The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1859-02-17
A REVIVAL AMONGST THE FnalBusrERs.


renowned fbuster to "the only true faith,p We
hope that his associates in the great cause of Cen
trail American regeneration" will follow him into the
straight and narrow path which he has chosen, and
we trust wisely for his future pilgrimage. The
church succeeded in default of the courts in getting
him "under conviction and trust has thus effected
what the legal tribunals could notnot only his ref
ormation, but his regeneration. When the telegraph
first announced the glad iidings," recolIecting
how sau got amongst the prophets, quite
ready TO believe that the valiant hero who had been
so successful in saving himself in this world, would
suggest plan by which to insure his safety in
the next Napoleon ruled all Europe for brief
hour, but he was at length overcome, and wasted
the balance of his days in maintaining the validity
Of his dynastic titles His failure, for,
after ALL the true standard of greatne is TO achieve
personal success and security. II there are those
who have questioned the genius of the great hllibus
ter his recent retreat from most difficult and
embarrassing position and his present safety
more than sufficient to vindcate his charac-
ter, aud place him in the front rank of strate-
gedians Let us pursue the comparison The dis
lance from Moscow to Paris, in the dead of win
ter is beyond all human calculation, less than the
distance between the headquarters of hllibusterism
aud the headquarters of st. Peter, where the genei
is safely and Hospitality entertained. Iii man
fest them that this last exploit of the hero of Cen
trail American regeneration" triumph which
by contrast reflects most favorably upon the fill
buster Napoleon was called the "Corsican ban
n w l..,, ~;
can hlibuster. They commenced operations in lie
same field, invoked the of the weapons
they rose to kindred distinctions they toppled from
kindred elevations and separated only when the
one intent upon the recovery of his temporal estates,
was hurried into memorable exile, while the other,
satisfied that all is vanity in this vale of tears,
with the true genius Of his race
Coppered the king and bet on the ace"
"The gray-eyed man OF des tiny" can realize
the difference between soldier of fortune and
"solder of the Cross 1t is certainly a pity thai
the good work of regeneration did not commence a
little earlier, or at least that the saving ordinances
cannot be made to extend to the entire fllibuster
family, which is small, and growing smaller by
degrees. We have too long observed the workins
Of sin not to know that the Generals conversion is
an event of no ordinary Importance. The Catholic
Church has reason to be proud of its conquest Ii has
too we trust conferred high political ben fits upon
the nation He a great offender and precisely
that kind of material of which so many saints have
been made As he won nearly all his laurels in
Spanish country let him be known TO future genera
tons Santo Guilliermo de los FIllibusteros
1t is long road, says the maxim, "that never
turns" Whatever others may have said and thought
of Gen. Walker-now Mr. Walker-we have never
lost faith in his ultimate How well has he
justified the confidence Of his friends ! There is
more joy sinner that repenteth than over
ninety mine just persons who need no repentance.
So saith the parable recording the redemption even
we have strong hopes in this suspicious and prom
Using age, that the llibustcrs VIII all follow in the
footsteps of their illustrious chief The revival at
Pentecost will then have been overshadowed and all
the world will give thanks that the blood of the
tyrs so literally flo wed upon the copsecrated soil of
Nicaragua.
But, seriously, the conversion of Gen. Walker is
great event in the progress of American history,
We base this assertion, of course, the idea that
the church which has received him will be able TO
hold him lie is an adventurous fellow, and may
once more be stimulated into the notion that some
State, near or distant, needs redemption, in which
case it would be difficult, we fear, to circum-
vent his patriotic and humane tendencies. Gen
eral Walker, too has long been identified with
destiny, which may yet make draft for his ser
vices which it will be quite impossible for him to
dishonor. Destiny is not Legislative enactment, to
be repealed by the votes of majority Ii is not
democratic institution aud in far ss Gen. Walker
is III reality IMAM of destiny, we free TO say
miracle will be required to effect his release and
of course we must have miraculous exertons to
keep him within the pale of the sanctuary But,
then, if anybody do .this it is the Catholic
Church so that, as the whole case, the Gem
eral is in the right way and in the very best bands,
or course we are interested on behalf of his
ciates. If he is long way in advance of Them and
of certain members Of Congress could name it is
because the latter little too slow in their move
ments
MR. NUGENT, OF CALIFORNIA.