Washington telegraph., 1865-12-20

.HARMoNIzINa"-There is much in the
present condition Of our State and section to,
produce dependency. There is an apathyxa
perfect Indifference, cs it were, to all slbiupary
affairs, that never existed before. Formerly.
our citizens were wont to be elated or tempo
rarily depressed as the electric wires flashed
this or that int lligence through the land
What is the conition of things now? Do
you ever hear of any gatherings" of the people!
Do you ever listen to or read the thoughts that
breathe and words that burn" uttered in our
uidstl Do you ever feel any Of those patriotic
thrills that formerly sent the blood gushing
through your veins! Not at all.
But instead thereof, you meet at every point
with gloom, and wretchedness, and despair.
i,ra Cara dogs the footsteps and shares the
pillow Of every citizen.
An old Latin maxim has t-''Times change
aad we change with them" How much of
truth there is in this, is seriously realized by
every citizen of our State
as this mel Am myself Pinch me-
Mark" says Martin Chuzzlewhit (in Dickens
Mark Tapley.
We are often as skeptical as Martin Chuz-
zlewhit in regard to our identity We fire.
gucntly ask ourselves, can it be that this is the
same country that we have always inhabitedi
Is this the same people that we have always
kuownl Are these the same ski S that we have
always looked up TOT
Formerly there was much love of country
among US, and at the mention even of its name
men tossed high their hats, and fair ladies
waved their kerchiefs. Formerly met each
ether with smiling visages, with pleasant greet
ings, or lively bon mots. Formerly the skies
that lear over us were rhapsodized as the most
brnignaht, translucent and beautiful of skies.
How is it nowl Where is our former love
of country1 Where our former sociability, en-
joy ment, and bon hOmmie generally Where
the former endearments bestowed by US upon
the Sunny South"
Alas there is little of the old times left
Change is not REFORM" said the Sage of Roam
oke With how much truth we can all bear
witness. Earnestly, hopefully. trustfully, we
of the South have "labored and waited for our
restoration.
At the close of the war, the verdict of the
world in regard to the Southern States, ,was-a
brave, magnanimous, heroic people. From
strangers everywhere we have received this
,laudit How have cur own people at the North
regarded us? Nha: thinks our own Executive
of us
We are trying hard-rsry hard to ''harmonize.'
Daily thousands of minds are toiling, aud thou
sands OF presses are working to bling about a
true reunion. And nightly thousands Of prayers
from the purest lips are offered for the same
purpose
| How long is this to continued When Will
this suspense, this agony, this uncertainty, endi
We have given every promise, every pledge,
every obligation and oath that was asked or
required. What more can we do
| Men of the North, are ycu mem Then for
bear. Surely by this time, your ire is apPeased.
/ Surely, if we have been guilty of wrongs in
| your eyes, we have. in eur persons. atoned
| fully for the same. In the name of our COM
mon humanity, we ask you to torbear.
And to our President-the Executive of this
! great nation-one word in conclusion: Shoull
these lines ever reach linn, (and we are not pre-
sump;uous enough TO suppose they will, y let him
know that the South has looked TO him as its
sLeet-anchor, its savior, its only hope, in this
crisis.
| We yet have confidence in our President, and
viii conclude by quoting the touching words
! of Jeanie Deans 10 Queen Caroline. The sp-
! plication will by all be understood. ALIAS! it
is not when we sleep soft and wake merrily
| ourselves, that we think on other peoples suf-
| ferings. Our hearts are waxed light within us
| then, and we are for righiing our ain wrongs
and fighting ain battles. But when the
hour of trouble comes to the mind or TO the
body-anl seldom may it visit your ladyshp-
and when the hour of death comes, that comes
to high and low, lang and late may it be yours
! Oh, my lady, then it isna what we hae dune
| for oursells, but what we hae dune for others,
/ that we think ON maist pleasantly"