The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-05-08
FORTY YEARS AFTERWARDS
 CULPEPPER IS SOME WHAT SOURED

studied the matter over and over and have concluded that no really great man has ever succeeded to high places by fraud and dishonor-that is 1t oc- cured to me that real greatness spurns such means to eminence. I have so often been mistaken that may be wrong in this conclusion. It may be that instances of prominence through merit have been so rare (of late years. in this great State) that l couldn make a fair comparison I suppose where a man has paid a fair price for place of profit and honor he doesn care red cent whether you place him among the immortals or not. It Is re ally nauseating, though, to credit him with greatness when his success IS chargeable alone to paying more money than the other fellow did
 It may have happened in your own experience that party environment re- qulred fulsome laudation of mean, narrow, little wretch who had indus triouSly made himself worthy of public contempt Oughtn't we to. quit it? have
 If the road to honors, for a decade or two, has heen posted with dishonor, 1t is reasonable that it has been crowded with whipper-snapper fellows calculat- ed to make the commonwealth inglo- riouS. And. out of the hardship of men of small minds and great lack of hon or, has come a deplorable state of af- talrs-the sale and purchase of office. The office seeker goes to the elector
 
 convlncingSargumen
 Il seems to me that such procedure makes 1t harder for the preacher. the school teacher. the Sunday School Su- perintendent and the like (maY be so. some of them have approved the very methods wlsich honest men condemn.) for while it has. heretofore. been hard for, them to lead men in the straight and narrow way. the herculean task of insulting sentiments of honor into the sons of men who sell their votes Is added Call those honorable great politicians, wise statesmen who make their people notorious in lack of political virtue? Whew!
 well. am. too. I reckon we ought to fudge all men in our class by our own standard of excellence. Therefore, we must presume that every married man is industrious in the exhibition of his angel side-aWay from home. l have 10 confess to feeling of discourage ment when. upon relation of merito- rious action to the partner of my joys and sorrows" the comment is. Its a pity you don't do thai way at home" l have even had it hinted that sugar you're with so-and-so." And pity but your many sweet ways were in ev- idence at home"
 am not telling these family secrets in disparagement of my own excellent | hehaVior-aWay from home. but just to let folks see that. may be so. I am UnTeaSOnaDly required 10 snow some Ot my angel under my own wine and fig tree, where there's none to molest or make me afraid" While I do my best to let my light shine so that others will be angels at home as abroad. nave not thought it practicable to col lar any married man and tell him his duty to his teeth. l have rather taken it far granted that we are all perfect at home. Of course. 1t is charitable to suppose there are exceptions. I have heard of one poor benedict who some times left his pleasant manners behind when he started home. Then. 1 heard of another whose language. at home was seasoned with 'cuss words" actually heard of one who struck his | wife! But, these are rare cases. don [ know that the use of "cuSs words is so bad now as it used to be since deacons have come into the use of 'em The first time I heard dea- con cursing and swearing like the ordi' nary Christian of other denominations used to It. l have visited several dea- cons, and I don't recollect hearing one of them curse in the presence of his wife and children. so l must conclude that the deacon, at least, doesn't carry his reprehensible street manners into his home. And. perhaps, no other man does except the very few mentioned above. l believe if I wore a married woman and my husband were to so far forget that he Is a gentleman hy being morose or sour or grabbed or otherwise pleasant in his home I would-hut waht's the use to say what l would dor when no such thing can ever happen. J. culpeDner.