Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-01-22
PICTURESQUE p1xLEY.

MT Fixley rs often groteSque, frequently
absurd, more often and more frequently
brilliant, bet he never fails to be pic
turesque. In whatever posture he pre-
sents himself, he exhibits that high order
of talent for which he is so justly distin-
guished. If he is absurd, he is graphi-
cally and rhetorically absurd if grotesque,
he achieves a pre-eminence which interests
and entertains; if he is brilliant, he is
never less than luminous. 1t is the fate
ofgentlemen of large diameters that what
they do acquires magnitude. A talented
ass is always more asinine than his COM
petitcr of less distinguished ability. Mr..
Pixley has chosen to oppose the PROPOSE
ton to make an exhibition in London
Illustrative of California. He chose this
position for the reasons which control his
choice of position on all subjects; he simply
chose it. But having made his choice, and
having the most unlimited confidence in
his ability to defend any position, whether
consistent or inconsistent, and finding no
argument worthy of consideration against
the proposition, and in favor of the posi-
ton he has chosen to take, he takes refuge
in device proverbial with the advocates
of weak cause; he attributes unworthy
motives to those supposed to be friendly to
the enterprise.
On the E4th inst. an editorial appeared
in this paper entitled, "The London Exhi-
bition and Common Intelligence" which
was written on Thursday, four days pre-
ceeding its issue. twas in type before the
Argondw appeared. In the Argonam of
the 18th inst appears a feeble objection to
the London Exhibition, and Mr.. Pixley
concludes that the editorial in question
was intended as an answer thereto. In
this he is mistaken; but his mistake is of
as little consequence as his position on the
subject-matter. In his first editorial he
objects to London Exhibition, because,
as he says, Mr.. David Lubin of Sacramento.
who Is Jew, is not to be trusted with the
leadership of any movement. He denies
to Mr.. Lubin the position of a leading
merchant, but it is well known that Mr..
Pixley would deny this position to anyone,
however eminent, of Mr.. Lubin's race. To
Mr.. Pixley's conception, no good could
me-out of this Nazareth. His objection
to Mr.. Lubin runs on all tours with the
objection of the Pharisees to the Savior Of
men. Finding his life blameless, his
doctrines divine, they chose to answer all
with the objection, 'No good can come ont
of Nazareth Against the truth of the
advocacy they weakly objected to the race
of the advocate. Ia his second objection.
Mr.. Pixley says that Mr. Lubin's object in
advocating an exhibition in London is to
sell cultivator which he invented; that
MIR. lrish's sinister purpose is to advertise
the Alta. Now, while these things are ex-
ceedingly stupid, they are amusingly So;
their stupidity is relieved by their pict-
uresque humor.
In the editorial of which he complains
we declared that propositions like that of
the London exhibition were instinctiyely
accepted by high intelligence and as in
stinctively rejected by its opposite. Mr..
Pixley has chosen voluntarily to apply
these Characterization to himself. Not
withstanding the editorial was written be-
fore the position of the Argonam was dis
closed, MIR. Pixley accepts every word and
line as aimed directly at himself He
does this because unconsciously he sees
and feels the applicability of the structures.
80 far as has come under our observation.
the Argo''aut is the only paper which is
opposed to the London exhibition, and the
only objection the Argonau has made is
to charge its promoters with selfish aims
and sinister ends. Had Mr.. Pixley wit
messed the Crucifixion, and experienced
the quaking Of the earth and the opening
of the graves which accompanied that
memorable event, there is little doubt that
his only comment would have been, ''What
Is the little game of the theologlans ~
Had he been present at the signing OF
Magma Charta he would have whispered
In the ear of King John that the Barons
of the realm no doubt intended to make
personal use of the liberty they were
achieving by that immortal document.
Had he witnessed the casting of the tea
into the sea in Boston harbor he would
have denounced the patriots as tax-shirk-
ing rebels. This distrust of the motives
OF men is in Mr.. Pixley's case tempera.
mental.
Metternich says of Napoleon that
throughout his life it was impossible for
him to believe that any man was ever in
huenced by religious convictions, by a
conscientious sense ofjustice out of regard
for the welfare of humanity, or through
any other motive than that of accomplish
ing some selfish purpose, or attaining some
selfish end. To such mind, all philan-
thropy rs. a sham, all benevolence a pre-.
tense, all generosity o snare, all friendship
hypocrisy, all manifestation of public spirit
the cunning device of private greed, all
religion a cloak for evil deeds. And thus
to such mind there is banished from the
universe all philanthropy, all benero.
lence, all generosity, all friendship, all
genuine public spirit, and all religion, and
this denial eliminates every godlike attri-
butte from humanity, and thus denies all
relationship between the human and the
divine. What a dreary pilgrimage life
must be 10 one who denies to his fellow-nen
all worthy motive; how barren of inspira-
ton every heroic page OF human history.
We see now, more clearly than ever, the
source Of Mr.. Pixley's opposition to the
Irish. To his conception, there is some
thing sinister in the fact Of their being
Irish; of course. they could have no rea-
sonable or worthy motive for being Irish.
The whole race have chosen to be Irish
through malignant motives, and perceiy.
ing that they generally belong to that re-