The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1874-05-02

1t TO be right SO TO do. How was he spoken
of but little over year ago by a large
proportion of the press and people, who
are now honestly uniting in paying tributes
to his memory? 1t was so with Horace
Greeley. His death brought out honest
and sincere expressions of praise and al
miration for his great services to his coun-
try, his sincere patriotism at all times; and
his devotion to that which he believed to be
right. Contrast the post morton and the
ante mOytem utterances of the press and
people, and make the strong contrast.
Both cannot be right and true ; which are
the honest sentiments of the people? In
the cases of these men it is not difficult to
make the decision. But it is always so in
the case of the death of every public man {;
and we have only selected these cases be-
cause they are recent and marked.
We desire, br1y, TO draw two conclu-
sions from the facts. The first is that we
sometimes eulogize the good that the now
dead accomplished while LYING at the cX-
pense of the far greater evil which marked
their lives, thereby placing pernicious ex-
amples before the young. This was mark
edly so ia the case of Vallandigham, who
although anything but patriot while liv-
ing, was the theme of almost universal
eulogy when dead. SO with the notorious
jim Fisk but few newspapers had the
courage and manhood, if we may SO term
it. to speak of him in his true character.
There was an evident desire and intention
on the part Of the majority of the press, to
speak of him as Il hero, and not to hold his
career up as a warning to his young coun
trymen. 1t is true that the deep damna.
ton Of his taking off had something to dc
with this but the true duty of the press
was, while reprobating the manner of his
death, to paint him in his true Lighter il
there was mawkish fear of being called
ghouls, because of recalling evil deeds oycl
his new made grave, then to keep silence
Either the truth or silence.
The other fact brought out by these Gu
logics is that we arc not careful enough of
the characters Of our public men while liv-
ing, although we seem tender enough oi
them when dead. In this we are all to
blame the press and the people alike. We
cannot all think or believe alike, and it is
well that it Is SO. il We are honest and
sincere in Our beliefs, we ought IT, be will
ing to accord the same honesty and sinccri-
ty to those who differ from us Herein is
the fault. We are too much accustomed
to attack motives, rather than principles.
Instead of conctding honesty of purpose
and making our attacks on principles, Sis
tanning ourselves by argument addressed TO
the reason, we resort to personal abuse and
by attacks on character, appeal to the pas
sions. The last presidential campaign was
a painful illustration of this. The greater
part of the campaign speeches" were de-
voted to personal assaults on General Grant,
Horace Greeley and other leaders on both
sides. Could they have been made honest
ly or in ignorance Let the truthful eulo.
ges on some Of these men. since spoken,
answer. Let us take heed, and render due
justice both to the dead and living, for our
own sakes, for the sake of truth, for the
honor of our manhood and of our country,
and MS warning and example to all of our
young men. a warning that evil deeds
cannot be blotted out by death an exam
pie, that the good men do will honor them
while living and embalm their memories
when dead.