The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-02-03
1.-THE THRILL OF AWE"

1t is not expected of the highly demo-
cratic champion. him of extravagant indie
! pendence, to acknowledge what is the
truth that he as citizen. in calling upon
the president in the White House would
| feel, even If he concealed il, some diffidence
| and some OF that fright displayed by the
| greatest orators before an audience. 1t is
true that the approach to Benjamin Har-
rison, citizen of Indianapolis, eight
years ago, is not identical, nor in any way
was beset with the shyness that attends
the approach of Benjamin Harrison presi-
dent of these United States, in the White
House at Washington.
III such case were possible, this might
happen. Take an average American clti-
zen, with bis hat pulled down over his
eyes, his feet holsted upon a desk and a
cigar thrust savagely into one cheek.
Enter small heavy set man neatly Clad
with shining face and boots we'll
Japanned. Average American citizen
looks up. his ungracefal posture I'M
changed has seen hundreds like the visitor
and without removing cigar grunts
good day. Then let the stranger suddenly
proclaim himself H. r. H Prince of
Wales. The average American citizen is
on his feet in an instant, his hat off, his
cigar out of his mouth and his whole form
figure for a model under the title cat
your service
Now, with all our disfavor of monarch
cal superiority and disgust for sycophantic
fawning, it must be recognized that in
such case rs the above supposition, the
intelligent man who would not be effect ed
palpably by the entrance OF so distinguish
ed parsonage, would be an exception,
right here in dear old democratic America
Now what is this feeling that renders
most OF us tremulous in the presence of
persons OF station, and throws u mysteri-
GUS atmosphere about men of note, some
times making our next door neighbor, by
political promotion, lion in the eyes of
the world, while we know him to be the
most docile OF creatures? The poet Goethe
noticed it and called it 1.-THE thrill of ave."
and said further that this thrill of awe,
that is to say, reverence. is the best thing
humanity has" And Matthew Arnold,
the English essayist, commenting upon
this, adds this paragraph: 81 should say
that if one were searching for the best
means to efface and kill in a whole nation
better than take the American newspa-
pers."
The essayist's insight is penetrating to a
certain extent, but not penetrating to the
full extent. 1t is true that public man
IN this country is subjected to the most
trying exposures, His public life is thor
oughly ventilated, his private life has no
function that is sacred from the eyes of the
his very purposes and
plans are foreshadowed in all possible
lights. good and bad, by the newspapers,
and his position never insures him from
the most scathing criticisms from the |
lowliest. But last week the |
spread far and wide |
the words of an Insignificant congressman !
who compared the president of the United |
States to pettifogging lawyer Every |
where are the harassing publications on |
our public officials of high degree to be !
seen, charged right and left with regular |
of accusations. For the moment !
the dicipline of respect" would appear to |
be entirely lost.
But that is not the case True, the cul- |
Dable man, the unworthy, the man with |
out the ability, the officeriunequal to his |
station will fall ingloriously under this |
sharp fire Of journalistic battle, where they |
might have stood unnjured in a country
ike Russia where the press is suppressed
But the true man, the strong man, the
able man, and the worthy, as truth is
mighty and will prevail, so will they in
stead of losing by repeated attacks, how
'ver vicious, gain and grow stronger. The
people instead of losing the dicipline of re-
pect, become skilled in the knowledge of
Us proper disposition, and 40 worthy man
,oes unawarded. Abraham Lincoln, who
vas fought and censured by the press and
he people of this country at various times
md hindered by the opposition, over and
yer again, of his own cabinet stands TO-
lay, in a halo of reverence unequaIled by
hat rendered the memory of any heroes
# the old monarchies whose governments
re so propitious for the nourishment of
he thrill of awe
The thrill of awe" is part of human
nature and will probably remain in even Il
evere democracy, but it may come to that
Ugh cultivation some day that only the
worthy man can inspire it. Thackeray
aid he would liked to have been Shake
peare's shoe black and it is not at all i'm
robable that some OF US would liked to
ave been Thackerays.
YOUNG REPUBLIC ANISM.