The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1881-09-24
One OF Its Lessons.

Probably 1t has never occurred to
any one of the idle and dissipated class,
either among the young men of our
great cities or among men who are
older and should be wiser, that the sick
bed at Washington had any special les
son for him. Yet such is the fact, plain,
enough to those who have eyes to see.
We do not mean necessarily moral
lesson; it is sharp enough merely rs
lesson of expediency. 1t may be COM
pressed into this simple question: If
President Garfield had been man of
dissipated habits, how long would he
have survived Guiteau's shotP 1t has
been clearly recognized from the first
that the fact that the President has led
. temperate, regular life, greatly in
creased his chances of recovery. and
gave him that splendid strength and
endurance with which he has fought
against death. There are many dan
gers in such case to which the man of
Incorporate habits in any particular
would be more liable than the man who
has never been addicted to what is
called high living, but which might
more accurately be called low living.
1t is probably true, also, that the calm
ness and courage with which the first
great shock and all the dangers that
have followed it until now were met,
were, although native to the man, in
some measure due to the wholesome
poise of body and mind maintained by
well-ordered living.
1t is surely something to be equipped
in this fashion to meet the great emer-
gencies of life. Persons of more mod
est station than Presidents are fortu-
nately not in much danger of assassina-
ton. But no man, no matter how in
conspicuous his place in the commune
ty may be, can be sure that he may not
at any moment be confronted as sud-
denly as President Garfield was with
some situation demanding all his
strength of body and mind to meet and
be equal to it--perhaps, even in phys
ical sense, to survive it. The unex-
pected happens now and then in the life
Of every man. The young fellow about
town who pursues pleasant vices to pass
away time, and dulls brain already
enfeebled by chronic idleness and dis
sipation; the lawyer, perhaps of middle
age, who is letting the habit of drink
ing grow upon him day by day; even
the man whose only sin is that fatal one
Of habitual intemperance in hard work
none of these men, and none of the
many classes for whom they may stand
as types, can be sure that out of the
calm of any commonplace day the crisis
of their lives will not suddenly rise, I'M
der which a weakened body and mind
tnstrung may go down in hopeless de-
feat. 1t is OF practical value to every
man, leaving considerations of morality
aside. that he shall at all times have all
his powers unimpaired, his body sound
and healthy, his judgment clear and
cool, and all his resources under sure
command.
This tragical episode will have its
lesson, also, perhaps, for another class
of the people-our public men. There
has been a great improvement in the
morals of our public men within the
past generation or two, although a
contrary impression sometimes prevails.
1t is perhaps only single feature OF
the general change for the better that
is to be seen in all branches of society.
The manner of life is less gross, and re-
,finement has increased with the spread
of intelligence. 1t should be said, also.
that most of the Presidents have been
estimable and clearly men in their pri-
waite lives. But q good example in the
White House is never thrown away, for
the official life of the Capital and the
country is never free from vice, what
ever the improvement has been, and it
may be of especial advantage to the
people that the men who are to make
and execute our laws shall see in what
good stead wise habits may stand man
in o vital crisis.-N Y. Iri6uDe,