Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1876-07-26
"The scholar In Politics."

the reviewer makes STRENUOUS ""l''""" ." W.
closing portion, which is as follows
roie most really useful To- ones age IN polite. Che .ghola
nariioS n'e bet and most ntcllgcnt politicians have
poc les q e party Tis. , o is s' 4" a paf5
there any .lue iney nay gie ,' NJ m ns,, lead
i6e f1abic1n party nei TO-DAY agreed aon Any ANY
hnes i declared fora jacou iarla for p,g,s.gr,e
m ,, ny, MI tai e Caucasian far played out
To hardly De- able in bolt ~. own Asa-t ls Nv
that It viii ln the future o. iu the psi give Nynam s
frre refpfrifd o1Hsd1afon These a,e nol iihn
which the convention was ripe,td lo ~ u" w h
and even upon these topics ie m,nci- ~ te lai, n
clBnSd are Of G doumfd meaning AMI cover with iiel
clever ambiguity as Wide diversity 81 mdNi" t N'vHu
gite M da, of two viii disclose. hut Will bc for neither
it mo- eiy service reform that viii Keep democrats
Office, for he time songfsl piin''pe w., t gi
reircniimsnt and reform until after election Mml &
An assurance Of honest aud Intelligent government ho
matter what Ne party name Wugih more tlan nll lh
haSs SaioS"fi Il W. must have party organization. Def
Che dead past buy ~ dead lg p, ,hg 1, w., ~ t , s1
strike steps TO the music VI the future INTO Nlu'N VIZ
Ire scholar may he paHy Dc should never suffer q
90 use him. DE may srni %. delegates W ~ ~ ~
Of Dol. candidate ny any body Of men. hu ne e'in
safely make any igrtef 4i ,an,1 M 1., Any s1rensf ihe
helm. THIS makes tc scholar The true indrtrhu' ,W
and he az of5s-seekcr 70 DO steady n hs resolve and
work and lt a1 gig, holder /, ii, , e1'e m el
onco either by appointment ur suffrage; Nc may De- lohe
SOON To- aHlct him ne hear. .eos, speaks only what
pleasing io waighiu constituency of vai,in 'iH,Ia
forehead, and tho tunes c gnds are ali iom ilc organ
oi ' sr N ft , eilo. aud the s resn.biy iia
was supposed 20 secure yet MUS. utterly free tnnshl
Ieli pune vt FREE. sut.evency 20 party Intense Iasai-
ship aud industry and sill n the d.iln9oh ID 'mot-
Ls I. ala lf
a sturdy nshi eern.t wrons, win small applause
There Is only one way fora scholar TO be eff
cicnt in the highest degree Of practicable good
which is another name for the greatest statesman
ship, and that is by being ia, not ont Of politics
A closet politician Is like a closet naturalist, a
mere critic and theorist testing nothing by the
practical touch and application Of his rosy colorcd
no.trums for present woes. 1hetrue scholar need
not De afraid of descending into an arena where
men like John a. Andrew, Henry Winter Davis,
Salmon T. Chase and WIN. rIu lc-senden, gave
and took hard blows. did grcat work, aud won
great and undying honor an arena where men
like Carl schurz. Geo. W Curtis, Judge lloar.
Alexander u Bullock. and Professor Scelye do
not hesitate to step, when it seems necessary, and
still live TO repeat the act when their strong faith,
.tout hearts and ready hands find pressing work TO
do. These men have all worked in the party, for
the party, and by the party, that seemed 20 them
topromise best the highest practicable good that
s. they have all been scholars 20 politics, In the
sense Of belonging to and actively working with
some rarty In distinction from Mr. Willard ideal
scholar, who Is to sit Ia bis closet ont Of politics
shooting his free laucc- out of the window, care
less whether bis reckless shots over the house hurt
his brother or no.
