St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1912-09-25
Are We Really Progressive2

Many people like to call themselves
progressive and claim they are the
apostles of good government. They
clamor for the installation of good
men in public Office and seem to
think they are representing a new
condition, that they are the most
modern and really progressive thing
in citizenship. Not only to these but
to citizens generally the following
excerpts from a description Of the
National Assembly of the Franks
under the reign of Charlemagne
written before the year S26 by Hinc-
mar the celebrated archbishop of
Rheims will prove interesting and
instructive. He says it was the Gus
tom to hold two assemblies each year
attended by all the great men of the
kingdom, the more influential and
less influential, each class having a
certain part to perform. He says:
with regard to the councillors,
both lay and ecclesiastic, care was
taken. as far as possible, to select
such persons as, from their condition
and duties, were filled with the fear
of God, and animated, moreover, by
unalterable fidelity, so as to consider
nothing superior to the interests of
the king and kingdom, except eter-
nal life. Men were sought who could
be turned aside from the path of duty
neither by friends, nor enemies, nor
relations, nor gifts, nor batteries,
nor reproaches; men were sought
who were wise and skillful, not
with sophistical skill and worldly
wisdom which are so opposed to
Gods WILL but with a just and true
wisdom that might enable them not
only to repress, but also fully to
confound the men who place all
their reliance in the tricks and STRAIT
agems of human policy"
Certainly it can not be claimed
that the services of a better class
Of men are demanded today than that
described above.
las to the other officers of the
first by gaining instruction, and af-
forwards by giving advice, proved
himself capable of honourably oc-
Cupying the place Of one CT these
councillors, or fit to become one, he
received orders to attend the meet
ings, giving the greatest attention
to the matters discussed thereat, cor
recting his erroneous ideas, learning
that of which he was ignorant, and
retaining in his memory that which
had been ordained and determined"
We know of no better advice to
the lawmakers of 1912 than first
gaining instruction and afterwards
giving advice and giving at
tention to matters discussed
giving attention to matters discussed
to correct his erroneous ideas and
learning that of which he was ig-
norant"
"As to the councillors whom 1 first
mentioned, they were careful, when
summoned to the palace, not to occu-
py themselves with private affairs, or
with disputes which might have aris-
en- with regard to the possession of
property or the application of the
law, until they had arranged, with
the help of God, everything that
concerned the king and kingdom in
general"
If our progressive and other law
makers will follow the same plan at
Montpelier this fall the session can
be adjourned by Thanksgiving with
its work well done. These excellent
ideas in practice in S26 must
convince even the smartest and
most progressive of US that there
is nothing new under the sum-" and
that they viii have served well if
they live up to the ideals that are
over 1000 years of age.