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Till! TWO OFJtOKS.
VOIi. VHP
expectation that ho will bo nolo to guide
them through the storm. And its the sky
if darkened by tho growing tempestuous
clouds, llmling themselves suddenly
plunged into the foiuningsca of rebellion,
they lay their lives, and their fortunes at
his feet, asking his time, his talents, and
his skill to lead them into port. Leader,
ship of this kind, we may say, never dc
volves solely upon one individual, yet
they who lead arc few and they who fol
low, many. Who then shall attempt to
measure the responsibility of the leader,
upon whose decision in aparticularcrisis
may depend the happiness or misery, life
01 death of a whole nation. When he ac
cepts his position, lie accepts its respon
sibilities, and must meet them in order to
be loyal to his trust. Ho who assumes
these duties should be one of those whose
clear perceptions and keen insight enables
him to observe the coming tempest in the
cloud, when no larger than a man's hand,
and whose precision of reason and calm,
ness of judgment holds in check the im
petuosity of himself and advisers,
which otherwise might plunge the people
into needless rebellion at a useless cost of
life.
Men have been found, even in the short
career of our Amorican republic, who
were capable, willing, and perhaps anx
ious, to take their places at the head and
lead the people on to success. Such were
Washington, Green, Wayne and Putnam
of tho revolution. Not only do they
work for fame, but they feel that thcsuaie
incumbent duties which they must dis
charge, in order to acquit themselves
creditably before the bar of their own
consciences. What was the self-sacrificing
spirit of Hugh Mercer? A dav or
two beforo his death, he said: "We are
not engaged in a war of ambition, gentle
men, if we were, I should not be here.
Every man should be content to servo in
that station where he can tc most useful.
For my part, I have but one object in
view, and that is the success of the cause.
God can witness how cheerfully I would
lay down my life to secure it." Such a
sentiment uttered by a leader has a won
drous effect upon subordinates. It gives
the leader power in his command, and
and character with the world at large.
The humble soldier in his private ca
pacity, inhaling the same atmosphere,
imbibing the same sentiments and be
ing inspired with tho same faith, cour
age, and hope, by such inferences, fills his
office with equal merit. The grander and
nobler impulses of his soul seek the nc
complishment of the desired end. He
serves faithfully and honestly till the oil
ot life has burned away, and now as
the light is extinguished and he enters
his grave, let us not withhold that which
is due.
What has been said of military opera
tions implies equally well to the inter
course of men in all its bearings and as
pects. There are the leaders and the led,
the governors and the governed, the pro
lectors and the protected, the teachers
and the pupils, all members of tho human
family, demanding it share in its joys and
pleasures, as well as its sorrows and
griefs. The leaders are called upon to
bring order and beauty out of the dittos
of conflict. In other words, they are, to
a great extent, the adjusters and prelectors
of society, and the moulders of human
character and destiny. The legislator,
the juribt, the Journalist, the moral and re
ligious teachers and the professors of all
our higher institutions of learning theso
have all taken a stand as leaders in the
progress of the world, and consequently
have assumed the corresponding reponsi
bilities. They have positions high and
sacred. They must therefore execute
their work with tho utmost fidelity and
caution in order to sustain pure and irre.
proachablc characters. They should be
advancing, adjusting and developing in
order to draw out all the latent forces of
booiety, thus securing the blessings of civ
il and religious liberty to men. They
should be men of wisdom and integrity,
and worthy of tho confidence and trust of
the common people.
