The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1889-05-25

which, lust before his Inauguration,
replyiDg to one who had the strongest
claims upon his friendship, and who
had applied to him during the progress
of the "presidential campaign" as we
should say, for the promise OF an ap-
| pointment to Office, he wrote: I'm
touching upon the more delicate part
of your letter, the communication OF
which fills me with real concern, | Will
deal with you with all that frankness
that is due to friendship, and which l
wish should be characteristic feature
of my conduct through life.*
Should it be my fate to administer the
government | will go to the chair un-
der no pre- engagement of any kind or
nature whatever. And when in 1t,
will to the best of my judgment, dis
charge the duties of the office with that
impartiality aud zeal for the public
good which ought never to suffer con-
nectiOns of blood or friendship to have
the least sway on decisions of public
nature"
WE MUST ASCEND. -
On this high level moved the fisrt
president of the republic. TO it must
we, who are the heirs of her sacred in-
| teresis, be not unwilling te5 ascend, II
we are to guard oaf. giorions heritagei
And this all sttie ;;lefe bess.ssr ssiile ss,ile
perils which epnfront us are so much
graver and more portantous Feaan
those which then irnpended. There is
lit we are not afraid OF the wholesome
medicine that there is in consenting
| to see it, an element OF infinite sad
ness in the effort which we are making
| tn .hou RanouaEinn fhn lo .,f
fathers as we have. been doing for the
last few months, a busy and well-mean-
ing assIduity would fain reproduce the
scene, the scenery, the situation of a
hundred years agol Vain aud impo-
tent endeavori 1t is as though out OF
the lineaments of living men we
would fain produce another Washing
ton. We may dIsiDter the vanished
draperies, we may revive. the stately
minuet, we may rehabilitate the old
scenes, but the march of century
cannot be halted or reversed, and the
enormous change in the situation can
neither be disguised or ignored. Then
we we're, though not all of us sprung
from one nationality, practically one
people. Now that steadily deteriorat-
ing process against whose dangers
warned his country men just fifty years
ago, goes on, on every hand, apace.
.'The constant Importation" wrote the
author of "The Veal of Nations, "as
now in this country, of the lowest or
ders oi people from abroad to dilute
the quality of our natural manhood, is
sad and beggarly prostitution of the
| nOblest gift ever conferred ON people.
Who shall respect a people who DO not
respect their own Blood kif(< how
| shall national spirit. or any da;1r<
| inmate aud proportiouat6 qR&F4cfer5
arise out of 40 many low-bfed 6sso-
| Citations and coarse-grained temper
| aments, imported from every cline? 1t
was, indeed, in keeping that Pan, who
was the son of every body, was the
| ugliest OF the gods.
And againl Another enormous diff
| ference between this day and that of
which it Is the anniversary, is seen in
the enormous difference in the nature
and influence OF the forces that deter
mine our national and political destiny.
Then, ideas ruled the hour. To-day,
there are indeed ideas that rule our
hour, but they must be merchantable
ideas. The growth of wealth, the
piONdiCuOC VI luA tuC tudo5iHS1fOt VI
large material forces, which by their
very existence are a standing menace to
the freedom and integrity of the lndi-
vidual, the infinite swagger of our
American speech and manners, mistak-
ing bigness for greatness, aud sadly
confounding gain and godliness- all
this is a contrast to the austere sim
plicity, the unpurchasable integrity of
q n fret 1ou nj Iirsf nf 80
public, which makes it impossible to
reproduce To-day either the tempersor
the conduct of our fathers. AS We
turn the pages backward sud seolile
upon the story oflthAt 30th0 14Pr1 IL /
certain stateIiness III the air, q cerfain
ceremoniousness In the manners, which
| we have banished long ago. We have
exchanged the Washingtonian dignity
! for the Jeflersonian simplicity which
| the JacksOnian vulgarity. And what
have we gotten In exchange for it? In
the elder states and dynasties they had
aud splendor OF the kings person to
ill mems hearts with loyalty. Well,
we have dispensed with the old titular
ll6J US IdhO CdIO tudl We uO
not part with that tremendous force
for which they stood.
NEEDS OF THE HOUSE.
II there be not titular royalty, all the
more need is there for personal royal
ty. If there IL to be no nobility of de-
scent, all the more Indispensable is il
ttiat there should be nobility OF ascent
character in them that bear rule, SO
fine and high and pure, that as men
come within the circle of its influence,
they involuntarily pay homage to that
which is the one pre.eminent distinc-
ton, the Royalty of Virtue.
And that 1t was, men and brethren,
which, as we turn to-day and look at
him who, as on this morning just an
hundred years ago, became the servant
of the republic in becoming the chief
ruler of Its people, we must needs own,
conferred upon him his divine right to
rule. All the more, therefore, be-
cause the circumstances OF his era
were so little like our own, we need 10
recall his Image and if we may, not
only to commemorate, but TO re- pro-
duce his virtues. The traits which in
him shone pre- eminent, as our own
Irving has described them, "Firmness,
sagacity IAN immovable Justice, courage
that never faltered, and most OF all,
truth that disdaiued all artifices"-
these are characteristics in her leaders
OF which the nation was never in more
dire need than now.
And so we come and kneei at this
ancient and hallowed shrine where
once he knelt, and ask that God wonld
graciously vouohsaie them. Hero In
this holy house we find the wif0&9a Of
that one Invisible force which, 665a}}se
it alone can rule the conscie3ccs Is
destined, one day, to rule the WORLD
Out from airs dense aud foul with 1hess
coarse passions and coarser rivalrf{s of
self seeking men, we turn aside as5fDm
the crowd and glare OF some vulgar
highway, swarming with pushing stia
ill.bred throngs, and tawdry and clam
orOus with bedizened booths and noisy
speech, in some cool and shaded wood
where straight to heaven some majestic
oak lifts its tall form, its roots embed-
ded deep among the unchanging rocks,
its upper branches sweeping the upper
airs, and holding high commune with
the stars; and, as we think of him for
whom we here thank God, We say
'Such an one, in native majesty he
was ruler, wise and strong aud lear
less, in the sight of God and men, be-