6 RADICALISM AND THE NATIONAL CRISIS. storm and do his duty; yet Wilberforce, the radical, the man whom all honest men now delight to honor, held steadily to his purpose till he carried the point. He kept the ear of England tingling with the terrible wickedness of the slave-trade, till England’s conscience could no longer bear the sound. England now makes that piracy punishable with death, on which she once bestowed her sanction. It was the radical spirit of Wilberforce that brought about this result. So, all the reformatory movements which have marked the history of England, or that of this country, and I may add, that of the world, have sprung from the same spirit, and been conducted by the same class of men. Who are the men that have resisted the assumptions of despotic power,—curtailed the prerogatives of kings,—made the monarchies of Europe far more liberal and just than they were a century ago,—contended for the doctrine of popular rights,—sympathised with the suffering, the oppressed, and the down-trodden of our species,—contributed to the emancipation and dignity of labor,—enlarged the right of suffrage,—pleaded most earnestly for the education of the masses,—poured forth their blood like water upon the altars of freedom—; yes who are the men that have done these things? Who projected the American Revolution? Who wrote the Declaration of Independence, than which a more radical document never met the eye of earth or heaven ? Who supported it with their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor ? To whom are we indebted for the political and civil system, under which we have so long, and until lately, so happily lived ? The plain and honest voice of history will tell you, that these achievements are mainly due to those men, who have acted on the principle of laying the axe at the root of the tree, and then cutting down every tree that did not bring forth good fruit. Sometimes called Round Heads, sometimes Puritans, sometimes disorganizers, sometimes agitators, sometimes radicals, sometimes fanatics, sometimes one thing, and sometimes another, they have nevertheless been the most prominent actors in promoting the advancement of humanity, correcting its abuses, and in all respects, improving the social and political condition of our world. For a rule they are
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTM4ODY=