Political organizations are dissolved by influence
of time. At some periods and in some portions of the world, barbarous
races appropriate to their use the former domain of civilization, while
at other points of time and space nations are rapidly advancing in
wealth and refinement. If savage communities have been exterminated by
superior races of men, so have the arts and civilities of the most
enlightened people been displaced by the rude passions and rugged
manners of barbarism. As in the natural world there is a slow
revolution of thousands of years, by which every part of this globe is
brought within the tropics and beneath the poles, so there appears to
be a great cycle of humanity, whose law is that every portion of the
race shall pass through each condition of social, intellectual and
moral existence.
But whatever may be the fate of families, races and nations, their
influence is in some sense perpetual. The Past is not dead. By a
mysterious cord it is connected with the Present. Could we analyze
our life, we should perhaps find that but few of the emotions we
experience are to be traced to events and circumstance which have
occurred in our own time.
We admire the heroes of Grecian history and even of Grecian fable. We
are inspired by ancient poetry and eloquence, as well as by the bards
and orators of modern times.
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