The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1874-09-16
THE PRETTY OF LIFE.

ms trlfe out always solemn text was never
brought home to us more forcibly than by 5
volume we CHANGED to pick up day or two
ago, entitled sour Living Representative
Men by John Savage" twas published by
Childs & Peterson, Philadelphia, in 1860, and
contains brief biographical sketches of the
following statesmen, then prominent in public
life, towit /; Nathaniel P. Banks, of Mass.
Edward Bates, of Mo. John Bell, of Tenn.
John M. Bolts, of Va. John G. Breckin-
ridge, of KY. Albert G.. Brown, of Miss.
Simon Cameron, of Penna Salmon P. Chase,
of Ohio Howard Cobb, of Ga. John J.
Crittenden, of Ga. Caleb Cushing. of Mas.
George M. Dallas, of Pa. 4; Jefferson Davis. of
Miss VIM. L. Dayton, of N. j.. Daniel s.
Dickinson. of N. Y; Stephen A. Douglas of
Ill.,; Edward Everitt, of Mass ; Willard Fill
more, of N. Y. John G. Fremont, of CAL
Jas. Guthrie, of Ky. James H. Hammond,
of S. c.. Saml. Houston, of Texas r. M.
t. Hunter, of Va. Andrew johnson, of
Tenn. Joseph Lane, of Oregon John Nc
Lean, of Ohio James L. Orr, of S. c. Jno.
M. Read, of Pa. !; William II. Seward, of N.
Y. Horatio Seymour, of N. Y. John Slidell,
of La. Alex. H. Stephens, of Ga. Henry
A. Wise, of Va. and John E. Wool, of N.
Y.
These men collectively, thirty -four in num-
Der, may be said, with close approach to truth
to have held, for the time, the destinies of the
country in their hands. All were, in a certain
sense, leaders of parties, or sections, or SUBJ
sections of parties, and had, each in his
sphere, numerous followers. And yet, after
the lapse of only fourteen years--a mere span
in the life of nation--all Of them save thir-
teen have vanished from the ever shifting
scenes of earthly action-gone to "that un-
discovered country from whose bourne no
traveller returns. Still the world moves on in
its customary round, takes no thought of the
departed, and scarce recalls their names. The
survivors are Banks, Breckenridge, Brown,
Cameron, Cushing, jeff. Davis, Fremont,
Hunter johnson, Lane, Seymour, Stephens
and Wise. OF these Banks, Cameron, Cush-
ing, Hunter and Stephens remain in or have
lately returned to public life. johnson and
Seymour, superfluous veterans yet lag tardily
near the stage. The others have sunk into
comparative obscurity, or worse.
This then, is the swift ending of all the
phantom of worldly ambition. That the reap
err Death, will gather in lesser harvest from
the same field during the next decade of
years, his ravagcs in the past forbid us to OK
pect. What vanities is it not, therefore, fol
1.-THE living representative men " of the pres
ent to waste their brief hour of prominence
and power in petty chickering's and jealous ri.
valries over critics light as air TO feec
the flames of "life's fitful fever " in g seek
ing the bubble reputation :? lin peevish
fretful longing for higher place than they
now hold Pin heart burning, cankering ant
often unseemly struggles for the transient
"title, knee and appreciation of him who
reaches even the highest plane of political re-
finement p--when in few fleeting years al
most they win have passed away forever, and
become shadowy memory and almost forgot
ten name?