Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1843-03-30

I, The elements were welded to his pur-
nose, the rivers toied in his workshops.
and fire and water struggled to carry
him with lightning swiftness over the
face of the earth. The iron horse walked
the forest with its snortings as it,dashed.
on. aud tomorrow = sun found the traV-
eller in some .far-oii' mart OF commerce,
after his wizard journey. What had old
romance to match with the wonders OF
the 18Th centurya The past had its les
sons. but the present had its ennobllns
themes to engrpss all our thoughts. We
referred to old Rome and Greece. but
wisdom died not with them nor cour-
age. What courage had Greece to COM
pare with shat of the Missionary? How
common to dare death with an Alexander;
how rare to live amid danger like a
faithful missionary-o or like Washing.
ton, for the sake Of doing good. Let us
repel the braggart's vain glory-but no
where could the PATRIOTS pulse beat, 1t
not OH Bunk er's Hill and Saratoga. No
sky was bIuer than our own-and could
we not ii7ten TO the roar OF Niagara. and
visit Mount Vernon? No one would
have difficulty in pointing ont men who
would be Romans at Rome and Turks at
Constantinople; but the difficulty was
to point out men who were not thus
yielding. The eye of faith not less than
of reason recognised in the ways OF the
Creator, infinite wisdom-and man was
his creature. / we read that the son OF
a good King became tyrants let us not
argue that evil came. from good or good
from evil. We shauld assure ourselves
that there was some interior defect in
the man. before we concluded that men
gathered grapes from thofns Or hrs from
thistles. Much of human attainment de-
pended on circumstances, but more on
the inner man. There were multitudes
that lived and clothed sumptuousiy eve
nv day; and of these, :he mass could be
Romans at Rome or Turks at CONSTANT
nople, but let one of these be led to some
higher object of being, and be became IN
stantly transferred into another region.
To his then wondering gaze. Nature was
no longer poets dream Or chymist's
rhapsody, but solemn presence. He
had not toisomely but naturally risen to
know that he was nohly to do for the
sake of nobly doing-nobIy t" be for the
sake of nobly being. True greatness
NAV be said to resemble water in some
perennial fountain. which rises and gush-
es forth by its own force, tertlllZing a
round, while mere effort to be great
was like water raised by force-pump or
engine. Our young men who would be
great seemed to lack conscious strength.
And if here and there in rustic village,
some rare youth was produced, there
must be tones of word-knowledge and
wisdom for him--he must be led away
from labor, thus losing his Independence,
and depending for success en- only one
throw OF the dice, and that perhaps might
! fail him. and this was called develop
ing the man! Would we not rather
nave Robert Burns ia the hamlet than
the University? The lecturer proceed
ed to show that there was too much am
,bitipn about US to be governors. leglsla-
tors, lawyers, &c. land also for classical
education. These were ali very we'll in
their way, but they were not properly IN
reach of all who had souls. He would
rather have young men rise. like Frank
lin. from an apprentice boy--or. like
Washington, from a surveyor. There
vas in them an Inconsistencies OF great
ness "a consciousness, OF, man strong in
F, himself --supesior to circumstances
! Was net the lesson they taught US IN.
MIGRATING? The lecturer valued learning,
knowledge and culture; but self-culture
above all. He objectec to the notion
that the higher education oil the schools
was absolutely necessary to greatness IN
life--thus making circumstances every
thing, and man nothing. The contin-
ued repetition of this process confirmed
The aspiring youth in thinking he could
he nothing without a collegiate education,
wtiiU it dcprce-ri tstu less fortunate. -
In many a youth. Genius unfolded its
wings and scared beyond its sphere
HE'D away to some distant city or semi
nary, and looking back at his friends
he was no longer of them. he belonged
TO different class. The deep want of
our time was not OF scholars, but OF
strong men, in the more humble and
more useful arts of life-in the mechan-
lc arts, agriculture, daily labpr-not
merely that these might be measureably
enriched, but reformed ard elevated -
Here opened a field far nobler than any
other; and the lecturer urged that our
youth should not be divorced from use
| full toll. No youth should be made to
feel that be was not eligible to lofty
career, if he had not classical educa-
ton. knowledge, truth, and nature
came down to US. If not in the voice Of
Pnndar or Shakespeare, yet in the deep,
est and grandest realities OF life. '.Be
not discouraged, then. oh! awakened
youth in some lowly cottage, at the
grandeur Of others"
| Sin, the lecturer said, we must look it
fairly in the face. Without sin, this
world would be paradise. The voice
from the drunkard's hovel, the murder
er's cell, the creak of the gibbet--was