rk, called "Civilization and Barbarism," giving an
account of the reigns of some of those tyrants who so long arrested the
great career of the Republic. That work is to be translated and
published, and will give a new feeling of interest in the history of
South America's struggles for freedom. If it had been one united
country, like the United States, instead of being cut up into so many
governments, it would have been easier for foreigners (if, indeed, North
Americans should be called foreigners in South America) to follow it in
its various changes; but, except where some great man, like Bolivar,
made himself conspicuous, it was difficult, without much investigation
of details, to keep the track of their proceedings, or to tell which
side was specifically right,--for a revolution, to be very interesting,
must have its foundation in great principles. The answer to this may
be, that to throw off the yoke of foreign dominion implies a great
principle, and this is true; yet, until it is done intelligently rather
than instinctively, it does not challenge the attention of the world.

Senor Sarmiento understands our institutions theoretically, as only
those foreigners can who have suffered the ills of tyranny and
oppression. Such men look at us from their various stand-points, and
reason ethically upon the effect which freedom from all undue authority
should have upon the human mind, and they judge of us by our theory
rather than by our practice; and when they come amongst us, they are
often disappointed and disheartened to find that we, too, are selfish
and hesitate to stretch the helping hand to our fellow-sufferers. When
they have patience to look deeper than the surface, however, they see
that there is a hidden might in the possibilities created by political
freedom; and since the outbreak of the war which has cost the nation
such blood and treasure, they have seen that they were not
mistaken,--that prosperity had not wholly spoiled us,--that the latent
force only needed a stimulus to resolve itself into noble action; and
such lives as Lincoln's and Johnson's are to them the most glorious
expositions of the principles for which they have borne everything,
suffered everything, and hoped everything. Our suffering neighbors, the
Mexicans, may be helped in their struggles by the diffusion of this
Spanish Life of Mr. Lincoln; for Sarmiento has dwelt with great
minuteness upon all those features of our institutions which younger