New-York tribune., 1878-12-18
THE "GOD.FORBIDn STYLE.

ia about the most impressive thing in the uni
verse after all. Witness the remarks OF RANSOM
of North Carolina, in the Senate on Monday
Now Ransom himself is personally more
p,cturesoue than impressive, but on TINS
occasion lie just scared. Ills secuoh
having been traduced by the introduc-
ton of resolution setting on ioot
an inquiry whether anybody was per-
mitted in the Southern States TO vote
ANYTHING but the Democratic ticket and nave
il counted, and an unusual amendment re-
ouiring the sessions of the Committee OF In
vestigation to be public and open being OPP
nosed by the mover of the inquiry, because
of its intent to intimidate witnesses ana
defeat the purpose of the resolution, MI
Ransom rose and tapped pair Oh wings
that. when stretched for purposes OF elO-
ouence. measure at least half mile from
tip to tip. He beautifully apostrophized the
al light of Heaven, the first creation OF
"the Almighty" which he described as
"the great protector of man." lie SAID
the Senator from Maine was opposed
10 if. but that Democratic Senators wanted 1t
"turned onr-a very felicitous discrimination,
by the way; it's gas light that's turned on"
Then he told how much the South
eIn men loved the country; what sell
denial they had practised twelve months ago.
when "they could have brought on revoiu-
"honn if they had wished TO, and referring
to the proposed inquiry and the amendment
recurring the proceedings to be public, closed
with this fine flight: "GOd forbid that 1t
:" should 90 out to the balance of mankind
"and go down the stream OF time forever
Z" that this American Senate declared that an
investigation should not be made IN the
eight of day."
Now we do not know what is meant by
forbidding it to "go out to the balance OF
"mankind - it is not permitted To
everybody to follow MIR. Ransom intelli-
gently and comprehend him minutely-
not always to Mr.. Ransom himself.
We think, however, that we understand.
though perhaps dmly, what he says about
going "down the stream of time for
"ever." When anybody talks about
things going "dOwn the stream OF time
forever III nine cases out OF ten
he means that there is something unpleasant
about 10 happen, and when he rolls up his
eyes, as we have no doubt Mr.. Ransom did IN
tlns instance, and says "God forbid that
this sort of thing shonld go down the
"stream of time forever" We know that 1T Is
about time for nOncombatants to move
away. MIR. Denis Kearney gave us great
deal of the "God forbid" sort of eloquence
during his late missionary tour in
the East, and we had almost begun
to fear that lie had made 1t so
common that the masters OF this style IN
Congress would be compelled to abandon 1t.
II need hardly be stated that the speeches of
many of the most eloquent Southern orators
and some Northern ones. rs for in
stance, Senator Eaton, of Connecticut,
and Representative Beebe, of New York,
would become very thin and insipid if de-
prlved of the adjuratory clauses. When man
stands on his toes, and stretches out his arms,
and gets red in the face, and in a man
ner which indicates that he has issued
a subpoena d,ceS tecanl, calls God to witness to
the soundDess of some particular view OF the
currency question or the National debt, or
when he perOrates with a "God Forbid
as if giving orders through an Adjutant-Gen-
eral, it strikes the listening ear with resistess
force. Everybody says at once Mankind
fought to listen attentively to this person
che seems on such easy terms with the Deity"
No doubt in North Carolina, where, as the
Senator says, "the people are as poor as the
"sand on the seashore," whatever that may
mean, this kind of eloquence has something
the same weird and mysterious effect upon the
superstitious that the appearance OF an Epis-
copal clergyman in Ku-Klux times had upon
a colored congregation unaccustOmed to the
sight of clerical robes. 1t was just at dusk,
at crossroads school-house, which was filled
with colored worshippers. As the cer-
gyman IN his white surplice stepped
to tho desk. some one sang out,
"Ku Klu1 p and in two minutes the whole
crowd had bolted through the windows and
out of DOORS leaving the startled minister
alone. Mr.. Ransom's adjurations may not
have precisely this effect upon his North
Carolina audiences, but they doubtless
impress them with a sense of the greatness
and awfulness of Ransom. In the matter in
hand, the American people generally will
sympathze with Ransom's God forbid
g that it should go out to the balance of
"manklnd, and 20 down thes stream
"Of time forever, that the American
"Senate declared that an investigation should
"not be made in the light of day." But as
that was not the question-which was whether
the committee should conduct its proceedings
as usual or be instructed by the Senate in de-
tail-it does not seem necessary to have
any such thing "go out to the balance
"of mankind" or "go down the stream of time
"forever.r II it should, Mr.. Ransom's friends
will be the ones to send it "out to the bal
"ancer and start it "down the stream,n
in which case "the balance of mankind"
would be badly humbugged, and "the
"stream of time forever" would float a.
we'll, n Democratic campaign cry. The style
we repeat is good: it is impressive and all
.bot. hut n trihe too heavy for the occasion