New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-07-27
"SUPPOSINGv IS1 ZINE ART

in one OF the most charming OF recent stories
for children, the heroine lovely girl, but friend
less forlorn and badly treated, cheers her lonely
and miserable existence by supposing" that she
t. Princess, and that her surroundings and treat
ment arc all that heart could wish. Her imagina-
ton is remarkably vivid, and she cOntrives, after
all, to get reasonable share Of good out of life
in spite of her hard conditions When she is
hungry, but Is not allowed to have any dinner
because she returned late from an GRAND on which
she had been sent she supposes' that she has
abundant and toothsome food, and so really salts
fes the demands of her appetite. When she goes
to her cherries ROOM she supp0ses" that it is a
chamber Of beauty filed with all things to please
both mind and eye. When her ears are boxed she
wonders what her cruel mistress would say could
she know that she had struck Princess, and
confounds the hard-hcarted woman by turning such
look Of amazement upon her as TO draw forth
involuntary exclamation Of surprise.
The principle is obviously capable of wide ap-
plcation. Who can doubt, for instance, that
Grover Cleveland supposes" that he is really the
great man that some peope-a few-think him to
be? He supposes' and some of his friends like
wise-,hat he has kept the solemn pledges which
he made previous to his election, and after it, re-
garding his treatment of the Offices lie sup
poses" that he is still acting the idea, once
loudly cnunciated, that public Office is q public
trust. He "supposes' that he is consistent in
condcmning Presidents taking second term il
he can get it, and then eagerly accepting and even
striving for a denomination. It's a harmless sort
of amusement perhaps, but why should anybody
pretend to take 1t seriously?
And then there is that ancient fossil, sometimes
known as the Old Roman. He doubtless sup
poses that he is endowed with perpetual youth,
although even his most intimate friends are well
aware that he isn't by any means
as young as he used TO be. He
once, and not so very many years ago either,
condemned the second-term notion as full Of all
manner of evil; yet now he evidently supposes"
that without giving any violent shock to his
feelings and without any marked departure from
the path of consistency he can take the second
place on ticket the head Of which Is after that
second term which once thought SO portentous
of ill for the Republic. The red bandanna, too
that apparently is supposed to be the oriflamme
of victory, whereas in reality it is totally
different matter
Take the Democratic party, which was rightly
characterized four years ago by one of its present
active members as a conspiracy for plumber and
spoils. Everybody knows that the picture was
true to life as it could possibly be. Yet it
plcaseS certain persons, Oh no particular couoe-
qucnce outside Of narrow circle Of immediate
acquaintance, to suppose" that this same party
is a party Of moral ideas and with solid basis Of
principle to rest 1t might just as easily be
supposed that the leopard could change his spots,
or the Ethiopian his skin, between the coming
up of the sun and the going down Of the same
It only teaches the old lesson that it is easy for
men to believe that which they wish to believe
Tn the ease Of the child the operation Of " sup
posing" was not only innocuous, but positively
helpful In the case of the political party, and the
man stronger than his party, and the strabismus-
affected individuals who perceive all manner OF
good where but yesterday they could easily see
evil, and evil only, and that continually, the
process may lead to deporable results. But these
cannot be of long continuance. Sooner or later,
the scales must fall from the blinded eyes and
all things be made clear But the i'll that has
been done meanwhile it may require long years to