The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1873-03-06

! 0n16rde who deliver their literary judg,
monts as oracularly as if they were lineal
descendants OF Minos or Rhadamanthns.
Who can estimate the diminutlon of pow
er and influence that would result, should
the ten thousand editors in the land, who
now speak with voice of authority, as
the organs OF the public or party, come
down from their thrones, and exchange
tie regal I'VE" for the plebian and egotis-
tic "I?" the reader might exclain, in
tunes even more contemptuous than
Kean's. The truth is, "I'' is a nobody.
lie represents only himself. He may be
Smith, or Jones, or Brown,-tke merest
cipher. He may weigh but hundred
pounds, and still less morally and intel
lecsually. He may stand but five feet in
his boots, and be in intellect but Tom
Thumb. Who cares what such a Dygmy
thinks? But eve" represents multitude,
an imposing crowd, mighty assembly, a
congress, or jury Of sages; aud we all
quail before the opinions Of the great
ave-" AS alwriter has well said. eve
have every reason to believe that beef
will rise to starvation prices, is senti-
ment which, when read IN a newspaper,
will make tile stoutesG stomach tremble;
but substitute an I for the we and no.
body cares copper for the opinion. 1t
has been we'll said that what terrified
BelehaZzar was the hand on the wall, be-
cause he couldn't see to whom it belonged;
and the same may be said of the editorial
we" 1t is the mystery in which it is in
volved that invests it with potency"
It's in the conduct of political affairs
that the class of words of which we have
spoken are used most frequently. Sir
Henry Wotton long since defined an am
bassador as a gentleman sent abroad to
lie for the benefit of his country In Eu-
rope, so indissolubly has diplomacy been
associated with trickery, that it is said of
Talleyrand's wonderful success with the
representatives of foreign Courts was ow-
ing largely to his frankncss and fair deal
ing,-nobody believing it possible that he
was striving for that for which he SCENE d
to be striving. t he plain,0pen, straight.
forward way in which he spoke of and
dealt with ali public matters, completely
puzzled the vulgar minds that could not
dissocate from diplomacy the mysterious
devices that distinguish the hack from
the true diplomist In the titles and
styles of address used by Kings and EN-
perors, we have examples Of cant in its
most meaningless forms. One sovereign is
his Most Christian Majesty, another De-
fender of the faith, etc. A monarch,
forced by public opinion to issue com
mission ofnquiry, addresses all the mem
bers Of it as his weu.belove !, though in
his heart he detests them. When the
patriot, Patkul, was surrendered to the
vengeance of Charles XII. of Sweden, the
following sentence v as read over to him:
"It is hereby made known to be the ex'
press ORDER of his Majesty our most mer-
ciful sovereign, that this man, who is
traitor to his country, be broken on the
whe ell and quartcred," etc. What mer'
cy!' exclaimed the poor criminal. 1t was
with the same mockery of beneVolence
that the Holy Inquisition was wont, when
condem1ing hereto to the torture, to
express the tenderest concern for his tenn
poral and eternal welfare One OF the
most offensive forms Of cant is the probes
sion of extreme humility by men who are
full of pride and arrogance. The haughti-
est of all the Roman Pontitfs styled him
self "the servant of the servants OF GOD,
at the very time when he Inundated the
Emperor Of Germany by making Lin
wait five days barefoot in his ant9cham>
Der in the depth of winter, and expected
ali the Kings of Europe, when IN his
presence, to kiss his toe or hold his stir
rup Catherine of Russia was always
mounting the language of piety and be-
nevolence, especially when about to wage
war or do some rascally deed. Louis the
Fourteenth's paroxysms ofrepentance and
devotion were always the occasion for
fresh outrages upon the Huguenots; ana
Napoleon was always prating of his love
of peace, and of being compelled to fight
by his quarrelsome neighbors. While the