The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1883-02-15
The Savings of Great People.

own image stamped on copper, poor
in expression, but very strongly
stamped. 1t was the same with Nine.
de Pompadours celebrated expression
| of reckleSSneSS: "ApreS nous, lie del
uge," saving which has become part
of history. partly from its truth.
partly from its vivid expression of
the selfishneSS and reckleSSneSs which
made it historical. And it is this
quality of personal eXpressiveness
which, when the character so stamped
is not poor, but has everything mag
nificent or noble in il, that makes
great saying take rank with a great
deed. Louis XIN.s declaration on
his death-bed to Nine. de Maintenon.
Il imagined it more difficult to die
as though his departure ut least must
have involved some CONFUSION of ma
ture; and Pitts grand farewell to
power, when he returned, dying, from
Bath, Fold up the map of Europe"
are excellent specimens of the )rt of
sayings which. though containing
no thought at all, nothing but Il
great consciousness of power, yet
impress us more than the most
vivid wisdom or the most poignant
wit. This is why dignity tells for
so much in saying of this kind.
for so much more, indeed, than even
truth. Burke's grand sentence on the
hustings, when referring to the death
of another candidate: What shadows
we are, and what shadows we pursue"
makes an even greater impression on
the imagination than the other sen
tence: Il do not know how to draw
up an indictment against a whole peo-
pie, not because it embodies half the
political wisdom of the second SEN
tence, but because it recalls Burke
and his soaring Imagination more i'm
preSSible to the mind. Even Lord
Chesterfield, with all his thinneSs and
superliciality, makes his mark upon
us directly he begins to delineate him
self. There is certain dignity to
be kept up in pleasures, as well as in
business" and knowledge may give
weight, but accomplishments give
lustre. and many more see than
weigh" paint so exactly man
thoughtfully and consistently anX-
iOuS about appearances, that they i'm
press us almost as much us one of DIR.
Johnsons vivid Self-portraitures of
much nobler kind. Indeed they i'm
press us not only almost us much, but
for nearly the same reason, that by
imagining the man who lived in APP
pearanceS, they throw up in strong re-
lief on our minds the recollection of
men whose appearances were naught.
Sayings, however excellent, which
do not convey in them any self-por-
traiture are seldom wildly associated
with their true authors. How many
of our readers will remember who it
was that said, Nothing is certain but
death and taxes" or, I'VE must all
hang together, else we shall all hang
separately" or even, ut is better to
wear out than rust out" which last
does represent the energy of a certain
kind of temperament, but energy so
common that it marks rather a class
than an individual. benjamin Frank
lin said the first two sayings, and
Bishop Cumberland the last, but we
should DE surprised to find anyone in
a company of literary men who could
have pronounced on the spot to whom
any one of the three was to he attrib-
uted. On the other hand, we seldom
misappropriate sayings containing
much less than it is worth while to
remember, if only they vividly pOr-
tray Il memorable iigure-like Freder-
lex the Greats indignant. "Wollt ibr
INNER leben ~ edo you fellows want
to live forever?") when his soldiers
showed some Discrimination to being
shot down, or Gambetta's peremptOry,
al faudra GU Sc soumettre, gu Sc
demettre," or Marshal McMahOns
Government of Combat" Thus, the
most impressive Of all sayings are
those of great rulers who contriVed to
embody the profound confidence
| they felt that life of COM
mand was before them, in al
few weighty words. Julius. Caesars
Veni, vidi, Wei" and his question 10
the skipper who feared for the loss of
his boat, " What dost thou fear, when
Caesar is on board?" or his disdainful
apology for an unjust divorce, Caesars
wife ought to he free even from sus-
| pieion,' are likely to he in everyone's
And 50, perhaps, is Napoleon's, 81 sue
ceeded not Louis the XIV, but Char
lemagne," and the same great mans
remark, Imagination rules the
world" and, 81 ought to have died at
| Waterloo"
But the most influential of all great
sayings are those which combine great
force and weight of character with "A
precept, express or implied. Thus,
Cavour's remarkable prophecy, writ
ten seyen-and-twenty years before its
! flu 1lment, "ln my dreams | see my
self already minister of the kingdom
of Italy'-the most impressive of all
precepts to have faith in great nation
al cravings-Or again, his expressive
saying, an politics, nothing is so alb
surd as rancOr," or, Il will have no
state of siege; anyone can govern in
state of SIEGE" will do more to keep
Italy united, to keep her governments
| statesmanlike, and co keep her people
free, than reamS of argument from
men less memorable and less potent.
The Civil Service Reform Associa-
| ton of New York means business.
4 A bill has been prepared by that or
! ganization and introduced into the
legislature providing for wholesome
reform in the public service of the
| state. A civil-service commission is
TO be appointed by the governor, con-
! siSting of three persons, not more than
two of whom shall be of the same
! party, removable at the pleasure of
4 the governor. The commissioners are
to prepare rules for competitive eX-
aminationS, and promotions are to he
based on merit and competition. PO-
| litical assessments are forbidden.
The present employees of the state are
to be subjected to an examination
Mayors Of cities having a population
of 5000 are also authorized to prescribe
such rules for the admission of certain
persons to city offices Gas may best
promote the efficiency thereof"
The proposed rules are not to be APP
piled to elective officers. This brief
outline of the bill is sufficient to show
its tenor, and it is certainly to be com
mended. There are a good many men
who advocate civil service reform in
the federal service who do not seem to
think it is at all necessary to enter
upon reforming process in state or
municipal affairs. The local civil ser
vice reform, however, is just as i'm
portant as the other. There is abund-
ant evidence all through the country |
that reform is needed in state and |
municipal offices. The advocates of |
real civil service reform cannot eVade |
the wide application of their princi-
pie. There are municipal 'bosseS"
and state "bOSses," incompetency and |
dishonesty are found in abundance in |
the ranks of state and city employees,
and the only way to improve matters |
is to effectuate just such bill as has |
been introduced into the New York |
legislature.