The Whig standard. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1843-1844, 1844-06-06
THE INNER LIFE OF MAN.
BY CHARLES HOOVER.

2 & r. . Il Et-f
1t is that ethereal, spiritual nature, which by
an incarnation only less mysterious than that Of
the Son of God, is in present temporary alli-
ance and partnership with our animal nature;
which, itself imperishable and immortal, mea-t
sures the cycle Of its probation burtheRed with q
dead body. 1t is that IN man which loves the
beautiful and the good, which expands and warns
to the breathing and the voice OF love; which,
like the child listening TO the tmurmuring sea-
shell, catches the far-of sound of the solemn f,l
ture, and hears celestial harmonies in silentest
hours. 1t is that which in infancy gathers in its
first excursion the stuff that infant dreams are made
Of which in childhood makes the welkin ring
with Joy and laughter, crowns itself with flowers,
and arches life and the world, and all inaccessible
things and places, with airy bridges; which sees
angel-forms in fitting clouds, and in the gorgeous
glory of setting suns beholds the vestibule and
drapery of other worlds: which holds comlnu-
MON with flowers as things Of life, and with birds
as beautiful and gentle friends which rebounds
like liberated bow from the touch Of grief to the
freedom OF JOY, and sees in its own tear-drop q
perfect Rainbow. TO the inner life of man, in
its gradual and successive unfoldngs, belong those
deep musings of the heart which suggested per-
haps by trifes light as air, become mighty, like
ent-up fires into mountains bosom, and TOSS
ing off the superintendent pressure, burst forth
in a fame of patriotism to invoke nation, or In
ner life of man are born and nurtured those deep
and intense affections which make a man will
ing to die for his country, his faith, and his
friends; which purified, lift him up an angel;
which poisoned, burn to hell, and turn him into
fiend there rise the fountains of generous SEN
sbiity; there dawn hope and love, and reverence
and faith there yean the immortal desires of
continued existence and eternal JOY; there IS the
chamber Of prophetic visions and poetic fires
there conscience holds its court, and in Gods
stead uters its solemn decision. There, too, the
acutest of our sensibilities TO suffering reside.
And this inner, spiritual nature Of man is his dis
tinguishing glory, the priceless, inalienabe trea-
sure which he carries with him amid all the
changes oftme, and all the disasters of the uni
verse. 1t is his all. 1t is his proper self Other
things are circumstances of his being. This is
his being subsisting independently OF every other
thing and being except the Deity. 1t invests all
external objects with its own character ana
coloring paints its own image on the sky,
the floods, the fields, the faces Of men, and turns
the world into thousand face mirror, and every
face filings back upon the soul its own likeness,
and all lis fitting, changeful phases Of mood and
feeling Is it guilty The fends of It's own
bosom people air with kindred fends that hunt it
to despair Is it sad? The signing OF the softest
breeze is heard as a requiem, and the natural
beatings of its own heart sound like " funeral
marches ana muIIcQ uIuIuS. 40 ~ 6iout AAAo-
cent, and happy? All nature smiles and puts on
the garments Of beauty; the stars sing. together,
the trees of the forest rejoice, and the floods clap
their hands. Thus the visible universe becomes
a mere reproduction of the spirit Of man that be-
holds it, Create mind, and it creates for It's re-
sidence an external world from pole TO pole, and
from the zenith to its centre, is resplendent with
light and beauty balm-like airs, soft and fra
grant as those of uncursed Eden, breathe upon It,
and all its life is love. Dreaming, it sees lad
der reaching to heaven, and the angels Of God
ascending and descending on errands OF mercy;
and waking, exclaims with reverential Joy,
"Surely, God is in this place" Make q mind
miserable, and you darken its universe. The
stars fail from its heaven, the golden fuitage OF
its paradise decays, and winter winds wall around
it. and night and storm mingle their pitiless ele-
ments on its unsheltered head Intertwined and
involved in the inner life, are occurring at all
times the great things of human history In the
sanctuary of unrevealed bosoms, in the " silent.
secret sessions" Of thought, and in the glow q
individual feeling, in the field, at the re-side, 10
the closet, or on the sleepless bed, there Is man
history: there, unfolding to act, or unfolding !.
self to de- the soul is in its greatness, IN spoI
with itself, and struggling with blg' ourn'ps