New-York daily tribune., 1842-07-18
THF. TINES:
.LEcTURg. BY RALPH WALDO EMERSON
- 4 al

- ne declined \ itde while his interval e.
,,onde asd comparison IS permitted Us bat t. tie
end that We ,hall piy manlv part As th' solar
system move. forward IN 'he heaVei s. c't'a.h
sta. opcn before "a aad STAR close ? behind rs
90 is man, lc 1he regulations tia "ere great
AID Inaccessible they change and iarnish no"
,,ca, were once Loud Eacon q. mons ons b. u
beco-,,. t,t middle-sizcl man and many ano-
iher AR has .urr ii ou to le planet or an s.'o-
roid onr few arctic axed stars winch have 30
,,sr,nsx. or n,.c f,rus RE change ana decline
or old -,rI,a;.ons ere ih' gracious marx, oi our
ov, Growth. Slowly ike the light o' npfs.l- "a
stcaI. on us tie new feet. that We, mo were pu-
,.i,. or asririnis. are now society 10 compose
portion ef that head ana heart ~ are wont TO
tlinh worthy OF all reverence and heed. We are
the representatives. of religion and intellect. and
slanI in the light Of Ideas whose rays stream
through Us to those Younger and more IN the dark.
What Fl rther ro atons we sustain, what new
lodges We are entering y now unknown Let rs
give need to what surrounds MS. To-Day 4 ii king
in Disguise. To-Day always looks trivial 10 the
though;less, IN l- face Of an Uniform experience,
that all GOOD ard great and happy actions are
made u9 precisely of those blank to-days. Let u>
not be 80 deceived. Let ~ nnmask the King a. bc
passes Let Us notinhabii times Of wonderful and
various promise without once diyining their ten
~
and Of a new aud better order Of things laid, with
rowing eye. and an attention pre-occupicd with
,rines. But il j. time 10 check the course Of these
misc anoou, and introductory remarks, AMI pro-
coed I'D some sketches Of the aspect which our
iimc4 exhibit to one who look. in the class OF the
rnost intelligent aad responsible minds for the
omen- Of the future.
The two omnpresont parties OF History mo
party Of The Past and the party OF IN" uture, d.
vide socic,v to-day as Of old Here Is the innr-
,nerablc multitude Of those who accept the state
aud the church from the last generation, and stand
Cn no argument but possession. Ihey have reason
also aud..a, tlliDA, better rc,son Than ! com
monty stated No Burke no NrperHich has yet
done full Justice 10 the side Of conservatism. But
,h, clas.. however large, relying not on the intel
lect bat on instinct, blends itself with the brute
forces of nature is respectable only as nature j.,
bur the individuals nave no attraction Tor w. 1t
j. the dissentcr the thcOrist, the asprani. VINO
j. quitting this ancient domain 20 embark on soas
of adventure, who engages our interest. Omlttps
fhen for the present all notice Of the stationary
class. we shall find that the movement party d.
vdos itself into Two classes, the actors, and the
students.
Tie actors constitute that great army OF martyrs
who, at least in America, by their conscience ana
philanthropy occupy the ground which Caiynlsm
occupied in the last age, and do constitute the
visible church Of the existing generation. The
presen, age will be marked by It's harvest Of pro
iects for the reform of domestic civil literary and
ecclesiastical Institutions. The leaders ef the cru
sades against War. Negro Slavery Inemperance,
Government based on force, usases of trade, Court
aud Custom-house Oaths, and so on 10 the agiia-
tors on the system Of Education and the laws of
Property. are the right successors of Luther.
Knox, Robinson, Fox, Penn, Wesley, and hit
field. They have the same virtues and vices the
same noble impulse, and the same bisotry. These
movements are on all accounts important; tncy
not only check the special abuses to which they
address themselves but they educate the conscience
and the intellect Of the people low can such a
question as the Slave trade be agitated for forty
years biz all the Christian nations, without throw
Ing great li-ht on ethics into the general mind
The fury with which the Slaye-irader defends cy-
ery inch If his bloody deck, and his bowling auc-
tiou platform. is trumpet 10 alarm the ear oi
auhiud, wshv the duh. aud Jiisc ali grutrr's
10 take sides. aad listen 70 the argument and the
verdict which Justice shall finally pronounce. The
Temreran, G question. which rides ihc conversation
of ten Thousand circles. ard !, 'aciily recalled at
every public and ~ every private table. drawing
with IL al thc curious e,hic. of Tie fed-c. OF tn,
I,no question. of tne equity @, the maruiacturc
f
istrv anI conscience If thu time. irt-ma4onry
had deep right and wrong, winch crodra'.S
EMERGED 10 sight out Of tho tutOid coI'i9vers'.
Thc political questions touching the Banks, he
IarA: the limits of the txecuti. @ power, the
rich, or the constituent t. .rsfuct the TcVrcscnf
1--WE the tr,a mcnt OF ,hc Indians the Bourdarl
wars: he Congress f Nations; are all pregnant
s,ii~ ethics, conclusions. and IT Is Wei + govern
1n,ut and oui socia order eNtrica,c themselves
fIon he e ocmbics an find th,msel % stil GOV
ernment s.d social order. The stu'olt oi t'"
L. story of tuis nsc Will hereafter compute the sim
g.lat value cf ou. culle- discussion o. questions
10 the mind If the period.
An important n u cca.d to these .-pirotion-
Of the people. ano i,borioas esoris for the Bcl.ct.
!. 'hi,. ,lat vh'. Zach is nGgniicd by iho natural
.sagl Grafton # It's advocate, unu II cNc.Idn'tn tnc
ottlers Fl ON sight aud repci, di-creot p>rsols by
the ,mlarue,s 4 the plea. the movements ere IA
relIv all paus Of ono movement There ls =
perfect ,hain.--scc 3. cr see ii uot--oi reforms
emerging from the surrounding darkness, cccn
clcr.hire some par, Of ,hc general idea. and al
must b. seen il, order to do justice to any one.
Seer H. this their natural conucXioa, isry are sub
lime. The conscience oi the age demonstrates
i,self in this effort 20 raise hc lc ot man hy put
ing il IN harmony with his idea of the Beautiful
and the Just The hstoN of reform Is always
identical; 10 is the conosii. .on ct i'ir idea "nh the
fact Oar modes ot living are not agreeable to on
imagination. We ,spccr they are unworthy -
We arraisu our daily cmploymcnts. They appear
10 ,is unfit unworthy Of The faculties We spend oa
them In conversation with a wise man, We find
ourselves opoloeizng for oar employments; We
speak of them with shame. Nature appears 10
ns beautiful literature, science childhood, bcau-
fifil bat not our OWN daily work. not the pe
fruit and considered labor> ot mas This beauty.
which the fancy finds in everything else certainly
accuses that manner Of he We lead. Why should
!, be hateful Why should il contrast thu, with
IN naln,nl hran,xl MhN should II nor be poeiic.