Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1876-01-16
NATIONAL MORALITY.

quiet and cover up our national
scandal has failed. The mutual
council Of churches which it was
hoped would settle the vexed ques-
ton of the guilt or innocence OF one
uf the foremost expounders OF the
Gospel, will not meet. 1t was fact
too plain to deny that the accused, in
conjunction with his friends, were
intent upon manipulation OF the
churches invited that would exoner-
ate the "great moral preacher Of the
age" and the question of guilty or
not guilty remains as unsettled as
when the divided jury left the court
room. But the question that pre-
sents itself to the moralists and
thoughtful student Of history is,
whether this undecided question,
with its baneful influence, is not one
of the severest blows ever given at
the morality of our nation. When
the philosophical historian chances
back over the annals of the past, and
views the nations once great and
grand wrecked upon the strands OF
time and briefly recorded in history,
he asks himself whether it was from
legitimate causes, defects inherent in
the race, or weakness in the elements
of their government Yet his in
quiries prove that the nationalities
have been various; the forms OF
government unlike, the characters
tics of the people dissimilar, and yet
the result has been national decay
and ruin. Tyre, Sidon and Car
thage were once powerful and splen-
did cities, whose commercial relations
embraced the world, and into whose
lap the tribute of wealth poured from
every quarter. But their glory has
departed, and amid Wondering archi-
lecture, the antiquarian labors to
establish their sites. Egypt, monarch
zeal and autocratic in government,
the seat of ancient civilization, stand
ing in the Valley Of the Nile, whose
wealth she received, extending her
conquests east and south, yet she de-
cayed, and for twenty-five centuries
has been the footstool Of nations.
Why has she fallen2 The powerful
monarchies of Assyria and Persia,
sustained by vast revenues and
mighty armies, fell also into decay,
and have scarce a trace to mark their
ancient greatness. Such, too, has
been the fate of that colossal iron
empire of Greece, extending her
conquests from the Eaphrates to
to Britain, from Abyssinia to Siberia,
overturning and crushing all who
opposed her victorious march to uni
versal empire. Such was the fate OF
the Saracans, whose empire extended
from the Ganges to Gibraltar, en-
bracing Northern Africa, Western
Asia and part Of Southern Europe.
Likewise has fallen the once power
full and opulent Italy. As the stu
dent pauses over these dreary tracts
of departed greatness, he asks why
the decay2 Men have tried the patri-
archal government, absolute and
limited monarchies, democracies,
oligarchies, and representative dem
ocracics, and yet the same fatal cause
has followed, and whya The phil
osophy of history tells us ait is the
decay Of national morality" What
is the rsmedya Strong governments
have failed; prosperity has never
alone perpetuated power; the most
civilized States have persisted; but
while knowledge is power, if I'M
guarded by virtue, may become an
instrument of evil and ruin. There
fore, some other remedy must be
found, and from the sad lessons Of
the past we CLEAN this wisdom: that
virtuous people will have just laws
and virtuous rulers. Let the home,
the school, the pulpit and the press
inculcate virtue and frown vice into
shame and obscurity, and bad men
will not dare seek public trusts, nor
in high places give forth the baleful
light Of corrupt example. These
are the precepts rising from the
Wondering splendors Of departed
nations, and it behooves US in this,
our Centennial birthyear, to hold
nought to our nations heart but
what is pure and God-like, and like
the spirit that arose from Calvary's
sacred nights, our influence will live
while its teachings exists.