Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1863-05-01


'nsds" fsnt against Charleston. Ia the end,
he wealth aud naval resources of Athens
suceuu.bed to tho military energy Of Sparta !;
hut not until a ter the latter had made seve-
'Al inVss,cns of Attica by land; brought tho
! devasistions OF war hume to that luxurious
| peopls, and shown them that bloeksding
foes could not make a monopoly of toe busi-
I ness Of plundsr and slaughter.
1t seems sn outrage upon the grand old
Greeks OF Att;os, to namo them on the same
page with the degraded, ds-civilizsd Yankee
nsticn. Shades of Niciss and Alcibiades
forgive us! Bat still tho. comparison,
30 fsr ss it hiss been carried, may afford en-
tertsihment if not practical instruction. The
one great moral iaculcated by it, is, perhaps
this--thst W hen you have an enemy powerful
at sea, your highest wisdom is to invade him
by land, and strike at his sitAls.
Neither on our side, can We altogets er ap.
propriate the honor implied in an analogy
1 with. Lsccda,moa. Ths Greeks wsse .
much more civilized psople than we
are, whsthor FsGersls or OonfSderates
Notwithstanding the 80 we'll authen-
ticsted progress Ct ths Species. There
are certain points admitting Of comparison
snd exciting reflection, and thsre an end.
In revolving the events Of tina. PelopOnuo-
sisr w=-, our first Il ought was to discover
sonao analogy with the historic position aud
character of President Davis; but there is
none, (hstory never repeats itself literally
except perhaps, in part, B,asidas the Spartan.
The Atheuisn histor rian, who seldom enlhrges
on the pericc.ions of an enemy, awards to
Brssidas every praise both of statesman and
soldier.
"By showing himself just and moderate
! towsads the cities, namely, the cities Of the
Athenian League, ne caused their revolt in
most instances, 80 tha. the LaceU emonians,
if they might wish to conclude q pcacs-as
they did-hxd towns to give and receive
| back, and respite from the war in tie PeIo-
ponnesus. And ct a lstsr period of the war,
it was the prebty snd tact Of B,asidas at this
! time, exyerit need by some and heard CT by
Others that most raised among the allie, OF
Athens strong inclination towards the L.-
cedemonians. For by going cut fist, and
showing himselfa worthy uiku, hs left among
them All assured hope that tho rest also were
| like tim"
AiLe. all the comparison is pronGture
for OUT President has not yet taken towns to
| exchange for cur own, nor detached any Of
the hostile States from alliance with Cur en-.
smy, only in his moderation, tact and pro-
bity can We, as yet, cumpsre him with the
Spartan. Such historical parallels are, st sny
rste, fallacioas and dubious We know not
where, in all history, to Look for any msu
occupying III analogous position, and
sustaining it 80 worthily. He is no leader
OF a revolution, strictly 40 called, like
Cromwell; no oheifsain of q class, like Van
AnteVeldl; no restorer of a dynasty, like
Gustavus Vasa; n,r of q nationality, like
Kosciosko; NO leader of revolted colonies, like
" ashinston. Haa is the CHOSEN. standard
bearer Of 8 Uonf. doracy Of sovereign States
standing immovsble upon their ancient well
established righi; seeking no change, medita-
ling hurt and harm to none, forced in.their
own defence to undertake great war, and
perfectly reso!u.e, through veal and woe
through war C peace, to 90 their own waJ
and stand upon their OWL rights Tho posi-
ton ,s uniqnas aud perhaps the man also
Lat Us drop historical parallels, and take hin,
! as wc ind him: ss Psoy idenco and Nature, and
bis own previons life and culture, and the cir
cumstsnces Of Lis tirns and country, have
formed aud moulded him, ard made him
ready for us when we wanted him. His
tssk required Of him personal dignity, strong
will, inhexible resolution Etern simplicity
and integrity, sogsther with a thorough com
prehension of the principles involved, and .
fnll sympathy with the genius and aspira
tions of the people amongst whom he is all
called to rule. These qualities, aud in a
high degree, all men allow him. |. is true
be fila in giving ua all officb and hono7s &C.
cordmg 10 our own estimate Of ous own
merits This must be allowed t. re bad;
but, on tho whole, every ono is willing TO
give him credit for both pure patriotism and
educated intelligence, even in his sppoipt-
ments. Every one is willing TO have him ac-
ceptcd abroad Qike the Spartan B!asidss) as
the type Of his people, and q guaranty and
security for our good behavior as ono .f tho
powers of the osrth. The very English are
forced TO praise him; and, by way of paying
him the mort dazzling compliment, pre-
nouncs that ''ths1o runs through his charac-
tor a current Of thoroughly English thought
and faeling"-nsy, that 10 speaks as the
Duke of Wellington or Prince Albert might
havs spoken;" which they mean as very
high praiss, and as such wo accept it.
They asy the President, in his military np-
poiutmerts, is too much devoted to West
Point; in other words, greatly inclined to place
lasn in positions they have been ttained to fill.
Perhaps il is the more rational opinion that
military skill, like reading and writing, comes
by nature, and that this bigotry to West
Point deprives the country of many great
natural Generals who could make war by in
stinct. Still, the Generals whom the President
has given us do, in some measure, justify his
choice. Ii they do so well, boing mere gradu-
ates of West Poins what might not have
been achieved by commanders possessing the
advantage Of no military education! But it
would be too great q risk, and we are content
that those Cromwells should remain guiltless
OF their coantry's blood.
Ons thing is pretormit!ine all his
toric parallels, President Davis is at this hour
becoming better known to our own people in
his true proportions. lie is spoken of III all
quarters moro atfoctionsioly and revssently
than he was year ego. Brswlins faction
and discomfort sink down and die out
around him and beneath hin; and all men