The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-12-15
Multitudinous Honors.

Multitudinous Honors.
There has been wonderful change in
the character and the magnitude of the
public demonstrations of applause for pub
lie men in this country. In The earlier days,
just after the Revolution, the numbers who
engaged in honoring the passing great men
were few. They were within the compass
Of an ordinary hall, and could be addressed
in q moderately loud tone, and all be within
hearing Of the speaker. The shaking OF
hands with such asscmblages was noe only
not an impossibility, but was rather an
agreeable occupation. The numbers Of
such gatherings were not only affected oy
the sparseness Of population. but by
strong disinclination to "man-worship
which possessed the minds of the proud
Revolutionary men. Even WASHINGTON
could command from such men only those
graceful civilities Of the time which were
in,erchanced amongst the men who never
fawned nor bowed in humble adulation to
any man.
Gradually revolution has come about.
The population has increased from three
millions to forty millions, and there has
grown ZIP an army Of ofice-hunters and
hatterers Of great men which swarms like
the locusts of Egypt, and is as ravenous and
Unsuitable. There has been gradual in
crease to the present dimensions of this
great army. Public men have yearly felt
the increasing difficulty of managing such
crowds-indeed, such "mobs until now
tits impossible to speak to them, to shake
their hands, or to give the one.hundredth
part of them an audience. In lS40 old
General HARRISON Was literally killed by
endeavoring to propitiate the hordes of par
tisans that met him on bis way to Washing
ton and that there besicged him in the
White House. They shook his hands until
he had to tie his arms to his body, and
established local irritation which made
him an easy prey to on attack Of sickness
which coon -fs siio 5wed.. General TAYLOR fell
victim to the same sort Of attentions.
i
with public attentions, and managed those
paid to them with decidedly better skill.
LINCOLN was also cunning man, and hav-
ing the gift for CAB and joking, he talked
and ioked off the pressure, and kissed the
girls or his way to Washington, where ne
arrived in cloak and Scotch cap unknown.
Once there, the important matters of State
which engaged his attention enabled him to
interdict any serious interruption Of his
duties.
But il is manifest that so unwieldy have
grown the crowd Of fawning, fattering
PEOPLE," lion hunters" and ofice-hunt-
ers-heggars and bootlicks-that no man
can submit himself to their mercies. be
would be literally devoured. An army of
Bashikouay ants would be hardly more
dreadful. Public men have necessarily
become more and more economical OF their
acknowledgements of such public demon
STATIONS. They have more and more sought
themeans of escape, and fight from car to
hotel and hotel to car by q carriage driven
to back gate or door is quite common.
All this shows the growing tendency to
man-worship amongst the people of this
country-their natural preparation for sub
mission to the Dictator of the approaching
imperial age of this country. General
GRANT was but acquiescing in circum-
stances when he eluded tie multitudes and
rejected all propositions of public recep-
tons. He fully appreciated the annoying
character of these proceedings, and the i'm
possibility of anything beyond the most
limited recognition of them-one that would
have afforded little satisfaction to the crowds
and have been to him only productive of
inconvenience. He had the independence
to consult his own taste and his own COM
fort, and has afforded an example that does
him honor.
In proportion as the people have brought
themselves to the paying of those sort of
batteries which widen the gap between
them and the objects of their adulation do
they degrade themselves and justify the
resort to every sort of means to keep them
at a respectful distance. General GRANT,
we believe, has no idea of usurping the
powers of the Government, yet it is more
than probable that some day in the future
will bring on the stage that one man who,
while not Directing to the public honors of
those#ho are ever ready to bend the knee
to the new god, will treat them, like vassals,
to parsimonious nod, and possibly a
"how-de-do good people," He may give
occasional multitudinous feasts in the
plains while he and his court enjoy the
luxuries from all lands in his splendid
halls. These times are foreshadowed in
the declining sense Of pride and propriety
Of the masses, and in their evident readi
ness to bow subsequently to the hero of the
day.