The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1880-01-30
Tho Eulogy Of Chandler.
Chicago Times.

people should nave tne CusCom Vi uoNo1inB
whole days of the legislatures time to the
eulogizing Of. dead members. We do not
take off our hats when funerals pass US on
the street, as is the custom In European
countries; we hurry our dead to the grave
as fast as horses can trot with them; we
do not even sbuild them monuments, in
many cases, when they have rendered
some great and peculiar service to the re-
public. On the whole, we care less for
the dead aud more for the living than any
other civilized people. But when it comes
TO speech-making in the supposed hono.
OF the dead, we are invariably thar'
The nation al fondness for making speeches.
finds in the eulogy of the dead an admIra-
BILE opportunity for it's gratlhcation. Ii
the dead man happens to have been
member OF congress, the house to which
he belonged sets apart an entire day OF
what should be valuable time, and his
friends and foes devote themselves with
equal delight to praising his lofty charsc-
ter and noble deeds. Generally two or
three months elapse before the senate or
house is ready TO deliver Its eulogies;
sometimes almost year passes. Then q
resolution is introduced setting forth the
startling news of the great mans death,
and ordering that Grape shall be worn for
a period of thirty days by every member;
and then the senators or members proceed
with morbid relish to the task OF fulsome
eulogy to which they have set themselves.
The euloeies are printed at the public ex-
pense in pamphlet, edged with black,
and the good that the dead statesman has
done is inferred not exactly with his bones.
but with the archives OF the house.
No mockery could have been more hOI-
low than Yesterdays parading of the viz
nd ole Of kho xTIa Qf
Chandler. There was no feeling OF mourn
ing in the chamber, unless it proceeded
from those who didu't want TO hear the
speeches, and couldn't get out, In the
addresses there was more bathos than
pathos; much that might cause laughter,
nothing that might bring tears. What
ever of real feeling that might be publicly
expressed regarding Chambers death was
expressed long ago, when his body was
yet above the ground. The performance
of yesterday was merely dreary mum.
merry of words, uttered in accordance with
a useless custom, and in which the orators
had no heart. and the public no interest.
The time spent was wasted, unless indeed,
it kept the senators out of mischief: and
if we confess that our legislators can not
be so properly employed in any other way
as 10 delivering tsrdy funeral orations, we
must acknowledge that very Illuminating
stage has been reached in our national
affairs.
Ii is conceivable that when q really
great man dies "a senator or representa-
tive who has stood head and shoulders
over his fellow, and whose name will live
In history. congress might, while bis
figure is still fresh in the public recollec--
ton, properly and prohtably devote few
hours to an honest consideration of his
merits and dement's. There is profit for
the living in considering the lives of those
who have made themselves famous; but
there Is no profit in hearing simply the
praise Of one side of their character.
1t is only through a knowledge of the
vices OF great men. and the means by
which they Overcame them and pressed
on to glory, that we can make their
careers useful to US In conquerlng
our own vices. There is more profit to
the living in knowing the real truth about
great men who are dead, and seeing that
they were after all, like common men in
their alternating strength and weakness,
but that they were not hinderd by their
weaknesses from doing their fellow-men a
service, than there is in contemplating q
picture OF an impossibly good man which
they know to be a lie, and against which
the falliole human heart revolts. The
honor done to the dead is greater, too,
when we use their lives to point a moral
than when we use them merely to adOrn q
tale-a very fiattering tale, which nobody
believes and which influences no one. III
day OF one-side history, wherein some men
arekpressnted as the embodiment of every
virtue and others as the incarnation of
every vice, is gone; history is valuable
only as l. represents to us men and events
is they really were, De ntortuis nH HiSi
GORun1 is a saying which is hardly houored
nowadays, except IN congressional eulOgIes;
and It Goes not deserve TO be hOnored
there. Dolly an honest and candid consid-
Grafton OF a really great mans life and
character, faithful picture of his virtues
and his vices with the virtues a little In
the lead perhaps, az there is more good
than bad in almost every mani. Gshould
ever occupy the time of congress; 10
notice ct oil of commonplace men. except
perhaps mere resolution of respect and
confidence
In the addresses of yesterday there was
more cause for humiliation to Chandler s
shade, if it happened to be immodestly
haunting the chamber, than for felicita-
ton. L1gan's speech was enough 10 make
the impalpable sides of any ghost, if he
had the ghost OF q sense of humor, shake
with laughter. Mr.. Logan so mixed his
nlagnlioQuence and his patho5 With prOsy |
and useless details of time and place. and |
blended the praise of Chandler, uttered in |
the stale ard stereotyped phrases of the
penny-a liner, with kindly mention of Mr. |
Collyer, of the Young Mems Auxiliary |
club-whatever that may be-of Chicago, |
that his effort was intensely ridiculous |
Mr, Logan, too, was kind enough to pro- /
nOunce Mr.. Chandler to be "a thinker,
h01GeUeT crude he may haze been OF speech "
Coming from Mr.. Logan, this apology for
tor Chandeliers crudeness of speech was
indeed tribute. The republican senators
having delivered with one accord speeches
which exalted the dead man for the Decu-
liar Submarines of his republcanism, -
sDeeches which were full of insults TO the
other party in the cham bert was quite
to be expected that a democratic senator
should respond with an address with an
address which was not only an insult to
Chambers memory, but plain reflection
on all bis survivors in power. Senator
Bayard eulOgized Chandler because he did
not steal; he had no more to say for him
than that he was not known to use his
official position for his own pecuniary
gain" that his hands were clean of lille.
gitimate GAIN" aud that his adversaries
did not suspect him of making personal
profit out of his political station" When
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