nt heroes? Don't kill us; we couldn't help it!〃 Not one of them turned round; and stood upon his Kingship; as upon a right he could afford to die for; or to risk his skin upon; by no manner of means。 That; I say; is the alarming peculiarity at present。 Democracy; on this new occasion; finds all Kings conscious that they are but Play…actors。 The miserable mortals; enacting their High Life Below Stairs; with faith only that this Universe may perhaps be all a phantasm and hypocrisis;the truculent Constable of the Destinies suddenly enters: 〃Scandalous Phantasms; what do _you_ here? Are 'solemnly constituted Impostors' the proper Kings of men? Did you think the Life of Man was a grimacing dance of apes? To be led always by the squeak of your paltry fiddle? Ye miserable; this Universe is not an upholstery Puppet…play; but a terrible God's Fact; and you; I think;had not you better begone!〃 They fled precipitately; some of them with what we may call an exquisite ignominy;in terror of the treadmill or worse。 And everywhere the people; or the populace; take their own government upon themselves; and open 〃kinglessness;〃 what we call _anarchy_;how happy if it be anarchy _plus_ a street…constable!is everywhere the order of the day。 Such was the history; from Baltic to Mediterranean; in Italy; France; Prussia; Austria; from end to end of Europe; in those March days of 1848。 Since the destruction of the old Roman Empire by inroad of the Northern Barbarians; I have known nothing similar。
And so; then; there remained no King in Europe; no King except the Public Haranguer; haranguing on barrel…head; in leading article; or getting himself aggregated into a National Parliament to harangue。 And for about four months all France; and to a great degree all Europe; rough…ridden by every species of delirium; except happily the murderous for most part; was a weltering mob; presided over by M。 de Lamartine; at the Hotel…de…Ville; a most eloquent fair…spoken literary gentleman; whom thoughtless persons took for a prophet; priest and heaven…sent evangelist; and whom a wise Yankee friend of mine discerned to be properly 〃the first stump…orator in the world; standing too on the highest stump;for the time。〃 A sorrowful spectacle to men of reflection; during the time he lasted; that poor M。 de Lamartine; with nothing in him but melodious wind and _soft sawder_; which he and others took for something divine and not diabolic! Sad enough; the eloquent latest impersonation of Chaos…come…again; able to talk for itself; and declare persuasively that it is Cosmos! However; you have but to wait a little; in such cases; all balloons do and must give up their gas in the pressure of things; and are collapsed in a sufficiently wretched manner before long。
And so in City after City; street…barricades are piled; and truculent; more or less murderous insurrection begins; populace after populace rises; King after King capitulates or absconds; and from end to end of Europe Democracy has blazed up explosive; much higher; more irresistible and less resisted than ever before; testifying too sadly on what a bottomless volcano; or universal powder…mine of most inflammable mutinous chaotic elements; separated from us by a thin earth…rind; Society with all its arrangements and acquirements everywhere; in the present epoch; rests! The kind of persons who excite or give signal to such revolutionsstudents; young men of letters; advocates; editors; hot inexperienced enthusiasts; or fierce and justly bankrupt desperadoes; acting everywhere on the discontent of the millions and blowing it into flame;might give rise to reflections as to the character of our epoch。 Never till now did young men; and almost children; take such a command in human affairs。 A changed time since the word _Senior_ (Seigneur; or _Elder_) was first devised to signify 〃lord;〃 or superior;as in all languages of men we find it to have been! Not an honorable document this either; as to the spiritual condition of our epoch。 In times when men love wisdom; the old man will ever be venerable; and be venerated; and reckoned noble: in times that love something else than wisdom; and indeed have little or no wisdom; and see little or none to love; the old man will cease to be venerated; and looking more closely; also; you will find that in fact he has ceased to be venerable; and has begun to be contemptible; a foolish boy still; a boy without the graces; generosities and opulent strength of young boys。 In these days; what of _lordship_ or leadership is still to be done; the youth must do it; not the mature or aged man; the mature man; hardened into sceptical egoism; knows no monition but that of his own frigid cautious; avarices; mean timidities; and can lead no…whither towards an object that even seems noble。 But to return。
This mad state of matters will of course before long allay itself; as it has everywhere begun to do; the ordinary necessities of men's daily existence cannot comport with it; and these; whatever else is cast aside; will have their way。 Some remountingvery temporary remountingof the old machine; under new colors and altered forms; will probably ensue soon in most countries: the old histrionic Kings will be admitted back under conditions; under 〃Constitutions;〃 with national Parliaments; or the like fashionable adjuncts; and everywhere the old daily life will try to begin again。 But there is now no hope that such arrangements can be permanent; that they can be other than poor temporary makeshifts; which; if they try to fancy and make themselves permanent; will be displaced by new explosions recurring more speedily than last time。 In such baleful oscillation; afloat as amid raging bottomless eddies and conflicting sea…currents; not steadfast as on fixed foundations; must European Society continue swaying; now disastrously tumbling; then painfully readjusting itself; at ever shorter intervals;till once the _new_ rock…basis does come to light; and the weltering deluges of mutiny; and of need to mutiny; abate again!
