Ypsilanti sentinel. [volume] (Ypsilanti, Washtenaw Co., Mich.) 1843-1900, 1846-04-15


and what is necessary to his happiness is to begin to
have some knowledge of the means to be used in the
sFormation of Character, is in other words to be-
pin to complete that glorious edihce, the human soul,
whose tenement for that purpose the body which is
too frequently mistaken for man HIMSELF is. Not
to know man is to neglect this, is to let that temple
90 unbuilt, to become pile of weed-grown rubbish;
or, as we see man in his civilized state, it is to dec
crate the tenement to complete the scaodng of the
building while the noble pile itself 'sruns to ruin.'
To the present erroneous view practical if no
theoretically of Man we trace by far the largest part
of all the woes he suffers. Tie first grand error
which, sllke Aarons serpent, swallows all the rest
is the suppostion that the purpose of Mans creation
was himself That in creation he is sort of refec
tive verb, whose action must always terminate on
himself. Hence, all the oppression under the sun;
hence, fortunes laboriously amassed to torment
their owners. Hence, that most foul blot Of human
nature, slavery, by which, what would else be bles
sng to millions, is turned to their bane their
To have reasoned prior, in regard to the emigra-
ton of so many millions of mankind as Africa has in
the course of centuries sent out from state heath
ensm and darkness, to those whose boast is that
upon them the of righteousness has arisen, we
should have at once concluded, that, in the whole
range of the Deity's care greater blessing could
be conferred. But how is this blessing neutraized,
even some may say turned to curse, by the remain
ing error, by still remaining selishness Of the most
favored and enlightened of mankind.
To the same erroneous view of 'what is Man may
we trace all the habits which degrade him, and all
the vices which brutalize him. Mans true destiny
is happiness, and he seems to know it, but between
him and it, his own ignorance, his own want of re-
Election, has "fxed great gulf" or more correctly,
sandy desert in which deceitfu mirages are ever
mockng his eyes with the image of the object of his
longing close at his feet, but which flee at his APP
proach. The objects Of sense ever present: the
delights of the soul are in the distance. The first are
gross tangible, and falsely seductive; the latter,
fined, vague, and only truly good. The Philosopher
may argue that appetite may be subject to reason,
but he must argue in vain despite all he can say
appetite runs before slow paced reason, who follows
on only in time to regret the destruction he finds in
the path,
Religion may weep with chagrin, and curse de-
cetful world for the waywardness of her children;
she may call their attention from ga vale of tears to
coud-capt heaven but her efforts will be, alas too
much in vain, until the creature call
Man shall be more man than brute. Let us grant
for the sake of illustration, the existence OF spiritual
beings totally unacquainted with our world, until in
an exploring expedition they arrive through fields of
ilimitabe ether in the vicinity of our earth. Here
they dispense to meet again after they have ranged
the breadth of the newly Dissolved planet to compare
observations. and determine the nature of its nhabi
tants. Suppose one should allght in the celestial
empire and witness the ceremonies of the pagoda and
the veneration of Philosopher. another in Japan OBJ
serves the absolute worship Of mere child, at
best man. One in Hindoostan beholds the sacr-
flee of human beings to idols: and leaving religious
customs, let them observe in region the coro-
nation of Monarch, and in another the concourse
Of popular election, and, in still others the fierce
strife of contendng factions.
Suppose they viewed thus carefully all the different
systems of religion and government the diverse
and customs, and could they dive into thong
feelings, and affections in all their strange and mu
tpied phases, would they not conclude of our moral
world taken in general, that this was but at best
new world; ancient poet says of the primeval
aye eioIe Tue sea, anu Tie edrIn anu heaven WHICH,
is spread over ALL the whole face of nature was of
one form which was called chaos, rude and undi-
TESTED mass the congregated but dscordant elements
of ill joined NATTER From this chaotic state of
mans social condition not even Christendom has very
considerably emerged, though compared with the
rest of the world it is truly in desert. But
Christendom is buried in doctrines and theories
Filled with morality-in belief; with religion, in blind
superstition and indefinite devolon With supposed
merit in the ready acceptance of traditional creeds-
with zeal, in the upbuilding of sects Few or none,
sincerely enquire ''what is man. and what are the
means by which his character may be elevated, to its
highest attainabIe degree of perfection. Could the
truth of what might utter, shield us from the al
most certain Misrepresentation of those might of
fend, many error in the only systematic Ia
ken for the formation of character might be profta
bly, exposed Some such errors we mention
with perfect safety.
The formation of character is either voluntary or
involuntary. The latter is far most consstant, most
active and most efectua, having also its strong
basis, the circumstances attending both the indvid
uaPs birth and life Go to the Enthusiastically arranged
grottoes in parts of the world, and see stream
of water holding in solution mperceptble quantity
of Carbonate of lime. Drop by Drop the water falls,
and, in the of years, figure of solid rocks
arises perhaps in the hdeous caricature of human
form to Brighten fearful visitors. Such is human
character formed of the minute accretons of unnum