Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1859-08-06

I
of men, who, having exhausted their faitt
in their fellows, and become bank rupt in
charity, meet to pour into one nnother's
ears, and into the ears of curious multi
tude the horrid discords of their blatant
in6delity. The reformer feels, too, that
be comes into any general judgment of his
kind. If he do not feel this fully, he at
least loses faith in bis power over men, and
disappointed, sinks back into fretfunes.
over the failure of his mission, and the mis-
carriage of his life.
Another reason why reformer should
be slow to lose faith in men, is because they
cannot at once understand him. They
have lost faith in leaders, and for good
cause. Leaders have been accustomed tc
use them for the accomplishment of selfish
purposes. Thus, when new leader arises
it takes them long time to become fully
assured of his motives. AS there are always
men enough whose selfshness leads them
to misconstrue these motives, it may some
times require many years for man to vim
dicate himself, and secure confidence. -
There is no justice in blaming the people
for this cautiousness. They have been de-
ceived too often, and would be fools were
they not to exercise it. A reformer has
no right to expect immediate reception in.
to the confidence of the people. They
must be satisfied of the motives of him
who undertakes to lead them, measure his
ability, sound the depths of his charity
and Intellectually comprehend his plans be-
fore they ought to consent to be guided by
him, 1t isl more than just to say that
every reformer who has lost his faith in men,
and become imbittered by the loss, proves
that the judgment of the people upon his
character is just. He undertook task
for which he was not fit, and the people
found him out
A stronger reason still for the preserva-
tion Of fsiLh in men, is, that the more in
tractable and unreasonable they may be,
the greater their need of reformation, and
the larger draft do they make upon faith.
Faith in humanity, under divine guidance
and blessing, is the hope of the world
Christianity comes to us with no compulso-
ry processes. 1t has faith in itself, doubt
less but without faith in men, it would
never have come, or never would have made
its appeal to voluntary choice All powers
that have no faith in men act by compul-
sion, or by circumvention. There can be
no action upon will-no motives of action
presented to voluntary chocie-that do not
proceed upon the basis of faith in humani-
ty. The moment we lose this faith, our ef.
forts are paralyzed, and we turn railers and
accusers. A man who desires to benefit
his fellows cannot proceed a single step
without faith in those whom he would ben
eft No matter how bad men may be-
there must be, on the part of him who
would reform them, the faith that there is
that in them which will respond to the
truth when it can be brought into contact
with their judgment and conscience, or he
can do absolutely nothing.
The people owe duty to all who come
to them with the professed wish to do them
good, A man is not necessarily bad be-
cause dog barks at him, and honest man
is never the worse because dog barks at
him. If you will look over your town,
your state, your country, you will readily
select the names of those against whom
there is more or less popular clamor. You
will recall here aud there names of reproach.
You shrink from association with those
who bear them. If you enter their pres
ence, you enter suspiciously, as if you fear
ed a taint, or guiltily, as if you thought
them conscious of the contempt in which
you hold them You think, because there
is so mnch outcry against them, there must
be something bad in them. Now, no con-
siderate, generous man will join in this out
cry, or allow it to predjudice him against
its object. 1t is, believe, the general
rule that these men are men of power-of
genuine progressive ideas-men who have
an errand of good to their race.
Look back over the past, aud see how
many of those whom the world once a. bus
ed are the worlds idols. Who are the
preachers whom you most delight to hear
Have they not at some time in their history
been the objects of the worlds outcry, aud
of yours, too ? Look at the ballots which
you carry to the polls with confidence, and
perhaps with unlimited enthusiasm. Do
they not bear the names of men whom you
once verify believed to be the iucarnatiohs
of selfshness and demagogism ? Think of
the statesmen, hunted to their graves by
the hounds Of popular clamor, who are now
enthroned among the nations immortals.-
Remember all the men against whom you
have joined in denunciation, and whom you
have learned to respect, if not to love, by
getting near to them, and obtaining a look
into their honest hearts and vision of
their devoted lives. Look over the whole
track of history, and see how every one
who ever did great good in the world has
been the object of the worlds maledictions,
and then be careful how you join in an un-
reasoning outcry against any man.
While the world should be more careful
and consderate in its treatment of those
who come to it with a mission of good, the
reformer himself should be very patient
with the world. He must not only retain
his faith in it, bat he must not be in too
great hurry to be understood and ac-
cepted He must draw close to the world,
where it can look into his heart and the
world should draw close to him, until it is
nationally satisfied that he has nothing for
it. The efforts of opposing forces, backed
by the Endorsement of the unreasoning
multitude, should throw no worker for the
world Of his poise, nor should they deprive
him off the honest judgment of those who
think. No true man will ever be in haste
to Vindicate himself before the world by