The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-10-07

| be false TO his duty.
"where be the bad people buriedin Leave
| Mr.. Webster, and see where this absurd De Nor
| tSsS brings us. Every body knows Tom Little:
| and one day he dies. What eulogies do we not
hear over Toms gravel Nov If clever, good
| natured man, whose conviviality leads to haolts
of dissipation that ruin him, is to be celeorated
| as great and renowned person, II is iooish to
| suppose that young men will not pelleve the
conviviality to be the sign OF the genius,
| and the dissipation the road to renown. The
most immoral performances that we have lately
! read was not O circus song from the Flying
| TIapeze" song book, nor chanson from the
| (Irdnde Duchesse nor q French novel, nor
| the last iayorite of the London cidercelars,
but it was funeral discourse. It was q
euloey and a warning; the eulogy OF q life that
should not be initiated, and the warning from
| a death that was inevitable. The life, accord
| ing 10 the well-meaning clergyman, was
brilliant. successful, renowned (; but oh,
a moment, in a twinkling of the eye, and you
are gone. So said the speaker. But it seems
reasonable that If you have led truly brilliant,
and successful, and worthly renowned lite, dear
brethren, you need not fear to die. If death
has terrors, 1t is q successful life which destroys
them. Therefore, good preacher, instead of
pointing us to the death, point us, II you please,
to the lie, and let your lesson be, My friends,
this was life to be avoided as an examples" or,
Here was q man who used his talents
well, who, had love and honor be-
cause he deserved them, whose life was
successful because he feared God and served
his brothers. To him, therefore, death was as
he gentle opening of gate beyond which are
light and music. Ii you would die as he died,
live as he lived"
Now the immortality of the sermon was, that it
called Lie brilliant and successful which was
not so. 1t erected false standard of character
and effort, and 1T did not tell the truth even in
what it stated. 1t was perfunctory eulogy,
ceremonial sermon. But If any young person,
with similar tastes and tendencies, had known
the person and had heard the sermon, he must
have said to himself at once:-"Dear old belly
Tor whatever the appetite may have been), take
your easel You, it seems, are no impeachment.
You may master man, and lead him through
private shame and sorrow, and finally tumble
him into the grave, and not word shall be
breathed to hint that you were the difficulty.
Until heard this excellent sermon l really
supposed that must master my appettes and
subdue my passions bat this good clericus
teaches me that, despite the belly, life may be
brilliant and successful; aud II the belly ends it
at last only the brlliancy and success shall be
cemmemorated in funeral number, and not
the offending member. Mother Church absolves
me.
Who loves not wine. woman, and song,
He is a fool his whole lite 10 ng.'
Amenn
That was funeral sermon from the text de
nlOrt1iS, and ITS inevitable improvement. Why
should people be licensed or ordained or author
lied to preach who misuse WORDS so sadly, and
talk of greatness without knowing what it
means? There was poor Sheridan; did the
funeral preacher call that o brilliant aud
successful life? The Duke of York, the Kings
son, came to the funeral. Three noble lords,
friends OF the august Prince Regent-also a
brilliant and successful being-sent from
| Carlton House to ask to attend the oosequies.
The Prince himself a few days before, sent
two hundred pounds to Mr.. Sheridan
back to him. Briliant-why, the Lords ad-
| iourned after his speech upon Hastings, because
their minds were too much dazzled to Judge
| fairly. Successful! why, Edmund Burke said
that his eloquence had something not prose nor
| poetry, but better than either. History has not
hidden Sheridan's habits, nor failed to say that
they ruined him. History has blown to the
winds the de nortuis over Richard Brinsley
| Sheridan. Did the preacher do likewise, or did
he praise the brilliant life and beg his hearers to
be warned how to die?
drunkenness IS becoming a common vice among
our public men. 1t is SO we'll understood that
one of the tavorite weapons of party warfare is
| the charge OF intemperance against an opponent.
But If the papers tell the truth when they
make the general statement, what trghtful
immunity public opin on awards TO such vice
| If it assures the offender that his evil habits
shall not obscure his fame, and If he should
happen to die of delirium tremens, the be vail
ing elericue will only remember to praise him
| for his sober acts and forget to warn us oi
his fall!
The "Editor's Drawer has this story about
the late Peter Cagger and Dean Richmond:
The recent decease of Peter Cagger, OF AL
bany, who, with the late Dean Richmond con-
tloled for many years the nominations or the
Democratic party of New York, will remind
those who have had much to do with State Con-
ventons how those two astute managers com.
bined to bring for ward the men whose names
were TO be put upon the "slate" for nomination.
The writer recalls an incident that occurred at
Democratic State Convention held at Syracuse
in 1857, which nominated the ticket that was
elected in November of that year. Mr.. Rich
mond and Mr.. Cagger were in consultation at
the Syracuse House, on the evening before the
assembling of the convention, as to who would
be likely to impart most strength to the ticket.
"Wel, Cagger, about the Secretary OF State
what do you say"
"The newspaper men," replied Mr.. Cagger,
''seem to have taken up Gid Tucker; what do
| you think about it H
Don't know much about him; smart chap,
they say; writes well, and knows the boys. Best
TO go HIM W
| "I reckon so.n
"Put him down."
The "slate" was commenced with the name of
Mr.. Tucker.
'What about Comptroller
"0h! Church, of course; there isn't anybody
but him we can trust"
| "Fact!n
And Mr.. Churchs name was inscribed.
''Don't know rsays Mr.. Cagger: "some of your
boys talk about Vsnderpoel, and nobody else
seems to be pushing for it,"
"Vans good fellow; knows about lager, talks
Dutch, and il iavorite with the women"
Down went the name OF the stalwart and hand
some Isaac j.
"Anybody want to be Attorney GENERALLY"
90. "Iremsin's got II ., pretty bad" said Mr. c.;
''Oh, we go anything; but don't some of those
New York chaps want III"
''No; they're in q little fight about the State
Engineer, and are not pressing any one. Ire
| MANS with u.s. guess we'd better 60 him."
| "All right; scratch him down.
| "What about State EugineerW
'Well, on the WHOLE" replied Mr.. o., ivan
Richmond's our best man, but the New Workers
l., ..o1o n Sialyl nd