The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1884-04-25
AN ESSAY.
IN NUMBERS.
BY OSCAR A. TANNER.
Number 6.

Lie hepuDilc OF ancient history,
founded by the shepherd lads, ROmulus
and Remus, in all the simplicity of our
own storm-tOssed and rock Graded in
fancy, advanced until it embraced the
then known and habitable world, and
from its seven hilled capitol gave laws
to all the people. Vigorous, hardy, en-
terprising and virtuous, with genius
for government, politics and war
evinced by no other nation of antiquity,
she seemed fairly destined to perpetual
existence. But Rome has dwindled to
an ordinary Italian city, picturesque,
perhaps, by the Vatican, and as the res
dence of His Holiness, the Pope. But
Rome fell by no conquest of arms, or
o'ermatched state-craft-by the hand of
no seen and open foe. 1t was not that
the Caesars overthrow their constitution,
which was unlike ours, Segis non
Scripta, an unwritten law, and OH its
ruins reared an empire, that Rome lost
her cohesive vitality, and persisted from
the family of nations. Long ere this
had the handwriting appeared on the
walls of her ancient temples. Long had
immortality, luxury and vice been sap
ping The strength, wasting the energies,
softening the intellect, soaring the con-
science and poluting the morals of the
Roman citizens and soldiers. The eff
Terminate and fantastic RIGHTEOUSNESS of
Greece, clothed in the seductive costume
of art and poetry, was more potent
than force and strategy, transforming
the Roman soldier into a dawdling,
diseased and contemplate fop; the
matrons into the painted leader of the
demi-monde; the citizen into besotted
peasant, and the grave and reverend
Senator into an artful and drunken
gamester. 1t is an axiom that history
repeats itself. Already the infant but
colossal Republic of the west furnishes
painful evidence of its truth. The mag
mates of its commercial and business
capitols contemptuously ignore her his
toric and patriotic celebrations, while
they dine and wine, and obsequisusly
apologize to their deaTimported friends
for the rudeness of national holiday,
lest, forsooth, some Republican senti-
ment may offend the delicate sense Of
the proprities of some pauper lord or
fortune-hunting count. Already they
ape the licentious fashions Of the for
eign devotees of pleasure. Already
our boys and girls out Herod Herod,
and eclipse their examplars in the
finesse of dissipation. Already our
youths pale faces, wild eyes and enact
ated forms offer convincing evidence
that their robust health and manly
beauty, their national inheritance as
Americans. has been Slapped to its
foundation by, and wasted on those
vices-prime ministers of the Devil.
NoTE.-From the following para
graph, which is part Of the last num-
Der, the words enclosed in brackets
were accidentally omitted by the COM
positor-rendering the paragraph alb
surd.
Since the advent of that 9thestic buff
foon, Oscar Wilde, with his sunfOwer
drivel and idiotic plattitudes, and the
host of European eye-glassed swells,
whose conspicuous ignorance of ordi-
nary good manners Created new def
milton of common nuisance) some halt
has been called to our tendency to
toadyism, which has heretofore made
us the sport of intelligent foreigners.