Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1837-07-05

4NHN
MARY u. BYRD.
End month, 18Th, 1887.
HERE 1T Is.-Three weeks ago, we copied
from the NewYork Spectator the announce
ment Of the fact that Francis Uavlnnd.
President OF Brown University, had been
invited by the department of WAR, to at
tend, as one Of the board Of visitors. the
examination of the United States llEHturv
academy at West Point" and raised query
whether the author Of Elements of Moral
Science" would, by accepting the invitation,
thus lend his influence to perpetuatc sys-
tenn, which, in his own words, is cone of
the strange intatuatons Of by-gone barba7-
Gus and blOodthirsty ages" The last New
ork spectator copies our query, and &C
companies it with the following information
and remarks. We annex few words in
the form Of notes.
eff it will be any consolation 10 the
edHor of the Telegraph to be correctly m
formed upon this bject, We will BE- his in
Structor. In one word, th,n, " Francis
WayI and' did : accept the foregoing in
vi'atlon." He did attend the examina-
ton, and took part therein-anI we
venture TO say he is not sorry that he did
so. We trust, on the other hand, that his
attendance will work no detriment to the
institution as we happen to know that his
presence was very agreeable to his asso-
cIate vIsIers, and the officers of the sta
w o Eortbo, H. L
the daring actually TO assis; in throwing a
shell and perhaps in the preliminary prep
aratIons for testing the strength of pow
der, and skill in gunnerv, by discharging
other proJecties. To all which informa.
uon We make the Vermont Telegraph en-
tireiy welcome %
But we will not dismiss the subject
here. We are sick and tired ofthc win
mgs OF lachrymose phiIanthropists, and
seit-sanctihed reIigionsts, who would ftin
believe themselves wise 50 much above
what Is Wrltten-Whose conduct, if MOI
speech, Is ever procaiming, "stand aside
come not near-for | am hoier than
thou'-or, in more homelv phrase, who,
like the Indians tree, stand up so straiont
asto learn the other way. (2l
The world in general, and the United
States especially, are overrun with abstract
theorsts-men and women who bow
down and worship before the throne Of
genera principles, forgetting that human
l'Ie and action are made up of individual
cases, and that there are not and ncvpr
nave been, so many even as two events
however unImportant or limited in consc
quence, of which all the circumstances
were perfectly alike. Throughout ali
nature, and all history, from the beoin-
nlng OF the world, the operation ofanv one
general law has never been found unive~-
sal acting upon millions Of objects, unon
eVc'y one It's action has been modified bv
the contemporaneous action of some Other
interfering law or power, so as to nrodnco
In every one different result from ,bot
PFodured In all the other millions
wonderful, most wonderful is this ex-
haustiess versatility; but not more von-
dertui than instructive, to such as will NOT
SHUT their eyes to the truth, and the ,oocb
ing, OF us existence. 1t warns rs No. -
waste our time, and labor, and canar;t;oS
IN VAN attempts % produce uniCorm;tv or
sentiment or action-and by conseon.nce
not to do any thing that is prohibited or
to leave undone anything that IS rpon;rnd
by the necessity of shaping our own con w.
duct with reference to the condoct Of OK
ers' whose designs and doinos we can
neither control to uniformity with our
own nor anticipate by the anplicat;on &c
any uniform general principle Az tb Es
world is constituted, we must govern o '".'
selves bv the action of our fellow mon ~
dIvlduaIIy ." communities. and collect;no
ly as communities There is M heIa
for 1t; and no wisdom in trvino - 10y
suade ourselves that we can heln !, Pc Iol
1t is very easy, indeed, to oct mn n ~
societies, and abolition societies, and pr ner
lection societies; and to resolve, in so,apr..
dlvan, that nations should not On ~ ,n"
or commit aggressions upon each o,h".'
But nations will 60 to war, neverbeIoea
and those which would rot suffer tho ae:I
of war, must hold themselves in read;n '.IS
to lnfilct them.(4) 1t may be easv ,ooi:.o.
the Russian emperor an honorarv me-
Der ola peace society. as was qravslv IN,
some years ago IN Boston, but if h;s ' %
ropean neighbors would protect ,bano
selves against his armies, thew INNS. r. !.
by having armies of their own, f5l q"
We republicans are not exemn, r.,