countries, a practical blasphemy, and Nature will in nowise
forget it. Alas, there lies the origin, the fatal necessity, of
modern Democracy everywhere. It is the Noblest, not the
Sham-Noblest; it is God-Almighty's Noble, not the Court-Tailor's
Noble, nor the Able-Editor's Noble, that must, in some
approximate degree, be raised to the supreme place; he and not a
counterfeit,--under penalties! Penalties deep as death, and at
length terrible as hell-on-earth, my constitutional friend!--Will
the ballot-box raise the Noblest to the chief place; does any
sane man deliberately believe such a thing? That nevertheless is
the indispensable result, attain it how we may: if that is
attained, all is attained; if not that, nothing. He that cannot
believe the ballot-box to be attaining it, will be comparatively
indifferent to the ballot-box. Excellent for keeping the ship's
crew at peace under their Phantasm Captain; but unserviceable,
under such, for getting round Cape Horn. Alas, that there should
be human beings requiring to have these things argued of, at this
late time of day!

I say, it is the everlasting privilege of the foolish to be
governed by the wise; to be guided in the right path by those who
know it better than they. This is the first "right of man;"
compared with which all other rights are as nothing,--mere
superfluities, corollaries which will follow of their own accord
out of this; if they be not contradictions to this, and less than
nothing! To the wise it is not a privilege; far other indeed.
Doubtless, as bringing preservation to their country, it implies
preservation of themselves withal; but intrinsically it is the
harshest duty a wise man, if he be indeed wise, has laid to his
hand. A duty which he would fain enough shirk; which