In every case of indulgence in such
sentiments of hatred they lower us in the opinion of nations, and
compel those Americans, who have retained some love of justice, to
blush for their country. Certainly these are great evils; and in order
that the public should protect itself from the guidance of those who
would lead it into such risks, it is only necessary to give it a clear
view of them. How do they succeed in veiling it from them? It is by
_metaphor_. They alter, they force, they deprave the meaning of three
or four words, and all is done.
Such a word is _invasion_ itself. An owner of an American furnace
says, "Preserve us from the _invasion_ of English iron." An English
landlord exclaims, "Let us repel the _invasion_ of American wheat!"
And so they propose to erect barriers between the two nations.
Barriers constitute isolation, isolation leads to hatred, hatred to
war, and war to _invasion_. "Suppose it does," say the two sophists;
"is it not better to expose ourselves to the chance of an eventual
_invasion_, than to accept a certain one?" And the people still
believe, and the barriers still remain.
Pages:
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181