The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-08-17
Our RESPONSIBILITIES.

Our Responsibilities.
PRoFUsE shedding OF blood and an enormous
national debt are often the least effects of a
great revelation. These, indeed, are necessary
to it's success, and are the prices we pay for the
benefits all revolutions eventually confer. The
great convulsions of state which tear away the
veil from the eyes of men and make them to see
evils in government, evils in morals and society,
are far from benechial in their immediate results
A people aroused 70 a sense of national sin
are eager for a remedy, and II tnelr
leaders! are men of ambition, or have any
motive meauer than that OF SELF
sacrificing patriotism, they may be led astray
fifty years in seeking true cure for their poll
tical disease. The English revolution OF l642 will
illustrate this. When the cumniating evils OF
successive reigns forced revolution upon that
age the moral strength which their cause gave
the Parliamentary party, under the guidance OF
the moderate FAIRFAX, might have done all that
it took nearly a hundred years afterwards to
accomplish. This moral power becomes
dangerous instrument in the hands of designing
men, From the tyranny and prelacy of CHARLES,
England, under the way of CROMWELL and his
corrupt supporters, became the slave of more
repulsive tyrant than even CROMWELL himself
Disgusted with this master, at length it
threw off his sway for the wild licentiousness
of the Second CHARLES, and not until the acCes.
sion of WILLIAM III, in 1858, did the fruits of the
revolution of I642 begin to appear. This is not
the only instance history records. The French
revolution affords us a striking parallel of
popular zeal for reform misdirected and there
are lessons which the political leaders of our
day have got to learn from such teachings.
This question Of slavery, which the nation saw
to be an offense to government before 1t was
found an offense to Heaven, has been put at
rest, under Divine Providence, by our armies in
the field. But we need not think that the only
bar TO our progress is removed. That
clear moral perception which revolution
gives to people, and which has
forced us to do away with our great
national sin, shows us manJ more that may
take root in an unsettled state of society, and
proves as deleterlous to our national growth as
the bigotry and licentiousness which success
sively arose from the ashes OF prelacy. In
whatever question men may come to an issue in
these days, it will be of no trihing import.
There are great moral conflicts to be decided
by US who live in this age of change, conflicts
vital to our national happiness, and it we're
well, we think, did we prepare to do our duty.
What is our duty? That the ballot-boX should
be coIscientiously and judcousiy employed,
has always been a great obligation OF citizens to
a republic, and now becomes a greater than
ever, but it is not the medium of the greatest
moral power which a people can give to a
revolution.
This power comes from each mans sense of
his responsibility in the reconstruction of ltera-
ture, ofsociety, but, above all, in what shall be
called bigotrv and what liberalty. IN the vital
matter of religion. We know very well that
these questions are not likely to become party
Issues and that the opinions of our people will
decide them. Hence the duty of every good
citizen to pass thinking judgment on any diff
ference that may arise among men concerning
the common veal, and be doubly watchful to
what cause he lends his influence. No mans
influence is vaueless in the cause of right, and
each of us will have occasion to use his if we are
not much mistaken. 1t were an evil day for our
land if the bigotry of the Enelish protectorate
or the atheism OF republican France were to rise
from the embers of the late Rebellion. This is
the danger of the hour. That murders and
rapines of every sort should be multiplied, Is
rendered inevitable by the disbanding of great
are worse evils under the sun. 1t is not a matter
of party. Old political issues have passed away,
and all things are become new; the world is
changing, and we must change with It, Man.
kind must be inevitably the better for this
revolution; but shall not our own generation
see its fruits The race that dethroned CHARLES
STUART, to secure republican liberty to them
selves and their children, passed away with then
desires unfulfIled; seventy-four years have moi
suficed to develope the beneficial results, SC
ardently looked for by all French patriots, from
the revolution of 1892. History has writer
the mistakes of these great nations. The wan
of a general intelligence, of a clear mora
perception, drove these people under the lead
ership of the CRoMwELLs, RoBEsPIERREs, ant
DANToNs of their day; in this age OF enlighten
ment there will be no such excuse for us.