Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1867-09-21
From he La Crosse Daily Republican.
A Familiar Epistle,
Written TO Joe ElUeH, about several
and vdrious Kings. a, y
PsEscorr. sept. I2. Is67.

PREscorr. Sept. -. 1867.
DEAR JoE Years ago, not many in time.
but'ages in great events, just when the storm
cloud Of War had sent a few great bloody
drops to herald its terrible coming. l, Storm
stayed in little town IN the far OFF East.
wrote you long and friendly letter. fall of
the dreams of youthful hope, the ambitions
Of early manhood. and vague prophecies Of
events 10 come. Years later. when the bat
tle-storm had passed when the Draft. strong
as Destiny and terrible as Doom, no longer
thrust its insatiate hand into trembling house
holds-when Peace gilded with heavenly
light the ruins grin-visaged War had left
when the Good Cause had triumphed and the
Great Victory was won, and you, wearing
the hOnOred blue. had safely returned. and.
leaving the Star, whose light was replenished
by your pen, you went to a wider field Of
labor in that fair city which is the pride Of
Western Wisconsin-then / wrote YOU again.
Of trials past, of burdens borne. of hopes
whose fruitIon seemed sure and near.
To-day. JOE. would write you again. on
lighter and pleasaater themes, and / write
you for know that your thought viii run IN
sympathy with mine, and though our friend
ship may not be as fervent as of old, it is
none the less faithful and firm. Time hides
many things. JOE, and the feeling which
leaped 10 the lip in youth, in manhood lies
silent aud strong in the heart. And then, I
may be gmrulous, JOE, as Thought and Mem
DRY pile the material before me, and if. to any
tired reader, 1 grow tedious in length, OF
crude in thOrght, or weak in expression, The
remembrance that these words are written to
sou, and not to him, will nick of the sharp
edge of his criticism, and SHE'D me from his
reprOOf. erH
- TEX YEARs ten years is long
time, JOE, in this hunying. Western life ,f
ours. Ten years of hope and fruition, ten
years of thought and toll, ten years of faith
full endeavor and crowned achievement, are
more than fall 10 the iGt of most. 1t is now
ten years, and trifle more, JOE, since YOU
lii tie Star to guide yoar Teaders, and OPEN
ed the Journal TO record The deeds of mine
l know that / can judge your feelings by my
own, and that we turn over those early leaves
with mingled feelings of love and of wonder
at orr boyish enthusiasm. How paltry
seem now the local strifes which engaged all
our energies then. And those leaders"
which We thought fortified by logic, laden
with truth and winged with power.-those
"leaders" which were TO compel conviction
and win the reader by irresistible force 60
our OpiniOn.-how dead and lifeless they
look now. We laugh at them now, JOE, as
no doubt our wiser readers did then, and If
occasionally we find in them a feeling that is
real. thought that is true, an argument that
was based on immutable principle, and so
stands firm to-day, we almost wonder at it
aud then fall to wondering whether what we
write now will look thin and vapid to us by
and by. After all. does not the best editor
make the most selections, JOE?
- And this leads me TO thinking that
in those early days you and were political
antagonists, and battled each others heresies
with all the power We could put into type.
But in the flaming crucible of War-that
crucible which burned up prejudice and par
tisanship and left only Patriotism unscathed.
in the white heat of that trial time when
Slavery, and Caste. and Compromise were
burned together. and from their ashes FREE
DON rose respondent with holy light.-in
that time our differences fell away ,and to-day,
thank God, we are Radicals together. A
RADICAL | like the word, JOE. There is
something incisive and decided about it. 1t
rings out like a challenge. 1t siirs the blood.
1t bodies disaster TO throned wrong. 10 anti
quated opinions. to blOodless and umrighteoLs
law. it enters the sepulchre of Truth as the
Angel entered the sepulchre of Christi rolls
away The stone and let's the awakened and
imprisoned thought 60 free. Radical.sm il
not a mad destroyer. but a wise builder. 1t
keeps even step with the march of Mind and
the growth of Man. Ii weaves beauty into
Use, and forms Justice into Law.
And in this conflict of opinion between a
wise radicalism, and a blind adherence to an
outgrowE Past-between the New, radiant
and strong. and the Old, darkened and dim
with the mists Of error-in this conflict it is
H. mean honor 10 bear faithful part. The
sword is not as strong as speech. and thought
gains victories which force could never win.
Il Holners Epic. the great ACHILLES is
stronger with his silver tongue than with his
shining srear, aud in the grand verse of Mil
ton, SATAN towers greater even in council
than in war. We are but humble workers in
the great field, but it is Just matter for pride
TO be Radical, and of pleasure to SO write it
day by day.
- But truce to these themes. JoE, upon
which We write as part OF our toll. Let us
talk of something more personal, perhaps
more pleasant.
We have had many pleasant trips together,
but none more so than that ride OF the loco
motive from Milton TO Madison. The engi-
neer (Mr. E. THOMPSON, Of Madison.) was