e　lies　the　question　for　us。　　Whence　comes　it；　this　universal　big　black　Democracy；　whither　tends　it；　what　is　the　meaning　of　it？　　A　meaning　it　must　have；　or　it　would　not　be　here。　　If　we　can　find　the　right　meaning　of　it；　we　may；　wisely　submitting　or　wisely　resisting　and　controlling；　still　hope　to　live　in　the　midst　of　it；　if　we　cannot　find　the　right　meaning；　if　we　find　only　the　wrong　or　no　meaning　in　it；　to　live　will　not　be　possible！The　whole　social　wisdom　of　the　Present　Time　is　summoned；　in　the　name　of　the　Giver　of　Wisdom；　to　make　clear　to　itself；　and　lay　deeply　to　heart　with　an　eye　to　strenuous　valiant　practice　and　effort；　what　the　meaning　of　this　universal　revolt　of　the　European　Populations；　which　calls　itself　Democracy；　and　decides　to　continue　permanent；　may　be。
  Certainly　it　is　a　drama　full　of　action；　event　fast　following　event；　in　which　curiosity　finds　endless　scope；　and　there　are　interests　at　stake；　enough　to　rivet　the　attention　of　all　men；　simple　and　wise。　　Whereat　the　idle　multitude　lift　up　their　voices；　gratulating；　celebrating　sky…high；　in　rhyme　and　prose　announcement；　more　than　plentiful；　that　_now_　the　New　Era；　and　long…expected　Year　One　of　Perfect　Human　Felicity　has　come。　　Glorious　and　immortal　people；　sublime　French　citizens；　heroic　barricades；　triumph　of　civil　and　religious　libertyO　Heaven！　one　of　the　inevitablest　private　miseries；　to　an　earnest　man　in　such　circumstances；　is　this　multitudinous　efflux　of　oratory　and　psalmody；　from　the　universal　foolish　human　throat；　drowning　for　the　moment　all　reflection　whatsoever；　except　the　sorrowful　one　that　you　are　fallen　in　an　evil；　heavy…laden；　long…eared　age；　and　must　resignedly　bear　your　part　in　the　same。　　The　front　wall　of　your　wretched　old　crazy　dwelling；　long　denounced　by　you　to　no　purpose；　having　at　last　fairly　folded　itself　over；　and　fallen　prostrate　into　the　street；　the　floors；　as　may　happen；　will　still　hang　on　by　the　mere　beam…ends；　and　coherency　of　old　carpentry；　though　in　a　sloping　direction；　and　depend　there　till　certain　poor　rusty　nails　and　worm…eaten　dovetailings　give　way：but　is　it　cheering；　in　such　circumstances；　that　the　whole　household　burst　forth　into　celebrating　the　new　joys　of　light　and　ventilation；　liberty　and　picturesqueness　of　position；　and　thank　God　that　now　they　have　got　a　house　to　their　mind？　　My　dear　household；　cease　singing　and　psalmodying；　lay　aside　your　fiddles；　take　out　your　work…implements；　if　you　have　any；　for　I　can　say　with　confidence　the　laws　of　gravitation　are　still　active；　and　rusty　nails；　worm…eaten　dovetailings；　and　secret　coherency　of　old　carpentry；　are　not　the　best　basis　for　a　household！In　the　lanes　of　Irish　cities；　I　have　heard　say；　the　wretched　people　are　sometimes　found　living；　and　perilously　boiling　their　potatoes；　on　such　swing…floors　and　inclined　planes　hanging　on　by　the　joist…ends；　but　I　did　not　hear　that　they　sang　very　much　in　celebration　of　such　lodging。　　No；　they　slid　gently　about；　sat　near　the　back　wall；　and　perilously　boiled　their　potatoes；　in　silence　for　most　part！
