The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-10-02

10 De aetOnlsneQ by the s1gnL OF al AstOr, u
Saint Nicholas. Prescott, or o Metropolitan.
There is q fortune for somebody who is willing
to secure it and benefit the benighted denizens
of Albion or ia belle France at the same
time? It's fine opening-don't all speak at
once
THE ERA OF PuRGAnON.-OuR PUBLIC MEN
At THE CoNFEssIoNAL.-The definition of repent
ance is wide and discursive. The sinner who
murders his wife and six children under cir
cumstances of the most revolving barbarity'
repents upon the scaffold-he is translated to
realms of bliss-and we are told that there is
more joy in Heaven over him than over ninety
and nine just men who never were barbarous
never murdered their wives, and allowed their
children, in any given" number, to die in the
natural way. Thus unthnking scoifers say that
the only way to get to Heaven is to commit
some atrocity for the special purpose ofrepent-
ance. This is dangerous logic, and does not
follow from the premises laid down. 1t is well
for the world and the cause Of religion that the
| examples are not more frequent, otherwise
we might be apt to say that in affairs of this
kind the motive was the first thing to be looked
at-that repentance through fear could not be
efectual at the last great day, when all
our worldly accounts are to be balanced in the
great book above. Of late public attention
has been attracted to the spectacle of re-
pentance for political errors, the actors
being some OF our must prominent statesmen
and the subject being the eternal one-slavery.
The spectacle was not novel one; it has been
well got up several times in England, from differ
ent motives, the actors being /" F. NJ, the Duke"
Sir Robert Peel. Lord Lyndhurst, and others of
less note The body polite is condensed in the
leaders Of the great parties This must always
be the case in constitutional governments.
Well, then, the body polite is like the human
body-its secretiOns become dry, its digestion
over-tasked, and various departures from ply
Biological rules entail various miseries. The
remedy is the same in both cases. The human
body is purged practically-the body polite
goes through with the same operation theoret-
calIy. Recently we have had several noble
examples; the manner in which strong purga-
tives have been swallowed by our public men
has been most heroic, and the effect produced
has been productive of much good to them,
much satisfaction to their adherents much
healthy amusement to that great body vulgar
ly known as outsiders" who read the HERALD,
enjoy the jokes, and take no sides Such
thunderstorm is not often witnessed, and the
political atmosphere has been most beautifully
cleared. The first patient under the great ply
stefan, public opinion. was the Hon. John A.
Dix. How beautifully the purge worked upon
L II
effect was ma gical away went all his supposed
abolition notions--away went his opposition
to the compromises of 1850-and we find the
Hon. Mr.. Dix assuring a "friend in Georgia" that
he is now all right. He is perfectly cear-the
medicine has done its work. Mr.. Dix is re-
ceived as one Of the elect. and the rejoicing is
greater than it was over the ninety and seven
hunkers who held the convention in the Globe
Hotel at Syracuse. Something must certainly
be done for this sinner.
Who is the next patient He who at Balti-
more, went for Mr.. Cass to the last-he who de-
clined the Presidency in spite Of the prayers Of
the hunkers ofNcw FORK and the bouquets Of the
ladies Of Baltimore Gall good Cass hunkers,) }
Daniel S. Dickinson is purged of the Wilmot
proviso. He says he never swallowed it; but
if he did the blue pills" Of hunkerism purged
it from him long ago. All how wonderful Is
such medicine. The physiciar-in-ordinary to
the Thane of Cawdor who could not minister
to mind diseased" would have had but
small practice in these latter days.
How cheering is the spectacle when new
actor comes upon the scene How anxiousiy |
is the public eye riveted upon the Collector Of
the port of New York, who in a letter which |
for force, spirit. terseness and directness,
would not suffer in comparison with the best |
Of Junius, cuts barnburnerism entirely, reads |
all the Van Burenites cut of his political COM
partnership, and throws hmselfb before the world |
in the attitude Of cne who not only supports |
the compromises but actually admires them. |
He never said or wrote any thing differently, but
lest any thing that he has written may be mis-
Construed, he states 80 plainly that it cannot |
be mistaken his precise opinion upon whatever
is interesting to political readers at the present
day. All glorious medicine-how 10 we rev.
erence thee and the bunker physicians who SO
unsparingly apply thee!
The wings have been no less active, and the
medicine has not been without it's effects upon |
the Thurlow Weed men, the Fillmore men, and |
the men Of the Express. How cheering is such |
q spectacle. How good it is to know that |
everybody we thought was wrong turns out to
be right, and if anybody has done anything
wrong he repents-he shows willingness to be |
forgiven, which should be met in Christian |
spirit. Yes, let everybody be forgiven-let |
everybody be bappy--let everybody rejoice in |
the assurance that the mind has been freed-the |
public is satisfied. nobody else should COM
plain. We don't We rather like It. Let the |
fun go on. The medicine works so we'll that it |
should not be given up just as the fun begins.
Hoon AZ work Az Mr. Cpeb;no xpo,,ld GOV