W Politital Vtrlilf.
13
Twist. I Imvc no doubt but what it ro.
quires as much genius for a George Stoph
enson to construct it locomotive, u Morso
to Invent telegraphy, or an Ell Whitney "J
to make a cotton gin, as for the most (II-'
vinely inspired sculptures and painters of '
Greece and Rome to adorn the Acropolis i
and Vatican, with their celebrated statues j
and paintings.
Genius must bo strengthened by excr.
else just as the muscles of u blacksmith's
arms are strengthened by the couliual
strain upon them. I care not how bril
liant the talents may be, without labor
and practice they will accomplish noth.
Ing. Hut if genius is strengthened and
brought out by labor and exercise, is it
not possible that labor may begot genius?
To a certain extent It will. The more a
man labors in pursuit ef some special ob
ject, or in some particular branch of
knowledge or indusjry, the keener docs
his sense of its beauties or impcofectious
become. His ideal model, though rude
and indistinct at first, becomes more per
feci and clearly defined as he continually
looks upon it; .just as the eye, from long
observation, can sec at a distance an ob
ject which at first it could scarcely ilis
tinguish. The genius loves his calling;
labor in Us behalf Is a plcasvre. So, too,
will indu&try in pursuit of any object,
though it may bo irksome at ilrst, become
a pleasure as our sense of its beauties be
comes keener, and its true worth is belter
known nnd understood. Umiu..
Our Political Virtues.
It is u very common occurrence to
hear somo one, almost every day, boast
ing of our political virtues. We can
.scarcely pick up a newspaper without
finding a labored article, calling our atten
tion to the long succession of eminent
public men In the United States: how, al
though wc have begun with fair selections
we have continued to grow better, until fl
nally, our whole force of officials, cxecu
live, nud legislative, national, stuto and
municipal, have summoned into their vnr.
ious calling: a band of high-soulcd and
unblemished men.
Wo teach our children to lisp their dis
tinguished deeds and public excellencies.
We have taught them of their suspicion
less, disinterested and translucent purity,
ot their extreme modesty and patiencv,
and, in short, wc have crowned them with
starry coronals of virtue, whose bright
luster might befit a white robed choir of
angels,
There is a little maxim familiar to ev
ery one of us, "Give the devil his due."
Tliis we have always found pleasure in
following, and, not wishing to be thought
predjudiced against those who have stood
at the front of our country, who have
managed the allalrs of our govorment; we
would say that we arc ever willing to give
honor to whom honor is due, to bestow
praise where praise is due, but ,at the
same time, it affords us that extreme satis
faction to notice the inconsistency of the
glory of those men. who to-day undeserv.
ingly live upon the pages of our history.
There arc vdry low men to-day, wo dnro
say, but what will maintain that our polit
ical virtues arc progressing, that they are
caeli day being raised to a higher, nobler
and purer condition.
And, although Washington, Adams, Jcf
ferson, Madison and others, left an impres
sion decidedly favorable to their ropultr
tion as statesmen, thinkers and citizen?,
wo can not think of stopping to compare
those quaint, obscure, old-fashioned vir
tues of theirs, very good in tlio slow and
easy times of our early history, with tho
advanced condition of a later da'. No,
the virtues and deeds of the fathers of oiu
country are to the sparkling glories of
Young America tedious and comparative,
ly insignificant, compared with those of
(he gigantic men, who, at a later day, shed
all their splendor over a people of blight
intellects and wonderful achievements.
Not for an tnsttuit do we stop to compare
the dull, square-toed worthies that played
with the political fixtures of the early
i"-
hi