Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1873-05-15

The world is made up of pomp and boast,
And gold, and glitter and dross;
And the men who lie and steal the most.
Are counted the biggest success.
Age after age departs, century up
on century rolls away, generation
after generation gets up and goes,
and out of all the unnumbered, in
comprehensive millions, what mere
handful ofnames history hands down
to us. Once in so many centuries a
great man stalks in upon the scene
lives life of usefulness, and then his
tory makes sweet preserves of him for
future generations to eat. But she
will get nothing to make sweetmeats
OF out Of this generation; the great
men Of our day would make nothing
but the poorest, nastiest kind of dried
apple-sass.
There is a much difference between
Great and Big Men in these times, as
there is between the national debt and
my salary without any 6acA' pay.
Great men are scarce, but Big Men
are as thick as Jobs biles, fostering
on the body polite, Were it not for
our Credit Mobilier Ku-Klux, where
should we look for the great men of
to-day? (Answer.) In States pris-
on.
George Washington was great
man: Great in honor, great in NOR
ais, and great in philanthrophy. Sab
bath School Cofax was a bic man !:
Big i'll Mobilier, big in subterfuge,
and big in disgrace. The one stands
out like a Beacon Light, the cham
pain Of honor, truth and humanity.
The other burns like Lucifcr Match,
slckening the world with its brim-
stone stencil. One is an ornament to
the world; the other is a disgusting
pimple on the face of our Nineteenth
Century.
And there is Benjamin. He, too,
is one Of earth's big ones, the Chris
tian gentlemen from the Bay State,
the Jack Sheppard of Massachusetts,
who for a mess Of pottage would sell
his country's birthright and steal the
spoon to eat it with. Nursed in the
lap Of Purtanism, fed by the hand
of Liberty, surrounded by Gospel
Privileges and Cholera Mcrbus Con-
gressmen, Oh! Benjamin, Benjamin,
depraved, damnifc Benjamin! come
back, give up your unearned ducats,
throw down your thirty pieces Of sill
yer, and make the world purer and
better by going out and hanging
yourself! We would ask you to re-
pent, but alas! ''there is no place for
repentance though should you seek it
carefully with tears
And what shall we say of the
mighty Oakes He who led that
martyred band of Ananiases and Sap
phiras down into the pit, and brought
them up reeking with shame and rail
road bonds. The modern Sampson,
who tied a Credit MobiIicr fre-brand
to the foxes tails, and slew the Phil
istines with the jawbone of his mem
orandum book.
He brought the hearts of young and old
Toa Credit Mobilier level;
He filed their pockets full of gold
And sent them to the devil.
And there are Brooks, Kelley,
Dawes, Pomeroy, and all the other
Captain Kidds of the Forty-Second
Congress; how happy the country
that raised them, and how cherished
will be their final resting-place! Hap
py hearts will see them inferred, and
enthusiastic devoters will make weary
pilgrimages to their tombs. Think
you that the memories OF these BIC
men will ever die? Nay!
History will place their photographs
in the rogues' gallery of all time,
hand cuff their names to Judas Iscar-
lot, Benedict Arnold and Bill Tweed,
and stand them as sentinels on the
outposts of oblivion and may Heav-
en- have mercy on poor oblivion!
What beautiful lessons of virtue
and honor are derived from the con.
temptation of such mems lives How
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