One of the most pleasing scenes that can transpire on earth, when a sin has been committed by one person against another, is, _to forgive that sin_; and then, according to the sublime and perfect pattern of the Savior, pray to our Father in heaven _to forgive also_. Verily, verily, such a friendly rebuke is like the mellow zephyr of summer's eve--it soothes, it cheers and gladdens the heart of the humane and the savage. Well might the wise man exclaim, "A soft answer turneth away wrath;" for men of sense, judgment, and observation, in all the various periods of time, have been witnesses, figuratively speaking, that _water, not wood, checks the rage of fire_. Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God." Wherefore, if the nation, a single state, community, or family ought to be grateful for anything, _it is peace_. Peace, lovely child of heaven!--peace, like light from the same great parent, gratifies, animates, and happifies the just and the unjust; and is the very essence of happiness below, and bliss above. He that does not strive with all his powers of body and mind, with all his influence at home and abroad, and to cause others to do so too, to seek peace and maintain it for his own benefit and convenience, and for the honor of his State, nation, and country, has no claim on the clemency of man; nor should he be entitled to the friendship of woman or the protection of government. He is the canker-worm to gnaw his own vitals, and the vulture to prey upon his own body; and he is, as to his own prospects and prosperity in life, a _felo-de-se_ of his own pleasure. A community of such beings are not far from hell on earth, and should be let alone as unfit for the smiles of the free or the praise of the brave. * * * * * *