The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1885-08-14
For The state Chronicle
A Little History and Lots of Truth.
WINDSOR. BERTHE 90 y. G.,
August Z. 1850.

OF at least one Of Your naEY readers and
he now feels like cougratulatlng The
CHRONICLE on being equal to the occasion.
he toad eating and time serving spirit
oi the Press of these degenerate daNS. Is
a- patent, as it is lamentable aud il looks
to us, the readers Of the papers. that the
modern journalist as a rule can scarcely
be considered as belonging to the verte
brate animals, so little grit and back bone
does he seem to possess. We question
very much the proprlcty Of thus bowling
the knee to Baal, and can scarcely help
believing that II the truth We're told, such
a policy has wrought Us harm instead Of
good. The world respects those who re
spect themselves and we hold it to be very
scant self respect to be continually gush-
ing over those Se really dislike
When Mr.. James Abram Garfield died
there was no computing the amount Of
gush and gass turned 10 Sc in the south
crn States, especially by editors who
should have known letter though, the
sentiment of the whole country Was, that
he was Il corrupt man; and now, We must
again be reminded Of the moral degener-
acy Of our people by the showers Of croco-
die tears that now dcluge the bier Of
I IySScs : Grant o temporal. @ InoreS
Mr.. Editor, it may be meet on this
occasion, while almost every public Jour
nal III our land is lavish in its praises OF
the deceased General and ex President
and magnifying him into a DENIS god to
look the matter s4uarely and fairly in the
face, dlvcSt 1t of all romance, and paint
him III the true coors of his life and char
actcr- He was not "a great man, that is,
III the true SENSE of the term greatness.
We admit that he was great 50 far as sue
cess means greatness, but no farther
But the latter Is not the true test of great
ness. he truly great man IS ne whose
gigantic moral nature and lofty character
tower 'parrl passu" with other great quail
ItlcS, above his contemporaries, whose soul
IS 50 grand i'll its simplicity and Sublimitv
that nothing unclean or even any sem
biancc OF moral unclcanlIneSS can come
near him. Such man Mas Robert +.
Lee, or Wellington. But, let us not make
comparisons, for the old proNerh says they
are odious No truly great man 5 railing
passion IS tVarIce, which called by It's right
name is an almost insane desire to appro-
pirate the lucre Of others to ones one use.
such was the ruling passion Of the Duke
81 Marlborough, one Of the most illuStri
ouS and successful Of modern warriors.
and this very attribute of his, marred his
character to such IN extent that Postcrity
has never accorded % him that place in
fame to which his military achievements
entitled him. We also believe that avarice
vas the keynote to the character of Gen.
Grant, but the analogy ends here, for
England'S Duke possessed military genius
of the first order, while Grant VA, but "A
We can not believe that any man of
great nobility of nature and grandeur of
character, would sully his reputation by
becoming a gift taker, a calling (for Gen.
Grant reduced il to a caiiing) which would
4 al IN tb.
Of his contemporaries, let alone Il high
official, and Posterity chat is if the pub
lie sentiment Of the future ever become
healthy Will justly condemn the course of
that President of these mtcd States, who
50 far forgot what was due himself Il
man and so far forgot what Was due his
nigh position Chief Magistrate of the
American people, as TO accept all manner
of gifts from Il box of IIavanna cigars or
Il bull-pup up to II costly villa at Il >hoddy
watering place.
1t is i'll no spirit Of i'll Will or prejudice
against the deceased General, or the pco-
pie Of whom he was a representative man,
that We are moved to write this. Some
people and may add Very large mum
bcr, are fond OF quoting the old Worn
out SAY ing, Speak lightly of the dead.
Far better alter it, and read speak Justly
of the dead, that the living may be con
strained TO 50 live that posterity Will not
be able to cast a blur upon their memo
rleS, when they are gathered to their
fa hers. This is the right way to live;
and especially Is ii the lght way for those
to live, who wish to live in fame Tn
happily, in these degenerate days, ''repu
tatIon is oft got without merit and lost
without deserving.
/ Let !; man die 1T this time, especially
if he is not ..unknown To fame and
4 StraightWay he is deied into a demigod
/ or cOnOnlIed into Il SAINT, at all events, he
I is given Il niche on the highest pinacle Of
/ the temple of glory. 1t is no matter what
his antecedents are, or what his shOrtcom-
! ings. No one stops to enquire No one
. looks 10 the real homo divested of the
! glamour of accidental circumstances or
the tarnIshed reputation that he ought to
wear, provided he had his dues. No one
asks, is not this man passing for more
than he is Worth!' Or, Has he not had
greatness thrust upon him" Or, rs not
this person a creature Of favorable cir
cuDistances which have accidentally
brought about a seeming greatness which
he IN reality does not pOSSeSS.' In our
humble opinion, such a person was he of
whom we now write.
AS a soldier in the ever memorable bat
tie Of Shiloh, we find gross incompetency
such thorough lack OF military skill that
he was only saved from ignominious de
feat and damning disgrace by the death OF
his gallant opponent nt-Gen. Albert Sidney
Johnston. Hon. jefferson Davis in his
great work, The Rise and Fall of the
Confederate Government, writes: ''Wher
Gen. Johnston fell the Confederate army
was 50 fully victorious, that had the at
tack been vigorously pressed, Gen. Gram
and his whole army would before The
setting of the sun, have been fugitives o.
prisoners.
We well know what this meant at tina
time Grant like Lucifer, would have Sc
Like stars that fall TO rise no more
and his name at this time instead Of bein.
as '.famiiar as a household word" in ever,
American home, would have gone dowl
the ages ''unwept, unhonOred and un
sung
Hence, we think we are justified in call
ing him creature of circumstances, o
what better expresses it, the school bo
slang of the day-s'bull luck.
Let US look further into his lnilltar
career. lis true he received the surren
der of the gallant Lee, when the sun 0
the South set forever at Appamattox, an'
on this rests large shore of his fame. Ii
our humble opinion, there was no grea
merit in this, for we can't shake off th
feeling that any officer of either army
with common sense of good habits am