The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1880-03-07

branches of trade or business, do not omi
the study OF history. Whatever you read
read history. Whatever you omit to read
DO not omit TO read history. If you dc
not wish 10 be tossed to and fro and carried
about with every mind Of doctrine; if vol
would be full and strong; if you would
have the mighty past to stand under you
II you would ryst upon the experiences Of
the ages as 50 much that is assured in the
great ocean Of uncertainty, then study 70
know what those ages speak through the
voice Of history to yon.
You may Keep yourselves filed with
tie passing events Of to-day
you may daily dcyour your
newspapers, with their newspaper
Literature, but if that is all, or about all,
you read, your weight mentally, your
strength mentally, will compare init abou,
as fayorably rs would a newspaper compare
in weight with well bound and compact
volume The newspaper must suffer word
Of criticism.
1oa need not 10 read much. Indeed 7
might Wei say, do not read much; for one
Of the evils Of to-day is much reading.
Read with discrimination read wisely. Do
not suppose that ! am coadcmniug the
reading Of fiction. an not. A. mean
to say Is, read the best books The world
IS iu!l OF the best books, and one is incycu.
able for spending his or her time up.
on trash. Life is too short; life j.
too important to justify US n wasting il
upon the worthless stuff which auoUuis up
on every shore Of the great ocean of mind
whose waters, alas, cas-, up so much mire
and dirt.
And so end this DEPRESSION as | began
il, 10y saying, read history.
Tuning now u my subject and for the
purpose Of closing it, may notas YOU TO
consider cur situation as people IN the
light Of our surroundings, in the light OF
the nineteenth century and in that truest
Of all lights, the light that comes shining
down upon Us from the pages OF history.
For, if with the advantages Of our situa-
ton, with the extremely favorable circum.
stances which have always surrounded Us,
with the intelligence and morality
Of our people, with the queries Of his
tory holding aloft her shining torch
for us 10 see closely wherein others have
gone astray-if with all these. we cannot
succeed, il will be because We cannot: be-
cause We are what we are; because that at
which we aim is ideal, uetopi0n because
man is incapable Of sclf.coyernment. Our
fathers, choosing for Us, chose as our ma
tionai emblem that proud bird Of the noun
tain top, the eagle of the air. But are We
their descendants, 10 be ike the eagle with
broken wing which, although aspiring to
rise, his rising tells him that he possesses
not the power but only the aspiration TO
rise. Compelled 10 keep upon the earth,
possessing all that an eagle possesses, but,
alas, having a broken wing, it seeks
out solitude in which TO die
So we, like il, having fallen in our attempt
10 rise, conclude ike il that we cannot rise.
But for US there no is solitude TO be sought
out and in which 10 die. II is only left for
US 10 turn our faces from the bright heavens
above to the earth, and barring our necks
say, come, come, come with your yokcs of
power, come with your chains OF slavery
and place them upon Us. We thought we
were treemer, but We are slaves; come and
rule over US.
But We must not take too much counsel
Of our fears, He who does ~. will always
doubt, and vii! very often fail. BIlWer's
Richelieu says that in the bright lexicon of
youth there is no such word as fail. The
aXiOms and rules of individual conduct are
equally applicable to nations and people.
And We as people should possess such
confidence in ourselves as will prevent our
being discouraged, crippled and overcome
by fears and fOrebodings Of coming evil or
disaster. Our success, our permenance, is,
nevertheless, contingent II is contingent
upon our conduct. If We viii insist firmly
and persistent.y insist. upon an increasing
intelligence and morality among the peo-
Pile; il We will keep within their proper
bounds party politics and partisan zeal,
which, from the phases they have more re,
Gently presented, seem, most clearly, to be
our chieiest danger; if we will, for we can,
keep the ballot box pure; if We will shake
off the delusion that the right to the ballot
is TO be determined by the mere accident
Of sex regardless of everything else,
if, IN word, We can retain
that which history and experience
have tested and tried and can obtain
that. which history and experience sh ow US
we yet need, then in the ages to come
and when you and and ours have been
long forgotten the history Of our country
will be the philosophy Of history.
Miss Anne Pitcher then concluded the
exercises with a song, which was full Of
music and pleasing indeed,