity, or rather, if her superfluities are thus retrenched, the evils we have enumierated will be removed, and their baleful consequences prevented.
Nor does the benefit stop here. The people
learn to practice the humble virtues, they before
despised:-parents educate their children more for
usefulness, and less for show;-and on the part of
almost every body, there is a return to industry,
frugality, economy, living within one's means, constant activity, cheerful labor, and untiring perseverance. The result is, things begin to brighten:
every day adds to the little store of comforts and
consolations; and as the years roll on, those who
were in a measure overshadowed by the darkness
of night, begin to be cheered by the brightness of
morning, and ultimately, in the full sunlig,ht of
peace and plenty, arrive at the sensible conclusion,
that by the kind aid which Providence extends unto
all, there may be many a Job, "more blessed in
his latter end, than in his beginning." It will
easily be perceived, that where all the individuals
of a state, under the influence of what are called
the humbler virtues, thus advance steadily and
surely on, until they attain a comifortable and sub stantial, though not a showy and gorgeous wealth,
the state itself must just as steadily and as surely,
and in the same ratio, advance to aligh ranklc among
the empires of the earth. And with the recollec tion of this still in our minds, and glancing at the
courage, endurance, industry, frugality and other
virtues of those noble men whose posterity we have
the fortune to be, we cease to be surprised at the
high rank we have attained in the scale of nations.
We plainly see, that if the virtues of our fathers
could have been entailed on their children without
the possibility of alienation, there could be no limit
prescribed to our national strength and greatness.
But we need not stop with our own country if we
wish to discover, how humble, but sterling virtues
have accompanied the rise of nations, and showy,
but degrading vices, their decline and fall. The
book, history, teems with illustrative examples, all
serving to establisL the truth of the opinion, that
"the strength of a nation consists not so much in
its possessions and pecuniary resources, as in thew
spirit, truth a n d virtue of its members." If these,
from the natural tendency of man's nature to be
lulled to sleep, or to become corrupted by the existence of prosperity, have been banished, that influence is certainly beneficial in an eminent degree,
which recalls them from their exile and gives them
a place in the hearts of the people.
Another advantage is, that from adversity, people learn political wisdom. In the halcyon, fairweather days of prosperity, every thing moves on
with so much harmony, and with so much monotony
too,-the events of to-day differing from those of yes -
terday, only in being of brighter hue,-that from day
to day we read but the same lesson from the book of
experience, and consequently remain comparatively
ignorant of the things which malie for the nation's
future welfare and peace. Political theories are
then formed, beautiful as dreams, and often of equally as light, fantastic stiff, and when applied to the
operations of government seem to work well, because other influences continue prosperity in spite
of such nake-weights and drawbacks. But when
the storm of adversity comes, deprived of the supports which gave them a show of strength, political opinions and theories are put to the proof, and
according as they are found true or false, men will
adopt or reject them.
But not only do we learn in adversity to distin gulish between true and false theories; we also
become expert ill the use and application of true
political science, and are thus prepared to meet
fiuture difficulties as they may arise, or to foresee
and avoid them. How would the mariner be skil ful in navigation, if he had never been in a storm.
Or the pilot know how to avoid the shoals and sand banks and rocks which may beset his way, if he
had never been among them, and knew not what
1842.1
791
they were!
Another benefit is, that demagogues, the peculiar curse of republics, are unmasked. Who has
not seen, -'In Drosperotis times, a class of men who
flatter, a-d cajole, and excite the people merelv for
purposes of s —,If-acgrandizement; who worm theinselves into the affections of the community, and
thence into office and hirh places, where they may advantageotisly feed upon the public funds, and bask in
the sunshine of popular or executive favor 1 Now,
in times of adversity, the people, awakened by the
perl'Is which surround them, discover, thouoh ever
so rriuch dis,uised, the artifices of these demagoues, and perceive their inability to safety conduct them throu(,h the difficulties which encompass
and beset their way. The result is, these gentlemen have permission to retire to a well-deserved
solitude. And on the other hand, when a state i,,
amid, or is threatened b serious dancers, 11 great
characters,'as has been well remarked by a distingiiished writer of our own time' (De Toequeville,) are then thrown into relief, as the edifices
which are concerned by the P,,Ioom of niclit, are
1.