New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1843-06-05
/ A B o R
Norwich,, N.
FROM CARLYLE. NEW woax. PAST Aso rRr'ss1,'

CARLYLE. NEW MoRS PAST AND Ff'i'A'i'
THERE is perennial nobleness, and even
sacredncss, in Work. Were he never so benight-
ed forcetiul OF his high calling, there Is always
hope in man that actually and earnestly works
in Idlcncss alone is there perpetual despair.
Work. never so Mammonlsh, mean, 1sln commu-
nication with Nature the real desire to get Work
done will itself lead one more and more 10 trut,'
TO Natures appointments and regulations, which
are truth.
The latest Gospel in this world is, Know thy
Work and do it, Know thyscf long enough
has that poor self Of thine tormented thee; thou
wilt never get to know 1t, | believe Think 1t
not thy business, this of knowing thyself thou
art an unknowable individual; know what thou
canst work at and work at 1t, like Hercules
That will be thy better plan.
1t has been written, AN endless significance
lies in Work i; man perfects himself IN WORKING.
Foul unges cleared away, fair scedficlds rise
instead, and stately cities; and wlthal the man
himself first ceases to be a jungle and foul, un-
wholesome desert thereby. Consider how, even
In the meanest sorts of Labor. the whole soul OF
man is composed into q kind Of real harmony, the
instant he sets himself to work Doubt Desire,
Sorrow. Rcmorsc, Indignation, Despair itself, all
these like hel-dogs lie bcleagucng the soul OF the
poor day-workcr, as of every man but nc bends
himself with free valor against his task, and all
these are stilled, all these shrink murmuring far
of in their caves. The man is now man. The
blessed glow OF Labor in him, is 1t not as purify
ing fire, wherein all poison is burnt up and OF
sour smoke itself there is made bright blessed
flame !.
Destiny, on the whole, has no other way of cul-
tivatnr us. A formless chaos, once set 1t rer0tr-
ing, grows round and ever rounder; ranges itself
by mere force of gravity, into strata, spherical
courses is no longer chaos but round, COM
pacted World. What would become Of the earth
did she cease to revoye? In the poor old earth,
as long as she revoves all inequalities, Irregular
ties dispense themselves all irregularities are in
cessantly becoming regular. Hast thou looked
on the Poter's wheel ;-onc of the vcncrabcst
objects old us the prophet Ezekiel, and far older
Rude humps of clay, how they spin themselves up
by mere quick whrling, into beautiful circular
dishes. And fancy the most assiduous Potter,
but without his wheel; reduced to make dishes,
or rather amorphous botchcs, by mere kneadng
and baking! Even such Potter were Destiny
with a human soul that would rest and lie at
ease, that would not work and spin OF an idle,
unrevovng man, the kindcst Destiny, lake the
most assiduous Potter without wheel can bake
and kncad nothing other than a botch lie, her
spend ON him what expensive colorlng, what gud-
ing and cnamcling she WILL he is but botch
Not dish no, bulglng, kneaded, crooked
shambhng, squirt. amorphous botch--a
mere enameled vessel of dishonor. Let the idle
think OF this
Blessed is he who has found his work let HIM
ask no other b!esscdness. He has work, Life
purpose he has found it, and witollow 1t. How
as free-howing channel, dug and torn by noble
force through the soar mudswamp of ones eN-
istence, like an ever deepening river there, ii
,,I lra,p tho tor
gradually from the root of the remotest grass
blade; making instead OF pcstilental swamp
green fruitful meadow, with its clear-howing
stream. How blessed for the meadow itself, let
tho stream and its value be great or small. La.
hor is Life from the inmoSt heart of the Worker
rises his godgiven Force, the sacred celestial Llie
essence hrcathed into HIM by Almighty God !;
from his Utmost heart awakens him to all noble
ness--to ali knowledge, selfknowlcdge' and
much else, so soon as Work fitlv BEGINS. Know
ledge The knowledge that will hold good in
working, cleave thou to that; for Nature herself
accredts that, says \ ca to that. Properly thou
hast no other knowledge but what ,hou hast got
BY working; the rest is yet al hypothesis OF
knowledge, thing to be argued of in schools, a
thing floating in the Clouds in endless logic-vor-
tees till we try II and fix it. Doubt of whatever
kind can be ended by Action alone
And again hast thou valued Patience Courage
Perseverance, OpcnueSS toligh, readiness TO own
thyself mistaken, to do better next time All
these, all virtues in wrestling with the din, brute
powers of Fact, in ordering OF thy fellows IN such
wresic, there and elsewhere not a, all, thou viii,
continually learn. Set down brave Sir Chris
topher in the middle OF black, ruined StoneheapS,
of foolish. unaschtectural Bishops, red-tape Off
Gals, idle Nell Gwynnc Defenders ofthe Faith and
see whether he will ever raise Pauiss Cathedral
out of all that, yea or no. Rough, rude, contra
0ictory are all things and persons, from the mu,
tinous masons and Irish hodmcIi, up to the idle
Nel.Gwynns Defenders, to clustering Fed,aPe Off
cial, foolish, unarchitectural Bishops. All these
things and persons are there not for Chlstophers
sake and his Cathedrars; they are there for their
own sake mainly. Christopher Will have te con-
euer and cons,rain all these-;f he be able. All
these are against him. Equitable Nature herself
who carries her mathematics and arch!tecionics
not on the face OF her, but deep in the hidden
heart OF her-Na.ure herself, is but partially for
hiln; will be wholly against him, If he colstrain
her not, His very money, where is il TO come
from' The pio,ls munihcencc of England lies
far.scatteeed, distant, unable to speak, and say
am here must be spoken to before i, can speak
Pious munifcsnce, and all help, is so silent. IN
visible, like the gods; impeachment, coasradic-