The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1876-10-21
Temporal MUTANTUR.

The world turns Isild; democracy they say,
Rounds the sharp kLobs of character away;
And no great harm, unless OF grave expense
OF what needs edge of proof the moral sense;
For man or race is on the downward path
Whose fiber grows too soft for honest wrath,
And there's subtle influence that springs
From words to modify our sense OF things.
A plain distinction is obscured of late:
Men, if they will. my pardon; but the State
Forgets its function II not fixed as Fate.
So thought our sres: a hundred years ago.
II men were knaves, why, people called them Sc
And crime could see the prison portal bend
It's brow severe at no long vista's end;
In those days for plain things plain words woul
serve.
Men had not learned to admire the graceful
sweryc
Wherewi.h the Aesthetic Natures genial moot
Makes public duty slope to private good
No mudded conscience raised the saving DOUBT
A soldier proved unworthy was drummed out,
An officer cashiered, a civil servant
tNo matter though his piety were iervent,!
Disgracefully dismissed, aud through the lana
Each bore for life stigma and brand,
Whose forehead kiss made Others more averse
To take the facile step from bad to worse.
The Ten Commandments had a meaning then
Felt in their bones by least considerate men,
Because behind them Public Conscience stood
And without wincing made their mandates goou
But now that craftsmanship" is Just way
To dodge the primal curse and make 1t pay;
Since Office means kind OF patent arm
To force an entrance to the Nations Till.
And pecuaton something rather less
Risky than II you spet ii with an $;
Now that to steal by law is grown an art,
Whom rogues the sires, their mlider sons can
smart,
And slightly irregular" dilutes the shame
or what had once a somewhat blunter name;
With generous curve we draw the moral linc
or swindlers are permitted to resign;
TIair is
And twenty sympathizc for one that bamcs.
Add national disgrace to private crime,
Confront mankind with brazen front sublime,
Steal but enough, the world is unsevere,-
Tweed Is statesman, Fskc financcr;
Invent mine and be--thc Lord knows what,
The public servant who has stolen or lied,
If called on, may resign with honest pride;
As unjust favor put him In, why doubt
Dsfavor as unjust has turned him out?
Even If indicted what Is that but fudge
To him who counted in the impartial Judge!
Whtewashed, he quits the political strife
At ease in mind, with pockets filed for life;
His lady glares with gems whose vulgar blaze
The poor man through his heightened taxes pays,
himself content If one huge Kohlnoor,
Bulge from shirt.front ampler than before,
But not too candid lest 1t baply tend
To rouse suspicion OF the Peoples Friend;
A public meeting treated at his cost,
Resolves him back more virtue than he lost;
With character regilt. he counts his gains;
What's gone was air the solid gold remains;
For what is good except what friend and foe
Seem both unanimous in thinking so,
The stocks and bonds which in our age of loans
Replace the stupid pagan's stocks and stone?
With choker white, wherein no cynlc eye
Dares see localized hempen tie,
At parish meetings he conducts In prayer,
And pays for missions-to be sent else where;
On Change respected, to his friends cndeared,
Add but Sunday-schoo. class, he's revered,
And his too early tomb will not be dumb