The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1866-11-30
No One Man indispensable.

/ The following eloquent extract from
the last letter of Thomas Hughes, au-
thor of "Tom Brown a. Oxford in
the New York Tribune, teaches a
mourniul lesson TO human ambition.
/ by proving that no one man is inds-
pensable in the course of human af-
fairs, and that he is longest remem.
bered who dies fighting for the right
side
ave have passed this week the first
anniversary Of Palmerston's death,
which took place on October ~, of last
year. This world certainly does slide
with vengeance in our day, and it is
instructive, if not encouraging, to see
how she continues to spin around in
her course without any apparent dis
composure at the disappearance of
eminent statesmen We are already
/ half delivered of reform bill; the
East is in blaze, and Bismark has
absorbed the best part of Germany in
the name Of the 'nahonaltes an
idea which was foolishness, to say the
least, for the last of the Lord Liver
pool and earning school of statesmen.
Doubtless there are few men who leave
much real mark behind them, but it
Is nevertheless startling to think what
a large place Lord Palmerston filled
in the stage of Western Europe only
thirteen months ago, and to look
around and see and feel already no
trace of his influence left among Us r.
After all, it is only what the world is
pleased to call the fanatics that small
and much enduring band of whom she
IS not worthy whose scpulchres she
builds after having bounded them to
death-who sin in the great game
and score deeply on tue great dial
plate of history
On the evening of this anniversary,
| was on one of our bridges, over
which volunteer regiment was mar
ching back from marching at
ease, with rifles slung over
their shoulders. They were singing,
as is their wont-not altogether, but
by snatches first one company, and
then another catching up the refrain,
which swolled up along the whole col
umn. For moment | did not recOg-
ME the chant but as the head of the
column came close, the Glory Halle
luJah of your John Browns march
ruug out, to my surprise and delight,
and loated over the quiet waters OF
the Thames down below As the last
company filed way INTO the dusk, i
couldn't help specializing whether in
fifty years time the Old. New England
: yeomau the hard fighter in Kansas.
, who ended his DAY Oh the Virginia
scatfold, would not count for more
with our grandchildren than the sue
cessiul Premier, the Cabinet Minister
Of more than nalf century, who, du-
ring eleven cyentful years. from the
Cnmean War to the time of his death
ruled England and her empire pretty
much as he pleased | came TO the
conclusion, without the least dispar-
agement to the gallant old gentleman
who lived his own kind of HE bravelv
and honestly enough, that for one
English speaking man who will at
that time of day hunt out alIectionate
~ Lord Pa nerstons last home N
Westminster abby, hundred will
make piigrmages to the wiid httle set
tiemeut IN the Adlrondacs, and drink
Ing IN strength of soa over the PLAN
granite slab which covers all that
could die of Capt John Brown, the
abohtionst which conclusion viii.
no doubt, be- counted crazlnoss 10y
mne-tenths Of my OVID countlymen.
and even with you, who love the grand
old martyr | doubt whether | could
reckon on majority for verdict OF
perfect sanity