, 1880-08-06
Alexander Hamilton.

New York, ushered in memorable
tragedy Which sank deeply in the minds
Of all Americans of that day, but whose
lesson seems to have been lost as com.
pletely as the monument which once
marked the spot where Alexander Ham
ilton fell, mortally wounded by the bull
let Of Aaron Burr.
With many points of resemblance in
the brilliancy OF their talents and their
career, the two men who stood for one
dreadful moment facing each other at
ten PAGES distance, with loaded pistols
have gone down to after times with wide
divergent flames, the victor in the duel
execrated as the embodiment of public
treason and personal basepess, the other
the victim OF the lesaized assassination
still living influence in the country he
helped to establish, and still reyerenced
not more for personal worth and emf
nent ability than rs the embodiment of
an ideal Of patriotism, worthy of ever
lasting remembrance o3o, on n ~
The bare record of the life; and work
of Hamilton attests the rarity Of his
genius and his powers. A captain in
the revolutionary war at nineteen, at
twenty he was the trusted aide, decamp
Of Washington, with the rank Of lieu
tenant colonel /; at thirty be was. chosen
a delegate to the Constitutional Conven-
ton at thirty two he was our first sec
retary Of the treasury, and created the
department. When the country was
called to arms, Gthroug fear Of the.
French invasion Washington refused to
assume chief command unless his trusted
friend was made second in command,
with the rank of inspector general as
writer he was singularly original in
thought, forcibls'in logic, clear in style;
as iegishtorhe had the practical gift
of wisdom in law making; as lawyer
he easily rose to the head of his profes-
sion as. politician his practical leader
ship Of men asserted itself at every,
point, and it all came to an end at the
early age of, forty-seven, through the
bullet of a duelisb who. robbed, his
country and ruined himself in his greed
for revenge over apolitieal defeat d
The man who has done SO much for
his country, and whose career of nearly
thirty years OF uninterrupted Service in
the army, the cabinet and the conven.
ton, had merely brought hims to the
prime of life, gave up his life because an
indiscreet friend had written in a private
letter that Hamilton had declared Burr
to be q. dangerous man, who ought not
to be trusted with the reins of govern
'ment, and had expressed a Still more
IJdespicaole opinion of Burr The fatal
letter got into the papers, for then, as
now, the press was enterprising and de-
lighted in personal scandal, and then
began the diplomatic interchange of
courtesies which slowly but inexoIably,
and with the steadiness of fate, led up to
the morning excursion to Weehawken
Heights, to the ten PAGES duly stepped
oil, the question, "Are you ready ?" and
the fatal signal and the shot that sent
one duellist to the grave and the other to
fate worse than the grave.
Alexander Hamilton was less the vic
tim OF that malice which guided the bull
let of Burr than of that perverted social
sentiment which demanded compliance
with the code Of honor He had shown
himself to be a brave man on the
field CT battle; he detested duelhHg as
barbarismj he refused to fire at his ad-
Yersary, and knew that he, was .risking
lls life in q criminal cause. But he
knew, also, that he dare not refuse. In
the last words he ever wrote, on the day
before the fatal meeting, he said:rq ;fi
10 those who, with me, abhorring the
practice of duelling, may think that /
ought on no account Co have added to
the number Of bad examples, l answer
that my relative situation, as wei. in
public as in private, enforcing all the
considerations which constitute what
men Of the world denominate honor, i'm
posed on me (asI thought) peculiar
necessity not TO decline the CALI The
ability to be in the future useful, whethe
er in resisting mischief or etecting good,
in those crises of ourpublic affairs which
seem likely to happen, would probably
be inseparahle from a conform ty with
public prejudice in this particular.
Recent events seem to point to a re-
vival of that public prejudice, and the
country which, soventy-six years ago,
was stirred to its utmost depths and