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For the Georgia Collegian.
The Effect of Party Spirit.
Upon great political questions in
volving the theories of government,
it is expected that different views
should be entertained; nor is won
der mush excited it these views be
come antagonistic and form political
factious which embrace and uphold
opinions to suit their own peculiar
prejudices; for the history of such
political factions often repeats itself.
Yet the direful effects of party spi
rit are easily traceable in the down
fall of many a nation that was once
prosperous and peaceful. When po
litians become so absorbed in the
advancement of party and party in
terests as to forget the duty they
owe to truth and right—the duty
they owe to their own manhood and
honor, and above all the duty they
owe to their country, its welfare and
prosperity—the doom of that nation
is written in portentous characters,
and its destiny is at the will of fickle
and false-hearted demagogues.—
Could the veil of ignorance be lifted
from the eyes of a too confident
people, the impure motives and sel
fish designs of these political parties
would he laid hare ; the truth would
be better perceived and more highly
esteemed; government would he
better controlled and the general in
terests of all would be the prevailing
desire. But alas, men will not cor
rect their errors from the warnings
of the past. The reccrd of human
actions, when blackened and distort
ed by party spirit, is a sad monu
ment of reason dethroned—of envy
and prejudice predominant, and of
progress retrograding. The expe
rience ages instead of giving light
that will render human vision clear
qnd distinct, se<.ms only to dazzle
and blind. We do not mean that
different speculative theories, when
properly investigated and studied,
may not produce a beneficial result;
hut that the exponents of each the
ory should become obstinate and
close their ears to reason, produces
such a state of things as to render
these exponents violent factions; and
if their theories he of government, a
civil war is the sure result; as nei
ther party will yield to the other.
And strange it seems, that political
parties representing sectional inter
ests of a nation arise which deem
themselves antagonistic, and by
thwarting the interests of each oth
er they injure themselves. Political
economy, as an inductive science,
THE GEORGIA COLLEGIA^.
teaches that no sectional interests
are antagonistic, and that it is for
the interests of each that all should
prosper. A history of England re
presents, in its clearest light, this
antagonism and partizan warfare.
That which gives to party spirit,
its weapons of slander, and a shal
low hypocritical pretense for their
use—that which gives such voilence
to its prejudices and upholds all its
abnormal opinions, is that utterly
false and ignoble maxim, “ That the
end will sanctify the means.” For
upon this ground alone, can be vin
dicated the career of any political
faction in the annals of history. In
our College, politics can he seen in
miniature form ; not only the rise
and fall of political parties ; but also
every variety and shade of party
prejudice. And the evils of these
party dissensions are such as every
one must deplore. They cause our
literary societies to be nothing more
than workshops of strife, animosity
and discord, and make College
friendship no more than “ a story that
is told.”
Under the present system of Col
lege departments, all class-honors
having been abolished, the Faculty
has granted to the societies the privi
lege of awarding certain honors, and
join these honors with those which
the society itself awards, and you
will find that they compose the ma
jority of College honors. Thus we
see, except the societies act impar
tially and reward merit in awarding
these honors, they involve them
selves in double-guilt. First, in not
following out the objects of the
honors, i. e. rewarding merit. And
secondly, in becoming recreants to
the trust imposed on thtm by the
Faculty. Now we assume that
when party spirit has been allowed
to plant itself in the fountain-source
of all human actions, every impulse
is, in some measure, poisoned by the
loathsome effect of prejudice and
malice. And we have above inti
mated, and now state that party spi
rit is at present raging very high in
our midst; hence, what must be the
natural consequence ? Do they, the
Faculty and societies, intend that
the honors shall he awarded for pop
ularity ? If so, all well and good ;
for party spirit will certainly work
that result. But that is not the ob
ject of the honors ; they are intend
ed to be awarded for merit; and we
conceive it to he next to impossible
to do any such thing under the pre
sent circumstances. For we must
all recognize the fact that where
party spirit exists there must he con
temporaneous with it, malice, preju
dice and hatred. And when the
promptings of the heart are influ
enced ly such base emotions, can
poor, frail, weak human nature act
right? Prejudice opens wide our
eyes to see every shadow of praise
worthiness in our party’s candidate,
whilst it blinds us to all the accom
plishments and perfections in that of
the opposite party. And hatred,
joined with blind prejudice, causes
us often to revile and calumniate,
even when there are no grounds;
thus we worship the shadow, ignor
ing the substance.
