The Progress. (Shreveport, La.) 1892-1900, 1897-03-27

own fanny, anu ~ hastily put away IN q
strangers tolnb, and only the fifth part OF
q newspap per line tells us of his sacrifice, his
name just mentioned among five. Yet he
has touched the farthest height of sublim-
ity in that three weeks Of humanitarian
service. he goes straight as an arrow to
the bosom Of him who said, II was sick,
and We visited me- Life tor life. Blood
for blood. Substitution!
In the leral profession see the same
principle of self sacrifice. In 1S46 William
Freeman, pauperized and idiotic negro,
was at Auburn, n. Y, on trial for murder.
He had slain the entire Van Nest family.
The foaminR wrath of the community
could be kept off him only by armed con-
stables. Who would volunteer TO be his
counselS No attorney wanted to sacrifice
his popularity by such an ungrateful task.
All were silent, save one, young lawyer
with feeble voice, that could hardly be
heard outside the bar, pale and thin and
awkward. It was William II. Seward,
who saw that the prisoner was idiotic and
irresponsible and ought to be put In an
asylum rather than put to death, the heDoic
counsel uttering these beautiful words:
II speak now in the hearing Of people
who have prejudged tho prisoner and con-
dcmned me for pleading In his behalf. He Is
. convict, a pauper, negro, without intel
|
af1eotionate smile, disar1ns my careworn
face Of It's frown whenever Cross my
threshold. Tho beggar In the street obliges
me to give because he says, God bless
you! rs pass. Ny dog caresses me with
fondness II will but smile on him. Ny
horse recognizes me when I'LL his mangef.
What reward, what gratitude, what gym
patty and affection can I expect heref
There the prisoner sits. :, Look ut him.
Look at the assemblage around you. Las
ten to their Ill suppressed censures and
their excited fears and tell me where among
my neighbors or my fellow men, where,
even in his heart, I can expect to find
sentiment, a thought, not to say OF reward
or Of acknowledgement, or even of reoog-
nitionP Gentlemen, you may think of this
evidence what you please, bring In what
| verdict you can, but I asseverate before
heaven and you that, to the best Of my
knowledge and belief, the prisoner at the
bar does not at this moment know why 1t
Is that my shadow falls on you instead OF
his own
The gallows got its victim, but the post
mortem examination of the poor creature
showed to all the surgeons and to all the
| world that the public was wrong, that Will
liam III. Seward was right, and TINT hard,
stony step of obloquy In tho Auburn court
room was the first step OF the stairs Of fame
| up which he went to the top, or to within
4 Ouc 6t1p VI the top, tAlhV Asht uoAAcO AiAAh
through the treachery OF American politics
Nothing sublimer was ever seen In an
| American courtroom than william III.
Seward, without reward, standing between
the fury of the populace and the loathsome
imbecile- Substitution!
| What Ruskin Did.
| In tho realm OF the f1no arts there was 0s
remarkable an instance. A brilliant but
hypercriticssed painter, Joseph William
] Turner, was met by n vol1ey OF abuse from
| all the art galleries Of Europe. Hts paint
ings, which have since won the applause OF
all Civilized nations-''The Fifth Plague Of
Egypt, y" Fishermen on a Leo Shore In
Squally Weather" calais Pier. The
Sun Rising Through Mist" and dido
Building Carthage then targets for
critics to shoot Mt In defense OF this out
rngeously abused man, young author of
81 years, just one year ont OF college, came
forth with his pen and wrote the ablest and
most famous essays on art that the world
ever saw, or ever will see-John Ruskin S
"Modern Painters" For II years this au-
AL