Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1880-10-30
That Edfted Cali.

| Capita, we make the following extract:
In speech by Maryland senator saw
the other day, for the first time in all the
theological and political Use of the prodi-
cal son. reference TO that good boy, who
objected to the killing of the fatted calf
when his wayward brother returned to the
paternal mansion. He was properly snub-
bed by the old man, and Christ approved
the snubbing, going so far rs to say that
there was more rejoicing over one such re-
deemed sinner than over ten-acre lot oil
such saints as the good brother.
| have no question that this pious son had
stuck to the old gentleman, not from any
love of the old fellow. but from shrewd
knowledge of his bread and butter. L have
no doubt but that he hattered the venerable
father. winked at his little weaknesses, and
Thought that he had so wormed himself in
to the confidence of the paternal author OF
his being. that the will was all right, and
the real estate, to say nothing OF the stocks
and other personally, would all be his IN
good time. And here came the pestlferous
prodigal, and the old man not only fell on
his neck and wept for joy, but ordered the
most likely calf to be slaughtered for feast.
1t is an old proverb which says that "a
mean sinner makes mean SAINT; but IL
remains for progressive humanity to disco
yer that a great majority OF the saints are
manufactured out of mean people Those
cold-blooded, calculating and selfish Great
ures who have never transgressed Tor that
they never had enough warm blood to build
temptation on, are the sort that never
transgress. They carry to God no warm,
throbbing hearts to sacrifice upon his affairs,
but geological formations that serve the
purpose of such organs in their anatomical
structures with which the Devil macadaml-
yes to pave his highway to hell. They are
proper people, with an eye to all the social
observances that 90 to make up respectable
tv, and escaping the penitentiary, think they
have even reserved seat i'll Heaven.
Small wonder the angels are disguised at
such a crowd. doubt whether they get into
heaven and secure harps at all. believe
Saint Peter, who was quick-tempered gem
tleman when he thought it safe, kicks these
cold-blooded humbugs over the battlements
of heaven with the entire approval OF the
angelic population.
On the contrary, we can imagine the de-
| linht of those winged celestials when wild
fellow. whose generous impulses have driven
him over the verge, and yet whose real good
ness lifts him back again, appears, praying
for harp and seat, even back seat, in
! heaven.
OF this sort is the nature of our Southern
people, whose mad impulses plunged them
into the fools fight, that New England, with
cool deliberatiOn, malice aioreth0ught and
| heart prone to evil, provoked, and it IS New
! England that is the mean sneak, Directing
not only to the tatted calf, but any return OF
! the prodigal to his fathers house.
Its intended that this war shall never end.
1t is not intended that any State once slave,
and lately with It's people in revolt, shall
occupy place. of equality in the Union
! The South is to be treated as q conquered
province, with no other rights than are to
exist at the pleasure of the conqucror. This
| is the only shadow OF question between
| the two parties. The one says, Treat the
South ~ an equsl; the other, in the nta-
nous language of its candidate for the Pre-
sidencv, saws to the citizen: "When in
doubt look along the deadly line OF the gun
YOU fought with, and vote as you shot"
THE CONSEQUENCE.
In the mad whirl of these fighting fac
tons we loscsight of the grave consequences
| involved in this issae. We cannot make an
| Ircianu OF L olsllu VI tllc f'pulhs fnS ~
pie that rose in their wrath and slept with
out tents, marched without food and whip
ped Us to our shame for twO yeats with in
fcror numbers are not precisely the sort to
submit quietly to an oppression based on
the supposed superiority Of conqucrors.-
They viii resist, and in resisting secure the
sympathy of half at least of the people at
the North. The contest will differ from that
of the late armed conflict in the fact that
the South will be fighting for the conStitu-
ton, and not against it; and instead Of Il
new government and an alien flag, they will
organize under the republic, with the only
people possessed of the right to follow the
stars and stripes.
Few in the midst of this mad excitement
stop to consider the fact that all the feeling
is not on one side The party that on the
stump and through the press denounce the
entire South as made up of aSSaSsins and
traitors are responded to by an equal num-
Der that believe the Repub leans are thieves
and conspirators who are changing our form
of government from republic to monar-
chy. And on these propositions both sides
are ready to fight.