Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1858-02-12
THE GAZETTE.
FRIDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY 70, 1883
COMMUNICATED.

COMMUNICATED.
REPRESENTATIVES. nNsoN'
When silence bushes the busy din OF liie'
Repentance, dread emotion, comes inSi1'oos-
" over the pausing mind, aud bids Memory
the cleaner of the past, travel rapidly back
through the lapse Of years; aud often she
brings the bitter tear to Retrospscnon's busy
eve. Like spec,res. by-goue errors come
stealing back, and Cypress us With the agony
of whitening retrbutiou. Often, 10 those
bitter moments, philosophy's rigid form casts
dismal shadow on our depressed hearts, and
reprosches us in our chasteued pride for the
recklessness Of our course. This is frequently
the case with US, when we are conscious Of
having spent our time and talents 10 idle and
fruitless pursuits. But an honorable man
rarely experiences such regrets. for he is the
most estimable member of commuuity; and
long after his frail body has ceased to be
warmed BY the Vigor of life, his name lives
as an impersbable monument, and is con-
templated BY an impartial posterlty as a
beautiful structure Of rare worth. When the
eve wsnders amid the wreck Of time, 10 re-
view of the past history of men, the life Of a
noble man presents itself like an oasis and
relieves the gloomy thoughts which sicken
the mind when we dwell upon the lives of
those who have widely sOwn the seed of dis
honor upon the sorrow producing marsh of
dishonesty.
Altboug Oh mankind are proverbially averse
to frankness, we often meet those who
derisively reject the contaminatiug iuau'
euce of Discrimination, and ure guided III
the discharge of their duties by the strictest
mandates of responsibility. But such are
not always appreciated by the crowd, aud
an unuixed adherence to honesty has ofteu
made those who earned their bread by the
sweat of their brow, die beggars. Not"ith-
standing this fact, it is better to cast on the
stream Of life, one crumb which We may In
reality need, without selfshly thinking
whether it will ever he returned or not, than
to possess loaf whose use legitlmately DC
longs to another. The majority willingly
admit that fidelity is the most necessary
feature of q cOmmendable character, but do
not as general rule value 1t 10 those reia.
tions where it is most requisite; Tor 50 biased
are We by precouccived notions, that any de-
viation from prescribed text, is at once put
down az miscreancy, and without due lnves'
tigation we have the suspected offender ar.
raigned before the bar of popular favor, and
ostracized for Inconsistency. Mankind have,
too, ever been unwaveringln their repugnance
to the reception of the truth; and however
readily we may assent to the spirit OF the
adsge, "Our best friends are those who tell
US of our faults" the ear of error is not often
pleased by friendly narration Of its blum
ders; for selclovo is ever ready to frame ex-
cuses to viDdieste its acts.
Trustworthy men diminish in numbers as
the demand for them increases; and so pros
tituted are our places OF public patronage
that truly honorable man heeitates long be-
fore he will allow his name to cCme 10 COM
petition with the chicanery of the day. The
man who, as the exponent OF any principle,
feels the responsibility of bis position, will
not be actuated by a desire to Increase bis
own aggrandizement; nor will sinister mo-
tive burn 10 his breast; but like warden he
will stand 10 the protection OF bis province,
and will be ever ready to resign his place OF
trust rather than yield to the dictates OF any
thing save that which his inherent honor
teaches to be in keeping with dignity and
worth. Nor will he condescend to any petty
act to insure selfish advantage, or fail to
speak boldly upon those questions whlch
may be of vital Importance t. the duty which
his position makes imperative. Such are the
men, that we want to fill our social and pc
litieal demands, and not facile pretenders
and demagogues who will avail themselves
of every device of fraud and trickery in
order to make bumbug-ridden people be
lieve that their Influence and efforts are vital
ly essential to the very existence OF society.