It is urgent upon all Governments to pause in this fatal course;persisted in,the goal is fearfully evident;every hour's persistence in it is making return more difficult.Intellect exists in all countries;and the function appointed it by Heaven,--Governments had better attempt to contradict that,for they can!Intellect has to govern in this world and will do it,if in alliance with so-called "Governments"of red-tape and routine,then in divine hostility to such,and sometimes alas in diabolic hostility to such;and in the end,as sure as Heaven is higher than Downing Street,and the Laws of Nature are tougher than red-tape,with entire victory over them and entire ruin to them.If there is one thinking man among the Politicians of England,I consider these things extremely well worth his attention just .
Who are available to your Offices in Downing Street?All the gifted souls,of every rank,who are born to you in this generation.These are appointed,by the true eternal "divine right"which will never become obsolete,to be your govers and administrators;and precisely as you employ them,or neglect to employ them,will your State be favored of Heaven or disfavored.
This le young soul,you can have him on either of two conditions;and on one of them,since he is here in the world,you must have him.As your ally and coadjutor;or failing that,as your natural enemy:which shall it be?I consider that every Government convicts itself of infatuation and futility,or absolves and justifies itself before God and man,according as it answers this question.With all sublunary entities,this is the question of questions.What talent is born to you?How do you employ that?The crop of spiritual talent that is born to you,of human leness and intellect and heroic faculty,this is infinitely more important than your crops of cotton or corn,or wine or herrings or whale-oil,which the Newspapers record with such anxiety every season.This is quite counted by seasons,therefore the Newspapers are silent:but by generations and centuries,I assure you it becomes amazingly sensible;and surpasses,as Heaven does Earth,all the corn and wine,and whale-oil and California bullion,or any other crop you grow.If that crop cease,the other crops--please to take them also,if you are anxious about them.That once ceasing,we may shut shop;for other crop whatever will stay with us,is worth having if it would.
To promote men of talent,to search and sift the whole society in every class for men of talent,and joyfully promote them,has always been found impossible.In many forms of polity they have done it,and still do it,to a certain degree.The degree to which they succeed in doing it marks,as I have said,with very great accuracy the degree of divine and human worth that is in them,the degree of success or real ultimate victory they can expect to have in this world.--Think,for example,of the old Catholic Church,in its merely terrestrial relations to the State;and see if your reflections,and contrasts with what is,are of an exulting character.Progress of the species has gone on as with seven-league boots,and in various directions has shot ahead amazingly,with three cheers from all the world;but in this direction,the most vital and indispensable,it has lagged terribly,and has even moved backward,till it is quite gone out of sight in clouds of cotton-fuzz and railway-scrip,and has fallen fairly over the horizon to rearward!
In those most benighted Feudal societies,full of mere tyrans steel Barons,and totally destitute of Tenpound Franchises and Ballot-boxes,there did nevertheless authentically preach itself everywhere this grandest of gospels,without which other gospel can avail us much,to all souls of men,"Awake ye le souls;here is a le career for you!"I say,everywhere a road towards promotion,for human leness,lay wide open to all men.
The pious soul,--which,if you reflect,will mean the ingenuous and ingenious,the gifted,intelligent and ly-aspiring soul,--such a soul,in whatever rank of life it were born,had one path inviting it;a generous career,whereon,by human worth and valor,all earthly heights and Heaven itself were attainable.
In the lowest stratum of social thraldom,here was the le soul doomed quite to choke,and die igly.The Church,poor old benighted creature,had at least taken care of that:the le aspiring soul,doomed to choke igly in its penuries,could at least run into the neighboring Convent,and there take refuge.Education awaited it there;strict training only to whatever useful kledge could be had from writing and reading,but to obedience,to pious reverence,self-restraint,annihilation of self,--really to human leness in many most essential respects.questions asked about your birth,genealogy,quantity of money-capital or the like;the one question was,"Is there some human leness in you,or is there ?"The poor neat-herd's son,if he were a le of Nature,might rise to Priesthood,to High-priesthood,to the top of this world,--and best of all,he had still high Heaven lying high egh above him,to keep his head steady,on whatever height or in whatever depth his way might lie!