Select Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson Author:Ralph Waldo Emerson General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1888 Original Publisher: W. Scott Subjects: Literary Collections / American / General Literary Collections / Essays Literary Criticism / General Literary Criticism / American / General Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations... more » and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: RESULT. ENGLAND is the best of actual nations. It is no ideal framework, it is an old pile built in different ages, with repairs, additions, and makeshifts ; bat you see the poor best you have got. London is the epitome of our times, and the Rome of to-day. Broad-fronted, broad-bottomed Teutons, they stand in solid phalanx four-square to the points of compass : they constitute the modern world, they have earned their vantage-ground, and held it through ages of adverse possession. They are well marked, and differing from other leading races. England is tender-hearted. Rome was not . England is not so public in its bias ; private life is its place of honour. Truth in private life, untruth in public, marks these home-loving men. Their political conduct is not decided by general views, but by internal intrigues and personal and family interest. They cannot readily see beyond England. The history of Rome and Greece, when written by their scholars, degenerates into English party pamphlets. They cannot see beyond England, nor in England can they transcend the interests of the governing classes. " English principles" mean a primary regard to the interests of property. England, Scotland, and Ireland combine to check the colonies. England and Scotland combine to check Irish manufactures and trade. England rallies at home to check Scotland. In England the strong classes check the weaker. In the home population of near thirty million...« less