The southern aegis, and Harford County intelligencer. (Bel Air, Md.) 1862-1864, 1862-12-13
THE WAR.

dents. They were not the beginning, nor
the end, nor the beginning of the end
They were but trivial incidents in the
worlds history, but they are a part of it,
and have therein their relative importance
The mad raid of Brown upon the then
peaceful add Union loving State of Vir-
ginia, would scarcely have more note in
American annals twenty years hence, than
Nat Turner's instruction has now, but
for the endorsement it had from so many
thousands Of people dispersed through all
the Northern States. A murderer and
thief, a man without spark of Christian
faith, whose life had been signalized by
deeds of violence and crime, but by no
known virtue, attended by a band of ruff
fans of his own stamp, bounced down
upon peaceful Virginia village, slew sew
cral Of the Inhabitants, and undertook to
inaugurate seryle insurrection, that
most horrible of domestic wars. lie fail
ed, of course, and suffered in consequence
the ordinary penalties of the law, nothing
more, nothing less. Immediately a com
mingled howl and wall rung through the
land, that is, through that portion already
designated the Northern States. This
man was made hero, a martyr in the
cause of humanity and religion @, more
than a Washington scarcely less, sand
this was announced from so.called Chris
tian pulpits, too,-scarcely less than the
Saviour Of the human race We shud-
der in recalling the blasphemy. Ven.
geance, of the blacklist type, was threaten
ed against the State of Virginia and her
people. Preachers and politicians joined
in the cry, and fanatcism at length ran
into sectional madness. Then the wedge
was entered for the severance of the
Union.
We need not trace, step by step, what
followed for, although America has been
set back, it may be II hundred years, yet
it is all, as it were, the work of a day,
within the memory of infants. We have
all witnessed the progress of war and desoa-
lation We have seen how tree of eighty
years growth can fall under few strokes Of
the axe. We look on appalled,, and it seems,
powerless. We cannot stay the progress of
war; we cannot call back the blessings OF
peace. We hear the cries of parties
even of that which modestly demands
only, "The Constitution as it is, and the
Union as it was; and we hear other
cries, but the beating of the drums and
bugle blasts, seem to confound all togeth-
en- As the bees are COMPOUNDED in their
councils by the tumultuous noise made by
their keepers, 50 it seems are nations Of
men by the din of arms and the clamor Of
war. There seems to be general Devil
dorment What will come of it? All !
friends, no living man can answer that
question. We have our optnion you
may have yours. We think we foresee
what the womb of time will bring forth :;
and our view, in sober sadness, is not ia
vorable to the cause Of human liberty
You may think differently. We cannot
know your party, or your predilections-
1t your visions are more hopeful than
ours, we can only say, may yours, not
ours, be realized.
But where was the beginning of the
war? We ask, where was the beginning
of peace? The Serpent tempted Eve,
who fell; and afterwards Cain killed
Abel. How often has the temple of
Janus been shut? When is the whole
world at peace? War has its beginning
in human passions, in ambition, pride,
lust CT power, revenge. The millennium
has not come yet; the lion and the lamb
lie not down together in peace while the
breath of life auimates their bodies
When lions meet, they fight, and so do
meaner animals. Is mau, then, like unto
these ? When not softened'.by inspiration
from above, he is, alas but too nearly
akin to the brute that perishes. Why
should man kill his brother? Is there
not room for thee and for me in this wide
New World, which yet is, in great part,
wilderness Arc we so that the land is
not able to bear us, and that our hcrdsmen
cannot any longer be at peace :? "Let
there be no quarrel, for we are brethren"
"Behold, the whole land is before thee
depart from me, pray thee; if thou wilt
60 to the left hand, l will take the right
if thou choose the right hand, will pass
to the left.' The Patriarch was wiser
than the men Of our generation.
There is little reason to hope yet for
safety in human wisdom or virtue. We
must then learn to fix our hopes upon the
Great Source Of wisdom and virtue, and
there only Catholic Mirror.
-------<s e+s----------
The CHANGE IN PUBLIC OPINION
The change in public opinion within the
last few months is most strikingy evinced