The semi-weekly Republican. (St. Francisville, La.) 1872-1872, 1872-03-12
STFRANCYIlLE, LOUISIANA, TUESDAY, MARCH Il, 1872

aces, that France was unprepared
for War. and when overwhelming
disaster proved his warning too true,
hurrying from capital to capita, to
seek to aid too long deemed need
less, yet, i'll spite Of his ill-success,
called by a practically unanimous
acclaim to the headship of the coun-
try he had failed to save from the
deepest humiliation, and there main
tanned, though the peace he was
constrained to accept was most gal
ling to the national susceptibilities
Of a proud and tickle people, is a
noble theme for the future historian.
In this hey-day of matcrialism and
Of s'zepticism, there is still sphere
and work for the patriot statesman.
Yes, there is still room for patriot
ic araor. for devotion, and even self
sacrifice. The average mind, even
in this land Of comparative en,iy',t-
enment, still needs to be rcsc1e'l
from prejudice, from ignorance, from
ob|iquity Of vision. The thoughts
of too many run blindly in the mar
rowest ruts CT partizanship /; they
see only good in whatever is done
by one party, nought but evil in every
effort Of the other. As the battle
fields where momentous controver-
sizes have been fought out are aban-
doned by the gallant hosts who late
ly reddened them with generous
blood, the plunilerers Of the slain
grope and strive in their mutual
eagerness to monopolize the bulk Of
the spoil. So long as a party-cry
gives promise Of success, it is hard
indeed for an average politician to
realizs that it's meaning is exhausted,
its relevancy a thing of the past.
The youth of free country should
intensely abhor the thought of find
ing in politics or public employment
a means Of living for whoever does
so mast consider primarily, not what
political action is required by con-
siderations Of public good, but what
course promises to give him the pos
ition or the e,no!umcnt he deems in
dispensible. Ye cannot serve God
and Mammon'' intcrposes its stern
at!monit:on here, as almost every
where else. He who seeks to live
by politics can never be faithful to "
lofty ideal. He must trim, and shuf-
fie, and smother his convictions, and
SO grow in favor with hls chiefs or
compatriots, eleveting their concep-
ton of his usefulness and efficiency
at the cost of his own self-respcct
and moral sensibi]ity.
Irct,us assuming, passing through,
>liscar,ling in tnrn, Il thousand
shapes, yet remaining over in es-
sencc the same, is often the proto-
type Of the patriot, who finds him
self called to confront to-day evils
which have supplanted or dwarfed
those which it was his duty to resist
but Yesterday. " What !" queries Mar
row-brain, honest and tenacious,
you asked he yesterday to resist
unauthorized taxation to-day it is
Slavery ; Tomorrow it bids fair to lie
Woman's s,sbor,lination You take
my breath away ; I cannot keep UP
with your break-neck velocity" And
that is the sober, liteia! truth. lie
is no more blamable in the promises
tlian the tortoise for not being an
eagle. All that can be fairly asked
Of the tortoise is a recognition Of the
truth that the eagle is, itselfi, true to
his own nature.
To live for his country, not upon
it ; to expand it's resources, not help
to exhaust them to- seek ever to
correct and enlighten its public sen-
timcnt, not live in v;lssalisya to its
ruling impulses, right or wrong
such is the true position Of the patri-
OF citizen of 81 free State. May his
race be multiplied, and bis shadow
never be less!