Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1906-01-12
Friday. January IL. 1905.
A NEW YEARS LESSON.

oiSn, IL Is lOSI on the air
The echoes bound
To joyful sound,
But shrink from voicing care.
Rejoice, and men will seek you;
Grieve, and they turn and go;
They want full measure
Of all your pleasure,
But they do not want your woe.
Be glad, and your friends are many;
Be sad, and you lose them all
There are none to decline
Your nectared wine,
But alone you must drink LIES gall.
Feast, and your halls are crowded;
Fast, and the world goes by;
Succeed and give,
And it helps you live,
But it cannot help you die
There is rythm and melody in all
Ella Wheeler Wilcox poems; in most
there is a touch of true nature; in all
there is love and charity, but in many
she displays ignorance of that ad
vancement in mans charitable mold
which is so noticeable by decades, and
she inclines largely to pessimism.
Notwithstanding some seeming evil
dences of retrograde the moral cultand
tone Of the world is on the upgrade.
Mans inhumanity to man is not so
pronounced as the poets of the past
were wont to sing, and touch of
sorrow now, more than ever before,
shows the whole world akin. True,
nation will rise against nation, and
there will be slaughter, but the iso-
lated case of righteousness becomes
the more pronounced because of the
great kindness and humanity now
shown by soldier to soldier, deadly foe
to bitter enemy. The recent eastern
war demonstrated this to be true
to an incalculable degree and far
beyond the American war of forty
years ago.
The time was when Miss Wilcox
lament was nearer correct than it is
now and the broad-gusge that ad-
vancing civilization ia travelling to-
day is laid upon cross-ties of the
second great commandment-do to
others as you will they would do
to you. History emphasizes this
point more than any other-Who
lives by the sword will die by the
sword; who lives for self and pelf
will come to wretched end, and
only those nations and peoples that
have strict regard for the personal
rights of individuals and would do
to all alike have ever lasted or can
hope to be perpetuated.
"a pretty romance of today and
right under our eyes which adds
strength to our optimism and refutes
the poets pessimistic tone, is found
in the triumph in politics of
a Richmonder, the episode being
made much of-but no more than it
deserves-by the papers of that city.
All of them had beautiful editorials |
on the success Of James B. Pace, but
the following We have selected as the |
best record of what happened:
''By the election of Mr.. James B.
Pace as city treasurer of Richmond yes
terday one of the prettiest romances of |
politics was completed. Years ago Mr..
Pace was the richest man here, his
wealth being estimated well into the
millions. He was very generous in a
very quietway. When cases of poverty
were brought to his attention he de-
lighted to supply relief abundantly but
with discrimination and care so as to be
a real helper. AS bank president he
was liberal and especially considerable of
young men just beginning business and
Of those who were in trouble. He did
not seek or court popularity, had no
iream that he ever would seek or need
70 seek any public office and did not
thrust himself forward. In the course
Of time and the vicissitudes of business
MS fortnue was lost and he became COM
oaratively poor man and was no longer
! commanding figure in the financial life
,f the city. When his candidacy for
the city treasurership, which is virtu-
Ally a life position at liberal salary
($7, 0O0), was annourced recently, these
Did good deeds of his sprung suddenly
into life to work for him after twenty
Or thirty years. All over Richmond,
in every class Of society, men remem-
bered kindly and generous things he
had done in the past for them or their
fathers or friends. The opportunity to
10 something to return the old obliga-
lions was accepted eagerly and gladly.
The politicians and the organizations
we're not with Mr.. Pace, but before this
.ide of sentiment they were swept away
Ike straws. In every ward and precinct
nen who in one way or another had been
Inder obligations to Mr.. Pace made Il