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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 7