The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1890-02-28
Mr.. Grady at the New England dinner

might by one misspoken word have
antagonized forever both sections, Hi
speech was victory that thrilled al
OF US who heard him and all who reat
him. That speech, great for wisdom
great for kindness, great for pacifica
ton, great for bravery, will 60 dowl
to the generations with Webster'
speech at Bunker Hill, William Wirts
speech at the arraignment of Aaroi
Burr, Edmund Burkc's speech OF
Warren Hastings, Robert Emmet''
speech for his own vindication.
LET US BURY sECTIoNALIsM.
Who will in conspicuous action rep
resent the new north as he did the new
southl Who shall come forth for the
new east and who for the new west
Let old political issues be buried, lei
old grudges die. Let new theories bt
launched. With the coming in Of q
new nation at the gates at Castle Gar
den every year, and tho wheat bin and
corn crib of our land enlarged will
every harvest, and a vast multitude Of
our population still plunged in litter
acy to be educated, and moral ques
tons abroad involving the very exist
ence of our republic, let the old politi-
cal platforms that are worm eaten be
dropped and platforms that shall be
made of two planks, the one the Ten
Commandments and the other the Ser
mon OH 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 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 autumnal elections they feel called
upon to inhict upon the country.
They growl louder and louder in pro
portion as they are pushed back fur
ther and further and the Henry w.
Gradys come to the front. But the
mandate, think, has gone forth from
the throne of God that new Ameri-
can nation shall take the place of the
old and the new has been baptized for
God and liberty and justice and peace
and morality and religion.
And now our much lavlented 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 disease9 The impersonation of
stout health was Mr.. Grady. What
compactness of musclel 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 elo-
quence2 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
eloquence or your wealth or your
social position, will you be able to give
satisfactory answers What have we
been writing all these years9 If mirth,
has it been innocent mirth, or that
which tears and stings and lacerates9
From our pen have there come forth
productions healthy or poisonous9 In
the last great day when the warrior
must give account of what he has done
with his sword, and the merchant
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 pen. There are gold pens
and diamond pens and pens Of exqui-
site manufacture, and every few weeks
l 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 its point kindness and encourage
ment and help and gratitude to God
and benediction for man.
THE SORROWS OF THE NATIONS.
May God comfort that torn up
southern home and all the homes Of
this country and of all the world
which have been swept by this plague
of influenza, which has dcepened some
times into pneumonia and sometimes
into typhus and the victims of which
are counted by the ten thousand! Sa-
tan, who is the Prince Of the Power
of the Air." has been poisoning the at
mosphere in all nations. Though it is
the first time in our remembrance, he
has done the same thing before. In
1896 the unwholesome air of Cairo,
Egypt, destroyed the life of ten thou
sand in one day, and in Constantine
pie in TIA three hundred thousand
people died of it. l am glad that by
the better sanitation of our cities and
wider understanding of hygienic laws
and the greater skill of physicians
these Apollyonic assaults upon the
human race are being resisted, but
pestilential atmosphere is still abroad.
Hardly family here but has felt it's
lighter or heavier touch. Some of the
best of my flock fell under it's power
and many homes here represented
have been crushed. The fact is
The biggest failure in the uni
verse is this world if there
be no heaven beyond. But there is,
and the friends who have gone there
are many and very dear. 0 fearful
eyes, look up to the hills crimsoning
with eternal morn! That reunion kiss
will more than make up for the part
4 L