Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1857-04-23
For the Yorkville Enquirer.
WHO ARE GREAT MEN !

WHO ARE GREAT MEN!
1t was an aphorism of Talleyrand's, that "noth-
ing succeeds 50 well as SUCCESS" This adage en-
bodies truth which is too often overlooked in our
estimate of men. A man may have genius Of o
high order, it may be under the guidance Of
sound Judgment aud sustained by great moral
power, and yet his merits may not be duly appre-
ciated, simply because he wants the imprimat" of
success Men Of ordinary stock jobbing minds,
who have just acumen enough to perceive the
wonderful gullibility Of their fellowmen effrout-
cry enough to palm off their humbuggery: and
principle enough to make them keep up appear
ances,' will often outsrip the man Of rea! merit,
and the wondering suns rullotes, witha mouth agapc
and staring eyes, gaze upon their ideal ola great
man. Could the curtains be withdrawn and the wire
pulling fully exhibited, it would display to that
large class of individuals who judge by appearan-
ces the insignificant pgDy of their veneration-
the ''rdcuius mus" whose parturition so agoni-
zel their Travelling imaginations. For verify,
great men are rs scarce as honest lawyers, candid
merchants, ''hcus teeth" ugW women, or any
other kin of lums nat"rr. Bat the conntcrfeit9,
arc innumerable.
For instance there goes bustl:ng, noisy, in-
trisuing politician-the village lon-who knows
no more about true craftsmanship, than deaf
man does about the song OF mermaids or the "mu-
sic Of the spheres" or blind man about the beau
ty Of crinolinrs. Yet, has he coutrvHd by skill
full mannuycrs. by continual howing arl scrnping,
nv getting NJ the excitement NJ the proper time,
to make himself an NJ. c., and among his imme-
late constituents, "he observed Of all Observers
lie has documcutel the most Ct them. particular
y the editors; he has Il barl smile fHr them all
and they feel fiattcrcd Ivy the seemingly snail
distance intervening between themselves AMI the
so esteemed great man. Great in what? Look
Mt him! he feels conscious Of his mcliucriiy. Not
withstan.liug his cfFronteTy, he knows too WELL
that intrigue, not merit, has e'evatcl him to n
most Of hnnor. There is in his cuuutcuancG none
of that dignity, that intellectual expression, that
evidence of honesty, which marks out unerrinely
the man Of true greatness. He feels and knows
this, and therefore shriaks from piercing, lynx
eye gaze because he is conscious that his forte is
duplcity and intrigue, and that his life blood is
partisan warfare 1t is this which makes him cling
50 closely to his party; that makes him idolizc
the name of Democrat" long after the spirit of
Jefferson has ceased to make the name more than
fiction. That word, upon which he places so
i. {hn IN
power and the cmoluments of Office. The ''spoils,"
that s.furbdlcn fruit" whose taste has brought
death anil woe to so many republics, binds to-
gcthcr his party, and lie feels safe, individually
under its protecting banner. No keen foresight
explores the future that awaits his country; no
magnanimous policy unconnected with self and
self-aggrandizcmcnt, marks his career; no eleva-
ted friendship above the low links Of interest ever
binds his heart his country is his 'oyster," upon
which he fattcns; why then doubt his reraci'y
when lie afirms that he lores his country? lie is
content to avail himself of the present, to drift,"
as Stevens says, with the tide" to sacrifice pos
terity the high hopes of the patriot all-all-at
the shrine of self, yet like the prophet of kho-
rassan' under the silver veii'' Of party msno-
mcr. OF course he is opposed TO change, but if
change must come, let i be compromise n half
way measure, something 10 save-himsel" When
by bold, magnanimouS step, he might Introduce
a salutary change, radical reform he sinink$
from the responsibility and suffers the evs to
accumulate for posteri'y to eradicate the best way
it can. He has spent long lit, in comrrehcn'-
ing the wcakrs."s of human nature, i'll order to
take advantage "f thrm-it has never occurred to
linn to look on the bright >i,lo to seek to elevate
the degraded, to Leave some evidence that he has
not lived in vain, when !rcs 'hful fever lis
rounded with sleep
Yet this specimen Of the pseudo great man, ccn'
temptibc as it is has something spectabc about
it when compared with other aspirants after the
''bubbe reputation Haze you ever heard one
of those astonishing speeches from m aspirant
after the captaincy Of a beat company? What
wonderful exhibitions of hcroisr, what vcciferous
VOWS to fall, if the hour of danger s!;Jula come,
with his face towards heaven and his feet to-
wards his foes laudablc ambition say you
gentle reader? True, if he w6uld hut act con-
sistenty with his protestations. But let the crisis
come, let the rights of this hero's ''dcnr, Sunny
South" be placed in jeopardy, "nl he will be the
first to show the .'wtc feathers" the first traitor
Whose trrasun ike a deadly blight
Comes DER the councils of the brave
To blast them in their hour Of mi Gut"
An aurora borcalis, q comet 4 meteor, anything,
is to his frighted imagination pcrtent dire. and
the first cold livored politician that tells him there
is danger, becomes in his eye 'Daniel-yea
Daniel"
Then there is tho rich merchant who from the