Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1862-03-26
WEDNESDAY,, MARCH rs. 1862.
OUR DANGER AND DUTY.

-
OUR DANGER AND DUTY.
We extract the following from an article IN the |
''God has placed ussAp selscuaastaeSes ~ wtnSn.
if we show that We aIs eqnA toxhe e.Regke"sg ~ 7
will acknowledge outright to Ne fteed6n ~hSh
we have signally vndieatek We hats ne4 the p |
portunity for great exploits. We csa nov demon.
strate to the world what MARINER OF spirit we are ot
Il our courage and faith rise superior to the DANGER
we shall not only succeed hut shall succeed with
a moral influence and character that shall render
our SUCCESS doably valuable Providence. seems,to
sbeaganst US disaster upon Disaster has attended
our arlns-the enemy is in possession oil three
States, and belsaguers US IL all our eess!ss It's S.
sources and ornaments are Immense, ana MS ener-
gy and resolution desperate. His numbers are so
much superior, that VIC are like Hook of kids be-
FORE him. We have nothing to stand on but the
eternai principles Of truthant right, and the pro-
tectien and alliance Of just God. Can we look the
danger in the face and calmly resolve to- meet7lt
and subdue It? Can we say, in reliance upon proy-
idence, thatwere his numbers and resources thou
sand fold greater, the interest Mt stake are SO mo-
| ;msntous, that we will not be conquered !? do we
feel the moral power of courage, of resolut,oD,m
heroic will rising and swelling within US until Il
towers above all the smoke and dust of the invasion?
Then we are in condition to do great deeds. We
are in the condition Of Greece when Aerxes hung
upon tho borders Of .Attica xith-an. army OF hive
millions that had never been conquered, and to
which State after State Of Northern Greece had
welded in its progress Little Athens was the ob-
! ject Of his vengeance Leonidas had fallen-feur
days more would bring the destroyer to the walls OF
| the devoted CITY. There the people were, a mere
| handful Their first step had been to consult The
gods, and the astounding reply which they received
from Delphi would have driven any other people to
despair ,"Wretched men | J" said the oracle, VIII Oh
| :.c.l c,f tharn
Quit your land and city, and fee atar! Head body,
feet and hands are alike rotten; fire and sword in
the train Of the Syrian chariot shall ovewhem you;
not only gour city, but other cities also as we'll as
many even of the temples of the gods, which are
now sweating and trembling with fear, and fore,
shadow by drops of blood on their roofs, the hard
cala,nes impending Getye away from the sane INC
tuary with your souls stepped in sorr0w we
have had reverses but such oracle us this 1t
was afterwards modified SO as to give ray OF hope
| in an ambiguous alluSlon to wooden wallis But the
soul of the Greek with the danger, and we have
succession of events from the deSertion OF Athens
to the final expulsion of the invader which make
that little spot of earth immortal. Let us initiate
in Christian faith this sublime example. Let our
spirit he that of the pagan Greek, and we can sue
cecd in making every pass Therinopylae, every
street Salam,s and every plain Marathon. We
| can CONQUER and we must. We must not suffer any
other though, TO enter our minds. If we are over
run, We can at least die; and if our enemies get
possession Of our lands We can leave it a bowling
desert But, under God, we shall not fail. II we
are true to Him and true to ourselves glorious fu
ture is before Spirit, spirit, spirit and faith
these and these alone are what we want.
Somebody will have to be chosen az the successor
Of Governor Clark, and the best and trmcst and
most clear headed and energetic man that We can
get ought to be chosen, irrespective OF any consld
| hi,tb fidelity and pTfrIgnrU He
ought to be man equal to the occasion, and pre-
pared to take all the responsibility the requires
! \ good business man, but no mere rontlnst, who
thinks that great emergency can be met with red
f tape or its stern facts handel with gloves on
The fact is, that this struggle after Office in civil
and military life is rulnous to the cause and the
Country We have always thought it the height OF
folly 10 take a mere soldier, and simply because OF
his selliership to place him in high civil Office,
making president something OF him. But il
that were folly, how much greater the folly to make
c generals and high military officers OF mere civilians
d merely because of their political or social influence
+ and position. The folly is greater, because unwise
as the first experiment is, it is made while the ship
is sailing smoothly and fairly on, andwhen, therefore
IS it can be made in the midst OF storm, and tempest
o and danger We should really think that gentle
?, men seeking big promotions anxious to wear the
o spurs before winning them, eager to command be
fore learning to obey, would sometimes think witt
terror of the responsibility they are assuming, o
e the they may put in jeopardy, Of the vauabl
t. lives which may be sacrificed by their inexperienc
e, and want of competence. General Bragg was RICH
ID when he told his audience that speeches ought no
to be expected from old soldiers, and that politician
4. ought not to be put to command our armies.
1t We make no illusions to individuals, for the pre-
I'd sent at least in connection with the Gubernatoria
to office Many very excellent gentlemen have bee
is spoken OF, but the na,nes of all, with or withou
ut their consent, have been more or less drawn o
Is forced into the of heated discussion. Let this
for a time al least cease-If that time cannot
Ill measured bv months then let it be measured b
TO weeks days-but Tor some time at least,
d. this hea ed dScussion-ths elimination and n
r. elimination cease, that we can all bring at tn
~ proper time, the proper feeling to this and otht
he cognate matters: that may be able to meet an
consult totally irrespective of any consideration bu
nd the good of the State and the Coniederacy. Fl
Id. ourselves we are inclined to think that we want
20 man as near like Joseph E. Brown, of Georgia,
NJ we can get He is far from fautless, but he h,
ms the two elements Of energy and promptness-t
ne looks right at the thing aud does it at once-us'
an the means and the men fittest and most avaiabl
N taking the responsibility when necessary, and di
IN regarding side issues.
ANY man may be mistaken about his fitness #
he a particular previously untried SERVICE and whe
lot he finds it to be so, when he finds that the il
MS preston is abroad that he IS so mistaken, to tt
extent that it destroys his usefulness, and inur
he the cause then evidently he will be not only doir
'er patriotic duty but really earning credit for hir
ID. SELF with all rght.minded men, by resigning al
ED position in which he not be useful, and accel
es, ing any in which he Gun. persistence in an o
be posite course will justly subject any man to Il
,ly m2utation Of preferring himself to his country
CIV Wilmington Jour'iaL Starved: -r...s ...
bi- ''7'4 -------
. The CAB1NET-The Richmond Examiner say
see The Cabinet which we announced yesterday
led been confirmed by the Senate. Mr. Davis has sac
Are feed to popular Glamour without yielding to pub
te; opinion He has made so small change that
Sun Toots would say it is OF no consequence All
the the old members were retained except those w
are wanted to get out of it Benjamin is transferrt
S. and Mallory left in statu quo. The representa-