For universal _Democracy_; whatever we may think of it; has declared itself as an inevitable fact of the days in which we live; and he who has any chance to instruct; or lead; in his days; must begin by admitting that: new street…barricades; and new anarchies; still more scandalous if still less sanguinary; must return and again return; till governing persons everywhere know and admit that。 Democracy; it may be said everywhere; is here:for sixty years now; ever since the grand or _First_ French Revolution; that fact has been terribly announced to all the world; in message after message; some of them very terrible indeed; and now at last all the world ought really to believe it。 That the world does believe it; that even Kings now as good as believe it; and know; or with just terror surmise; that they are but temporary phantasm Play…actors; and that Democracy is the grand; alarming; imminent and indisputable Reality: this; among the scandalous phases we witnessed in the last two years; is a phasis full of hope: a sign that we are advancing closer and closer to the very Problem itself; which it will behoove us to solve or die; that all fighting and campaigning and coalitioning in regard to the _existence_ of the Problem; is hopeless and superfluous henceforth。 The gods have appointed it so; no Pitt; nor body of Pitts or mortal creatures can appoint it otherwise。 Democracy; sure enough; is here; one knows not how long it will keep hidden underground even in Russia;and here in England; though we object to it resolutely in the form of street…barricades and insurrectionary pikes; and decidedly will not open doors to it on those terms; the tramp of its million feet is on all streets and thoroughfares; the sound of its bewildered thousand…fold voice is in all writings and speakings; in all thinkings and modes and activities of men: the soul that does not now; with hope or terror; discern it; is not the one we address on this occasion。
What is Democracy; this huge inevitable Product of the Destinies; which is everywhere the portion of our Europe in these latter days? There lies the question for us。 Whence comes it; this universal big black Democracy; whither tends it; what is the meaning of it? A meaning it must have; or it would not be here。 If we can find the right meaning of it; we may; wisely submitting or wisely resisting and controlling; still hope to live in the midst of it; if we cannot find the right meaning; if we find only the wrong or no meaning in it; to live will not be possible!The whole social wisdom of the Present Time is summoned; in the name of the Giver of Wisdom; to make clear to itself; and lay deeply to heart with an eye to strenuous valiant practice and effort; what the meaning of this universal revolt of the European Populations; which calls itself Democracy; and decides to continue permanent; may be。
Certainly it is a drama full of action; event fast following event; in which curiosity finds endless scope; and there are interests at stake; enough to rivet the attention of all men; simple and wise。 Whereat the idle multitude lift up their voices; gratulating; celebrating sky…high; in rhyme and prose announcement; more than plentiful; that _now_ the New Era; and long…expected Year One of Perfect Human Felicity has come。 Glorious and immortal people; sublime French citizens; heroic barricades; triumph of civil and religious libertyO Heaven! one of the inevitablest private miseries; to an earnest man in such circumstances; is this multitudinous efflux of oratory and psalmody; from the universal foolish human throat; drowning for the moment all reflection whatsoever; except the sorrowful one that you are fallen in an evil; heavy…laden; long…eared age; and must resignedly bear your part in the same。 The front wall of your wretched old crazy dwelling; long denounced by you to no purpose; having at last fairly folded itself over; and fallen prostrate into the street; the floors; as may happen; will still hang on by the mere beam…ends; and coherency of old carpentry; though in a sloping direction; and depend there till certain poor rusty nails and worm…eaten dovetailings give way:but is it cheering; in such circumstances; that the whole household burst