Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1875-10-01
Forgive and Forget.

Even good sentiment may be abused.
Forgiveness Is noble attribute of charac-
ter, but It does not imply forgetfulness. A
man may forgivea wrong, but he cannot
we'll forget Il. 1t is retained on his mem
ory whether he wills IL OF not. He may
write forgiven" over II, and show by his
conduct that all trace of resentment has
been removed, but the memory Of the
wrong remains, as If the record had been
cut by q chisel on the enduring granite.
Therefore TO talk OF forgiveness and for
getfulness as If they were synonymous
terms is to confound two distinct traits
forgiveness, which implies nobility OF
manhood, and forgetfulness, which i'm
plies mental imbecility
Democratic orators are ringing the
changes on this expression. They ask
Republicans TO " forgive and forget" yet
they are very careful not TO practice what
they preach. They neither forgive nor
forget They go over the past, and pick
out each fault that n series of years may
have developed They hold 1t up for in
spection; they gloat over 1t as q rare piece
of good luck TO them; they overlook the
many virtues and the mighty achieve
ments of the Republican party, and con-
denim the granite pillar of justice that has
sustained the nation through its fiery
troubles, because close inspection has re-
vealed, here and there, few slight flaws
on its polished surface. They hold up
public men who have served their coun.
try with distinguished fidelity to scorn
| and contempt They rake over the ashes
of dead past and exhume anything and
everything that can serve their partisan
purpose. They arraign loyal men for
their patriotic acts teniold more bitterly
than loyal men ever arraigned them; and
then, after dealing all the deadly blows
they can, and pouring out the vials OF
wrath and vindictive hate upon the party
that has done more for humanity, civili-
zation and national progress than any
other party known to history, they turn,
with a bland smile, and ask the followers
of this party to g forgive and forget"
Forgive and forget what? Republicans
are ready to forgive the wrong-doers OF the
past, but they cannot forget their deeds.
Neither can they forget those who stood
bravely at the post of duty in the hour OF
trial. The effort to destroy the nation will
be remembered as long as the heroic serv-
ices of our citizen soldiery. Who can
predict the time when these patriotic serv-
ices will be forgotten? Out ofthe remem-
brance of the past we profit for the future.
From the pages of history we gather wis
dom that should make us better and
stronger in the administration of govern
ment than those who have gone before US
The American people may forgive De
mocracy for the trouble which it brought
upon the nation, but they cannot forge
those troubles, nor blot out the memory o.
their cost in blood and treasure, nor per
nit it again to return to power, TO plague
anew people that have been redeemed
from its thralldom.
Republicanism extends forgiveness
wherever asked, and tenders it where it i
not But its mission is not to forget wha
has been done, but rather to remember it
whether it comes from evil or good, tina
the Republic may avoid in the future, b.
a clear knowledge of the past, those dar
gers which threaten its stability.-Reput