  High　shouts　of　exultation；　in　every　dialect；　by　every　vehicle　of　speech　and　writing；　rise　from　far　and　near　over　this　last　avatar　of　Democracy　in　1848：　and　yet；　to　wise　minds；　the　first　aspect　it　presents　seems　rather　to　be　one　of　boundless　misery　and　sorrow。　　What　can　be　more　miserable　than　this　universal　hunting　out　of　the　high　dignitaries；　solemn　functionaries；　and　potent；　grave　and　reverend　signiors　of　the　world；　this　stormful　rising…up　of　the　inarticulate　dumb　masses　everywhere；　against　those　who　pretended　to　be　speaking　for　them　and　guiding　them？　　These　guides；　then；　were　mere　blind　men　only　pretending　to　see？　　These　rulers　were　not　ruling　at　all；　they　had　merely　got　on　the　attributes　and　clothes　of　rulers；　and　were　surreptitiously　drawing　the　wages；　while　the　work　remained　undone？　　The　Kings　were　Sham…Kings；　play…acting　as　at　Drury　Lane；and　what　were　the　people　withal　that　took　them　for　real？
  It　is　probably　the　hugest　disclosure　of　_falsity_　in　human　things　that　was　ever　at　one　time　made。　　These　reverend　Dignitaries　that　sat　amid　their　far…shining　symbols　and　long…sounding　long…admitted　professions；　were　mere　Impostors；　then？　　Not　a　true　thing　they　were　doing；　but　a　false　thing。　　The　story　they　told　men　was　a　cunningly　devised　fable；　the　gospels　they　preached　to　them　were　not　an　account　of　man's　real　position　in　this　world；　but　an　incoherent　fabrication；　of　dead　ghosts　and　unborn　shadows；　of　traditions；　cants；　indolences；　cowardices；a　falsity　of　falsities；　which　at　last　_ceases_　to　stick　together。　　Wilfully　and　against　their　will；　these　high　units　of　mankind　were　cheats；　then；　and　the　low　millions　who　believed　in　them　were　dupes；a　kind　of　_inverse_　cheats；　too；　or　they　would　not　have　believed　in　them　so　long。　　A　universal　_Bankruptcy　of　Imposture_；　that　may　be　the　brief　definition　of　it。　　Imposture　everywhere　declared　once　more　to　be　contrary　to　Nature；　nobody　will　change　its　word　into　an　act　any　farther：fallen　insolvent；　unable　to　keep　its　head　up　by　these　false　pretences；　or　make　its　pot　boil　any　more　for　the　present！　　A　more　scandalous　phenomenon；　wide　as　Europe；　never　afflicted　the　face　of　the　sun。　Bankruptcy　everywhere；　foul　ignominy；　and　the　abomination　of　desolation；　in　all　high　places：　　odious　to　look　upon；　as　the　carnage　of　a　battle…field　on　the　morrow　morning；a　massacre　not　of　the　innocents；　we　cannot　call　it　a　massacre　of　the　innocents；　but　a　universal　tumbling　of　Impostors　and　of　Impostures　into　the　street！
  Such　a　spectacle；　can　we　call　it　joyful？　　There　is　a　joy　in　it；　to　the　wise　man　too；　yes；　but　a　joy　full　of　awe；　and　as　it　were　sadder　than　any　sorrow；like　the　vision　of　immortality；　unattainable　except　through　death　and　the　grave！　　And　yet　who　would　not；　in　his　heart　of　hearts；　feel　piously　thankful　that　Imposture　has　fallen　bankrupt？　　By　all　means　let　it　fall　bankrupt；　in　the　name　of　God　let　it　do　so；　with　whatever　misery　to　itself　and　to　all　of　us。　　Imposture；　be　it　known　then；known　it　must　and　shall　be；is　hateful；　unendurable　to　God　and　man。　　Let　it　understand　this　everywhere；　and　swiftly　make　ready　for　departure；　wherever　it　yet　lingers；　and　let　it　learn　never　to　return；　if　possible！　　The　eternal　voices；　very　audibly　again；　are　speaking　to　proclaim　this　message；　from　side　to　side　of　the　world。　　Not　a　very　cheering　message；　but　a　very　indispensable　one。
