The Russellville Democrat., 1890-03-06
nav be divinely holped and rescued and

Again, I remark that Henry W. Grady stood for Christian patriotism irrsspect- i've of political spoils He declined all official reward. He could have been Governor of Georgia, but refused it. He could have been Senator of the United States, but declined 1t. He remained plain Mir. Grady. Nearly all the other orators of tho political arena. as soon as the elections arc over, go to Washing ton. or Albany, or Harrisburg, or At lanta, to getin city, or State or National office reward for their services, and not getting what they want, spend the rest in ponting about the management of public affairs or cursing Harrison or Cleveland. When the great po- litical campaigns were over Mir. Grady
 went home to his newspaper. He dem- onstratei that 1t is possible to toil for principles which he thought to bo right, simply because they were right Chris tian patriotism is too rare commodity in this country. Surely the joy of liv
 ing under such free institutions as those established here ought to be enough re-
 ward for political fidelity Among all the great writers that stood at the last
 presidential election on Democratic and
 Republican platforms you can not recall in your mind ten who were not them
 selves looking for remunerative ap- pointments. Aye, you can count them all on the fingers of one hand. The
 most illustrious specimen of that style of man for the last ten years was Henry
 W. Grady.
 South, and was just what we want to
 meet three other men, one to speak for
 the new North, another for the new
 East and another for the new West.
 The bravest speech made for the last quarter of century was that made by
 MT. Grady at the New England dinner
 in New York about two or three months ago. l sat with him that evening and know something of his anxieties, for he
 was to tread on dangerous ground. and
 might, by one misspoken word, have antagonized forever both sections. His speech was a victory that thrilled all of
 us who heard him and all who read him.
 That speech, great for wisdom, great for bravery, will go down to the genera
 tions with Webster's speech at Banker
 Hill, William Wirts speech at the ar- raignment of Aaron Burr, Edmund
 Burke's speech on Warren Hastings, Robert Emmet's beech for his own vin- dication.
 Who will in conspicuous action repre- sent the new North as he did the new South? Who shall come forth for the new East and who for the new West? Let old political issues be buried, let old grudges die. Let new theories be launched With the coming in of new nation at the gates of Castle Garden every year, and the wheat bin and corn crib of our land enlarged with every harvest and vast multitude of our population still plunged in illiteracy to be educated, and moral questions abroad involving the very existence of our re- public. let the old political platforms that are worm eaten be dropped and platforms that shallA be made of two blanks, the one the Ten Command ments and the other the Sermon on the Mount lifted for all of us to stand on. But there is lot of old politicians grumbling all around the sky who don't want a new South, a new North, new East or new West. They have some old war speeches that they prepared in 1861, that in all our autnmnal elections they feel called upon to infict upon tho country. They growl louder and longer in proportion as they are pushed back further and further and the Henry w. Gradys come to the front. But tic mandate, think, has gone forth from the throne of God that new American nation shall take the place of the old and the new has been baptized for God and liberty and justice and peace and morality andureligion.
 And now our much-lamented friend has gone to give account Suddenly the facile and potent pen is laid down and the eloquent tongue is silent. What? Is there no safeguard against fatal dis ease? The impersonation of stout health was Mir. Grady. What compactness of muscle! What ruddy complexion What flashing eyel Standing with him in group of twenty or thirty persons at Piedmont, he looked the healthiest, as his spirits were the blithest Shall we never feel again the hearty grasp of his hand. or be magnetized with his eloquence? Men of the great roll, men of the pen, men of wit, men of power, if our friend had to go when the call came, so must you when your call comes. When God asks you what have you done with your pen or your cloquence or your wealth or your social position. will you be able to give satisfactory answer2 What have we been writing all these years? If mirth, has it been innocent mirth, or that which tears and stings and lacerates. From our pens have there come forth productions healthy or poisonous? In the last great day when the warrior must give account of what he has done with his sword, and the mer- chant what he has done with his yard stick, and the mason what he has done with his trowel, and the artist what he has done with his pencil, we shall have to give account of what we have done with our pens. There are gold pens and pens and pens of exquisite and every few weeks 1 see some new kind of pen, each said to be better than the other; but in the great day of our arraignment before the Judge of quick and dead that will be the most beautiful pen, whether gold or steel or quill, which never wrote profane or unclean or cruel word, or which from the day it was carved, or split at the nib, dropped from it's point kindness and encouragement and help and gratitude to God and benediction for man.
 But there is, and the friends who have gone there are many and very dear. O fearful eyes, look up to the hills crim- soning with eternal morn That re- union kiss will moro than make up for the parting kiss, and the welcome will obliterate the goodbye. The Lamb which Is in the midst of the throne shall lead them to living fountains of water and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes" Tin then, o Odeparted loved ones, promise us that you win re- member us, as we promise to remember you And some of you gone up from