Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1845-07-24
For the Wntchmnn and Jonfaai.


When the Persian sat on Mount Athos, and saw
pass before him the mighty tide of Eastern War,
ready to inundate and overwhelm the States OF
Greece he thought that in an hundred years all
that proudly dashing flood of human existence
would have passed away; not one of that countless
most put would be sleeping the brazen sleep;
the aspirations OF fiery valor, the clash and clang
OF arms exchanged for the silence of the grave,
and he wept Why should he not? Sad thoughts
were IN his mind. Change, change never ending
was before him; the phantom like frailiy of hui
mainly rose ghastly and terrible to his view, and
ne lett like the father of song, that las the leaves
Oh inc forest, so is the race of man; the leaves
wither, and the wind scatters them; the glorious
spring renews them again, but of men persisted,
there is no roturn,"--they have gone down in dark
ness lie who looks at the ceaseless flow of earth.
" things, and sees but the fleeing and many
SNAPPED shadows they present, cannot but be sad.
lie has failed to solve the enigma of life TO learn
mat there is hidden significance and depth of
meaning, IN this never ending mutatlun-ths
phantom-llkc fitting of men on toward the tombs.
10 MN Ills but the out working of an awful
aw OF necessity that binds and drags onward eve
ry thing in its iron links Prometheus may strug-
gle with bis chain, but it holds him still. But is
there not something else here? Arc not the de-
vclopmens of history something more than sad
commentaries on the proposition that men are born
to dc: Arc they not answers, mysterious and
9N."H3S FSlhhpSi YET NllIdl uue, 10 tHc question:,
"what is Humanity 2" Every action has its
ground condition, its mpulsive spring,ln thought,
ana Is Therefore the exponent The visible sign and
expression OF that thought and as every idea is
actually or possibly present to every mind, so the
assemblage OF the results IF thought which history
presents and daily observation supplies is or NAV
be- TO each man, an unfolding of himself, n throw
ing into outward and tangible reality of what ex.
ISIS, perhaps unknown 10 himself, in the DEPTHS of
his own soul; Gods revelation of the Infinite in
flnte. strange thing, this unroed chart of hu-
man character, this picture of petried thought, if
we may use such a figure; and why not for is
not Il thought made tangible, permanent, by kind
OF moral petrsaclion, when embodied in action, so
as to pass down for the contemplation and instruc-
ton Of alter ages, as the stony forms Of antidelu
Wan plants reveals to him who searches the depths
of tue earth, how Nature wrought ere man was
created. strange picture truly, but one which,
with little thought, will be revealed to every
mind as the reflection Of ITSELF or rather as its re,y
SELF thrown outward and made forever visible
Universal man has there painted his thoughts,
some bright and glorious as the blending tints of
the evening sky, and others dark, angry and terri
bic 0s the winters storm; the beautiful, the great
the good in strange juXtaposit on with the unholy,
the sensual. the devillsh, yet "who hath eyes to
see," may see himself there, "who hath ears to
hear" may hear the still solemn voice folhcr DAYS
Kingdom, authority and power to thee
Belongs the hand that frees, the chain that thtalls
Each attribute on various man that als
Strides he the earth, tents the sea,
The sword, ho staff the Judges cap ofdcath
The rulers robe, the tieHsurcGs kew Of gold.
All growths tho wolwi scope of life may hold
Are formed in thee, and people in thy breuthn