The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1852-04-03
DIFFICULTY.

bud-the light that breaks the cloud in
to thousand forms of beauty--is calm
ly striving to assume the perfect glory
oflts power; and The child, whose proud
laugh he:alds the mastery of a new les
son, uncons ciously developes the same
life-impulse seeking to prove the power
it has felt its own.
This is the real goal of life shining
dimly from afar; for. as our fullest pow
er was never yet attained, it is a treas
ure which must be sought, its extent and
distance being unknown. No man can
tell what he can do, or suffer, until tried;
his path Of action broadens out before
him; and, while path appears, there
is power to traverse it. 1t is like the
tabled hill of Genius, that ever present
ed lottier elevation above the one at
tanned. 1t is like the glory OF the stars,
which shine by borrowed light, each
seeming source of which is tributary to
one more distant, until the view is lost
to us; yet we in Y know there must be a
lfe-giving centre, and, to the steady
mind, though the goal of life be dim and
distant, its light is fixed and certain,
while all lesser aims are but reflections
of this glory in myriad descending
shades, which must be passed, one by
one, as the steps of the ladder OH which
he mounts to heaven.
Man has an unfortunate prediction
to pervert whatever God throws in his
way to aid him, and thus turn good to
evil. The minor hopes which spur to
action are mistaken for the final one;
and we often look no higher than some
mean wish, allowing that to rule us
which should have been our servant.
From this false view rises little eXer-
tons, for ii is impossible for man to be-
lieve in something better, and be con-
tent with worse. We all aim at self
control and Independence while in the
shadow of power which controls us,
whispering nnerly, "lhus far shalt
thou 90, and no farihcr;" but how apt is
sel(-induIgence to suit this limit to its
own measure. and suffer veneratlon and
doubt to oversrow and suppress the RI
sing hope Of Independent thought. Il
am not permitted to know this. or to do
this" is the excuse of the weak and
trivial; but the question should be,
"Can | know or do this - for what is
not permitted we cannot do. We may
not know the events of the future, or
the period of thought, or the Great
First Cause, but we may hope 10 see and
combine the atoms of thingS-merce
the realms Of space-make the wilder
ness a garden-attain perfection ofsoul
and body; and for this our end we may
master all things needful.
i There is nothing possible that faith
and striving cannot do; take the road,
and it must lead you to the goal, though
strewn with difficulties, and cast through
pain and shade. If each would strain
his energies to gain what he has dared
to hope for, he would succeed, for, since
! that which we love and honor is in our
nature, il is TO be drawn forth, and what
is not there we cannot wish.
| Our greatest drawback is, not that
we expect too much, but that we do too
little; we set our worship low, and let
our higher powers lie dormant; thus are
we never masters, but blind men stumb-
ling in each others way. As maturity
means self-controlling power, so he who
gales not this is childish, and must sub
nit, infantlike, to be controlled by 9TH
ers. This guidance we must feel in our
upward course, and be grateful for the
check; but as we have each work to
do, We must look beyond help to indie
pendence. The school-boy receives
aid in learning, that he may one day
strive with his own power, for if he al
ways depends on help, he can never be
a useful man.
He who seeks for himself no path,
but merely follows where others have
been before, covering his own want
with another's industry; may End the
road not long or thckly set, but he does
and gains nothing. He who bows to
difficulty, settling at the foot of the hill,
instead of struggling to its top, may get
a sheltered place-a snug retreat-but
the world in its glory he can never see;
and the pestilence from the low ground
he must imbibe. We may rest in per-
feet comfort, but the health that comes
of labour will fade away. The trees of
the forest were not planted that man
might pass around and live between
them, but that he might cut them down
and use them. The savage has little
toll before him, but the civilized man
has greater power of happiness.
Would man be powerful and bid
his genius rule his felow-men he must
toll to gain means; while his thought
reads the hearts he would sway, he must
be led into temptation, and pass through
pain and danger, ere he can know what
another may endure. Would he pour