Mexico weekly ledger., 1889-07-11

rying his own grandmother, else some
young American, in order to distin-i
guish himself, might accomplish that
unheard-of feat.
THE FRESHMAN AND HIS PARROT.
Aprop0s of American victories in |
every field of enterprise is the story of |
the Irishman and his trained parrot. |
For the first time in their lives they /
Went aboard a Man-of-War. Every /
time anything very extraordinary was !
shown the Hibernian he would ex-
claim:
next?"
He repeated this so many times that |
the parrot soon learned it by heart. |
Finally, the Irishman let coal of fire |
fail from his pipe into the powder |
magazine. 'There came burst of |
thunder sound" and it is said no
man knows to this day what went
with the Irishman. The parrot was
more fortunate and, though bruised
and astounded, came down on the
deck of another ship, somewhat dis
figured but still in the ring. Shaking
his feathers and steadying himself, he
exclaimed, in the language of his un-
fortunate master:
well, that's pretty good. What's
next ?n
At every fresh exhibition of Ameri-
can pluck, ingenuity, courage and
brass We repeat involuntarfly the
words of the Irishman's parrot:
well, that's pretty good. What's
next ?'
HEREDITARY TITLES.
Of the innumerable blessings for
which we should never cease to thank
our forefathers perhaps the most i'm
portant is that they saved us from the
curse and incubus of hereditary no.
bility. There never was any sense in
the rule that man should be consid-
cred great because his father was. 1t
would be as just and rational to declare
a young lady beautiful because her
mother possessed some faint resem-
blance to Cleopatra.
The utter absurdity OF the theory is
clearly demonstrated in England,
where occasionally the mental sapac-
| ity of the House of Lords degenerated
to such degree that the king raises
few great commoners like the elder
Pitt, Wellesly and Disraeli to the peer
age to prevent the absolute imbecility
of that body.
Goldsmith has happily expressed his
contempt for hereditary titles in these
| lines:
iii tlres that land to Fastening ills prey,
Where wealth accumulates and men decay;
Princes and Lerds may flourish or may fade.
breath can make them as a breath hath made !;
But Il b'd ,naSantrs. their eouuIry's pride,
Whei: p;i.s' destroyed can never be supplied
A king once visited the deathbed of
a famous painter whom he greatly
honored and dearly loved. The mon
arch was deeply affected upon seeing
the condition of the artist. His cour-
tiers and lords urged him not to worry
or agitate himself, saying the man was
nothing but a painter. The king an
grily cried: "By a word could make
a thousand lords, but only God can
make such a painter as hep
Here, thank heaven, we are all pri-
marily and theoretically on an equal
footing and generally stand or fall
upon our own merits and, though, as
Burns said of himself:
"Oar ancient but ignoble b!aod
Has run through scoundreis ever since the
| fnod''
If we have anything in us worth talk
ing about the people will discover it in
Idue time and reward us according to
our merits.
/ 1 once heard one of my teachers,
Prof. Pickett, of Kentucky University,
relate with great relish this reminis-
cence. He was gentleman of the
fine old Virginia school now, l am
sorry to say, nearly extinct. He was
travelling in England and in the party
was duchess to whom he showed
many courtesies. AT parting she said
to him that she did not understand
how he could be SO polite, coming from
a land in which there was no queen.
I"I beg your grace's pardon" replied
the gallant Virginian, making bow
which Chesterfield might have envied,
''in England you have one queen,
while in America all our women are
lqueens." A finer repartee was never
made and it deserves to live forever in
the heart of every American gentle
man.
/ CONCLUSION.
Let, then, the whole land become
one vast brotherhood and with strong
arms and patriot hearts uplift the day;
high over all discord and strife; wreath
it with Bethlehem's song, "On earth,
peace; good will toward.men." Crown
it with these noble words, "Malice
| tOW uoIe tuu ClldIltS lcl all
"rhus shall We honor the day and
ference and loyalty to all the nations
who find with us a home and who
share in the blessings and protection
of our free government and free laws.
Thus shall we honor our fathers, the
men of the Revolution, in the land
they honored their fame remains
for with American liberty it rose and
with American liberty only can il
perish. Their name liveth evermore.'
Glorying in cur matchless career In
the past, throwing over all of evil,
laundering and misfortune that broad
mantle of charity, which is truly said
to cover multitude of sins, hoping al
ways for the prosperity of the country
and the whole country, let the burn
. ing sentiment of our hearts forever be
Thou. too. sail on. q ship oi state.
! Sail OF. % Union, strong and great!
Humanity, with ali lis fears,
| With all the hopes of future years.
Is hanging breathess on Thy fate.
We know what Master laid thy keel,
WHAT workman wrought thy ribs Of steel,
Who made each mast and sail and rope.
What anvil rang what hammers beat,
In what forge and what heat
Were spread the anchors Of thy hope.
Fear not each sudden sound and shock,
Ills OF the wave and not the rock
: 'Tis but the fiappIng of the sail
! And not rent made by the gale.
In spite of rock and tempest's roar.
In spite Of false lights on the shore.
Sail on nor fear to breast the sea,
| Our hearts. our hopes are all with thee,
Our hearts, our hopes, our prayers. our tears
Our faith triumphant o'er our fears,
Are all with thee, are all with thee"
sQUIBS.