As to Kossuth, his only solace was in the reflection
that he had stayed the tendency to revolution on the soil of Hungary,
and thus his countrymen had been saved from new calamities.
Thenceforward Kossuth had before him only a life of exile; but he
reserved for his children the right, and he set before them the duty,
of returning to their native land.
I am giving large space to the visit of Kossuth in the belief that the
country is moving away from the doctrines of self-government as a
common right of mankind, as they were taught by him and as they were
accepted generally until we approached the end of the nineteenth
century.
In Faneuil Hall Kossuth made these striking remarks. Addressing
himself to America, he said: "You have prodigiously grown by your
freedom of seventy-five years; but what are seventy-five years to take
for a charter of immortality! No, no, my humble tongue tells the
record of eternal truth. A privilege never can be lasting. Liberty
restricted to one nation never can be sure. You may way 'we are the
prophets of God,' but you shall not say, 'God is only our God.' The
Jews have said so and the pride of Jerusalem lies in the dust! Our
Saviour taught all humanity to say _'Our Father in Heaven,'_ and his
Jerusalem is 'lasting to the end of days.'"
His style was that of a scholar who had mastered the English language
by the aid of books.
Pages:
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303