Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-01-04
Thc old Year ana nc Now.

1 reference 10 our Own country, IL uteu scarcely
be said, it furnishes teening abundance
while Of themes, provocative Of moral anc
/ philosophical contemplation, i has beer
equally prolific. The retrospest has much
in il TO rejoice at, and quite as much to
mourn ever-a great deal that deserves 70
live eteFnally in mems memories aud not 4
little that it would be we'll 70 let sink in the
waters of oblivion, forever. When Themis-
tocles, exiled from Athens. sought an asylum
at the court Of Artaxerxes, some inconside-
rate friend there, dcsirous Of diveyting him.
offered TO teach him the art cf memory.
The Greek thanked the Persian, but begged
OF him rather to teach him, not how TO re
member, but how to forget. We are not
sure bat that, rejecting on the past, some
feeling akin 10 this Is experienced BY every
lover Of his country, whose patriotism is not
gagged By lines Of latitude and longitude,
but expansive enough to embrace the entire
Republic within the circle OF its sympathies.
Who. for example, desires to recall to re-
membrance the various saddening scenes re-
sulting from protracted strife, with which
the passing year was ushered in? Who
would retouch the melancholy pictures which
were then, on every hand, presented to the
gaze, or seek 10 revive The heart-burnings
and bitterness. between brethren and eoun-
trymen, that are now happily superseded,
though unfortunately not TO the full extern
that they ought to be, BY an era of good
feeling? Others may find pleasure in such
a retrospective raking up Of dead ashcs-we
have none. The curtain IS down. Let il
stay down.
Nevertheless, there aresome events which,
at the time of their occurrence, so powerful
~ affected the public mind, and which sub
sequently had so controlling an influence
upon the national Affairs, that it is impossi-
Ole 80 shut them out from remembrance.
One of these was the surrender Of Gen. Lee,
in Virginia, on the 9Th Of April, resulting
in the re-sstablishmcnt of peace-and an
other, the assassination Of President Lin
coin, ut place Of public entertainment, in
Washington, on the 18th Of the same month.
The frs; was hailed throughout the North
with demonstrations Of heartfelt joy; but
hardly had the music OF bells, the roar OF
cannon, and the flashing % bonhres, aud
prayers Of thanksgiving to the giver Of all
victory died away, ere the secoHd, with
fearful suddenness, changed the song Of
gladness into notes Of lamentation and woe.
Time, however, soon assuages
national, rs well as individual griefs, and in
the course Of events, il was not long ere the
tragedy in real life, at FOrds Theatre, was
subordinated in the public mind to other
things growing out Of the suppression Of the
rebellion. Consolation for the death Of the
President was had in the cOneiliatory and
policy adopted by his succes-
sor-so much so, indeed, that many, who in
the first transports Of grief, were inclined TO
view the taking oil of Mr.. Lincoln, as an
irreparable loss, soon began to think that in
this as in other things, it is better that Gods
rather than mans, will should be done-es-
pecially as all things seem now 10 be work
ing together for good.
Looking beyond the confines on our own
country, other nations have had experience
Of one kind or another, Of a character to be
Our unhappy next door
neighbor, Mexico, has had the life well nigh
trampled out of her, by foreign intruders
while on our northern boundary, the Ca
aadians have had their equanimity disturb
ed by visions unreal a. yeti of a Fenian in
vasion. War has been let loose in South
America, and at this moment il is scarcely
an exaggcration TO say il envelopes the whole
continent, from Panama to Patagonia, Bra
I'll and the Argentine Republic, are at war
with Paraguay. Chill is at war with Spain.
Peru has Just been in conflict with herself
while Ecuador, New Grenada, and the Cen
trail American States, we regret to add, are
each in 4 condition about as far from inter
nal tranquility. "a the demon Of discord
could desire. On the other side of the At
antic, peace generally has prevailed. and,
{ Is pleasing to be persuaded that there Is
nothing in the present relations of the sever
Il powers in Europe to warrant the anticipa-
II. ~.
be, like its predecessor, one Of profound
As the Express Is nOtamOng those
who believe that civilization, or Christianity,
n political freedom even, is to
'e aided directly by fighting, il must be per-
nitted to accept this "a a gratifying fact,
Tot that wars are not often necessary, nor
hat there is not likely tO be more or less
lighting in thisworld, s0long n poor human
lature is constituted as il is,-but the neces-
airy wars, unhappily, are not the wars that
ire most frequent. The Great Powers, "a
hey are called, may be impressed with these
ruths, and the present profound peace
ImOng them all may be the fruit Of the inn
PRESTON. We hope il is. At any rate, we
,ut seldom hear Englishmen now speaking
# Frcnchmen as their natural enemies.
The Car Of Russia and the Sultan Of Tur-
sey are grown more placable. It was bat
he other day that we read of an enthusiastic
reception given 10 the Emperor OF Austria in
he Hungarian city Of Pesth lkOssuths
pesth ,, while on the Italian Peninsula, the
roubles consequent upon the shaking off Of
he old Bourbon dynasty, and the adoption
e a system more in conformity with the
pirit OF the age and the aspirations Of an
heightened and generous people, are al so
III ~
ccurrenccs in Rome, Naples, Milan, etc.,
re scarcely important enough 10 the rest OF
he world TO be made the subject Of Rem
er telegram. In Asia thing seem 10
% on after the fashion of South America
much fighting here and there, with no sub
tantial or definite results There is q big
ebellion in China, which Is occasionally
productive Of much blootlshed but as that
ebellion has been going ON for some years
,ast. IL cannot, properly, be credited 10 the
ear under review. Japan and Polyn'sia
re comparatively quiet, though Il i but a
ew months since there was serious discoa-
emit In New Zealand, which had TO BE- snip
,ressed by the strong paw Of the British
ion. Those discontents. however, had Bot
title American interest, at the time-oT
wn troubles at home shifting them out
kAatAAAAftA+AA
n the foreign news
Death has been busy in both hemiVherss,
nd many are the shining marks at which
e has sent his remOrseless shaft. The po-
tical, literary, scientific and religious
forld have each lost some Of ia bright
articular stars-among which we need only
iention in passing, she names Of Lord Pal
ierzton, Bishop Potter, Preston King
'homas Corwin, Mrs. Gasldil. Vincent
Wallace, Madame Virginia Whiting Lorini.
,eath's most prolific harvest, however, was
lrtheF East his sharp sickle, the cholera
evastating ccnstantinople, SMYRNA, and
,any other cities and towns in tbat region,
&c sickle never casing ill It got into the
~ capital of Frames and cast rom there
: ominous reflection not only aeros the
.nglish Channel, but upon the shores u
andy Hook, al oar own doc, beyond
hich We pray it may never o5me.
The following account Of the disturbance
| Alexandria Is from the Richmond Er1a-
'er, and l. the South side view. We are
ssured by a clergyman who vas preseni al
.lexandria when the negro riot took place
lere on Christmas day last, that the accnuai
hich the Washington Chronicle give OF that
loody ARRAY, 20 FAR ~ charging the blame
pom young men who were formerly IN the
onfederate army. l. concerned, il entirely
lcorrect. Our informant furnishes The iol-
wing, which he represents 10 be a true
ateinent Of the affair: The negroes COM
ienced paradingthesireetso on Sunday night.
hey we're armed with pistols, knives and