8719. UNITED STATES, Superiority over Europe.—
I sincerely wish you may find
it convenient to come here [Europe]; the
pleasure of the trip will be less than you expect,
but the utility greater. It will make
you adore your own country, its soil, its climate,
its equality, liberty, laws, people, and
manners. My God! how little do my countrymen
know what precious blessings they are
in possession of, and which no other people
on earth enjoy. I confess I had no idea of it
myself. While we shall see multiplied instances
of Europeans going to live in America,
I will venture to say, no man now living
will ever see an instance of an American removing
to settle in Europe, and continuing
there. Come, then, and see the proofs of this,
and on your return add your testimony to
that of every thinking American, in order to
satisfy our countrymen how much it is to
their interest to preserve, uninfected by contagion,
those peculiarities in their government
and manners, to which they are indebted for
those blessings.—
To James Monroe. Washington ed. i, 352.
Ford ed., iv, 59.
(P.
1785)
