Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1864-04-27
THE PAST.

| individuals often wish 10 live their live.
| over, though never to make the repeti
ton a counterpart Of the original. Some.
thing in the past, bad or foolish, or both,
makes them desire a chance TO retrieve
lost honor. They see how the past can be
bottcred--how early virtue was succeeded
by later vice, and how the good teachings
Of fond parents was disregarded. This
nation, we have often thought, shorld live
is life over again. If we could only 90
back ten or five years in our history and
rest there, how thankful all would be-
How s.udi,usIy would all, patriots and
traitors, rebels and lcaguers, avoid any
outbreak between the two sections
Through the awful past, its smoke and
blood we look back to those days Of bliss
as the traveller looks out up1u the last
glimpse of his home. They are fast fad
ing out of sight. Even their little quar-
rols seem pleasant now. The Mormon
wa", tho Kansas fights, tho San Juan al-
Iair-how gladly would the people return
to all if they only could-how happily
would they clutch those very little cross
es, If they could only lay down the big
one which now weighs upon them. five
could only return to the days OF hard mon
ey-whcn butter was twenty-five cents,
and beef fifteen, and sugar len-whcp
gold and silver were plenty we had
no debts or taxes, no loans to make-no
awful deficits to meet, or incomprehensi-
ble bonds to subscribe for-when the only
war heard Of was 4 duel now and then be
tween a fierce Southerner and saucv
Northerner-whcn a siclly Tariff discuss
ion was the only politics, and each party
We'd in its devotion TO the Constitution
when the President vetoed fifty thousand
dollar appropriations because they were
too eEtravaCant-when the Capitol eNtcn-
ton took all the money, and tho War
office at Washington was a small two-story
building with half q dozen old fellows
perched about on stools, anxious for busi-
ness, aud the State Department scarcely
got off dispatch month. If we could
only retraCo our steps to the time when
geography was taught nowhere but in
schools, and maps were not studied by
men-when such ugly places as Chancell-
orsville and Bull Run were not even
dreamed Of by the honest people that liy-
ed thereabout; When Gettysburg had its
beautiful cemetery, uninjuTed by shot or
shell, prettily pe"ohed on its hill top
when Richmond or the Rapidan we're not
dug up and fenced in and fortifed-when
blue clothes were scarcely ever seen and
the only soldiery known were half doz-
en- companies of coTporals guard each
with bear-skin hats and unloaded mus
kets. We were happy then, though VIC
thought we were not. Parsons did not
preach politics in those days-thoy taught
religion and painted the glor-s of meek
Christian spirit which forgives its enc
mics There were no contractors 10 those
days, or shoddy, or bounty fund, or negro
committees. Outside OF the
militia, there were not half dozen Cen
erals in the whole country. Grant was a
tanner, Mcclellan a railroad superinlond-
ant, and Meade captain. Lincoln, Stan
ton and lIalieck had not been heard Of
There had been no proclGmations since
The proclamation Of peace with Mexico,
which, as we remember it, caused more
lprorious Joy than the county had seen |
or many a day. We were very, very |
Happy, had We only known it.
II This nation could but retrace its fear