SHOOTING NIAGARA.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XIII, Issue 4299, 20 December 1892, Page 2

SHOOTING NIAGARA.

"Thomas Carlyle" in his work called "Shooting Niagara" had some premonition of. political develop, ments. Tho following extract is very suggestive :

"Democracy to complete itself; to go the full length of its course, towards the bottomless or into it, n6 power now extant to' prevent it, or\ evon considerably retard it ;-till weff havo seen whore it will load ub to, and whether there will bo any return possible, or none. ■ Complete 'liberty' to all persons; oount of heads to bo tho Divine court of appeal on every question and interest of manki-nd • count of heads to choose a Parliament according to its own heart at hsat and sit with penny newspapers jealously watoh'ing the same."

_ "IHamdeedsstaDgehowpYe-possei... - sions and delusions seize upon whole ' communities of men; no basis in the notion they have formed,, yetevery., body adopting it, overy'tody finding tho whole world to agreo with him in it, and accept it as an axiom of Euclid. Tho writer proceeds to toll us oft*, uotions that will bo adopted, and which certainly to no small extent have been."

••Tho equality of men j any man equal to another; Quasheo nigger to Socrates or Shaiespearo; Judas Iscariot to Jesus Christ; and Bedlam and Gehenna to New Jerusalem." "Ask yourself about Liberty 'for A.-, example. What do wereally oeaiF byit; what in any just ana rational ' soul is that Divibo quality of liberty 2 That a good man be'free,'oa we call it.be jjermitted.to unfold himself in works of goodness and nobleness, is surely a blessing.to him and tathosV about him. But that a bad man be ' [m, permitted to unfold himself in his particular way, is contrariwise, the fotallesk cnrso you could inflict on him." , ■'■'■''

' ! Traitorous, politioans, grasping at votes, even votes from the rabble, havebrought it on-onecannotbut consider them traitorous j and ior one's own poor share, wotld ratbw have lm Bhotlhanc'oncirniiwiV'