  Alas；　it　is　sad　enough　that　Anarchy　is　here；　that　we　are　not　permitted　to　regret　its　being　here；for　who　that　had；　for　this　divine　Universe；　an　eye　which　was　human　at　all；　could　wish　that　Shams　of　any　kind；　especially　that　Sham…Kings　should　continue？　　No：　　at　all　costs；　it　is　to　be　prayed　by　all　men　that　Shams　may　_cease_。　　Good　Heavens；　to　what　depths　have　we　got；　when　this　to　many　a　man　seems　strange！　　Yet　strange　to　many　a　man　it　does　seem；　and　to　many　a　solid　Englishman；　wholesomely　digesting　his　pudding　among　what　are　called　the　cultivated　classes；　it　seems　strange　exceedingly；　a　mad　ignorant　notion；　quite　heterodox；　and　big　with　mere　ruin。　　He　has　been　used　to　decent　forms　long　since　fallen　empty　of　meaning；　to　plausible　modes；　solemnities　grown　ceremonial；what　you　in　your　iconoclast　humor　call　shams；　all　his　life　long；　never　heard　that　there　was　any　harm　in　them；　that　there　was　any　getting　on　without　them。　　Did　not　cotton　spin　itself；　beef　grow；　and　groceries　and　spiceries　come　in　from　the　East　and　the　West；　quite　comfortably　by　the　side　of　shams？　　Kings　reigned；　what　they　were　pleased　to　call　reigning；　lawyers　pleaded；　bishops　preached；　and　honorable　members　perorated；　and　to　crown　the　whole；　as　if　it　were　all　real　and　no　sham　there；　did　not　scrip　continue　salable；　and　the　banker　pay　in　bullion；　or　paper　with　a　metallic　basis？　　〃The　greatest　sham；　I　have　always　thought；　is　he　that　would　destroy　shams。〃
  Even　so。　　To　such　depth　have　_I_；　the　poor　knowing　person　of　this　epoch；　got；almost　below　the　level　of　lowest　humanity；　and　down　towards　the　state　of　apehood　and　oxhood！　　For　never　till　in　quite　recent　generations　was　such　a　scandalous　blasphemy　quietly　set　forth　among　the　sons　of　Adam；　never　before　did　the　creature　called　man　believe　generally　in　his　heart　that　lies　were　the　rule　in　this　Earth；　that　in　deliberate　long…established　lying　could　there　be　help　or　salvation　for　him；　could　there　be　at　length　other　than　hindrance　and　destruction　for　him。　　O　Heavyside；　my　solid　friend；　this　is　the　sorrow　of　sorrows：　　what　on　earth　can　become　of　us　till　this　accursed　enchantment；　the　general　summary　and　consecration　of　delusions；　be　cast　forth　from　the　heart　and　life　of　one　and　all！　　Cast　forth　it　will　be；　it　must；　or　we　are　tending；　at　all　moments；　whitherward　I　do　not　like　to　name。　　Alas；　and　the　casting　of　it　out；　to　what　heights　and　what　depths　will　it　lead　us；　in　the　sad　universe　mostly　of　lies　and　shams　and　hollow　phantasms　（grown　very　ghastly　now）；　in　which；　as　in　a　safe　home；　we　have　lived　this　century　or　two！　　To　heights　and　depths　of　social　and　individual　_divorce_　from　delusions；of　〃reform〃　in　right　sacred　earnest；　of　indispensable　amendment；　and　stern　sorrowful　abrogation　and　order　to　depart；such　as　cannot　well　be　spoken　at　present；　as　dare　scarcely　be　thought　at　present；　which　nevertheless　are　very　inevitable；　and　perhaps　rather　imminent　several　of　them！　　Truly　we　have　a　he