of somethin' else.
You needn't be so perkily ashamed of havin' preached, man. Cromwell was
a great preacher all his life, but it didn't spile him as a Socdolager
one bit, but rather helped him, that's a fact. How 'av we held our
footin' here?'

"'Not well, I am grieved to say,' sais he; 'not well. The failure of the
United States' Bank, the repudiation of debts by several of our States,
the foolish opposition we made to the suppression of the slave-trade,
and above all, the bad faith in the business of the boundary question
has lowered us down, down, e'en a'most to the bottom of the shaft.'

"'Abednego,' sais I, 'we want somethin' besides boastin' and talkin'
big; we want a dash--a great stroke of policy. Washington hanging Andre
that time, gained more than a battle. Jackson by hanging Arbuthnot and
Anbristher, gained his election. M'Kennie for havin' hanged them three
citizens will be made an admiral of yet, see if he don't. Now if Captain
Tyler had said, in his message to Congress, 'Any State that repudiates
its foreign debts, we will first fine it in the whole amount, and then
cut it off from our great, free, enlightened, moral and intellectual
republic, he would have gained by the dash his next election, and run up
our flag to the mast-head in Europe. He would have been popular to home,
and respected abroad, that's as clear as mud,'

"'He would have done right, Sir, if he had done that,' said Abednego,
'and the right thing is always approved of in the eend, and always
esteemed all through the piece. A dash, as a stroke of policy,' said he,
'has sometimes a good effect. General Jackson threatening France with a
war, if they didn't pay the indemnity, when he knew the King would make
'em pay it whether or no, was a masterpiece; and General Cass tellin'
France if she signed the right of sarch treaty, we would fight both her
and England together single-handed, was the best move on the political
chess-board, this century. All these, Sir, are very well in their way,
to produce an effect; but there's a better policy nor all that, a far
better policy, and one, too, that some of our States and legislators,
and presidents, and Socdolagers, as you call 'em, in my mind have got to
larn yet, Sam.'

"'What's that?' sais I. "For I don't believe in my soul there is nothin'
a'most our diplomaters don't know. They are a body o' men that does
honour to our great nation. What policy are you a indicatin' of?'

"'Why,' sais he, '_th