PERSONALISM.
TO Democracy, the leveller, the unyielding first principle of the average, is surely joined another principle, equally unyielding, closely tracking the first, indispensable to it, opposite, (as the sexes are opposite), and whose existence, coequal, confronting and ever modifying the other, often clashing, even defiant, paradoxical, yet neither of highest avail without the other, plainly supplies to these grand cosmic politics of ours, and to the launched forth mortal dangers of Republicanism, the analogic counterpart and offset, whereby Nature restrains the deadly original relentlessness of all her first-class laws.
This second principle is Individuality, the pride and centripetal isolation of a human being in himself,—Identity—Personalism. Whatever the name, its acceptance and thorough infusion through the organizations of political commonalty now shooting Aurora-like about the world, are of utmost importance, as the principle itself is needed for very life's sake. It forms, in a sort, or is to form, the compensating balance-wheel and sine qua non of the successful working machinery of America.
—And, if we think of it, what does civilization itself rest upon—and what object has it, with its religions, arts, schools, etc., but Personalism? To that, all bends; and it is because toward such result Democracy alone, on anything like Nature's scale, breaks up the limitless fallows of humankind, and plants the seed, and gives fair play, that its claims now precede the rest.
The Literature, Songs, Esthetics, etc., of a country are of importance principally because they furnish the materials and suggestions of Personality for the women and men of that country, and enforce them in a thousand effective ways. As the topmost claim of a strong consolidating of the Nationality of These States, is, that only by such powerful compaction can the separate States secure that full and free swing within their spheres, which is becoming to them, each after its kind, so will Individuality, with unimpeded branchings, always flourish best under imperial Republican forms.
—Assuming Democracy to be at present in its embryo condition, [see article in Galaxy, December, 1867,] and that the only large and satisfactory justification of it resides in the future, mainly through the copious production of perfect characters among the people, it is with regard to the atmosphere and spacious- ness fit for such characters, and of certain nutriment and cartoon-draftings proper for them, and indicating them, for New World purposes, that I attempt the present statement—an exploration, as of new ground, wherein, like other primitive surveyors, I must do the best I can, leaving it to those who come after me to do much better. The service, in fact, if any, must be to merely break a sort of first path or track, no matter how rude and ungeometrical.
We have frequently printed the word Democracy. Yet I cannot too often repeat that it is a word which still sleeps, quite unawakened, notwithstanding the
