The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-03-02
Miscellany.
Peace Whispers and war Rumors.

"The Temple Of Janus is never closed now
a-dals. Its door always stands ajar to let
Mars creep out. The god looks on with for
ward and reverted eyes, and adapts himself
TO circumstances. In one hand he holds a
gushing cornucopia, in the other the vial of
the seventh angel, and he shakes the last
with as much dpl0mb as the first, just as of
old. Mr.. Facing both-ways has not reached
the Heavenly City, and let the earth have
peace or war, is still boxing out. The world
is yet very Caliban, "a most delicate mon
ster,' with two voices. HiS forward voice is
to chant Melibaan bucolics and georeics new
er SO babbling o'green fields; his backward
voice is to sound fierce strain Of 0rmd cir
unique and renoudre d0iorem This seems
the inevitable fate of man. Emperors may
proclaim sL'empire, c'est la pdiI;' but matter
oi-fact History, carefully recording the sug-
gestive words has written against them in
the margin, with many dubious shakes of the
head, Sebastopol, SNlerino, Mexico, and 9TH
er equally pregnant comments There will
be probably more to come. This; suppose
Iwever, is the state of man, and we must
strive Herewith to be content. Whatsoever
Is sold in the shambes, that eat, asking no
questions for conscience sake To-day we
play with mammets and ill with lips: to-
morrow we must have bloody noses and
cracked crowns. 10 day we fiirt with foreign
commissioners with much lofty tol-de rol, pro-
found salaaming, and distinguished consider
alton tomorrow, after little diplomatic tel.
eeraphing and hypocrisy Of skirnishing, we
pick out suitable spot, meet thereon, con
anything but aaaore, slaughter, cash, and |
butcher each other like Mohawks and oladIa-
tors, from morn TO noon, from noon to dewy
eve, with shouts that tear hells concave 1t |
IS not much more than ten years since the |
Englsh broadhrims sent their condensed wis |
dom to the Emperor of all the Russias, and |
they were introduced to my wife," amid |
much soft melodious tweedledeeing anC |
swearing of the high contracting parties
that there should be war no more. And here
again, what did this imperial and promising
jurdmentum amount to? On his part it was
q morganatie arrangement altogether, and
the consequences thereof have never been ac-
knowle'leed. 1t was taken with reserya-
ton to be subsequently extended. Nicholas
knew as well as ancient Pistol that "oaths |
are straws. mems faiths ale wafer cakes and |
holdtast Is the only dog, my duck And ii
he did MT hold fast, as Cerberus himself, no
one ever did. may perhaps be mistaken,
and the world may since that time merely
have been settling few outstanding differ |
ences preparatory to grayitatins into a uni !
versal millennium, but have my doubts. |
AT this moment, though one survey the whole /
politica, horizon never SO carefully, he can |
not distinguish single locality where the |
80 80 $50 ~ i'n'p arc likely 10 lie DOWN to- |
gether. Let as hope for the BEST" is very |
useful platItude, and quite convenient re- |
lief Tor one who has DO other response to |
make, 1t certainly Is not likely TO grow |
rusty from want of use. Everybody can saw |
1t now with certain reliet, and then RELAPSE |
into apathetic fatalism, although not with |
out tremor, in face OF the facts that Prus- |
STA has now eighs hundred thousand needle |
guns, those unfailng Grgumenta ad hon.i-
mem OF Count Bismark, and France and the
rest of Europe over million more. HBut
ior these vile guns there might be chance
OF peacsi but one can hardly expect that
WE ,mlillonl of them will long remain
II. p. Arnotd,