passages from an old volume of life-第22章

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　our　own。　　The　running　sand　of　the　hour…glass　gives　no　warning；　but　runs　as　freely　as　ever　when　its　last　grains　are　about　to　fall。　　The　merchant　wears　as　bold　a　face　the　day　before　he　is　proclaimed　a　bankrupt；　as　he　wore　at　the　height　of　his　fortunes。　　If　Colonel　Grierson　found　the　Confederacy　〃a　mere　shell；〃　so　far　as　his　equestrian　excursion　carried　him；　how　can　we　say　how　soon　the　shell　will　collapse？　　It　seems　impossible　that　our　own　dissensions　can　produce　anything　more　than　local　disturbances；　like　the　Morristown　revolt；　which　Washington　put　down　at　once　by　the　aid　of　his　faithful　Massachusetts　soldiers。　　But　in　a　rebellious　state　dissension　is　ruin；　and　the　violence　of　an　explosion　in　a　strict　ratio　to　the　pressure　on　every　inch　of　the　containing　surface。　　Now　we　know　the　tremendous　force　which　has　compelled　the　〃unanimity〃　of　the　Southern　people。　　There　are　men　in　the　ranks　of　the　Southern　army；　if　we　can　trust　the　evidence　which　reaches　us；　who　have　been　recruited　with　packs　of　blood…hounds；　and　drilled；　as　it　were；　with　halters　around　their　necks。　　We　know　what　is　the　bitterness　of　those　who　have　escaped　this　bloody　harvest　of　the　remorseless　conspirators；　and　from　that　we　can　judge　of　the　elements　of　destruction　incorporated　with　many　of　the　seemingly　solid　portions　of　the　fabric　of　the　rebellion。　The　facts　are　necessarily　few；　but　we　can　reason　from　the　laws　of　human　nature　as　to　what　must　be　the　feelings　of　the　people　of　the　South　to　their　Northern　neighbors。　　It　is　impossible　that　the　love　of　the　life　which　they　have　had　in　common；　their　glorious　recollections；　their　blended　histories；　their　sympathies　as　Americans；　their　mingled　blood；　their　birthright　as　born　under　the　same　flag　and　protected　by　it　the　world　over；　their　worship　of　the　same　God；　under　the　same　outward　form；　at　least；　and　in　the　folds　of　the　same　ecclesiastical　organizations；　should　all　be　forgotten；　and　leave　nothing　but　hatred　and　eternal　alienation。　　Men　do　not　change　in　this　way；　and　we　may　be　quite　sure　that　the　pretended　unanimity　of　the　South　will　some　day　or　other　prove　to　have　been　a　part　of　the　machinery　of　deception　which　the　plotters　have　managed　with　such　consummate　skill。　　It　is　hardly　to　be　doubted　that　in　every　part　of　the　South；　as　in　New　Orleans；　in　Charleston；　in　Richmond；　there　are　multitudes　who　wait　for　the　day　of　deliverance；　and　for　whom　the　coming　of　〃our　good　friends；　the　enemies；〃　as　Beranger　has　it；　will　be　like　the　advent　of　the　angels　to　the　prison…cells　of　Paul　and　Silas。　　But　there　is　no　need　of　depending　on　the　aid　of　our　white　Southern　friends；　be　they　many　or　be　they　few；　there　is　material　power　enough　in　the　North；　if　there　be　the　will　to　use　it；　to　overrun　and　by　degrees　to　recolonize　the　South；　and　it　is　far　from　impossible　that　some　such　process　may　be　a　part　of　the　mechanism　of　its　new　birth；　spreading　from　various　centres　of　organization；　on　the　plan　which　Nature　follows　when　she　would　fill　a　half…finished　tissue　with　blood…vessels　or　change　a　temporary　cartilage　into　bone。

Suppose；　however；　that　the　prospects　of　the　war　were；　we　need　not　say　absolutely　hopeless；because　that　is　the　unfounded　hypothesis　of　those　whose　wish　is　father　to　their　thought；but　full　of　discouragement。　　Can　we　make　a　safe　and　honorable　peace　as　the　quarrel　now　stands？　　As　honor　comes　before　safety；　let　us　look　at　that　first。　　We　have　undertaken　to　resent　a　supreme　insult；　and　have　had　to　bear　new　insults　and　aggressions；　even　to　the　direct　menace　of　our　national　capital。　　The　blood　which　our　best　and　bravest　have　shed　will　never　sink　into　the　ground　until　our　wrongs　are　righted；　or　the　power　to　right　them　is　shown　to　be　insufficient。　　If　we　stop　now；　all　the　loss　of　life　has　been　butchery；　if　we　carry　out　the　intention　with　which　we　first　resented　the　outrage；　the　earth　drinks　up　the　blood　of　our　martyrs；　and　the　rose　of　honor　blooms　forever　where　it　was　shed。　　To　accept　less　than　indemnity　for　the　past；　so　far　as　the　wretched　kingdom　of　the　conspirators　can　afford　it；　and　security　for　the　future；　would　discredit　us　in　our　own　eyes　and　in　the　eyes　of　those　who　hate　and　long　to　be　able　to　despise　us。　　But　to　reward　the　insults　and　the　robberies　we　have　suffered；　by　the　surrender　of　our　fortresses　along　the　coast；　in　the　national　gulf；　and　on　the　banks　of　the　national　river；and　this　and　much　more　would　surely　be　demanded　of　us；would　place　the　United　Fraction　of　America　on　a　level　with　the　Peruvian　guano…islands；　whose　ignoble　but　coveted　soil　is　open　to　be　plundered　by　all　comers！

