The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1899-11-03
Present-Day Thoughts.


BY MEMO.
A Model for Voters:-In the City
Hall Park Of New York stands the
statue Of beardless youth whose ell
bows are tied behind his back. The
ears Of hurrying commerce and pleas
ure roll by him and crowds almost as
unheeding as the ears themselves,
glance at the figure and pass on. This
youth died one hundred and twenty
three years ago without knowing any
thing of the outcome of the Revolu-
ton and without ever dreaming that
his statue one day should stand as a
quiet protest and quiet appeal. Men
Of greater moment than this earnest,
hearty, patriotic school teacher served
all through that war aud with distinc-
ton, yet their names are inscribed
even less deeply upon the hearts of
some of us than is Nathan Hale's.
He was a spy and he met spy's
death, just as Major Andre did later on
upon the American side. Many
others were spies and not all were
caught, yet Of them we hear nothing.
Nathan Hale's memory lives because
when he was about to die he said, 81
only regret that have but one life to
lose for my country" That is the
metal with the true ring: that is the
heroism that tells, because it does not
count consequences: that is the life
that lives though life be vanquished:
that is the sefforgetfulness which
prompts his country-men to an unfad-
ing memory.
Next year the school house in East
Haddam, Conn, where Hale taught
will become a museum and relics of
this brave young man will be gathered
there, together with other historic
things that should be preserved for
ever. Our country is doing well by its
constant eEdeavOr through the various
historical societies, to preserve statues,
and houses, and treasures that tend to
make the past more real to the present
day child
What is Lale's quiet message to US
across the years of change that sep
arate his time from ours? Is it not
that our country ought to be to each of
us a very real thlug-a personality, /
might almost say? We are too often
possessed OF a feeling of Impotence
and disgust with some particularly
obnoxious neighbor and some of us rise
up even in our wrath and declare that
so long as this or that bad man votes
we will not vote, and so long as this
or that bad man has power we will
Intentionally be weak and show no
power. What surer way is there for
unfruitful political life than throwing
aside the heritage of vote just be-
cause a bad man may possess that
same heritage? Rather than holding
back, let our vote Aullify the vote OF
the bad man instead Of increasing his
power by our not voting at all.
1t is when we Iealize the actual per-
sonality Of our country though made
up Of all sorts of diverse elements that
we can begin to understand something
of the spirit that actuated. Hale. He
was in love with beautiful girl; he
was full of life and hope; he had been
we'll trained at Yale College; and Con-
gress had especially honored him by
making him a captain after short
service before Boston: yet all these
things he counted as naught when set
against the interests of his country, q
word that is too often hazy and misty
in our minds as to its true meaning.
maze hutW IL WAS SouutihluB Noieh
living for, worth dying for and he was
either right or he was a fool. Surely
not the latter; for we are running
hither and tIither to honor him. But
if right, what conditions have altered,
pray. to make us less interested in the
future of the country. | can imagine
visions of Americas greatness floating
before the listened eyes of this boy of
'76; and the thought OF even making
the smallest contribution to its great
needs was sweet to him and he did not
shirk. He was a prophet and so are
we. all Of us who understand and live
out the belief that our cOuntry's history
and power, glory and might, do not
begin and end with our little tiny
selves. but that we are items in the
greater circumstance of the moving
forward Of the nation. Most of us are
not called upon to render our services
TO the country under his trying cOndi-
tions. All that we have to do is easy
compared with that done by this brave
young lad. What we have to do, as it
were, is to hold up our hands and be
counted for the right and against the
wrong: yet even this some of our cow