Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1868-03-31
A Model Composition.

| fully accomplished. we nave the pleasure tuio
week Of presenting this perfect model OF COM
position to our readers 1t affords US the great
er pleasure to do so as we furnished the occa-
sion of its accomplishment 1t will be OBJ
served by careful scrutiny and thorough analy-
sis to be perfect in its photography, punctua-
| ton, and grammatical constructions and to pos
sess all the requisites of perfect composition, as
| unity, purity, perspicuity. propriety precision,
clearness conciseness. strength, harmony, &c.
In addition to the merits referred to, its value
| is greatly enhanced by the refined taste, truth
| fitness, exquisite sense of courtesy and proprie
| ty, fraternal kindness and christian charity
| which mark every sentence aud constitute the
| browning virtues of the article.
How admirably it compares with articles writ
ten by persons of small, contracted souls,
| stepped in the gall of malicious envy. who can
| not, without suffering torturing agony, bear to
| witness the superior success of an imagined ri
val in business
In comparison with its author, how mean
and low those appear who cannot bear that 9TH
ers should have the credit of having been right
| whilst they were wrong, and, having been
wrong, refuse to acknowledge their error, and
decline to make amends for the mischief
| wrought
| How favorably the averments of the article
to which ausion is made, compare with the al
legations of such as, by inuendo, falsely charge
| another with having sought refuge within the
| lines of the enemy when the person so charged
1 b,l
federate military force was, at the time, sta
toned; and also charge him with having ad
vised persons not to vote on the question OF
calling the Convention, when the individual so
charged had, week after week, through the
columns of widely circulated journal, persist
eny urged all who could do so to register and
vote against the Conrentioni
| As the thief, when endeavoring to escape his
pursuers, adopts the ruse of crying, stop thief
stop thief!!' so some, when engaged in Willy
ing their neighbors, falsely charge that their
neighbors are vilifying them. How striking
the contrast between such and the author OF
the article to which we have referred
This unique specimen of literary excellence
and journalistic propriety appeared as an edi-
torial in the last NaNey Trginian. That our
readers may be enabled to appreciate it proper
ly, we give below the article of the Spectator
which furnished the occasion of its production,
as we'll as the article of the Nrginian in full,
UerJattna ct iterutim.
Conservatives should remember that the
Spectator never hesitated or wavered, but from
the beginning opposed with might and main al
| the measures which have been intended to de
prlve the Southern people OF their constitution
al liberty. 1t opposed the call of the Conven-
ton to change the constitution from the very
inception of that scheme to place Virglnlans
under Radical and negro rule. For i've months
it was the only journal in the State which open
y and boldly opposed that nefarous DEVICE. -
On the contrary, some of the papers were ad
vocating it, and even in this place one of then
did so up to the election, when all others, see
ing the error into which they had fallen, hac
changed position and earnestly called upon the
voters to vote aga INST the Convention. But Il
was too late The mischief they had done
could not be remedied In SO short a time. The
course of the Spectator was right all the time
Spectator March oath
| Some Things That are Disgusting
To hear small editors who are neither Sol
onions nor Heroes, boast that they never hes
itated nor wavered about this or that, ant
blowing the silly blast Of their self concelt-
that for five months the small editor conducted
the only journal In the State, which openly ane
boldly opposed the netarious device OF the cal
of Convention; that others were advocating
1t, and there are in this place one OF them
whom no doubt the small editor considers ii
the way, o6structing lbs sunshme-dld so Owl
| up to the election, that he was right all thu
time-that no voter should now be without thu
Spectator This last is the key to all the boast
ing The Spectator wants money so badly
that he is willing to make it in the worst of al
ways (having gassed about his circulation un
til the whole thing has become ridiculous), by
villifying his neighbors. We should like t.
know if the Spectator was right when he dom
icied himself in the eIeMy's lines during thu
war. That was very conservative policy IN
deed, but did not help much to save Virgin;
from Radical or negro rule Was he RICH
| when he was very enormously calling on al
Conservatives to stay away from the polls
Thus, with majority of l3, 600 registered vo
ters in Virginia, leaving everything in the hands
of the radicals and negroes. We think thi
unerring mortal repented Of this policy before
he got throug. Was this right, when he OPP
posed the call of the Convention, when tina
man whom gentlemen delight to honor, Gen
eral Robert f. Lee, who fought IN his own line
While the small Editor was out OF them, though
the convention ought to be held and so ven
tured to advise his eountrymen. True the re
| suit showed that the eonveptlon was inevitable
| Now the white registered vote greatly exceedt &
| The blacks in number. And by proper organi
cation and full turn out the conservative ele
ment had every reasonable hope of electing {
conservative convention, now that by the ad
vice of the small editor and his aid the election
went by default and resulted in filling the CAPT
tai with disgraceful set of animals who never
could have gotten there if the conservatives ha0
voted their strength But 1.-THE Spectator is
right all the time Conservatives fork over
your half dollars. His wise counsels may sue
coed in keeping you away from the polls again
when the tug comes. Such things are disgust
ing Valley Trginian, March 25M.
When Job expressed the wish that his enc
my might write book, he was expecting him
to write in the self convicting style which char
acterzes the above article Of the Valley Nr-
gilman.
The suicidal character Of the self condemna-
tory article of the Kirginian is not excelled in
folly by the absurd conduct of the japanese,
who, when offended by another, rips open his
own bowels. No japanese ever committed ha-
kari more successfully. 1t is apparent to the
duest comprehension that there was nothing
in the article of the Spectator to provoke much
1 a. oPtbo