The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-11-13
Exit tho Blair Family-Enter tho washburne


Family.
Great families are great facts in all national
history, and the family as an institution is SO
universally found and respected in nations
having any civilization whatever that we must
accept It as the natural unit Of social 0rgani-
cation. Roman history is especially noted as
having grown around the names Of few great
families; and II we would sum up the earlier
glories of the republic we shall find that Its
wealth was less In its record of great achieve
ments than In the roll of its illustrious gems.
The true splendors Of that history were the
Furii, (rom whom Camillus cane), the Corrslii,
the Emilii, the Fabii, the Julii, the Horatii-
names that in the great story past rank even
almost with tks name of Rome itself. In such
esteem did the Romans themselves hold their
great gems that they have stamped indelibly
upon the speech we inherit from them that tits
reproach to be fellow Of none of the fami-
lies; to be non gener0sus Is to be without
much of the better grace of life, and the pos
session Of fair claim to gen-tility compensates
the mass of men for even the want of more sub
stantial possessions.
Our own history shows growth not dissimi-
lar to that of the early Roman republic, and We
see in it also the prominent splendor Of some
great names. We all know what power the
Adams family was in the story of the Revolu-
ton, and we see its high tendency in the
education of its sons to the science of gov
eminent running through many generations.
Another part Of the country cannot write its
history without the name of Lee on every
page Our own State has richer roll of these
names than any other, and its story could be
amply written in the biographies of members
Of such illustrious gems as the Stuyvesants,
Van Rensselaers, Schuylers, Hamiltons, Nor
rises and Livingstons. In the roll of these
names of great American families there is also,
not to say it cautiously, the Blair family. (Ex-
President Fillmore regards Old Blair as ''the
greatest man that God Almighty ever made. I"
This illustrious family was once held in greater
esteem than it is now; but decay Of influence
is possible fate of all families, and is no dis
honor to the family, but only to the age that
falls to appreciate it. Men who know our his
tory will not regard the Blairs the less that one
Of them got fewer votes for an insignificant Office
than somebody else; for they will know that this
single family has carried on the government
since the days of General Jackson. We never
had any earthquakes in San Francisco in those
days.
But 1t is also popularity Of this develop
ment of nations that every now and then
new families come up. Often o great man
establishes gems, as Camillus, who was
Furius, was afterwards counted the first of the
Camilli In many cases foolish people call
these men par0enus, UPSTAIRS and nobodies; but
wiser people see the future in them. The Ro-
mans called them mobiles, because Of their
novelty or newness, and this is the queer ETY.
mology Of nobility; SO that for family to be
very noble 1t must be very new, which ought
to be q great comfort to those happy people
who cannot tell the names Of their grand
fathers. In our history one Of the most illus
trious Of the new gems is the Washburne
family, which will be known in the future bet
ter than even Ignatius Donnelly knows it now.
We expect great deal from this family, be-
cause It is 80 large. 1t went first from Down
East, which is the best section of the country
to migrate from, and settled out West in q soil
that gives vigorous growth. There is at
present an Elihu Washburne, an Elias Wash
burne, an Elijah Washburne, an Elisha Wash
burne, with Abijahs, Nehemiahs, Hezekiahs
and Obadiahs too numerous to name. They
are all in Congress just now, except a few that
are in foreign missions; but Congress is, after
all, not place to thrive in, so that we expect
TO see five or six OF them in the Cabinet in
short time and the rest in the next best places