EDITOR'S TABLE. 



239 



of illegitimate ends, justice, instead of 

 being established, is sacrificed. Never- 

 theless, by all the implications of the 

 theory upon which we started, politics 

 was to be increasingly circumscribed, 

 and the community left more and more 

 to self-regulation, self-development, and 

 the course of private enterprise. And, 

 happily, political meddling and inter- 

 ference have not been able to defeat 

 this powerful tendency of things. There 

 has been a progress of intelligence, a 

 liberalization of ideas, a promotion of 

 welfare and an improvement of the so- 

 cial condition, which are to be credited, 

 not to politics, but to the laws of hu- 

 man nature and the spontaneous agen- 

 cies of social life. It is our accomplish- 

 ment in these directions that we think 

 may be most fitly marked and commem- 

 orated in the approaching Centennial. 



One of the grandest achievements 

 of the past century is the victory that 

 has been gained over the old spirit of 

 national narrowness and jealousy by 

 which all foreigners were regarded as 

 enemies. Increased inter - communi- 

 cation through the extraordinary mod- 

 ern facilities of travel, and a more 

 familiar acquaintance with the internal 

 life of other countries, have dissipated 

 nmch of the hostile feeling which was 

 formerly fostered as one of the first du- 

 ties of patriotism. Commerce has aided 

 to break down international prejudices, 

 and the interchanges of thought and a 

 common interest in the discoveries of 

 science and the inventions of art, by 

 which human condition is ameliorated, 

 are still further favorable to the senti- 

 ment of unity among the family of civ- 

 ilized nations. International bigotry is 

 of course very far from being extirpated, 

 and is still available to the demagogue, 

 but it has been greatly diminished. 

 Man is certainly becoming more by vir- 

 tue of his manhood, and less by virtue 

 of his nationality. It may safely be 

 affirmed that, if the feelings of diS"erent 

 peoples could be consulted, and if it 

 were not for the machinations of poli- 



ticians, international wars would in fu- 

 ture be impossible. It may be long be- 

 fore this feeling of sympathetic regard 

 and the duty of justice toward strangers 

 will become sufficiently strong to rule 

 the policy of governments ; but that it 

 is increasing in influence is a pronounced 

 and hopeful tendency of modern times, 

 and it should be recognized and strength- 

 ened in all possible ways and on all 

 practicable occasions. For these reasons 

 it seems in the highest degree proper 

 that the celebration of our hundredth 

 anniversary should have an internation- 

 al character. To shut ourselves up in 

 surly exclusiveness on our centennial 

 birth-year, and endeavor to revive the 

 illiberal moods and disagreeable mem- 

 ories of a century ago, would be to vio- 

 late the spirit of the occasion, and, as 

 the phrase is, to " go back " on the best 

 work of humanity for the last hundred 

 years. 



Another great result of civilization 

 duriug the past century, and in which 

 this country has had a conspicuous 

 share, is the development of the arts, 

 the multiplication of inventions, the 

 progress of industry, the extension 

 of science, and that conquest of ma- 

 terial Nature which gives new ad- 

 vantages to all ranks of society. In 

 this race of constructive and pacific im- 

 provement we are the competitors of 

 other nations, while each type of people 

 makes contributions in accordance with 

 its own genius and circumstances. In 

 the multiplicity and ingenuity of our de- 

 vices, and in their adaptation to the 

 practical wants of mankind, this coun- 

 try need not be ashamed of its position. 

 It has been long perceived that great 

 mutual advantage would result to dif- 

 ferent nations, and an immense total 

 gain to civilization, by bringing into 

 close comparison the best that each 

 community has to ofi'er in the way of 

 artistic and industrial productions. 

 England, France, and Austria, have in- 

 stituted international exhibitions, and 

 invited the cooperation of the world 



