Southport telegraph. [volume] (Southport, W.T. [i.e. Kenosha, Wis.]) 1840-1850, 1847-08-18

trust and believe there will be wisdom and firm
ness OF principle sufficient the part of the people
to sustain the right, and skful pilots be found
who, without compromise will be able TO guide the
ship of State safely between the Scyla and Charyb
dis which, on either side threaten her destruction
A SUBJECT OF IMPORTANCE, TO WHICH
THE ATTENTION OF THE READER Is
DESIRED
1t is a very mistaken calculation, if it be one
ever adopted and acted upon, that the ability to
/ think effectively and to reason correctly, is kind
of ability to be acquired without cultivation and
pains taking. human being is no more a cor
rect thinker, or a good reasoner, independently OF
judiclous cultivation, and sufficient practise than
he is person OF ability as an architect mechan-
ic, without proper training and practise. No one
expects to be good penman or good mathema-
tician, or good architect or a good musician With
out the requisite training; but it would be quite as
reasonable to suppose that man would be prof.
Gent in any of the above specified or any similar
art occupation, as matter of chance and hap
hazard as it is to suppose that he may in similar
d
soner 1t does by no means answer the purpose
for one to hear or read the thoughts and reasonngs
of Others. No one ever expects to become good
! renman a good painter merely by examining,
however often or attentiNely, the performances of
others in these arts does any entertain
the idea that hearing good music good eocution,
without any practice of his own, is TO make him
an accomplished musician orator. The same
principle holds good and to an equal extent in re-
gard to the training and exercise of the thinking
and reasoning faculties. There is faculty of an
intelligent being which is not susceptible of, and
which does not required great degree of cultivation;
and we might about we'll ask person to live
by seeing others eat by seeing others breathe, as
TO expect him to be an independent thinker or an
able reasoner merely by attending to the thoughts
and reasonngs of others, His possession of respi-
raory and digestive organs clearly evnces that he
is himself to breathe aud to eat and that his con-
tinued existence and welfare depend upon his do
ing so. An individual ght spend half his time
in seeing Others take exercise, if you please, in
crtcsing their performances; and, none the less for
that, sicken and die himself for want OF exercise
But do any say, we can procure others to think
and reason for us. This we reply, would be mise
rable economy, for could we be of its being
always practicable it's much like inquiring wheth
err we might not procure others to exist for u.s. If
personal existence is valuable at all, it is valuable
for every power and attribute pertaining to it, and
to be willing to orego the exercise of highest
and noblest powers, and far their exercise is
concerned, to depend exclusively upon Others ar-
pears to SAVIOR quite too strongly of the suicId al
policy We could with as much composure and
patience hear people talk about procuring other
persons to be healthy for them, about Others
living temperate,o or moral and respectable for them;
or about others having right conscience and be-
lug pious and going to heaven for them, TO hear
them talk about others relieving them from all
the necessity of exercising their own intellectual.
and rational powers. Our doctrine is that every
human being was created for some important pur-
pose; and that in all periods of his existence, i'm
portant purposes are to be answered by the due
cultivation and exercise of every endowment that
belongs TO him; or at least if any faculty be suf-
iered 10 remain unemployed or uncultivated, the
selection should, if possible, be made of those that
are least excellent and important. Preachers and
moralists always abundantly insisting upon
mems responsibility to God and to their fellow-5e-
ings for the due improvement and cultivation of
their moral powers. And aside from the depend
ence of these upon intellectual cultivation, we APP
prehend it would not be difficult to prove that their
obligation to cultivate their intellectual powers, to
the greatest practicable extent, is not less mperous
We may be told perhaps that the community is
already abundantly furnished with well dlgested
thoughts and able rcasonngs pertaining TO almost
every human interest, in the form of newspapers,
books, and periodicals. This to considerable ex-
tent is undoubtedly true and it is also true that
the community is most abundan,ly furnished with
literature whether in the department of standard
works or fugitive writings which is of worthless,
or much worse than worthless, character. Nine
tenths of what emanates from the greater part OF
our newspaper and periodical presses, is of char
acter to contribute very little indeed to the intel
lectual improvement of those who read. To
great an extent is this the case that here have
suggested to us the most important ofthe
sons why persons exposed to the influence of all
kinds of literary productions, which are supplying,
to safety and surfeit the demands of the reading
community, should be able clearly to dis
criminate and properly to decide in regard to the
character and value OF these productions. The in
discriminate reading OF whatever offers itself to the
attention, good bad and Indifferent being ofequal
interest and value the habit of reading without Ia
king pains to inquire or consider as regards thecor
rectness or incorrectness, the value or the worth
lessness of the sentiments advanced by the writer
the soundness or the sophstry of his reasonngs or
conclusions, is a habit which may far more appro-
priatey be termed method of dissipatng than
of disciplining the mind How very small part
of the literature continually emanating from the
public press is calculated to enligh;en and purify,
or rightly to direct and elevate, public sentiment.
And in view of this, how exceedingly important is
it that all who read should be possessed of inteli
gence and cultivation sufficient TO qualify them to
discriminate and decide properly upon the charac-
ter of literary productions It is far from being
true of all literary productions, it is of all ind