All free governments, whatever their name, are in reality governments by public opinion ; and it is on the quality of this public opinion that their prosperity depends. It is, therefore, their first duty to purify the element from which they draw the breath of life.

A ginooine statesman should be on his guard, if he must hev beliefs, not to b'lieve 'em too hard.

Nature, they say, doth dote, And cannot make a man Save on some worn-out plan, Repeating us by rote.

God does not weigh criminality in our scales. We have one absolute, with the seal of authority upon it; and with us an ounce is an ounce, and a pound a pound. God's measure is the heart of the offender,--a balance which varies with every one of us, a balance so delicate that a tear cast in the other side may make the weight of error kick the beam.

Time makes ancient good uncouth.

It may be conjectured that it is cheaper in the long run to lift men up than to hold them down, and that the ballot in their hands is less dangerous to society than a sense of wrong is in their heads.

Let us be of good cheer, however, remembering that the misfortunes hardest to bear are those which never come.