St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1876-07-07
VOLUME 39---NUMBER 2O32.

hopes and struggles for Justice an,
righteousness i'll government needs tn
VISION and courage of faith. He vii
moi I'VE To see the perfect conSImma
ton. Centuries may not bring it. Civ
lllzatlon is only the widening of on
hOrlZon-We see faI ther, and the distan
prospect makes clearer to us the zoo,
or evil of the present The scholar
horizon should he widest of all hi
vision should Teach farther into tn,
heavens, pierce lower into the depths
His knowledge takes into its copniZanc,
past centuries, bis reasonable faitl
reaches to the centuries before him
What If the work of to-day seems fruit
less? Force is never wasted. Ever,
motion Is IL resultant of many forces
the slightest force modities it. \ re
form that does not come for half il cen
tury may have its seed in the strugpl,
of to-day. Though it win now but ;
single vote in Parliament or Congress
or is driven by furious mohs from plat
form and pulpit. as We're the early
champions of antiSlavery. the trutl
once told, the blow once struck. bccom,
forces that act forever
Bnt what if the scholars Thought
never rules the world ? What if it onl,
lllumines some dark corner of it? Wha
II 1t only holds partially in check tn,
powers of evil? What if it only light
ems the burden of government little
brings men Il little nearer to the ideal
state. or even only holds them from
drifting further away from it Is not
this achievement Yet it will try tn,
! S,'hnl:IrS rnIIp.,,rn .,pI U-i1l all IL
hlaNcSt philosophy. the most Sclf-d deny
ing Labor, the most unSelti>h patriotism
and. because it demands these, il is th,
highest virtue of the citizen. In some
moment of supreme excitement. when
BRAIN and blood are on fire with the
passion of battle. the soldier will face
the enemies of his country, Welding not
one nch. but diving where. he stands for
the flag he defends and this We rightly
call her"iSm. But this may not he the
greatest sacrifice. the gIandeSt work,
demanded of the citizen. The patient
resistance to every form of wrong.
hrlngIng little reward in public reputa-
non. opening no avenues Tor aspiring
ambition. butfetcd 10y every selfish in
tcrest, every corrupt combination. every
political knavc. is Il hard. and as men
reckon 1t. Il tlIanklcsS service 1t un-
happily does not end with to-day or
to-morrow, or this Years campairn.
he error we have To fight has million
heads and Il million lives. aud will de
mand of us the courage that comes with
every new day. and that draws It's in
splation from within. from the living
wells of conscience and of duty. Such
work lIII,rS small IL
seriousness of duty performed and he
who works aS II citizen for any Other
rec"hIpeh>e Will never perfectly dis
charge the citizens duty. The record
"f the scholars life aS Il citizen is not
honorable if he comes short of this duty.
lie l. Il coward who fails He should
brave church and state and the popu-
lace for the truth. II educated men do
not save the state. it will not bc saved.
he scholar who, on the mountain. has
received the law. and come. To under
stand better than any other men the. re-
lati"n of truth to the progress of the.
race. onlN Y earns the contempt of intel
ll"ent men. il he atterward desccpds
into the valley and neltS trinkrts into
Il golden calf for the people to Worship.
ne mob may clamor for it, may offer
lIlm handsome commission on the lob.
hut the work is unworthy of him to
whom the higher vision has been vnuch-
-atcd.
W neither IL practical OF wise states
man>hIp may not see how Il scholar can
serve his generation and Vet accomno-
date himself somewhat to the control
ing dispositions and interests that rule
the period. We have not time To con-
>ldcl. The student who keeps ri"ht
both in principle and in conscience will
seldom 90 far wrong in methods. He
certainly may study the temper;,meuts
OF the people and take the measure of
ihclr understanding. that he may know
Wllt tl"Turnce. either of speech or pen,
viii turn them t" the truth He is not
the servant of the people. except as
truth serves them. 1t is not through
that much of his work is
I" he done. But in free thought and
Tree speech and free voting he will find
Il field III which the harvest is abundant
though the lahorrrs are few. The
courage and intelligence of his utter
iince> and his acts will modify, if they
Ito not control. the thought of the nation.
and make their influence felt AT last in
and laws. And thus.
gradually, hut surely. let lis hope the
people will come to understand and Use
their Hbcrty. The country has Vet
gwen us little more than the name.
We boast of it. but we do not Use il.
Limbs freed from Shacklcs. backs spared
the lash, Labor rewarded. ale only its
partial rcallzations. It's highest tri-
umphS remain for the future. under an
administration of government which
shall Danish tavoritiSm from IFS conn
els and its laws. which shall kuoN no
between citizens 10y reason
either OF party or of race. and which
snail come to see that the perfect man
Is not made by the state. but is some
hing higher and better. the rare fruit
't the most perfect individual freedom.