Tuesday, July 05, 2005

Last Victorian Nation

Is that us? The United States of America? Who knew? I am excited to read about it. My father was raised by Victorian parents. Gates of Vienna has the story that America is "The World's Last Great Victorian Nation”, from The Scotsman on the 4th of July.

"The Scotsman ran a 4th of July editorial that deserves wide distribution in this country. Its author, Alex Massie, is to be commended on understanding and conveying so well what America means at this moment.

"We are not unique. As he says, we follow in the Victorians’ footsteps, accepting the politically incorrect, the very politically incorrect mantle that Kipling called the 'White Man’s burden.' He would have been more accurate to term it “the burden of democracy” for that is what it is and what it was when Kipling first named it.

"We follow in Britain’s footsteps, though we do not wear her Imperial shoes. Wherever Her Majesty’s people went they left a legacy of property rights and the rule of law. Was it a bloody road to liberty? Indeed. The Victorians were sure they were right and they sought to impose their vision."

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