On the record
It may flourish in Arcadia or Altruria, but it does not among the sons of the Pilgrims, or on the continent they subdued by stern struggle to the uses of civilization.
Said by
Whitelaw Reid
Source
gutenberg.orgWhitelaw Reid: “It may flourish in Arcadia or Altruria, but it does not among the sons of the Pilgrims, or on the continent they subdued…”
Editor's note · Context
Reid contrasts idealistic notions of governance with the realities faced by Americans descended from early settlers.
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More from Whitelaw Reid
It has proved, also, that universal suffrage is the surest guarantee and most powerful stimulus of individual, social and political progress.
They should strive for distinction by economy, by industry, by sobriety, by patient perseverance in well-doing, by constant improvement of religious instruction, and by the constant practice of Christian virtues.
Our national experience has demonstrated that public order reposes most securely on the broad base of universal suffrage.
Ordinarily the simple performance of duty is so blessed of God, that men who live in the doing of it, are the best off, in all respects, even in this world.