The day book. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1857-1867, 1866-07-30
The Duty of the Hour.
From the Richmond Times.

Pens and tongues, grossly abused and vi
c;ously employed, unquestionably produced
nur war and brought on that disruption of
The Union which the Radicals have SO success
fnlly effected These mighty vehicles for hu-
man thought and expression are more potent
f,r good or evil than armies or fleets. Their
recorded labors endure for all time, and fire
the popular heart with love and hate just in
nroportion as their utterances are dictated by
virtue or vice. Treacherous pens and bad
tongues have been the bane of the American
peope, and truth and love and charity have
fled before their violent assaults during every
great period of public excitement.
The time has come when the tongues and
pens Of good and great men should make a
conquest in America more glorious than that
of Alexander, more extensive and enduring
than the empire of Napoleon. Let every
press and rostrum in this land resound with
proclamation Of the great truths underlying
our republican system, now 50 shameessly
crushed and violated by reckless fanaticism.
Let some Burke step forth, whose immortal
genius shall raise moral break-water against
those gigantic dangers, those waves of hate
and strife, which threat1n to sweep over and
eugulf everything dear and sacred 10 our in
stitutions Thus England was saved when
her great statesman, whose name we have
called and whose genius we have invoked, iu-
terposed his brain and pen between his peo-
pie and that awful revolution which swept
the continent of Europe and was about to.hurl
its torrent of wild and disorganizing opinion
upon the shores of England.
Truth, liberty and civilization never laid
out d grea or work to be accomplished by
patriotism than now, through the instrument
tality of the pen and voices of grave and he
roic statesmen. Let the coming of the great
National Union Convention in Philadelphia
mark the commencement OF that period when
the brains and hearts of patrio.s, North and
South, East and West, shall impress those
mighty elements Of power, that yet sleep in
the womb Of the nation, with a truly Ameri-
can spirit. As with the blast of Gabriers
trumpet, let proclamation go forth that the
dead virtue of this land shall rise up from the
tomb to which political sin and folly had con-
signed it. Let the rotten bulwarks of Radi-
calism fall before that blast, like the walls of
heather Jericho before the trumpets of Josh
ua, leader Of the chosen people of God
The work TO be accomplished is grand be-
yond conception. To rescue our doomed
country from destruction, would be like
founding new empire There are difficult
ties attending the task. But who yet ever
Succeededn overthrowing wickedness with
out struggle? And yet the undertaking
Is not SO great as that one man might not
accomplish it, even as Peter, the Hermit, ac-
comphshed the crnsades, and Martin. Iniler,
the Protestant Reformation.
The glory of restoring this Union of bring
Ing back our Government to the purity, JUS
tee and freedom in which it was founded by
our forefathers, would constitute a triumph
that would survive the proudest monuments
of marble OF brass. Let patriots rouse them
selves to the effort. Let them, led by the
President of the United States, sound the
bugle for charge which will result in the
most splendid victory ever won in politics.