The Sun.
London, England, 1863-04-16 00:00:00

PATIENCE AND PERSEVERANCE,

There was never a moment when these two commodities
were more needed in our country. With constantly varying
news we have constantly varying aspects of the public mind,
simply because the people of the country have not fixed their
eyes on a certain work to be done, and resolved to be patient
and persevering in accomplishing it. when the war broke
out the wiser portion of the community said that it would
last years instead of months ; that it could be made a war
of victory for the Union only by patient perseverance. and
that if the people of the United States would make up their
minds that they would carry on the war as war is always
to be carried on successfully, with gunpowder, cannon,
muskets, and men, and would be content to go steadily for-
ward in the course of war, taking good and bad, success
and reverse, as it came, without swerving or growing dis •
contented, then there was no reasoning doubt that the Nor-
thern millions could in course of time absolutely conquer the
vastly inferior numbers of the South; and this would have
been the case if there had not been from time to time absurd,
wild, fanatical, and foolish causes of doubt and disturbance
introduced. The Radical party announced that white men
could not conquer the South, and blacks must be resorted
to if we anticipated success; that slavery was invincible and
must be removed by a proclamation; that the North was be-
coming divided in sentiment, and that traitors were more
numerous than loyal men in New York, Pennsylvania,
Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and other Northern States. These
and other disturbing and harassing doubts and difficulties
were raised, and out of the dissensions which were created
by them came a great division of sentiment in the North
as to the prosecution of the war, and hence a disposition on
the part of the people to be suddenly depressed and cast
down by any military reverses. The responsibility is un-
questionably on the Radical party, of the introduction of
doubts and fears into the popular mind,and the breaking up
of that unity of courage, hope, and determination which
characterized the first year of the war. Looking back only
to last fall, can any one deny that the platform of the Con-
servative party was loyally and frankly for the prosecution
of the war on the original plan pledged in Congress by the
Crittenden resolutions ? And yet the opposite party leaders,
with reckless disregard of truth,honour, patriotism, and pub •
lie duty, charged that Governor Seymour was a traitor,and
that his supporters were allies of the rebellion. Even on the
morning of the election the New York Radical papers de-
clared if he were elected his success would be celebrated by
bonfires and illuminations in Richmond. Was there any truth
in this ? Was it not a most unjustifiable and impolitic method
of shaking the confidence of the people,weakening their faith
in themselves and their neighbours,and introducing distrust
and hostility among the loyal men of the country ? The
result of the labours of the Radical partisans has been to
make the people of the North a fitful, changeable people
in their dispositions. Tosday they are elated, to-morrow
depressed. To-day they think the rebellion crushed, to-
morrow they think it stronger than ever. The price of gold
goes up and down 3,5, 10 per cent. in a few hours ; general
trade revives or falls into dullness; men have bright faces
and talk cheerfully, or have sad faces and talk dismally, all
within a brief space of time, and newspapers do very much
the sane. A most remarkable fact is that men and news-
papers who a year ago charged that it was disloyally to ad-
vise patience and perseverance with reference to a long war,
are now found most industriously teaching these views.
No other views can be adopted by sensible men. On no
other principle can the war be prosecuted successfully,
or the country be kept up to the duty of war times. If
this war is to be prosecuted for the restoration of the
power of the Government with any hope of success, it must
be done by a patient,
iong.suffering, persevering people.
We must fix our eyes on a distant goal of triumph, and if
we reach it sooner than we have expected then so much the
better. Nor will it do for angry radical men to grow fierce
and furious against those who, in the exercise of their clear
rights-aa citizens, criticise the conduct of the war and advise
that this or that policy is disastrous, It may even occur,
in the course of events, that this war will be prolonged into
a new Presidential term, and its course managed by a new
Commander-in-Chief, with new advisers in his Cabinet. If
he should be a Democrat, we should then, as now, regard it
as dangerous to the interests of the people to permit the
doctrine to become practical in the land, that he was
not to be criticised, his policy not to be questioned, The
American system is indeed a poor one, and of little account,
if it will not permit freedom of the press and freedom of
speech in war times as well as in peace times. It is in war
times that the danger from its suppression always arises.
It is in such times that parties are created who are glad to
acquire power through suppression of discussion. Such
dangers never occur in peace times. The people should
therefore be patient with each other. 'We think the policy
of the Administration fraught with danger; but wo are
determined, so far as in us lies, that the Administration of
Mr. Lincoln should continue in power until his suc-
cessor is regularly appointed under the Constitution, and
we are patiently and perseveringly labouring to keep the
people firm in right American principles, to preserve hope
and strength in the nation, until men who think as we do
can be placed in offices where our policy can be properly and
constitutionally tried. There is a vitality in this nation
which surpasses the belief of its enemies and the most ex-
travagant thoughts of its friends. The people are able to
bear and forbear beyond all that has been known of any
people heretofore. The future stretches away in dim and
uncertain light, because the people have lost their faith in
this vitality. But a calm study of the present condition of
the country convinces us that there is no reason for despair,
and that the union will yet triumph if men are but firm in
principle, patient in waiting, and ready to receive disaster
and success with equanimity and unwavering faith. The
triumph of Conservative principles in all parts of the North
is an earnest of the vitality and trustworthiness of the
American people.—New York Journal of Commerce.

Importing Tea without colour oa the leaf pre-
vents the Chinese passing off inferior leaves as in the usual
kinds. Horniman's Tea is uncoloured, therefore, always
good alike. Sold in packets by 2.280 agents.
TOADS IN THE HOLE.—Sir A. P. Gordon Cum-
ming writes to the Elgin Courier :—" In cutting the
Inverness and Perth Railway through the Lochnavandah-
park on Altyre, we have unceremoniously trespassed on the
privacy and retirement of a numerous colony of ancient
toads, The cutting is here from 20 to 25 feet deep, the lower
past being through from 10 to 16 feet of freestone and red
conglomerate. The interesting old residenters are found in
the red freestone about 15 to 20 feet below the surface, where
they certainly must have seen several 19 years' leases out on
the land above them, They are sometimes turned out by the
heavy handpick or the
great iron crowbar; but a blast of
powder seems to cause the greatest upset in the establish-
ment, as a shot is sometimes the means of exposing as many
as a dozen of the sleepy old fellows. They seem none the
worse for their long repose, but after giving a few winks at
the new light' thus suddenly let in upon them, and taking
several gasps of the unwonted air, they leisurely and deli-
berately proceed to hop and crawl down the lino along the
small watercourse towards the lower fields. I have seen
them in numbers, and some of the men have counted above
40 at once."—Scotsman.