New-York daily tribune., 1842-11-05

nav: Discourse pronounced before the Literary So
cities Of the University OF Vermont August s. lS42. by
CALVIN PEAsE
Popular Lec,uring, like theatres, fashion and
=. yellow fever, ha. its season and it is just
.,w openng upon US. At the momcnt OF It's
1,vaing comes to US this Voice from Vermont
,,pur, vet cheering-.full of fear and trembling,
IN, nevertheless giving ground of hope and breath
IN, into the epirt energy and confidence tor the
aasre We listened to it with pleasure when 1t
r,s nronounced; we have read it attentlvely since
.,.nnearance in print; and oar first conviction,
lot it contains matter deserving attention and
.,oucbr. is decidedly fortified. We have not room
= spread before our readers at much length the
.o.i,ions of the writer or the argument by which
.bsv are established but will cndeavor to in
dieate the leading thought trusting that In the
n;.coyrse itself our readers will seek, what they
ii; certainly find, its full developemens. At the
os,set. Mr.. PEAsE thinks this rage FOX lecturing,
rb;cb is prominent feature of the times, points
oa Want Of the Human Spirit always existing
,boush not always felt, and when felt, seldom
,learly understood, and, unlike bodily wants, too
oaen sienced with pictures Of that food which
atnn
s.ieace the clear insight into principles and laws
There is also sensual demand for knowledge, of
which Mr.. PEAsE speaks thus
aBesides haadtcratt has now become scientific
Tbs, slow work of the hands, whereby the indus
,rous poor man earned his bread is becoming su-
nerseded. Science has invented machines to do
all that in twinkling. So that it is not the want
Of the soul alone, nor the reverence for old trad-
,iops that asks for science !; but also the stomach
itself and the palate. 1t becomes one or the or
ranic waats. 1t is science Or starvation. There
i no alternative. If not science to make ma
chine, at any rate, enough 70 use one, and become
one Essentially different as is this clamor of the
stomach for science, from the hungcring of the
soul for truth the former is still mistaken for the
latter This mere irritabiity of the coating of
he stomach does, really, pass itself of the
waking up of the Life Of the Soul, and the sublime
and pure aspirations of the spirit for high and ult
mate truths, pure as itself. 1t persuades itself
that the knowledge of processes to procure with
facility the qu0ntRm snfcit of meal and wool, is
also the bread Of life for which the soul hungered.
The general character of the Want felt at the
present day is thus set forth
at requires no very studous observation to per-
eeiye that the demand, at present, is not for
Instruction. but something to induce the belief, that
M instruction is needed; not for the opening up
ofhe fountains of truth but for something to limit the
thoughts to what lies at the moment under the eye
not for the unfolding and strengthening of the
higher powers, by their proper exercise, but for
that, which, leaving them unemployed, will cause
us to forget that any such powers are IN us, or,
that within u.s. or without Us, is any thing calling
for their exercise. Nature is evlscerated and
man too There is no tnward to either. Both,
like some kinds Of zoophytes, may be turned inside
out and back again, without detriment or apparent
change. The facility. for instance, with which the
mysteries of the head and heart are disposed OF, by
a catalogue of faculties and few cant phrases,
about animal organism, would be aughable enough,
were it not to sport over the proclamation of the
spiritual being of man -
For this demand Lecturing offers itself as
supply and it divides itself into three kinds
that of which the object is lst, Instruction I'd,
Amusement; and Sd, the combination OF the two
With regard to the first, all true Discourse must
be organic must grow up out of a principle, as
tree from germ, and must receive its outward
form from this principle. But this necessity Is
not felt by those who lecture to instruct: they
deem i, sufficient to lay down premises and to
reach fsregone conclusion by such syllegistic
steps as will most readily convey them over the
gulf that yawns between. The leading objection
to this is that ii is not Dsceurse-but the process
which ought to precede true Discourse, In which
1the nvestig is supposed to have been accomp
lshed, and it only remains that the truth be held
up before us in all its beautiful proportions, with
its perfect symmetry, unity and lineaments OF ght
a living, breathing organism clothed with fresh
ness and beauty and speaking to the hsar1 like the
gentle tones of friendship" Of this false Discourse
Mr.. PEAsE beautifully says
), The carpenter is the actual model; tor IKE
him. the Discourser cuts and hts his timber, ac-
cordne te rules, the grounds of which it concerns
not him to understand with little labor beyond that
Of hacking and hewing-matcrials being ever
ready Mt his hands; for the world is full of books,
a, The forest of trees and the market of lumber.
And this i, done to instruct US to build US up in
wardly-,o administer food to intellect; to
nourish our souls; TO kindle the imagination, and
awaken TO energetic action the living but slumoer
ire world within But, alas this inner world
csnno, be kindled, like smouldering tre, by a
beske, of chips and puff of wind This inner
world is world of spirits which feed on thoughts
full of Truth and living energy. And thought
alone, can kindlo thought; and Truth alone: can
waken Tru,h-not veracity, net fact but Truth
vital;
"-Tru,h that wakes,
To perish never"
This is the bread for which the soul is plning'
and such are the husks with whick its calls are
answered And how are they received For the
most part as the very staff of Intellectual fe The
eurveyers of such fayc are regarded as giants on
the earth; or, even as pads come down ia the
likeness OF men. Though this at first seems
thn,igh wander TIN. .ha