Tuesday, July 15, 2003
Lessons for today's politicians from the young Harvard student almost 250 years ago:
Carry that with you to the UN, George, or to the next policy meeting.
Remarkable insight from a young man without access to the internet and modern histories:
England immediately upon this began to increase (the particular and minute cause of which I am not historian enough to trace) in power and magnificance, and is now the greatest nation upon the globe.
Soon after the Reformation a few people came over into the new world for conscience sake. Perhaps this (apparently) trivial incident may transfer the great seat of empire into America. It looks likely to me. For if we can remove the turbulent Gallics [they even had trouble with the French back then!], our people according to exactest computations, will in another century, become more numerous than England itself. Should this be the case, since we have (I may say) all the naval stores of the nation in our hands, it will be easy to obtain the mastery of the seas, and then the united force of all Europe, will not be able to subdue us. The only way to keep us from setting up for ourselves is to disunite us. Divide et impera. Keep us in distinct colonies, and then, some great men in each colonu, desiring the monarchy of the whoole, they will destroy each others' influence and keep the country in equilibrio.
Be not surprised that I am turned politician. The whole town is immersed in politics.
Interesting. When nations become too comfortable, they risk falling into indolence, or taking things too in stride. Again, more parallels between a still somewhat unsure, worried America, and a Europe that may have seen too much, and now can no longer recognize the approach of danger - whether it be enemies abroad, or falling productivity within from too many vacations, too short a work-week and too many on the dole.