Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-04-18

as tariff and taxes. All tnlS the HOuSe
did last week. 1t did more also. 1t
did so much which amounts to so little
that the amounts are hard to find and
sum up. If this does not give clear
amount of the weeks doings in Congress,
it is the fault of that body, and readers
are respectfully referred to the Congress
sional Globe, which will be found to be
excellent punishment for present disci-
pline, splendid material for setting hens
nests-good, in short, for all the uses,
ordinary and extraordinary to which
paper is put, except to read. As inter-
esting literature, if taken with plenty of
free tea and coffee, it may rank with an
early edition of Webster's Dictionary,
but will not be found as generally in
structive.
''wHAT HAS GOD WROUGHT"
IF there be distinctive feature in our
make up it is no doubt the ultra-absence
of man worship-idOlization of persons
called great, whether living or dead. To
such living It's impossible for us to join
in the sycOphantic adulations of the
world, though we would Uot be unnfind-
full of their real merits, nor when dead
can the united lamentations of the world
convince us of anything more than that
God has taken one of His countless mil
lions Gle has no exception from earth.
Virtue and principle, like gold have
values of their own, and whether shin
ing from high or low positions, have the
same value. But how often is the world
thrown into a parOXysm OF lamentations
over the death of a man whom cirCum-
stances have given position, and how it
applauds all the little graces, which i'll
those upon either hand in humble posi-
ton shine just as bright but go unnO-
ticed. 1t used to be said, ''the King can
do no wrongs" the same ObsequiOusness
now say the great do no wrong. 1t is
prone to regard dishonesty as tOlorable
and immortality as almost noble trait
when accompanied by talent, wealth and
position. The great man not only cs-
capes the penalty of violated law, but
receives great hOnOrs the little man for
like sins pays the full penalty and dies
disgraced. The customary diSerimina-
tiOns in favor Ofthe worlds tinselry is
seeking perhaps it has made us to seek.
We have great love for the stupid truth:
facts as they are, and we like to see
great but wicked men get full credit of
being great and wicked. Eulogies of
the dead are generally so One-sided that
they set their most intimate associates to
thinking terribly The desire to speak
we'll of the dead-aye, of the living too
is cOmmendable, but the desire for the
truth as it is is more cOmmendable, es-
pecially where lives are held aloft in the
foreground for the emulation of rising
generations.
We cannot get enthusiastic over great
men for we believe that in the majority
of cases they fill the measure of their eX-
istance no more, no less, than do little
men. Mems lives may be said to give
the great law of progress in detail and
the world calls men great or small ac-
cOrding to the amount they seem to re-
present. BY this criterion we believe
small men often pass for great and visa
versa Just as a small window in aCertain
position may reveal more of a landscape
than large one in another position.
Riding up Pennsylvania Avenue this
morning our eye caught the sable drap-
ing of the Telegraph offices and our at
tention turned upon the one name
through whom perhaps has been reflect
ed more of the law Of progress than any
of his contemporaries. In no other place
could the name of Prof. Samuel Finley
Breese Morse cause such intense remi-
nisences as here, for here it was that he
trod the wine-press alone and gave to
the world the great achievement. But
a few years ago he walked these streets
and hung about the capitol something
as men do now, bearing the pinchings of
poverty and the odium of being consid-
cred a mad man, ayisiOnary enthusiastic
a fanatic and a failure Here under the
benign assistance of the Hon. Fernando
Wood the great project took its first in
| fantile step from one committee room to
another; batteries were placed in each
room connected by wire and a single
click announced the birth of telegraphy
and the dawn of an era. Amos Kendall
a worthy and wealthy resident, who
died year or two ago, was one of the
first to give Morse the support of his in
fuence and money. The rest of the tale
is familiar to all how the telegraph be
came an adopted means of communion
ton how it spread from city to city ;
| how it has spanned the ocean; belted
the world and how it has just flashed the
sad intelligence of its discoveries death
through every nation of the globe
Morse lived to realize the success of his
achievement and in this he showed that
true greatness which is so rarely dis
| covered in the worlds great men. With
ali the power which his great success
gave him, he was free from the indis-
eliminate use of it, which has furnished
so many bright records heretofore He
was not consumed with the presidential
mania, nor are we aware that he ran for
Congress, a foreign mission, or even
held a municipal office He doubtless
had prominent failings, but they were
not the worship of man, position or
wealth. He was not only above these.
but so truly did he apprehend the true
relationship of mans work, as to indite
as the first message ever transmitted
over the wonderful way which he had
seemed to devise, ''What has God
wrought" In this he achieved mans
greatest victory and rose above self. His
great earthly work accomplished he
entered upon the higher plane before
him and has just reached the grand con-
summation. His conclusion is not to b."
seen from here. nor can he disnatch to
us full version Of just what God hath
wrought. We gaze into the mist whr.r"
we lost sight of him, and wonder and
anticipate and long to know the full
reality of existance-long to know what
lies beyond, yet, not too eagerly forpro-
gress takes no backward steps. *"
Sitting up with IL Corpse.
REAL GHOST STORY.
l.,