Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1852-03-03
Distinctions in Society,".

Distinctions in Society.
IN Our political axiom, that all men are bo
> free and equal, is one that we bve to ha
e, cngraven on our hearts, inscribed upt
ID our banners,chiseled upon our monument
e and written in indeliblc chanders upc
'e the pages Of our country's history. o.
n statesmen and orators proclaim it wit
n patriotic pride. 1t is a welcome topic
J conversation in the social cirle, the loft
9 and inspiring theme Of the American poe
and rich and fertile material for th
: American author. But when We test thi
, boosted axiom by the facts bat arc pre-
, sented by our daily intercoure with tn
, world; by the practice of saiety, We ar
: compelled to conclude that it exists NOR
J in name than reality. Outward eircum
stances havo much to do in giving q
individual, distinction. W.alth is E;
certain passport to the smiles and care.sel
Of society, and it seems to matter LITTLE
what a man may be in other respects
provided he is rich this is . suficien,
recommendation, and completely hides all
defects Of character, and the millionaire is
welcomed to the parlor Of many fair
one, is the centre of attraction in many
company, where the poorer but much
more virtuous would be looked upon with
derision.
The man who has stained his hands in
the blood Of some thousands Of his fellows,
deprived wives Of their husbands, mothers
Of their sons, and children of their fathers,
and has marked his course with desolation
and ruin, becomes the public favorite; his
glorious deeds are trumpeted from the
Atlantic to the Pacific. Our papers and
magazines are filed with accounts of his
mighty exploits, and these accounts are
read with the most intense interest by
and towns with all the pomp Of martial
display, and amid the loud huzzas Of the
people, public dinners are given to honor
him, and the loftiest powers Of our great
est orators are brought into requisition on
such an occasion. His pathway il strewn
with flowers, and the beautiful, the lovely,
the fair Join their sweet voices in tho
general jubilee.
But all such distinctions are vain, or as
one remarks, "Vanity Of vanities," they
are but for day wealth takes to itself
wings and flies away, Or its pOssessor by
a common fate must soon lie beneath the
clods of the valley; the man, who to-day
is lauded by the world, may tomorrow
like Columbus, be thrown into chains and
die in dungeon, or like Napoleon be
transformed from the crowned monrach
to an exile upon barren island.
The question may here arise, that If
neither wealth nor regal power ensitle one
to distinction, what does? We answer,
virtue, education, and refinement, or in
short intellectual and moral worth. Thsse
are neither the endowments Of fate, nor
can they be inherited from ancestors, but
they are the result Of laborious personal
effort in attaining these every man Is
truly "thc architect Of his own fortunes"
these awaken, bring into action and i'm
prove the finer and nobler feelings Of the
soul, smother the asperities Of our natuae
aud cause US to love and venerase whatever
i, good and right Let US then be diligent
to cultivate and improve the high and
noble faculties, with which kind heaven
has endowed US, Jpnd thus gain true dis
tinction, confer lasting good upon our race
secure the esteem of wise and good men
and the favor Of God.