The herald. (Smyrna, Del.) 1870-1871, 1871-05-06

would have remained unknown to all
but the inventor, and those of his i'm
mediate locality who appealed to it as
the bloody arbiter Of real or supposed
wrong. Its name, left to short-lived
tradition, would soon have persisted
from the earth: The immortal pen Of
Herodtous has told us of an engagement
between the Medes and Lydians, during
which day was suddenly turned into
night. While engaged in hand-to-
hand conflict with short swords, an
eclipse paralyzed their nerved arms,
and stayed the bloody work of DEATH
Terrified and overcome by simple
eclipse-an eclipse which the pen of the
astronomer has been able to foretell for
years to the entire human family, as a
phenomenon not less sublime and grand
than beautiful and harmless. Thus was
the influence of what our opponents are
pleased to term the mighty sword con,
quered by simple shadow-by MOTH
ing. The same graphic pen has, not
failed to inscribe on history's upfading
page, the brave and patriotic deeds of
Leonidas and his deathless Spartans,--
how long and CALAMITY they defended
ThermCpyl@'s pass against Persia's
ruthless, invading host. The stone lion
enidas, has long since crumbled into
dust; the inscription engraven over
those who foil and were buried on the
spot:-"Four thousand from Pelopenne-
sus once fought on this spot with three
hundred myriads,' and the inscri ption
for all and the Spartans in particular,-
'sStranger, go tell the Lacedemonians
that we lie here obedient to their COM
mands,'' have long since been erased by
Times corroding hand. Though these
monuments and inscriptions, vainly in
tended to commemorate their fame, have
long since passed away, yet then pen of
one man has placed them where they
will live and flourish in immortal youth
And we are informed that that long and
uncertain contest was ended by the
traitor Ephialtes, who informed Xerxes
of path whereby he might pass over
the mountain; traitor who, no doubt,
had been taught by the pen to expect
some rich present as a price for his
treachery and baseness. But are we TO
ascribe to the sword the influence which
led that deathless band-to fall that their
ceuntry's liberty might live? Not at
all. The same pen has told us that they
died in obedience to the commands of
the pen. The pen had written law de-
claring that such as should leave the
field not victorious should suffer death.
"Go, stranger, and ut Laced@mon tell
that here, obedient to her (written) laws
we fell" That same classic pen has in
formed the student of history "what
gieat events from trivial causes spring."
1t has told us how easily the insulted
pen of Harpagus, made masters of
slaves, and made King Astyages and the
Medes tributary to the hitherto despised
PersiGns. Yes, it was tho letter written,
concealed in a hare, and sent I o Cyrus,
son of Cambyses, that revolution:zed
kingdoms and empires-that effectually
translated the "MENE, TEKEL, UPHAR-
SIM" on the wall, that new-lnHpped the
moral world.
But we have been pointed, with n air
of triumph, to the death struggle just
closed in Europe, as an evidence con-
elusive of the mightier influence of the
sword. But why not tell us '.the truth |
and the whole TRUTH" Why not tell us
that Europe, involved in u night of pro-
found darkness-the middle ages-and
led therefrom by the PENS golden light,
is fast learning the crime, wickedness,
and folly of war? Why not tell us that
wars there now are of unfrequent occur
renee and brief duration? Why not tell
us that the pen has declared that she
who takes up the sword shall perish by
the sword" and that the usurper and
tyrant, Louis Napoleon, disregarding
that Scriptural truth, hastily unsheath-
his sword in order to perpetuate his un-
hallowed power, and as speedily fell
Why not reflect the voice of
and say that the legislative pen
Of the "Fatherland," requiring that all
should be educated, has made that peo-
Pile so long synonym of al that is base
base and beastly, the first military ma
tion of the earth, and that ninety-six of
every hundred Of the Prussian soldiers
were highly educated by the pen? why
Il
not assert the fact that the great mass of
the French are grossly ignorant; that
they were divided into many fastions by
factious pens; that they had no leader
on whom they could relyS And why