This is the baneful effect of party
spirit, sumed up in a single sentence.
If we could conceive of any person,
possessing the earnest cogency and
powerful expression of a Demosthe
nes united with all the flowing beau
ties and studied Rhetoric of a Cicero,
and if lie did not belong to a party
he could not get even a Mediocre
honor.
Again, we mention it unwilling
ly, the direful and greatly lamented
effect of Party spirits upon College
friendships. Our college days are
those in which we are supposed to
pass the most happy periods of our
“three (3) score years and ten,”
but not so now. Except we are
hound together in bonds cemented
with the same party vows, those
who were but yesterday seemingly
firm friends even to-day are the most
ready slanderers cf each other.—
Shall we quietly submit to this des
picable state of affairs ? Shall we
“lie supinely upon our backs” till
this most inexorable fiend shall have
completely destroyed even the re
maining vestiges of our Society
principles, and shall have entirely
demolished the glorious fabric of
College friendship which formerly
existed ? If not let us meet once
more around the altars of our time
honored Institution and offer our
hatred, prejudices and resentments
a willing sacrifice to our societie’s
prosperity and advancement. Let
us no longer look back with a sigh
to the past history of our college
for those halcyon days of pleasure
and enjoyment, but let us rather
unite in one strenuous effort to
make the present a period of happi
ness which in the after occasions of
life we may ever rememember with
unfeigned delight. But unless some
Herculean power does cleanse our
“Alma Matei” of this miserable
party spiritism our Literary Socie
ties will be torn assundcr, and we
will be constrained to ask “ what is
friendship but a name,” and encour
aging echo will answer “what is
friendship but a name ?’’
Again.
The London Post gives an
illustration of the craving of the peo
ple after unnatural and exciting
amusements. Describing the so
called “Leap for Life,” in which a
little girl risks her life in the execu
tion of a fearful gymnastic feat, after
details as to the arrangements of the
platform, ropes and lings, the writer
says: Her life depends upon her
catching this rope ; the danger of
her swinging the Last hit upon one
side is tremendous, but still she
might possibly he able to see her
mistake if she did not swing quite
in which case she would
not leave hold of the rings, and be
ing totally unable to regain the plat
form, she would probably swing
about till exhausted, and then fall
amongst the people beneath. She
might be killed, nut still there
would be a chance of her being only
crippled. Pshaw ! such milk aud
water danger is considered insuffici
ent for the public taste. Such un
certainty is insipid. We require the
life of this poor child—her certain
destruction if she fail, not the prob
ability of her only breaking her
limbs—so, amidst a shudder and a
hiss from one-half of the spectators,
and a murderous cheer from the rest,
she was blindfolded. Her last poor
miserable chance was taken from
her. A handkerchief was hound
over her eyes, and her head and
body were covered with a sack, and
thus, without the possibility ofescape
in case of accident, she bounded off
the platform, and by a mercy did not
miss the rope. Such amusements
are in the highest degree criminal.
...Wm. Cullen Bryant and party
were recently made the recipients cf
distinguished honors and ovations
in the city of Mexico, and the gov
ernment furnished them with a
special escort of 100 men on their
departure for Yera Cruz.
... A Junior returned from an even
ing call not long since with a hair
pin lodged m the region of his ear.
Query—Where had his head
been ?— Ex.
E. A. Williams & Bro.,
Broad Street, Athens, Ga
OUR Spring stock of Boots, Shoes,
Hate, Shirts, Collars, Cravats,
half Hose, &0., is now in store, to
which we invito the attention of the
students and public generally.
Apl3 2m
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