Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1873-07-24

ceased to send out broadcast their lit
erature and gathered treasures, and that
the darkness of the middle ages has set
tied upon US? And while we accumu-
late material wealth and increase in
knowledge, shall we forget that there
are substantial virtues to be maintained
and that without these our knowledge
will be but the outspread sails to dash
US the sooner on the rocks; and our ma
terial wealth will be but the heavier
milestone tied about our necks to drown
us in the depth of the sea. Then here,
to-day, on this 9th natal day of our
country, let US pledge ourselves anew to
her cause. Let the old man with gray
hairs, trembling on his staff, who will
soon be with the pilgrim fathers in the
silent grave, come; let the middle aged,
in the height of their power and useful
ness, come; let the young man, vigor-
GUS in health and buoyant in hope, and
the young maiden with the roseate hues
upon her cheek and with garlands in
her hands, come; yea, let all that truly
love our country come, and, kneeling
here beneath our glorious banner, and
lifting high our hands to heaven, pledge
our fealty anew to our country, to its
material, intellectual, civil and reli-
gious progress. Yea, more than that;
that we do here and now take upon our
selves all the prospective obligation, the
past progress and future prospect seems
to place upon us; and with prayer to
God for his protection and guidance, We
Will arise and go to the duties Of life
and act the part of men.
But see before me the fremen of
Washington. They are on dress parade
to-day; their gay uniforms indicate that
they are here to see and to be seen,
rather than on duty, rather than to
fight the fire fend when he comes forth
in his fury to ruin and destroy. It re-
minds me of army life, when we used
to polish our bayonets and boots, and
our paper collars, and our brass but
tons, and our white gloves, and all the
paraphernalia of army regulations, when
the General came around with his high
ly dressed staff to review us. But what
a change was there when the bugle
sounded the onset. There was no dress
parade then; no white gloves or tinsel
for show; war put on its rough and rug
ged front. It was kind of miscella-
neous free fight, every man for himself,
and yet all working for the same result.
And doubt not if there should be a
sound Of fire the same would be seen
among the firemen here to-day. You
would scarcely wait for your uniforms,
but fly to the post of danger and grap-
pie the fire in its infancy and smother
it to death. Never before was the
question Of more Importance than now
as to how fire shall be kept under con-
troll, and checked, and destroyed, when
it becomes unruly and overleaps its bar
riers to destroy. The ordinary barriers
have been found unavaiIing IN the re-
cent fires; brick walls and piles of stone
and marble go down before it as the for
est before the tornado. The latest tao
tics is to fight fire with fire; to train the
fire to capture the fire, like they do the
elephants in India; or to fight it with
gunpowder, as Gen. Sheridan did at
Chicago. Fire fire! ! fre!!! Do you
see yonder building on fire? the smoke
is pouring from every window; the roof
is ablaze. Hasten, brave boys of the
fire brigade, or all is lost And now
we hear the tramp of men and the rat
tie Of the engine; and soon the water
will pour in at every window and from
) every point upon the terrible foe with
in; but the fire had too much headway.
The best engines and fire companies
sometimes fail; and so the house hastens
to its ruin. But when all seems lost, a
child's face appears at the window
above; stout hearts tremble for its life;
a brave fireman throws up the ladder to
the very jaws of death, and rushes up
and dashes in the window and grabs the
child, and hastens for his life, and Just
as the wall goes in he jumps from the
ladder, and the child is saved. The
mother presses the child to her bosom
and speaks her thanks in tears; the
5 father grasps the hand of that brave
fireman and says, 81 am indebted to you
l for the life of my child;" while the mul
! titude send up shout for the brave
deed. And now, as the boys are warm
and the work is done, bring around the
ice water, fresh, sparkling and pure, and
we will drink a bumper to the brave
, man that saved the child from cruel
: death in the flames; and as our glasses
strike together we will say, ''here's tc
: all the brave fremen who imperiI life
? and limb for the good of others" But
there are other fires to be put out beside
those of burning buildings, and hope
5 these brave firemen are as bold to put
out one as the other. The first l will
mention is the fire of passion; this fire
! is like common fire, it is good servant
5 but bad master; this fire is exhilerat-
2 ing but dangerous; it is like the Ukraine
, breed of horses, if properly broken and
, duly restrained with bit and bride ii
becomes very useful and serviceable,
2 but unrestrained it becomes Mazeppa
e wild steed, dashing off with its bound
l rider through the dangerous forest and
: off in the desert to die at last in agony
e far from friends and home. The pas
sions are an ambush; they send out the
decoy party to wave the flag of defea
before US and flee before us, and wher
e our blood is up in the very heat of the
2 chase, they rise up behind US and slay
5 US. Are the passions on fire?-ring tht
e alarm! bring out the engine and put OF
|, all the steam force possible; take tht
i largest hose you have; work with al
= your might; never cease till you fee
j that the last spark is under control, un
f til like the fire in the CRATE or kitcheI
l. stove, it is either to warm and cheer
l. life or afford the necessary subsistence
" There is a liquid fire to be put out, o.
n rather to be kept out; for if once i
l. ignites the heart or inflames the BRAN
d no engine that ever threw water on
), burning building can reach it or quencl
its flames. Indeed the most etfcien
: and energetic firemen often fail. Their