The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1894-04-26
TWO ROMANS,
By a member of Glass d.

The Romans were a people not unlike the
people of to-day, for two of the most illuStriOus
among them, Caesar and Cicero, were possessed
of an intense feeling of vanity; a feeling which,
in the end, brought them both a reward. The
way in which Caesar refers, in his commentaries,
to the advantage he took of his enemies and how
he slaughtered them like SO many sheep, is con-
elusive proof that he wished the world at large
to distinctly understand that Caesar cared no
more for human life than he did for that of an
animal. When think of it, however, perhaps
he was not so much to blame after all, for his
enemies would have "done him up the same
way, if they had an opportunity. "All is fair in
love and war;, and war, in those days, was all
the "go."
Cicero was a man whom, people claimed, it
was hard to "dOwn" as an orator No doubt he
was. He was different man from Caesar though
in many ways; and one of these differences was
that he could take a tumble once in a while,
and be taught lesson. For instance, on the
occasion of his return from Sicily, he expected
to be met with an all-around public congratula-
ton; but he was badly left He was about as
vain and ambitious as men ever get to be, but he
took the rebuff as a lesson, and made up his
mind that in order to win the praise his vanity
craved, he must "Sit right in among Them and
compel them to keep their eyes upon him.
Shortly afterward, his Grafton on the conspiracy
of Cataline. won to him the title of Father of his
Country; yet after he had won such honor, it
did not save him from Punishment. Surely the
Romans were a tickle minded people, for they
hailed him as the father of his country, and al
most in the same breath, they sentenced him to
Punishment. He did not remain in exile long
however. for the same fickeness which banished
,o;c
about the same as a two year sentence to this
place, allowing good time. On his return, he
met with glorious reception. The right hand
of gOOd-fellewship and welcome was held out to
him from everywhere. That was what Cicero
had longed for all his life; why, he would have
willingly remained in exile for twenty years if
the end would bring him such a welcome. He
said himself that that one day like immOr-
tally to him. and if that be true, he could afford
to have remained in exile all his life but that one
day.
In my opinion, these two noble Romans did
not feel but little, if any, of the love they pro-
fessed for their country. Their idea was to keep
the goodwill of the people in order to gain their
end.
Caesar succeeded SO well in this that the people
hailed him as the mghtlest of warriors. A man
to whom war was a pleasure. Well, Roman
assassin gave him his reward.
Cicero was the orator-the only and original
orator. He was the man to stand up in public
and tell what he thought of Marc Antony, and
Antony had his head brought to him just as a
hunter would bring VOLTS scalp to county
clerk for the bounty.
A man who is willing to die on the galows or
run the risk of assassination, provided few
thousand people witness the affair, must be pos
sessed of abnormal vanity. 1t is my opinion
that Cicero and Caesar were both of that class
s.. Thus their tragic end:
The grim reaper chuckeS in glee,
'O ROnanS! Noble Romans!
Lost again through vanity"