The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-07-25
THE MISCHIEF MAX f.R.

THE MISSftiIsF MAkfR.
In every assembage. one finds the censorious
person. and on every occasion, the man who
delights in turning harmony into discord. By
some strange perversty of nature some men
seem constitutionally and tempermontay dis
posed to create friction. to find fault, to exag
gerate the uninentional and to magnify the nom
essential It is SO in the social circle, among the
fraternaI organizations. and even in the church
OF the Prince Of Peace. 1t matters not how
sweet the sentiment how delightful the spirit
of harmony, how sincere the purposes of good
some one may always be found whose unfortu-
nate sensitveness or eytmuded suspicious or
uncontrollabe consciousness causes them TO
throw discord into the camp of peace There
is class of men who. had they the power, would
Pour the sweet milk Of Concord into he'll
Uproar the universal peace. contound
All unity earth
It is only upon this hypothesis that We can
explain the conduct Of one James Il. Maddox,
upon his return to Erie, IA, from the reunion
of the Blue and the Gray at Manassas. Per
haps Mr.. Maddox was not accorded such con
spicuous and signal attention an exaggerated
egotism led him to expect. Perhaps some trivial
incident, or some uuntentional breach OF conr-
tesy. may have been magnfed by a mind al
ready disordered and infamed- Perhaps hunger
were unable 10 be appeased when such a null
itude were to he ministered unto, and an
empty stomach proved prolific culture ground
Tor breeding the germs of hot indignation. At
any rate "Comrade" Maddox is entertaining al
willing listeners now with his structures upon
Southern hospitality, loyalty and honesty. The
chief charges he recites are the refusal of the
women Of Manassas to give water to tho Cnitef
States troopers and the readiness of Southern
men to surreptitiously appropriate property be
longing to others.
The first charge carries its falsity upon it,
face These women had for days and week
been making preparation for this very event
; the best the Southern hospitality had VA
j placed at the disposal OF the welcome guest
the whole country around was anticipating Will
j unusual pleasure the day Of delightful reunion
and the burying forever of the grudges ant
grievances of days long gone. But when tn
r guests invited, desired. prepared for. arrive
e the women would furnish them water I
u drink because they wore the blue The charg
Z is puerile absurd. malicious upon it syery fac'
Il We give ourselves no worry about it, as we al
preheHd no sensible man will believe i
1 The wonder is that "Comrade" Maddox eve
o consented to become the guest of people who's
e hostility overthrow all the demands OF hosp
" tality.
IL So far as the thievery Is concerned. ther
may have been instances at Manassas in tn
II crowd Just as there are always instances in d
r great crowds. North or South--even at Fri
81 Pa But heart fun of spleen easily magazine
"a a common occurrence anywhere into ever
" typical of the people whom it hates.
g" The fact that there should have been presei
% such man. with such eprit and the vii
u iugness to disseminate such ISLANDERS, is regre
" table but unavoidable No who correct
y interprets the spirit Of the South to-day wi
'e believe ii least of all, he who knows the W
VI men of Virginia
go. mighty Maddox post thou be SO low
u Are all thy cnnQuests. glories triumphs spoul
Is Shrtmk To this little measure