The ddicnle Of Che Republican party at Cipcin-
matt is sweeping enough, but shallow, when care
fully tested by common sense The Republican
party cohesiycncss, its unity for good, may not
fairly be distrusted because it has reached no
point of unity ON an subjects that exercise more
or less strongly generous and intelligent minds for
practicable good, which we repeat Is the only true
craftsmanship. the Republican party must repre-
sent organized unity of feeling and purpose on
some one deep and sweeping thought that over
powers an others ard Republicans however they
may ill. short OF unity Ia the kind and degree OF
their feeling. on the subject Of tariff, woman sui.
imge, etc, are imprcgnahy united in their cuthu-
sa-tic allegiance to ono such deep and sweeping
Thought that oyerpowers an individual division OF
opinion concerning tariff and woman and that
Thought is the fixed determination to maintain
our rescued nationality heuceiorth inyiolate and
unperiled In other words. are agreed that not il
this day aud generation shall the nation be RULED
and guided by either those who fired in our faces
or fired in our backs during the great war for til,
Union
| This thought is the spinal marrow Of the Re
publican party is It's unanimous, ardent resolve
pronounced without evasion or qualification, an,
this music Of the Union is quite likely 10 continue
to be the music Of the future Mr. Willsr,
rhapsodics about, il We cypeof 10 hare aay iitW
as d nation
Nor does it seem to US that there Is any mon
force in saying that The scholar should never il
politics be an oice-seeker eyenan ofiice-holder
than to say that the scholar should keep out o
the legal profession because it has its shysters, o
out Of the medical profession because it has it
/ quacks, or out Of the ministry because it has it
wolves in Sleeps clothing or in other words, tina
a good man must coddle his own virtue and leay
practical politics to the political shyster that al
ways stands ready to step whore these dear, deli
cate, angelic scholars fear To tread No. tI
scholar must step into, nat ont Of politics, q
,quaiely aud effectively ahrosate or abate evils
for the reason that actor and doors Of right ar
always worth more to the world than an the crit
les that ever sat in their closets and letered mora
guide-boards for the benefit Of their day ana
generation.
1t is not true that those who seek politics as al
ayocltion, whether stimulated hy high ambition
or hy even thirst for grosser rewards than mer
fame, are more selfish or less honest and les
faithful to their trusts than those who -eol, pei
and prizes outside Of politics Shall yigorou
business minds turn their backs ON "nilroading
and stock dealing because Fisk and Gould am
Tom Scott and Ames have lived o Shall hankin
he abandoned because quite a large per cent. O.
presidents, cashiers and other officers end in bcin
false To their delicate trusts Shall there b
never a scholar bookkeeper again, which Charlie
Lamb was, because so many embezzlers and fraud
Of this sort use their position to rob their employ
ers The great business transactions Of the 90,
eminent, even in this age OF so-called politica
corruption show far less per cent Of loss by IN
faithful stewardship and unworthy subordinate,
than any private business of equal magnitude
The truth Is that human nature is about the sam
in all vacations, and there is no good reason 70
believing that politics, rs a profession, any NOR
demoralizing, any more prolific in scoundrel,
than any Of the so-csllled respectable calling
in life that involve temptation and struggle, end
ing In conquest or fall, according as the root d
honor and integrity was originally deeply an
strongly rooted or not
So far as otflce-holding implies necessarily SCI
Witty, and choking down freedom Of thought,
is not true that this is the tabt OF politics If
seem to be true, it is only because it is true, ne
of politics, but Of American society at large, whic
is so intensely unitarian in It's morality and civil
ization that money and not merit is the most POI
ular and potent touchstone In Germany vas
number Of small offices are held BY men who ar
the scholars Of a nation of scholars, who are no
ashamed 10 hold these places but despite thei
small salaries there is no seryility Of intercourse
for these otlice-holders are recognized in the hes
society on the strength Of the fact that they ar
men of cultivated intellect, learning and chaa,
ter They do not steal nor are they snubbed int
servility because they are otfice-holders on pa
large or small II there Is any seryility in ofc,
holding in America, it is not peculiar 10 politics
ii Is the present low tone of American ciyiliyatio
that peremptorily asks Of every man. not HOY
much do sou know, how honest, intelligent an
faithful are you, but how much are you worth?
As well might you keep out Of water until 20
have learned to swim, as to expect TO most Ell
ciently help politics by refusing to go into polite,
that is to work from without when you can be,
work from within juNUs
! TuE CoLITGF RAcFs-The annual COLLEGE n