Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1861-05-24
Remarkable Parallels ouths-n Promise
md Performance

ana performance. .
Napier, in his admirable History Of the
PeninsuLdr Var, a book which every man
should now read, tersely sums up the
Spanish character, considered from a mill
tary point Of view, as follows:
"The Spanish character, with relation to
public affairs, is distinguished by inordinate
pride aud arrogance. Dilatory and improvi
dent, the individual as well as the mass, all
possess an absurd confidence that everything
is practicable which their heated imagins-
tons suggest; once excited, they can see no
difficulty in the execution of a project.
With a strong natural perception of what is
neble, his (the Spaniard's) promise is lofty
but as he invariably permits his passions to
get the master of his reason, his perform
ance is mean. In the progress of this war,
the tenaeity of vengeance peculiar to the
nation supplied the a Of cool, persevering
in%tTepidity but was a poor substitute for
that essential quality, and led rather to deeds
OF craft and cruelty than to daring acts of
patriotism"
This presentment is so astonishing that
we can hardly persuade ourselves that the
Confederate army did not stand for this
Photographic picture; for it is indeed Gu
IiousIy hke-the "lOfty promise y and the
"mesn performance !" the "tenacity Of
vengeance" and the deeds of craft and
cruelty" Ere this time, if Southern threats
bad been made good, the Confederate flag
would have been waving over Washington,
Philadelphia, New York and Boston-and
all we nave is the comparatively "mean
performance" at Fort Sumter. In spite of
the illustrious examples of Bobadil and
F~alstsff, boasts win no battles; nor do really
brave men boast at all. History settles
these matters the next age never conEouuds
a Gsdshill with a Waterloo. Future readers
of history will look in vain for that page
which records 1.-The entire defeat of the
crack regiment of New York, the Seventh,
between Annapolis and Marlboro"
Future readers, If they would only enjoy
the fun ofthe thing, will be obliged to betake
themselves to the newspapers of the period,
ard especially the Southern newspapers,
from which they will learn that our soldiers
were %cowardly blackguards and mere "mer.
cenaTies," that General Scott was "ignobly
defeated by his own seryile vanity aud folly
that Abraham Lincoln was a "long, lean,
laDk, lying, niger stealing President that
"the hireling horde Of Lincolnites who in
yaded Baltimore, fred with special pleasure
on non .comhatants and women and child.
rem that New York, Ia holding fast by the
Union, committed suicide" We are quot
ing Southern newspapers; and from the
same source we might quote, dd infaitum,
sentences Of the same Kind. We content
| OuAEClNNS WIN hCitly uOtlCluR Tue extremely
novel style Of Boosting adopted by the New
Orleans Crescent which declares that a
Southern army Of fifty thousand men can,
with the greatest ease, conquer q Northern
army of one hundred thousand men and
upon the truth of this assertion it is willing
tostake life, liberty and fortune. Why, then,
does the Mobile Advertiser boast Of an army
of one hundred thousand men, and vet cali
for more ? As we are 70 be among the killed,
wounded or ruined, we think that we have
q personal right to ask the question. .
We know in all the history Of the times
Of nothing more noble, of nothing in all
ways more respectable, than the calm an.
swer, expressed in manly and original words
of Mr.. ReVerdy johnson 10 all this bombAst
he says 10 the people Of Maryland ''Secede
If you win but | tell you that Secession will
be your utter and immediate ruin. Defeal
is certain 10 the rebellion. What are the
one million six hundred thousand men oil
the seeding States TO do against the three
millions Of THE free states9" That is the
way in which an honest SOutheraer, who
has not hidden a final adieu to his senses,
speaks. Which Is right, Reverdy johnson
or this whiskifed editor and Secessionist,
whose lucid lncubrations are before us2
Whatever mistakes the defenders Of the
Union have made, we are sure that under.
rating the Valor or resources Of the seceders
has not been one of them for we have paid
them the highest possible compliment by
taking il for granted that il will require q
good many Dsn and a good deal of money
10 bring them 10 reason. We have admitted
substantially that the rebel soldiers viii
fight, and have prepared TO the best of our
ability for the desperate battle. For the
rake Of our own honor, and not to belittle
our victories in advance, we have made no
absurd and arrogant announcements Of our
own inyinciblity. True soldiers win nc
lauTels by conquerinH towards, aud chival.
rous warriors seek foemen worthy Of their
swords.
In the name of Mars, II we are such {
SoWArdiy, Increasingly inoecue soy OF Eel
cation Of reg tag. and bob tail, "the spawr
Of Bridewell and the steWs," or recruited
from drawiDg-rooms-rebel estimates Of on