442 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



more powerfully imi)rcssive than tliat of tills man waitinjj; at Foiitaine- 

 blcau, twelve leajjues from Tails, still believin<; in his power to retrieve, 

 and iiiuoiiscioiis that he was already deposed. 



The contrast between this p,reat Eurojtean military despot and tlie 

 gi-eatest American military <::enii:s of modern times so familiar to ns, 

 our own (Jen. U. S. Grant, shows the difference between unbridled 

 ambition for power on the one liand, and an insjurdtion to benefit one's 

 fellow men on the other. 



Napoleon fon<iht to add jjreater lustre to his own name and his own 

 impeiial alory in the downfall of the vanquished, while General Grant 

 wa<;ed his battles to comi)el his enemies to submit to the doctrine that 

 all men are created equal. Wiien Lee surrendered at Appomatox, Grant 

 not only jxi'J^fiously declined to receive his sword, but, uj)on learning 

 that the conquered army was on the point of starvation, ordered a divi- 

 sion of the rations of the Union trooj)s with the soldiers of General Lee's 

 army; and told the Southern cavalry to take their horses home with 

 them as they would be needed to cultivate their fields. Napoleon's 

 career shows us a masterpiece of supreme, vain-glorious selfishness, 

 while (Jeneral Grant is a fitting type of a well balanced man with a 

 laudable ambition to serve his country well, and our nation is glorified 

 thereby. 



A nation's glory is the fruit of the civilization of its people. The 

 character of national life is made up of the sums of the characters of its 

 citizens. If the S])irit which pervades our nation becomes dulled and 

 morbid, it will be because our people have become so. It is essential 

 to the virility of our nation that the temperament of our people be 

 kept in a healthy condition. 



"Ambition is a spirit in the w^orld, 



"That causes all the ebbs and flows of nations, 



"Keeps mankind sweet by action," says Crown. 



The laudable ambition of every nation should cause it to make its 

 laws observed without fear, favor or all'ection, both by the rich and the 

 poor. Its courts, the sturdy bulwarks of individual liberty, must be 

 reputed for their fairness and integrity among the people at large. 



It remains for our courts, both federal and state, to hold back an 

 often capricious and sometimes inflamed public opinion, aggravated by 

 the railings of factious leaders of the populace, from committing those 

 dangerous trespasses against the sacred time-honored rights of a free 

 peoi)le which, in the lucid periods that follow, would be sincerely re- 

 gretted had the intended results been fully accomplished. Holding as 

 they do neither the sword nor the purse, no matter how violently the 

 pendulum of public opinion may swing to the right or left, they will 

 as the third co-ordinate and independent branch of our government 

 remain the trusted public custodians of our people's conscience. 



A state or nation's legislative halls should be free from the reproach 

 of bowing the knee to Baal or worshipping the God Moloch. The money 

 of its jieople, which is the life blood of a nation, must be pure and 

 constant in quality. It must be free from a suspicion, even, of being 

 tainted or corrupt. 



A nation ambitious to be just and great must labor for the happiness 

 and freedom of its masses. To advance the freedom an.l contentment 



