Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-02-26
MORNING, FEBRUAR'

moment had not come, but she had lost all
confidence in him and every one else, and
made up her mind that catastrophe was
approaching. It's scarcely necessary to add
that we went over safely. There was prob
ably no danger, exceptin appearance.
The efforts of the. company, aided by the
government, TO keep that road in order, have
been great and unremitting. Millions have
been spent in that way since the COM
mencement of the war. The fact that so
few accidents have occurred to the travel
! ing public on n road running through ter
ritory claimed. by two hostile governments
and government-if Mr.. Seward requires
us to say it--so called, put 1t down so-is
doubtless owing to the great care taken
not to permit passenger cars to run when
there was danger to be apprehended
| During the last month there have been
one raid and one robbery on tue road. The
mischief done by the former was not very
great; the latter resulted in the loss OF con-
siderable clothing, jewelry and greenbacks.
This. was at first charged to the rebels, but
is now known to have been the work OF a
gang of outlaws belonging to no political
party, and going on their own hook; in
better phraseology, following their own
curved lines.
Would it not be well to furnish passenger
cars with loaded muskets-enough to give
each passenger One-to be used whenever tie
emergency might call for them? They
could be hung up on the hooks usually APP
propriated to umbrellas, and would, If
properly used, bel more formidable weapon.
Ladies who contemplate travelling might
be taught to use them before starting and
might also practice occasionally on the
way. Some arrangement of this sort is re-
quired, not only on the Baltimore & Ohio
railroad, but on some others; and as society
gets further advanced in the direction It is
now going, some defensive arrangement o {
this sort will be in still greater demand.
| 1t is not a pleasant reflection, but it is
| true, that the war has had the effect to de-
prave large number of men, so thorough
| ly that there is no longer the least hope that
they will ever return to the habits of honest
and useful labor. In organized society
there is no longer any place for them; the
associations, delights, and comforts of home,
no longer attract them. Parents, wives,
brothers, sisters, children, all, are forgotten.
To prey upon society, and to live by theft,
fraud, and robbery is now their ruling de-
sire.
In the midst of their social and political
desolations, it is curious and instructive to
observe how tenaciously fanaticism holds
on to its course and is game to the last The
other day, met an old acquaintance of for
mer days: "Well DOCTOR" said l., show are
you pleased with the results of the war,
thus far?" ''Well pleased" said he. EVERY
thing is coming out right. God has decreed
the destruction of slavery, and everything
is working to that end" 3Do You suppose
said |, ''when the war began that half a
million of men and one fourth of the wealth
of the country would be consumed, and we
be no nearer the end than we are now.'
''Certainly," said he, II looked for this
great sacrifice, and more. am not disap-
pointed. am willing to see the country
Suffer all this, and great deal more, to
wipe out that foul blot"
The Doctor is strong, healthy man, in
the the full vigor of life. For some reasons
he has not given himself. did not ask
why. What strange insanity now pervades
the public mind Is it not SO?
| A few weeks ago, chanced to encounter
in travelling, one of those Oberlin preach
ers, genuine specimen. He had the geol.
ogy by heart, all the way through; ant
knew just how to speak it. We talked 8
half hour and were soon in the midst of the
negro and the war. 'God has decreed,
said he, ''the end of slavery, and is using
his own means to accomplish it. All he re-
quires of us is to do what he commands
/ lHe TeSulUS nc VIII Jake care VI. Illus ue
went on. Suppose" said l, 'you use uI
two or three millions of white people, inn
poverish the country, desolate millions o.
homes, and in the end, find that you have
liberated only comparatively small num-
ber of the slaves, and that the condition Of
those is rendered great deal more uncOm-
Portable than before, may you not, with
such results before you, suspect that you
misunderstood the purposes of God?"-
"Never, no, never" said he, mo matter
what the result may be, all we have to dc
is to go where God leads us, and give our
selves no concern about results. Them he
will take care Of"
I This is the spirit of fanaticism every
where. If it were true that God had thus
commanded, it would be safe to follow
Obedience to the commandments of God
is never unwise nor its consequences un-
fortunate; but there lies the mistake. These
men take up the desires, thoughts and rea.
sonings of their own insane minds and cal
them the DEGREES and purposes of God
There is the mistake and it is a fatal one.
The above is long enough for one letter
I will close, and write another to-day-per
haps two or three more.
Truly yours,
NUMBER NINE.
P.S.-In the last one of this series of let
, ters will let you and your readers know
| ,,JI so Inc 1nft