If　we　could　make　a　peace　without　dishonor；　could　we　make　one　that　would　be　safe　and　lasting？　　We　could　have　an　armistice；　no　doubt；　long　enough　for　the　flesh　of　our　wounded　men　to　heal　and　their　broken　bones　to　knit　together。　　But　could　we　expect　a　solid；　substantial；　enduring　peace；　in　which　the　grass　would　have　time　to　grow　in　the　war…paths；　and　the　bruised　arms　to　rust；　as　the　old　G。　R。　cannon　rusted　in　our　State　arsenal；　sleeping　with　their　tompions　in　their　mouths；　like　so　many　sucking　lambs？　　It　is　not　the　question　whether　the　same　set　of　soldiers　would　be　again　summoned　to　the　field。　　Let　us　take　it　for　granted　that　we　have　seen　enough　of　the　miseries　of　warfare　to　last　us　for　a　while；　and　keep　us　contented　with　militia　musters　and　sham…fights。　　The　question　is　whether　we　could　leave　our　children　and　our　children's　children　with　any　secure　trust　that　they　would　not　have　to　go　through　the　very　trials　we　are　enduring；　probably　on　a　more　extended　scale　and　in　a　more　aggravated　form。

It　may　be　well　to　look　at　the　prospects　before　us；　if　a　peace　is　established　on　the　basis　of　Southern　independence；　the　only　peace　possible；　unless　we　choose　to　add　ourselves　to　the　four　millions　who　already　call　the　Southern　whites　their　masters。　　We　know　what　the　prevailingwe　do　not　mean　universalspirit　and　temper　of　those　people　have　been　for　generations；　and　what　they　are　like　to　be　after　a　long　and　bitter　warfare。　　We　know　what　their　tone　is　to　the　people　of　the　North；　if　we　do　not；　De　Bow　and　Governor　Hammond　are　schoolmasters　who　will　teach　us　to　our　heart's　content。　　We　see　how　easily　their　social　organization　adapts　itself　to　a　state　of　warfare。　They　breed　a　superior　order　of　men　for　leaders；　an　ignorant　commonalty　ready　to　follow　them　as　the　vassals　of　feudal　times　followed　their　lords；　and　a　race　of　bondsmen；　who；　unless　this　war　changes　them　from　chattels　to　human　beings；　will　continue　to　add　vastly　to　their　military　strength　in　raising　their　food；　in　building　their　fortifications；　in　all　the　mechanical　work　of　war；　in　fact；　except；　it　may　be；　the　handling　of　weapons。　　The　institution　proclaimed　as　the　corner…stone　of　their　government　does　violence　not　merely　to　the　precepts　of　religion；　but　to　many　of　the　best　human　instincts；　yet　their　fanaticism　for　it　is　as　sincere　as　any　tribe　of　the　desert　ever　manifested　for　the　faith　of　the　Prophet　of　Allah。　They　call　themselves　by　the　same　name　as　the　Christians　of　the　North；　yet　there　is　as　much　difference　between　their　Christianity　and　that　of　Wesley　or　of　Channing；　as　between　creeds　that　in　past　times　have　vowed　mutual　extermination。　　Still　we　must　not　call　them　barbarians　because　they　cherish　an　institution　hostile　to　civilization。　　Their　highest　culture　stands　out　all　the　more　brilliantly　from　the　dark　background　of　ignorance　against　which　it　is　seen；　but　it　would　be　injustice　to　deny　that　they　have　always　shone　in　political　science；　or　that　their　military　capacity　makes　them　most　formidable　antagonists；　and　that；　however　inferior　they　may　be　to　their　Northern　fellow…countrymen　in　most　branches　of　literature　and　science；　the　social　elegances　and　personal　graces　lend　their　outward　show　to　the　best　circles　among　their　dominant　class。

Whom　have　we　then　for　our　neighbors；　in　case　of　separation；our　neighbors　along　a　splintered　line　of　fracture　extending　for　thousands　of　miles；but　the　Saracens　of　the　Nineteenth　Century；　a　fierce；　intolerant；　fanatical　people；　the　males　of　which　will　be　a　perpetual　standing　army；　hating　us　worse　than　the　Southern　Hamilcar　taught　his　swarthy　boy　to　hate　the　Romans；　a　people　whose　existence　as　a　hostile　nation　on　our　frontier　is　incompatible　with　our　peaceful　development？　Their　wealth；　th