democracy in america-1-第129节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


h　are　taking　place　in　any　corner　of　the　globe。　　The　consequence　is　that　there　is　less　difference；　at　the　present　day；　between　the　Europeans　and　their　descendants　in　the　New　World；　than　there　was　between　certain　towns　in　the　thirteenth　century　which　were　only　separated　by　a　river。　If　this　tendency　to　assimilation　brings　foreign　nations　closer　to　each　other；　it　must　a　fortiori　prevent　the　descendants　of　the　same　people　from　becoming　aliens　to　each　other。

The　time　will　therefore　come　when　one　hundred　and　fifty　millions　of　men　will　be　living　in　North　America；　*q　equal　in　condition；　the　progeny　of　one　race；　owing　their　origin　to　the　same　cause；　and　preserving　the　same　civilization；　the　same　language；　the　same　religion；　the　same　habits；　the　same　manners；　and　imbued　with　the　same　opinions；　propagated　under　the　same　forms。　The　rest　is　uncertain；　but　this　is　certain；　and　it　is　a　fact　new　to　the　world　…　　a　fact　fraught　with　such　portentous　consequences　as　to　baffle　the　efforts　even　of　the　imagination。

＇Footnote　q：　This　would　be　a　population　proportionate　to　that　of　Europe；　taken　at　a　mean　rate　of　410　inhabitants　to　the　square　league。＇

There　are；　at　the　present　time；　two　great　nations　in　the　world　which　seem　to　tend　towards　the　same　end；　although　they　started　from　different　points：　I　allude　to　the　Russians　and　the　Americans。　　Both　of　them　have　grown　up　unnoticed；　and　whilst　the　attention　of　mankind　was　directed　elsewhere；　they　have　suddenly　assumed　a　most　prominent　place　amongst　the　nations；　and　the　world　learned　their　existence　and　their　greatness　at　almost　the　same　time。

All　other　nations　seem　to　have　nearly　reached　their　natural　limits；　and　only　to　be　charged　with　the　maintenance　of　their　power；　but　these　are　still　in　the　act　of　growth；　*r　all　the　others　are　stopped；　or　continue　to　advance　with　extreme　difficulty；　these　are　proceeding　with　ease　and　with　celerity　along　a　path　to　which　the　human　eye　can　assign　no　term。　　The　American　struggles　against　the　natural　obstacles　which　oppose　him；　the　adversaries　of　the　Russian　are　men；　the　former　combats　the　wilderness　and　savage　life；　the　latter；　civilization　with　all　its　weapons　and　its　arts：　the　conquests　of　the　one　are　therefore　gained　by　the　ploughshare；　those　of　the　other　by　the　sword。　The　Anglo…American　relies　upon　personal　interest　to　accomplish　his　ends；　and　gives　free　scope　to　the　unguided　exertions　and　common…sense　of　the　citizens；　the　Russian　centres　all　the　authority　of　society　in　a　single　arm：　the　principal　instrument　of　the　former　is　freedom；　of　the　latter　servitude。　Their　starting…point　is　different；　and　their　courses　are　not　the　same；　yet　each　of　them　seems　to　be　marked　out　by　the　will　of　Heaven　to　sway　the　destinies　of　half　the　globe。

＇Footnote　r：　Russia　is　the　country　in　the　Old　World　in　which　population　increases　most　rapidly　in　proportion。＇





End　of　Volume　1