The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-02-08
Greiting State ynisraat
WEDNESDAY EvENIG, FEB. 8, 1871
SPIRIT OF THE MORNING PRESS.

SPIRIT OF THE mOfsNANW hhEs
The Dispatch is annoyed that the Go
ernor of New Hampshire should ha
treated with decorous courtesy the eide
son Of the President of the United State
and that some newspaper should ha'
made note of the fact, adding that 81
has won golden opinions by reason of b
courteous department, and his modest an
retiring manners" The only fault we ca
find with this is, that the writer in b
desire to pile on the agony, has violate
the rules of good composition. "Courteou
department certainly includes modes
and retiring manners" particularly in til
case of youth, and the force of the sen
tence is weakened by the pleonasm.
We see just such compliments paid tt
the sons Of editors, philosophers, states
men, politicians, circus-riders, preachers
jig-dancers, railroad kings, prize-fghters
millionaires, distinguished lawyers, ct ID
omne, every day, and with great deal less
regard to truth. We have lived three OF
four decades. too, and have always found
the sons and daughters of the great or
wealthy fondled and flattered, and fawned
upon, and funkeyed to, by all kinds of
people, not for any merits of their own,
but because of the position or wealth or
influence of their parents, or uncles, or
aunts, or cousins and we think we have
seen quite as much OF it in this good city
of Richmond as anywhere else.
IL
Walker should invite the son of the editor
of that paper to dine with him, out of
compliment to his father and the Dispatch,
as Governor Stearns invited young Grant
in courtesy to the President and the Presi-
dency of the United States, and it should
be stated in the JOURNAL that young Mr.
was distinguished for the moiesty
of his department. - would our centem-
porary think any harm had been done
or there had been any gross violation of the
Republican simplicity Of American man
ners and customs ? Are we 10 be Doors
if we are Republicans? Fawning and
fiattery will follow rank and wealth, no
matter what we may say but all cour
tesies paid to them are not to be credited
to sycophancy or groveling disposition
to worship where fortune has smiled. The
Dispatch says:
To persons who have lived longer than two
or three decades it is quite surprising to see
how far the country has progressed towards |
that sort of public aattery of men and families |
in high position which the true Republicans of |
time gone by thought confined to monarchical |
institutions. And they are inclined to believe |
that this manifestation ofsubservience indicate |
the approach of the imperial age in this coun
try. We see no great difference between the |
people of this country at the present time and |
those of monarchies. There is about as much
fawning upon the adulation of "the powers
that be" in this country as in almost any 9TH
or we know. Here this seryilty is far more
disgusting than in a country whose laws estab.
lish the hereditary rule and the titled nobility.
Our laws establish no such things, and those
who fatter and fawn and crawl in the dust
before men in power are condemned by the
laws, and should be condemned by public sem
Liment in a manner that would make them
sneak from public observation.
True, several decades ago, we carried !
this thing to almost as great an extreme as
The French did during the reign of terror.
Dur efforts to show how we despised the
rich and powerful and titled by words,
when our actions all proved the contrary,
we're quite painful to behold But it was
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1t that. 1t was put on, and carried to
such an extreme as to show want of good
sense and disregard of the commonest
rules of civility. We went SO far as to
oestow our adulation on unworthy objects,
and to exalt them unduly, merely to show
,ur contempt for ranks and titles, and how
we pretended to despise birth and wealth.
The revolution which overthrow all
rank, led our people into this extreme,
rom which they are, perhaps, now react-
ng, and it may be are running into an
other extreme. We cannot change the
natures of men. They will worship he
'oes, be dazzled by titles, and bought by
gold. And boast we never SO much of
our democracy and Republcanism, we all
delight to bask in the smiles of an aris-
We are all aiming to become
aristocrats in some line; and he who most
effects to despise these outward trappings,
s generally the most anxious to secure
hem for himself
The world will look at every man
through the eyes of the world, and will
Use him according to his worldly condi-
ion, aud we cannot, if we would, change |
t. We are glad that our father never was
President of the United States, or editor of
great daily, that by dying in pov-
,rty he left us in the calm enjoyment of
peace and independence. Had it been 9TH
rwise, we might have been forced to "put
IN deportment" and dine with governors,
make silly speeches at public banquets,
Ict as president of Yacht Club, avoid
Ill useful employments, live fast life,
md die in the poor-house, against which
calamity not even Presidents son is Sc
,ure.
But the Dispatch seems to confound the
modest aud retiring" son of the President
llluded to above, who is Harvard stu
lent, with the 'young scamp" who be-
ongs to the first-class at West Point, and
whose expulsion, together with the entire
lass for "hazing," is recommended. We
ather like the West Pointer. It's so like
III bad boys,--who grow up great men,
behave at school, A soldier boy should be
bold and fearless lark of fellow, not
lfraid of the devil and not student of
heology, whose main source of fear is that
le may fall into the hands Of that mythical
Individual.
We do not excuse the treatment of the
hree lying and drinking cadets but we
nay waste too much sympathy upon
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