And For This
Peculiarity He Has Been Made The Mark Of Much Ridicule.
It shows
itself in two ways:
Either by extreme displeasure when anything is
said disrespectful of his country, or by the strong eulogy with
which he is accustomed to speak of his own institutions and of those
of his countrymen whom at the moment he may chance to hold in high
esteem. The manner in which this is done is often ridiculous.
"Sir, what do you think of Mr. Jefferson Brick? Mr. Jefferson
Brick, sir, is one of our most remarkable men." And again: "Do you
like our institutions, sir? Do you find that philanthropy,
religion, philosophy and the social virtues are cultivated on a
scale commensurate with the unequaled liberty and political
advancement of the nation?" There is something absurd in such a
mode of address when it is repeated often. But hero worship and
love of country are not absurd; and do not these addresses show
capacity for hero worship and an aptitude for the love of country?
Jefferson Brick may not be a hero; but a capacity for such worship
is something. Indeed the capacity is everything, for the need of a
hero will produce a hero. And it is the same with that love of
country. A people that are proud of their country will see that
there is something in their country to justify their pride. Do we
not all of us feel assured by the intense nationality of an American
that he will not desert his nation in the hour of her need?
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