Winchester journal. [volume] (Winchester, Indiana) 1862-1863, 1863-01-09
THE DEVIL Is AN ASS.

But IL has been reserved for Us
to see the complete stultifcation
of the evil one. He never had
a fairer field for his operations
than this country afforded, and
he was among the very first to
occupy it; he came the same year
with the Puntans; he lost no
time, he insinuated himself into
the social relations of the people,
he wormed himself into the gov
ernment, he fabricated all great
persons with his slime. he fasci-
mated statesmen with his charm
ed eyes and glittering scales, he
captivated them with his glozing
tongue; so guilelessly he did it;
so ingeniously, with such plsusi-
bic reasoning, that before We
were aware of his designs, he
had gained political, social, and
even moral supremacy. lie had
corrupted nearly all the public
men. he had the ear of the Exc
cutive, he stuffed the ballot box;
there seemed to be no reason
why, with prudent management,
he should not become the prepon-
deratIng force in the nation, why
/ he should not at last become the
one force; and he would have
done il if he had not outwitted
him self, if he had not monument
ly showed his hand. Good men
did next TO nothing. God main
tanned his awful reserve. There
was a wonderful, a prodigious
silence IN the part OF all who
might have spoken; the two or
three voices that were raised were
drowned forthwith in the popular
clamor, or smothered by the pop.
ular indifference. 1t was as if
the moral world stood still to see
the selfconvictiop of evil. Un-
derground, swift and sure, bur-
rowed the old serpent; now and
then showing his head in some
outrage on civilization, but
straightway dp wing it in again;
so cunning, so wary, SO wise, so
deep, so expert in covering his
track, that none thought to scotch
him. 1t was the wiliest game
up to a certain point, and then il
was the craziest. Every master
stroke of policy was the best
thing that could have been done
for God. He offered price for
the head of Garrison, and made
Garrison known; he insulted DR..
Charming, and stanled Phillips
to his feet; he mobbed Phillips,
and raised Up anti-slavery orators
by the score; he agonized to get
the Fugitive Slave law, and
F created the Republican party; he
broke down the Missouri Com
promise, aud let the angel OF the
North into his dominions; he in
vaded Kansas, and unearthed
: John Brown; he hung John
Brown, and multiplied avengers
by the thousand. AT Sumter, he
was idiot enough to shock the
last remaining sentiment of
Northern honor. He'll should
have deposed him forthat blunder.
, Pandemonium should have ex-
communicated him for such a
piece Of nonsense; the fends
should have put the zany's cap
on his head. Still there was
another chance; the last hour had
not come. He might still mutter
the black Pater Noster, and shed
the h pccritical tear, and retire
TO his cave for new rehearsal of
} his part. Nobody wanted to
hruise his head severely; most
would have been glad TO see it
safely sheltered in lis hole-many
begged hir@ TO draw it in. But
the mad man, absurdly imputing
this kind advice TO fear, actually
: believed he had done a wise
thing, and persisted. He raised
, his crest, and darted out his
tongue, he waved his scaly tail
more fercely than ever, he spit
his venom in floods, until, In
self -deiesne, the javelin of eman-
! cipatlon was driven into his heart.
, Slavery dies by It's own hand; its
worst enemies have been its
friends; Gov. Wise hurt il more
than John Brown; Preston Brooks
! dealt it more fatal blows than
Charles Summer; Floyd knocked
away more powerful prop than
. Wendell Phillips; and Jefferson
Davis has wounded II more NOR
tallV than Garrison.
ThuS u;v friands ~ a,ar ;s