1. we see here again the operation of the constant law that impelled men, or moved the “star of empire,” westward.[145] the form of the continents, the character of the surface and the climate, provided a natural and desirable opening only in that direction. the overplus of population, the discontent of some part of the people with existing government, the restlessness of adventurers, or the requirements of trade and commerce produced a migration. the colony, instructed by the experience of the parent state, was free to improve on its institutions. colonies have almost always prospered more than the mother country. transplanting seemed to improve both the stock and the institutions. greece was colonized from asia, as was rome; miletus, syracuse, and other greek colonies excelled the mother cities in wealth, and though the free structure of grecian government allowed a natural development at home and made athens the metropolis, yet its marvelous genius was nourished and stimulated by the colonies. carthage was greater and stronger than tyre, and contended with rome for the control of the world; the most western nations of europe were colonized from rome and germany, and have taken the lead in later progress, while america has always displayed the lusty, fertile vigor of a young life.

thus the conformation of the surface of the earth, and the peculiarly fruitful character of a transplanted civilization, have always furnished an escape from the embarrassing fixity of an old state, in the same western direction, and the old and the new unite to establish frequent stages of progress. in this way a continuous growth has been secured that impresses on advancing culture the same unity, from first to last, that we see in the growth and mental development of the individual man.

2. we have seen the aggregation and primary discipline of mankind in the simple but extensive despotisms of western asia, varied in palestine by a theocratic system which has produced the world’s great religion, and in egypt by the predominance of a learned priestly caste. we saw an improvement made in greece to meet the demands of intellectual[146] development. their intelligence, however, was a spontaneous outburst, of necessity immature. two thousand years of training, and the addition of many new elements were required before mind could rule the world; but greece, by the attractiveness of her art and culture, set men at work on the great problem of politics and life.

rome followed to organize government and consolidate the civilizations, to ripen their fruit and transmit the seed to a more favorable time, and to new and better races. a complete civilization was impossible without well digested science, which had its remote roots in greece; and law, which was gradually produced by the grand roman republic; and a clear understanding of the profound yet simple precepts of jesus christ.

3. western europe received all the wisdom and experience of the ancient world, and labored well at the grand problem, though she did not completely solve it. she, however, made an immense advance toward it, and her children, rich in her experience, instructed at once by her success and her mistakes, and aided always by her wisdom, found (let us hope) in america the goal of their noblest aspirations. thus we find the spirit of progress traversing the whole course of human history, constantly advancing through all the confusion of rising and falling states, of battle, siege and slaughter, of victory and defeat; through the varying fortunes and ultimate extinction of monarchy, republic and empire; through barbaric irruption and desolation, feudal isolation, spiritual supremacy, the heroic rush and conflict of the cross and the crescent; amid the busy hum of industry, through the marts of trade and behind the gliding keels of commerce; through the bloody conflicts of commons, nobles, kings and kaisers to new and free america. there the englishman, the german, the frenchman, the italian, the scandinavian, the asiatic and the african all meet as equals. there they are free to speak, to think, and to act. they bring their common contributions of character, energy and activity to the support and enlargement[147] of a common country, and the spread of its influence and enlightenment through all the lands of their origin. as america is the common ground on which all the currents and ideas of all the civilizations meet, so also it is the point from which return currents, hastened by lightning and by steam, seek again every quarter of the earth with kindly greetings, to renew the relations broken in the original separation of the races, and to cement, by exchanges mutually profitable, a new and better unity of mankind. as the heart in the human body receives the current of blood from all parts of the system, and, having revitalized it, returns it with fresh elements of strength, so america adopts the children of all lands only to return a manhood ennobled by a sense of its own dignity through the practice of a system of self-government which improves the condition and promotes the interest of each while it produces harm to none.

4. america, then, will colonize ideas, extensively, when her institutions are thoroughly matured. the process, indeed, commenced with her birth, and her spirit sails with her ships in every sea and visits all lands. all the past has contributed to the excellence of her foundation, and modern europe has supplied her with the most desirable building material both of ideas and of men. without asia, greece and rome, there would have been a very imperfect modern europe; and without modern europe, america must have begun at the beginning, with all the lessons, discoveries and discipline of thousands of years to learn. happily, we seem authorized to believe that, as she concludes the possible great migrations of humanity, she has so well learned the lessons of experience as to have given due flexibility and capacity of improvement to all her institutions, and, when necessary can reconstruct herself within herself. if this be true, she will reach the goal of all progress by furnishing to each individual among her citizens such aid as a state can give to make the most of himself, to reach the fullest expression of his value.