The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1849-03-17

end. !. II is now an axiom that labor,
neither physical or intellectual, will
command any thing like fortune.-
To this | invite the attention Of the
press, without any distinction Of party.
And in view Of this, | hare always
been the friend Of the mechanic and la
boring man, and | am proud and hap.
py 10 say he has been my friend. To
protect and defend his rights, has been
the great effort Of my life. have been
and am a man of toll and labor myself.
And through labor and by labor must
we achieve the happiness and high des.
tiny reserved for man.
To the young men here assembled ]
would say a word. You are connect
ed with the press. You have your
hopes and your aspirations. Go on; if
like Franklin, you may never immor.
:alize yourselves by catching the light
nings, YOU have it within your power
to grasp a high and holier fire, that
which flashes round the throne of God,
and which, burning within the human
heart, crowns men with the glory OF
goodness, which is above price, and
without which man is nothing. !
You wIhave your struggles; | speak
from experience; have been over the
same ground. But in the presence Of
arrogance, and pride, and bloated
wealth, remember you are men--that
you live by the grace of God and the
power of omnipotence-that God him
self has taught you that one human soul
is of more value than all this globe, and
that you are an immortal soul. Assert
this value of your Immortality and high
destiny, and you will no longer tremble
in the presence of that insgniicance
which would overawe or repress you.
Reflect a moment what you can do,
what any man can do; ten pages a day
is over three thousand year. Even
this apparently little, performed every
day for few years, places you, before
you are aware OF it, at the head of in.
, ieIligence. What said Sugden, who
!. has so much distinguished himself as a
lawyer, when spoken 10 on this subjectl
. attribute all my success to the fact,
that read in a week what most stu.
dents read in day, and hence always
had it at my command. 1t is not the
amount that man skins over, but the
understanding of what he reads. Be
moi discouraged, but let it be our effort
to advance truth, goodness, and the
glory of our race. In this | want the
assistance, the sympathy and efforts of
the young men, with whom wish to
act and aid. My sympathy and heart
has always been with those who labor
and earn their own living, and under
the law of Ged, eat their bread in the
sweat Of their face.
mus, soon close but what thought
does the subject Of the press force up
on the mind. We behold the gifted
ones Of the earth chasing down the
fleeing forms OF beauty and grandeur,
to fasten them in the marble and upon
the canvass, there to speak and barn,
to correct our taste and elevate our
sentiments, and others to whom the
vas universe is one sweet concord Of
sound catching up those delicious vibra-
tons, which are the echoes Of the strings
of creation. vibrating under the breath
of God, that we too may be made TO
hear, and have our hearts to leap in the
bliss Of music. q But the press gathers
10 the whole stream of human thought,
intelligence and emotion, and filings it
like one flood of light over the human
race. In the printed pages, might al
i most say live the souls Of the mighty
dead-who still live and teach US con.
ISOLATION and comfort, hope and glory Of
example, science and art, morals and
piety, all, all are poured out upon us
from The press. ltreaches everybody,
hit talks to every body, it can instruct
and delight; but alas it can become the
engine Of malice and all evil. How
careful ought those to be then who con-
! duct it, not to abuse it. Not to employ
it to wound and hunt down individuals.
How frequently like a dagger, may a
single paragraph strike its venom into
. the heart, when its power is directed
to wrong objects aud welded for evil
purposes. Letthose who conduct il,
, remember the value Of human feeling
and of the human heart; one human
soul is worth more than the whole
world. 1t would require a higher ex-
ertion Of Omnipotent power to form a
human heart with all its delicate sensi-
bilities, passions and sweet affections,
than to hang up in space that glorious
sun which wraps universe in warmth
and light. The press was never de-
|signed as vehicle Of private abuse and
individual attack. .g,:. M.
i will but say a word more and close.