John Bright's Wish
A brief anecdote about the British statesman John Bright musing, over dinner, about wanting to return fifty years after his death to see what America would become — a small window into how Victorian Britons viewed the young republic's prospects.
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The Morning Star And Catholic Messenger · April 17, 1870 · Page 1
1 min readSome time ago John Bright was dining with a citizen of Cottonopolis, and the conversation turned on the subject of the growth and development of America. "I should like," said the host, who is an enthusiastic admirer of the great republic, "to come back fifty years after my death, to see what a fine country America had become." "I believe you would be glad," [Mr. Bright replied], with a grim allusion [...] to the quarter [...] his friend [...]
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