Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1851-04-15
E1nauENT DEFAMATION.

In d.rors. delivered before tho Graduating Class Of the
College Of Charleston by Rev Prof j. W. Miles, he
paes tho Bible the highest productions Of Grccian sen!
u.s. The Mercury says iii the reader should be disposed
10 exception the tingc Of scholarly qualntneas that
characteristics It's language he will remember that the dis.
course WIS addressed Students fresh from their classical
studies nd to whom the associations moved by such au
sons were Of all Others the most familiar and the most
vivid"
Enter with me- In na-ination some we'll stored library,
and glance around upon stately uuy Of tones In which
wisdom md the mighty thoughts of the dead arc garnet
ed up Tey immortal There they Stand, so calm and
SOLEMN If canscou, Of their nperishabe glory Dare We
hope We TOO, Will day be numbered among those
ranks and leave thoughts Tor which the wise VIII barter e
gudl And yet, what matters II Those creations, il Is
True great noble dealheSsi the instruction, the excite
ment The very ucho Of the heart OF humanity. But they
tell nothing vi the mysteries most necessary To be
known ard which, curained by death, and dreauly paed
10y tu- and rehuton ngatc aud cypress the inqulrlng
spirit They only inform us that those mysteries nave
also darncd other spirits awakened fears, double, and
ruthless spccuIaton and the collected wisdom OF the World
leaves only deeply conscious Ut the ignorance OF
But amidst the grand array, the eye .! the weary and
unsasfui inquirer small AND ancient VOLUME
II has passed through fiery ordeal OF crlclsi than
all the writings collectively Of India GREECE, and Renee and
it holds cnthaed the faith and homage or the civilized
world Strange Venerable, Awful Terrible book II is
folly cicule YOU il lie madness 10 reject you with all
your hard sanss aud dark riddles and dim traditions and
bloody stories, you have rumphed over the literature OF
Greece AID what Is more, over The modest lneiecs anu .e
finest heaits which have regazed humanity what tn
enemies in that they have deemed you sufficiently Tor
mdable elicit almost everything which learning assidul'
ty genius wcarilsss rusearch and the most polished Intel
eclual arnoy could furnish to combat you One book 10
barburous dialects against glorious language and unri-
vailed genius Of library of rucians The true olynpan
Eagle Of Song The Fiery Master of the lyric orrent-te
Enihronct Triad OF scton and passion,he Lutevolced old
Chronicer-the Pronehcau Thief Of Clos Stylus-ths
tonsued Annaist Of the Immortal Retrentthc Thun-
subtle NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. polished Censor and Panegy-
rst of declining Athens-the genial E.sayist and Bio
grapiler-and the bubirnsly atuned soul, whose
thoughts and !lngauge roll like The everlasting har-
mony OF the spheres; yss a-poet, orator, historian phi
usopher-you must all DOH your starry, well earned
crowns be:Jc tie awful tadcni u that authoritative vol.
ue Old G;ecuns your glory is Ike the glitter Of The starry
r.rarusn--your majesty lSe that Of he old rolling hea-
bu, inc Bos like Hoods OF sunshine and stormy
night nrid fire. aud bany and n and deu.h and
heaven and he'll in the rapidly shifting oi univer-
sal panorama Masters c the hear, aud intellect you
recans are your pages have such paos the story
Of Joscp-no psalms like ,hu strains Of Davidno sublime
conceptions Oh the Omnpuient Jehovah, like the Hebrew
Tophe!s-no gantsuT IKE the e9pyIsa piercing Nights Of
Paunc oquencr eoquence which NEITHER the ntrcaccS
Of bad Greek the pecuut method Of Rabbnic logic, can
degrade or ob'clr your pages nothing equal ~ the
wild sutlimity Of The apocaypc epici and your of-
and most brilliant concefons fade into insignihcnnce
a9G the soi H before the the Gsi"e ss
Hercules that he might speedily reach the blessed a6odes
through sharp bcnfIcted asones which swallowed up
in their fiery haste the slow taTlnens OF the guawng vest;
what Is AgameTnoHb touching compulsory sacrifice oil the
ssde"olcd pheeniu; whit tho u;lccng sel!sacrhcc oi
Alcestis for her husbands lilo what the grand suffering
Of Pronetheus for TEMPORAL brnet OF the human
what all the voluntary sacrifices OF Gecan story Compared
with the overwhelming tenderness, the unepeukabc and
suoy Of the loving sacrifice OF the SON Of God for the
everlasting salvation of sinful world The genius aud
learning OF centuries kuve been knded byund lavshcd
upon the literature of Greece but II brought comfort
the penitent cp Il solened into ruprn
lance and transformed repentance into the hope Of faith II
never poured balm INFO tine broken heart, con
ISOLATION The Of th= afflicted and dcsoe II
took away the sting Of sin threw halo d iuph around
the gloom OF death il cxur;ed from glorious cruw
Of genius and learning the confession that This Is the Word
OF God !" az thu, old Bible has nightly dune And
after every concession Is made which science and
cisn cun s.ort demand the truths of that book will still
shine, golden chan lnkIns The deepest and holIes hopes
of man with the heavenly throne If the eternal God