The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1881-09-01
A Lesson.

Recent events have very forcibly illus
trated tie folly. if not crime, of INDUCING
in bitter denunciat;ons during political con-
tests, and allowing passion to get the better
OF reason Twelve months ago the entire
Democratic press of the country was teem-
ing with the vilest abuse of james "A. Gar
field and the foulest assaults upon his polit-
ical and moral character. Ne epithet was
too coarse to be applied to him both in his
public and priva relations, and the entire
enginery of party malice directed against
him to break down his reputation, smirch
his name and disgrace him before the Amer
lean people. .,
1t is true the real nobility of the charac-
ter thus assailed was not fully known to the
country. He had shown the possession Of
the genuine elements of true manhood, in
that he had passed up from the most obscure
childhood. through all the grades of en-
durance and triumph. until he had reached
the summit of mans ambition under our
form of government. His great heart had
swelled out on many occasions in utter
ances that were favored with the inspila-
ton of Heaven, and threw their mellowing
influence in subduing power over the tur-
bulent sea of human passion and tumultu-
Gus disorder. But the moral forces which
moved and controlled his life and seasoned
his ambition were not known to the public
1t was not until the assassin's bullet laid
him upon the bed of anguish and drove him
to the verge of the valley of the shadow Of
death, that the inner self was exposed. and
the christian courage of the man enabled him
to look death squarely and calmly in the face.
Let me know the worst am not afraid to
de- were words that went thrilling through
very enemies and exalted him to the atmos-
phere of the martyred saints. The beauti-
full faith from which his language was in
spired. abashed his tradlcers. and gave to
America char acter that will stand out for
all time to come the perfection of human at
tainments and the type of that higher ex-
istence which is separated. only by the thin
veil that hides the seen from the unseen.
In such presence. envy, and malice, and
| detraetion, shrink back and seek conceal
ment from the gaze of an offended public
| conscience. And i'm such presence, and
in the contemplation Of such a character.
lesson may be learned. that should silence
! the tongue of SANDER and rebnke the reck-
less partizanism, whisll finds expression in
a flood of infamies for party ends.
| It would be we'll for the American people
| if in all future political contests they would
recall the acerbties of 1880, and the homage
and reverence of 1SS1-the slandered Gar
field as the candidate of a great party for
the highest Office in the gift OF a great peo-
pie and the almost idolized Garfield, as he
| lies at deaths door, with a bereaved nation
weeping over fading hopes and his pros
trate form, and pray ing that the dark wing
of the angel of death may be averted.
and the wounded heart of the country
| healed.
President Garfield will not have suffered
| in vain, if such lesson shall be evoked
from it and properly appropriated. 1t is
the duty of all to study it, as citizens of a
common country, bound up in a common
destiny. and apply its teachings that the
tone and temper Of the people may be ele-
waited and the spirit of partizan rancor re-
| buked.