Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1861-1862, 1862-01-25


with lis want Of logical eoh1enee aud Jrcs" Then 10
put cap upon the climax that would make your harle-
quin uniform complete in the e1ordium of your re
jonder, with sang froid that amounts to capital joke,
you declare 81 (you) was s.udous to avoid anything
which the sensitive courtesy could forbid and then
proceed TO charge that "E-skine has arrayed himself
against me yOu ard that certainly in no: the most
fined way. POliter terms (you say surely might have
been discovered, after brief search" not 10 the
habit sir of arming myself with search warrants, to 60
upon edi ions of discovery Of that kind. Nouneir
know there are Of polite terms in his age Of hollow
ceremonies and empty FORMS bu: II Of them
comes to Erskine, Erskine will go to it, The ad.
vice RObSy Burns gave, when he said
"Ay free eff ham, your story tell"
I generally observe whether i! is
wi bosom crony,"
or 4 stranger am dealing. have long cherished a
profound contemp. for mere terms. They not our
uastr bu. are the most atec and degraded of slaves
The self came terms may be made to convey good
evil tidngs-a compliment or an insult When Julian
had vauqushed the enemies Of Rome, he sent courier
to inform the Ssnate that he was on his homeward
march to claim triumphal entry and the royal purple
This news gave to the feelings of the Roman people
violent shock They we're almost unanimously in open
opposition to Julian. OF this fact the Senate were
thoroughly apprised and it Involved that body in what
| for time seemed TO bs ineIricable perpeIty.-
They found themselves tangled up in doubt about the
dsnouement. Whether Julian would return at the head
OF his laureled egons mount the throne and the
disdem lie met by rival sustained by the stubborn
will OF whole united people, who would finally over
cOHe him and bring him home a captive the oraces cid
not pretend to divine. Blu. those old Roman Senator'S
however unequal they may have been to devise exped
enIs for the delivery Of Rome in dire extremity,
always equal TO any emergency that involved only
their political fortunes. On this occasion they de-
terminej TO gamble through their difficulties SO they
made "torms" tFumps and every trick. They met
and passed resolution requiring banner to b, pre-
pared on which to be Inscribed the following
rt.ras = Respect the Auihor of his Fortunes"
Let Julian triumph, and that banner bound to pro-
claim the loyalty of the Senate Let his rival triumph
and that banner only amounted to a magnanimous re-
quest that poor JdlSn, having brought upon his
devoted bead the sAd fortunes with which he was over
Whelmcd be granted the charity OF respec to mitigate
hs disgrace. Terms, sir are mere au.omatons Ohel {
change Of emphasis changes the meaning and you
labJring under egregious h4liuCination when you
imagine tha; politencsI and Teaaemen. are depend Mt
upon trrms-yea almost "a eGtrayagInt an haliuciaa
tion o. Is .h.. other very eccentric yagary Wh which
YOU seem To be sttl cted to wit; that long you
avoid opprobrious epithets you be gnty Of nothing
"the most sensitive courtesy forbid" will dispose
Of these propositions serslim. The Significance Of
terms ara often regulated by tho cOatext, bu; much
more frequently aud absolutely by tie spirit that pre-
yai throughout the article ia which they appea- aud
to sad 10 them with street letter construction with the
aroma of liberal spirit all srOuad and about them, ia
neither generous o. Just Ia my reoindsr to YOU,
there was no acrmony. Throughout every syllable Of
it Kindness Was mingled with humor. No man could
read it and fail to that
Forward and frolo elee WAS thero."
In such spirit hors Is no companionship for We ,el
dscourtesy aud il il not for such a pr. to be tram
m. ID By such cob-wsbs spua into "tsrms." 1t
rises above the lrgon OF the schools Ike the rising
loom over the misls upoa the mountain. That could
have medtatod rrdeaess it is simply ladicrousy prcpoq
erous to assert and your ausiOn to il is wholly gs.t
tous.
Permit me now, If you plee'e to ell your special a.
tenon to the quotations from your articles, haye
itacised above The "sro,s" in whish the7 couch.
ed are udisPuab the very quintescencc Of refined po.
Etsaess but the direct nsnuafon, wiici is hs iaey.
table logical sequence of all this polite ptaver, is that
"Erskns" must be a chuckle headed noodle. If did
stumble upon an illustration wherein "the want of par
aeli,n" is 100 pIpabs u aios OF discussion" and il
said other things shallow and silly, that they were
utterly destitute OF logical eoAreee and force pitl
bic indeed must be my mental purlty. II there "r'
no plrslleisg where you cay there is none, 1t would
have been perfectly legitimate for you in that event. to
have logically proven H. but in egsnt could 1t have
been proper polite for you 10 have said IT, Nevcrthe
less you did say it, and therein committed hlgFan
outrage upon the slcred csnnons Of common decenCy
and you utterly fa,d to prove it, whereby you have
left the readers of the Whig doubt OF which a you
are the more profoundly gnoranh sound logic or true
p9liteness. lave heard OF people, Who it Is said
compound for sin they inclined TO,
BY dsmning those they have no mind to-"
But seems TO be your singular misfortune to advertise
-FOUR oSn fcies ia the very higelhtions you attempt
TO give them in which you seem to luxurate in "damn
ing thoss sins you have mind to-" No doubi it wa'
your own landed illustration that passing
recognized in review before your 'menta eve" Wher
want Of paraelsm, too papable to allow of discus
sion" invoiuutariy danced off from the point Of yOu
pen. II it was not, well may eIclaim to !ou in tht
language of ST. Mathew, "Ard why beholdes thou The
mote that in thy brothers eye but conderesi not h'
beam that is in thine own eye" Notwithstanding Fr
you have presumed to imper:inendy tWt me about my
retirement and polteness must insist that you stant
convicted by the record Of a rudeness rougher than
havs yet perpctraed. Your Terms" may be more re
daed than mac but your intentions loss polite h'
language you employ belongs to school Of manner
aud the only Interpretation of which 1t il susceptab
belongs TO another and between the two there is af
fnty, and can exist no sympathy. "Your hand is N,
hand of E,au bu your voice is the voice Of Jacob
But I. SIN beginning sbreSdy TO suspect that nethe
your manners or logical short comng1 iair gam'
for sport That they the result OF mental and no