The evening times., 1899-07-22
should be teacaer-he should carry that torch

should be a teacher-he should carry that torch
OF truth.
Most people are the slaves OF habit-followers
OF eustom-believers in the wisdom OF the past
and were 1t not for brave and splendid souls, THE
dust of antique time would lie unsxept, and the
mountainous error be too highly heaped for truth
to overpeer." Custom is a prison, locked and
barred by those who long ago were dust, the
keys of which in the keeping 'of the dead
Nothing il grander than when strong, in
trepid man breaks chains, levels walls, and
breasts the many headed mob, ike some great
cliff that meets and mocks the jnnumerable
billows OF the sea.
jority-nsists that their prejudice is patriotism,
that their ignorance is wisdom; not that he
loves them, but because he loves himself The
statesman, the real reformer, points out the
mistakes OF the multitude. attacks the preiudiCes
Of his countrymen, laughs at their follies, de-
nonces their cruelties, enlightens and enlarges
their minds. and educatcs the conseidtls-net be-
c.ase he loves himself, but because he loves
and serves the right, and wishes TO make his
country great and free.
With him defeat is but spur to further effort
He who refuses to stoop, who cannot be bribed
by the promise of success or the fear OF failure
who walks the highway of the right. and in dis
aster stands erect, is the only victor. Nothing
is more despicable than to reach fame by crawl
ing-position by cTinging.
When real history shall be written by the truth
ful and the wise, these fnen- tbese Ent-lers a
the shrine of chance and fraud. these brazCn
idols worshiped gods, will be the v6Ey
food of scorn, while those who bore the burden
OF defeat, who earned and kept their seifTeSpCct,
who would rot bow to man or men for
place or power, will wear upon their broys the
laurel mingled with the oak.
Roscoe Conklng man OF superb coursge.
He not only acted without fear, bat he had
the fortitude of soul that bears the consequences
Of the course pursued without complaint He was
oh god helm n
he was proud. His knees in1exible as
the .'unwedgeable and gnarled oak. but he was
not vain Vanity rests on the opinion OF Others
pride on our own. The source OF vanity is from
without-of pride from within. Vanity is vane
that turns. willow that bends with every
breeze-pride is the oak that defies the storm
One is cloud-the other rock. One is weakness
the other strength
he battled for a nations lfe.-for the rights
Of slayes-the dignity OF labor. and the liberty
Of all. He guarded with a fathers the
rights of the hunted. the hated. and the de-
spised He attacked the savage statutes of the
reconstructed States with torrent OF inyectlve,
srorn. and e8ecration. He was not satisfied until
the freedman American eitizrn-elOthed
with every civil right-until the Constitution
was his shield-uniil the ballot was his sword.
And long after we are dead the coiored man
in this and other lands will speak his name in
reverence and love Others wayered, hut he
stood firm; some were false. but he proudly
true-fCarlessly faithful unto death.
He gladly, proudly grasped the hands OF col
ored men who stood with him the makers of
our laws, and treated them equals and as
friends. The cry OF social equality, coined
and uttered by the cruel and the tase, was 10
him the expression of great and splendid
truth He knew that can be the eqnal
OF one he robs-that the intelligent and uni II
not the superiors Of the ignorant and hon
est-and he also felt, and proudly fe.t. that il
he not too great to reach tha hand OF
help and recognition to the slave. no other Sen
ator could rightly refuse We rise by raising
others and he who stoops above the fallen stands
erect.
of noble thoughts and virtuous decds-to hbeTate
the bodies and the souls of men-to earn the
grateful homage OF a Tace-and thn, IN INC
last shadowy hour, to know that the historian
Of liberty will be compelled 10 write your name.
There are no words intense enoush-with heart
enougt-to express my admiration for The great
and gallant souls who have in every age and every
land upheld the right, and who have lived and
died for freedoms sake.
Roscoe Conkling was an absolutely honest man
Honesty is the oak around which all other virtues
cling Without that they fall. and groyeiins.
die in weeds and dust. He believed that Ia
tion should discharge its obligations lie kneI
that promise could not be mad, often enough
or emphatic enough to take the place Of pay
ment He felt that the promise of the Coy
crnment was the promise OF every citizen-ihat
national obligation was a personal debt, and that
no possible combination of words and pictures
could take the place OF COIN He uttered the
splendid truth that ''the higher obligations among
men are not set down in writing signed r-d
sealed, but reside in homer" He held that re-
nudistion was the sacrifice Of honor-the death
Of the nst;onal soul. He knew that without
character without integrity. there is wealth.
and that below poverty. below bankruptcy, Is
the rayless abyss Of reputation He upheld the
sacredness of contracts Of plghted national faith,
and helped to save and keep the honor OF his na
t.-e land. This adds another laurel to his
brow.
Above his marvellous intellectual sifts-abave all
place he ever Feached-aboye the eTmine he re-
tain pcak-and there it stands. firm as the Garth
beneath-pure the stars above
lie was q great lawyer. He understood the
framework the anatomy, the foundations of law;
was familiar with the great streams and currents
and tides OF authority.
He knew the history of legisiafion-the prin-
ciples that have been settled upon the fields Of
war He knew the mayims-thcsa cTystallizations
of common sense-those hand grenades of argii-
ment He was not case lawyer-a decision in
dey or an echo; he was original. thoughtful, and
profound. He had breadth and scope. resources.
learning logic. and above all sense OF Jus
tice He was painstakinS, eonsc;entious-anxior
to know the faets-preparing for every attack,
ready for every defence. He rested only when the
end was reached. During the contest he neither
sent nor received flag of truce lie Was true
to his clients-making their case his. Feeling
responsibility he listened patiently to details and
to his Industry there only the limits of
time and strength. He student OF the Con
stitution, He knew the boundaries OF state and
Federal Jurisdiction, and no man was more familiar
with those great decisions that are the peaks
and promentories, the headiands and beacons Of
the law.
He was an orator, earnest, logical, intense.
and picturesque. He laid the foundation with
care, with accuracy. and skill. ard rode cold
gradation and wellba!anced FORM from the cor
nerstone of statement to the domed conclu
sion. He filed the stage. He satisfied the eye
the audience was his He had the indehnable
something called presence. Tall. commanding.
erect, able in speech, graceful in compliment,
Titanic in denunciation. rich in Illustration,
prodigal OF comparison and metaphor, and his
sentences measured and rhythmetieal, fell ike
music on the enraptured throng.
He abhorred the Pharisee and loathed his
conscientious fraud. He had profound
aversion for those who insist on putting base
motives back OF the good deeds Of Others He
wore 10 mask He knew his friends-his enc
mics knew him. He had no patience with pre-
tence, with patriotic reasons for unmanly acts
He did his work bravely, and spoke his thought.
Sensitive to the last degree, he keenly felt the
blows and stabs Of the envious and obscure-of
the smallest and the weakest-but the greatest
could not drive him from convictions field. lie
would not stoop to ask give explanation He
left his words and deeds to justify themselves
He held in light esteem friend wao heard with
half belieyipc cars the slander of foe He
walked in highway Of his own, and kept the
COMPANY Of his self-respect- He would not turn
aside to avoid foe-io greet or gain friend
In his nature there was no compromise To
him there were but two paths-the right and the
wrong. He was maligned, misrepresented, and
misunderstood, but he would not answer. He
knew that character speaks louder far than any
words He was as silent then as he is now
and his silence, better than any form Of speech,
refuted every charge.
He was an American, proud OF his country.
that was and ever will he proud OF him. He
did not find perfection only in other lands He