Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1850-04-01
COMMUNICATION.
For THE VINDrcAroR.
THE DISSERTATIONS OF HEAVEN, DEM
OCRATIC OR EQUAL.
by A. A. Sewers.

| come now, in the second place, TO consider
the impartialiiy OF Divine;Pyovdence in the con-
dition of human life. Lite-to borrow q conpar-
ison from the science OF political economy-lfe
like nature, is a system OF checks and balances
Every power Of comforting happiness is limited
or else counteracted by some other power either
of good OF evil There is TO blessing or benei,
but has some drawback upon it. and there is nc
inconvenience nor calamity but it enjoys some
compensation This results from the very ma
ture of fittings. You cannot enjoy things inconl-
patible. You cannot at once enjoy, for instance,
the pleasures of the country and tho town You
cannot mingle the quietude Of ohscurity with the
honors and emolunents of office y0u canpo,
have, at the same time, the benefits Of allic.on
and the joys Of prosperity. If you would reach
the loitest virtue You must sometimes endure
sickness and PAIN and you must sometimes be
bound down with sorrow. lfyou would have
perpetual ease and indulgence you must resign
something of noble fort.ude, holy patience, and
Of the blessed t1iumphs of faith. The inequali-
ties which appear in the condition of human
life relate, chiefly, to the posss ssions, the en-
ployments or the distinctions Of society If We
should examine these, we would probably find,
that they are Of less importance to our happiness
than is commonly imagined. Indeed, we know,
that they all depend, chiefly, on thesues that is
made Of them; and heig use depends upon the
mind. Distinction and medioc,ity, leisure and
toll, wealth and poverty, have no intrnsic pow
er ct happiness or misery at their disposal
There is a principle aei!Iia that Is 10 render
them good or evil
| But not at present to insist on this, These cir
cumstanees OF inequality, in themselves, are less
than they seem. 1t is common, know, to heal
OF the prerogatives, the power, the independence
OF the higher classes of society, athe upper te,l'
But Divine Providence acknowledges no such
nobi!ity-no such exemption frem the wants OF
the human lot 1t is Democratic. Il teaches us
| very little about prerogative or independence,
| however the pride OF man may tiatier him. No
tower OF pride was ever high enough 10 lii: lis
Possessor above the trials and fears and trailties
ofhumanity. No human hand ever built the
wall, nor ever shall, that will keep ous atRietion,
pain and infirEaty. Sickness and sorrow, tyou.
BE and death, are all dwelling dispensaiions-
| They know none high or low. The chief wants
of life, too, the great necessities of the human
soul, give exemption to none They make all
poor-all weak. They put supplication i'll the
mouth OF the greatest human being as truly as in
that OF the meanest beagar.
Now consider society for one moment, in re-
gard to It's employments-aud there is not, per-
haps, greater Inflammation in the world than for
a man OF active and industrious habits to look
with envy or repining upon the ease and leis-
IRE OF his neighbor. Employment, activity is
one OF the fundamental laws OF human happi-
ness. All the laborious incidence Of him W he
has nothing 10 do; the preylng uneasiness, the
stagnant ennul OF him who has nothing to OBJ
tain the heavy hours which roll over him like
the waters OF Letheau sea, that has not vel
quite drowned he senses III their Obvious s.u.
por the dull comfort OF having flushed a day
tbs dfeariness in prospect Of another 10 come
III one word, the terrible visitation OF an aveng
ing Providence to him that lives 70 himself
But need not dwell on case 60 obvious, and
proceed at once to mention the distinction Q.
wealth and poverty.
Il must net be dc.ied that poverty, affect and
desperate poverty, is I, great evil; but this Is
not 4 common iol and II still moro rarely occurs
in this blessed republican land, wilhout faults
OF vices, which should forbid all complaint
Neither shall il here be urged on the ether hand
that riches are acquired with many labors ant
kept with many cares ard anXie,es for so ais
it may be said, and truly said, has poverty it.
tolls and anxieties. The true answer TO all diff
cuities On this suDlec, seems 10 be, that mans
life consistent NOT i'll the abundance Of things
which he possesseth The answer, in short
may be reduced to plain matter of iact-thsr,
is about as much cheerfulness among the poo
as the rich-anC!, suspect, about as much con
tertment too For, we M ght add, ii mans
life consist at all III his possessions, 1t does NO
consist III what he possesses, but in what he
THINKS himself to possess. Wealth is a colnpar
alive terra. The desire OF property grows anc
at the same time the estimate OF it lessons witt
the accumulation. And thus it may come *
pass, that he who possesses thousands may less
teel himself to be rich, and to all substantial
purposes may actually be less rich, than he who
enjoys suiliclency.
Blu: not 10 urge this point, we say, that a mans
lite does not consist in these things. Happi
ness, enjoyment, the buoyant spirits Of life, ths
Joys OF humanity DO hot consist i'll them. They
DO net depend ON this distinction Of being POO
CT rich. As it is with the earth, that there arr
living springs within 1t which will burst iortl
somewhere, SO it is with the humaE heart; Their
are fountains Of 9ladness in 1t, and why shoult
they not revive the dreary? Why should the,
not cool the brow OF labor and the lips that ar
parched with toll |! Why should they not re
fresh the poor man? Nay, but they do; and the
refresh him the more because he IS poor an,
weary Man may hew out TO himself cisterns
but the great fountains which God has opene
are for all This and that man may endeavou
to appropriate them to himself; he may guid
them 10 his reservoir; he may cause them
gush forth in artificial fountains and to fall i
artificial showers in his gardens but 1t is artf
cial still; and one draueht OF the pure well-sprin
Of honest, honoly happiness, is better than thel
all and the shower which Heaven sends, fall
upon the rich and poor, upon the high and tn
. low alike, and with still more impartial favo
] desccnds upon the good and the evil, upon tn
Jus. and the unjust.
COMMENCEMENT OF THE BLUE RIDG
I TURNPIKE.
Z The above improvement extending from Go
louisville on the Virginia Central Rail Roa
through Orange, Madison and Page counties
New Market, iii Shenandoah county, has bee
in course of location by Mr. r. T. Geiger, Eng
neer, fo- some weeks, and as Tar as located find