Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1837-04-07
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confidently of this. l}v the means %!
palvanism (which do not, from my
own cxperience, recommend) I once near
" recovered my hearing for few weeks.
It wns well worth while being in sor: of
nervous fever during those weeks, aud
more deaf than ever afterwards, for the
cnlirh,ment which gained during the in
,erval on various subject of which the
one that concerns us now, ls--the toni that
our friend undergo on our account. This
is the las, topic on which should speak
TO YOU, but for the prevalent unw,lngne>s
in our fraternity to use such helps as may
ease the lungs of all around them as much
as therown nerves. Ofcoursc, my friends
could not suddenly accommodate their
speech.to my improved hearing; and ]
was absolutely shocked when found VIVA,
Efforts has been making for my sake. !
vowed that | would never again bes'ow
an unkind thought on their natural MIS-
takes. or be FESTIVE under their inappll
cable instructions; and, rs for carrying
trumpet, liked il, no better than my
brethren till then; but now, if it would IN
any degree case my friends that | should
wear fools cap aud bells, would do It.
| ANY of you who may have had this kind Of
experience, are, should think. using trum.
pets. eu,rca. those Of you who have
not been so made aware of your state. to
take my word for what you are obgIng
your friends to undergo. You know that
we can be no judges of the degree of eff.
| fort necessary to make us hear. We
might as well try to echo the skylark. |
speak plainly, it may seem harsh|y; but ]
am sure you would thank me ere long if ]
could persuade you to encounter this one
struggle 10 make the most of your rem
nant Of one Of Gods prime blessings,
Another struggle must be to seize or to
make opportunities for preserving or recti-
flying our associations, as far as they are
connected with the sense which is imper-
feet. Hunger and thirst after all sounds
that Won can obtain, without trouble to
others, and without disturbing your own
temper; aud do it the more strcnuonsly
and chcerlully, the more reason you have
to apprchend the increase Of your inlimi-
~. The natural desire to obtain as much
| pleasure as we can, while we can, would
prompt US to this; but my appetite was
much shafpened dn'ing the interval spoke
of; as yours would be, il you had such an
interval. was dl-maycd 10 find, not only
what absurd notions had formed on some
small points, but how ma erally some
very important processes Of association
had been modified by failure OF the sense
Of hearing. In consequence Of the return
and increase Of the lntirmity, | have now
no distinct notion Of what these lnelleciu.
al faults are bat the certainty then i'm.
pressed that they exist. has taught me
more than ore lesson. carry about with
me the Consciousness of an intellectual
pcrversion which | can never remedy in
this world, and Of which neither nor any
one else can ascertain the extent, nor even
the nature. This does not affl CT me, be-
cause it. would be as unreasonable to wish
| it otherwise, as to pray for wings which
should carry Us up to the milky way; but
It has stimulated me to devise every posi-
| BILE mean: of checking and delaying the
perversion. We ought all to do SO; 10
sing no opportunity OF associa',ng sounds
with other objects of sense, and of catch
ing every breath Of sound that passes us.
We should note street cries; we should
entIce children to talk TO us; we should
linger in the neighborhood Of barrel or.
gans, and 90 ont OF our way to walk by a
| dashinr stream. We cannot tell how
much wisdom we may at last find ourselves
to have gained, by running out among the
trees, when the quick coming and gong OF
the sunshine tells us that the winds are
abroad. Some day will show Us from how
much FOLLY the chirp of an infants voice
may have saved us. 60 so far as TO rec
ommend, certainly not any places Of wor
ship for purposes of experiment, but other
scenes for public speaking, even when "lho
g l., II ,a, oil
that can be had The human voice is mu
sic. aud carries sense, even then; and every
tone Is worth trcasuring, when tones are
likely to become scarce, or to cease. You
will understand that il is only to those who
can rule their own spirits that ] recon
mend such an exercise as this last. II you
cannot bear to enjoy less than the people
about you, and IN different manner; or il
you neglect what yon came for, in mourn
ing what Won have lost, you are better a,
home. Nothing is worth the sacrifice OF
your repose OF mind
What else may we struggle for? For
far more in the way of know ledge than
can now even intimate. | am not going
to make Out, as some would have me, that
we lose nothing after all; that what we
lose IN one way we gain in another, and 50
on; pursuing line Of argument equally
insulting to our own understandings, ant
to the wisdom and benignlty Of HIM who
framed that curious instrument, the ear
and strung the chords of its nerves, ant
keeps up the perpetual harmonles of the
atmosphere for its qualification. The ea
was not made that men should be happier
without it. To attempt to persuade go,
so would above all be folly, But, in some
sense, there IS a compensation to Us. if We
choose to accept it; and 1t is to inprov,
this to the utmost that | would urge vol