Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1852-03-03
A RALLYING SPEECH.

ARALLYING SPEECH. :,
Bro. JOHN W. FOSTER, male the following re-
marks in Fidelity Division, Northampton Coun- '
ty) on the 18th inst; members believing :
them well calculated to arosse the supine ener- :
gies of slumbering Diviaous and hoping they : !
might prove as benefited i to the lukewarm else t
where, as here, solicited q eepy for publication, |
which being kindly furnished is submitted to you
for insertion in the Age
III COMMITTEE.
WORTHY PATRIARCH compliance with the
solicitation of several bsthreu, | am here this
evening to offer a few nnarks, designedly for
the good Of the INSTITUTED. And now, were |
to start out at the commencement, by saying that
| was at a loss where to egin, or for subject and
material upon which | night build a discourse,
of any length, [ would De asserting that which
has really no foundationin fact. There are SO
many things in this word SO closely and init
mate.y connected with nan as a moral and in
t~ellectual being, and Therefore, having a direct
bearing upon that great cause, Tor the promo
ton of which we have assembled to day, that
he who has the faculty Of speech at all, need
never be at a loss for a subject Fpon which he
may speak. TX
But, of all the subjects when have ever been
presented, and which have ever engaged the
profound and attentive consideration Of men,
there perhaps is no one more mysterious, lncom-
prehensible and unfathomable than that Of the
human intellect itself. Let your mind run back
through the annals of the past-gelati an &pecu-
Iunn-and commencing, if you choose, at the
time when the Star of Bethlehem announced the
birth of a Savior of the world, come up step by
step through every succeeding generation from
+bat tiDna To tho rposaDf opd 10Y will find that
the mind OF man has ever been imbued and
characterized by the same delusory, wavering
and unstable proclivities. Like the evanescent
surges upon the bosom of the mighty Ocean, that
are rippIed, moved and tossed by every tickle
change of the passing wind, this wondrous
faculty, from childhood to manhood, is kept IN
one continual state of fermentation. Being
moved and tossed by the pillows Of chance and
circumstances, it is ever in motion, entertaining
the same adherence to rest that nature does to
a vacuum. Like the enthusiastically delighted
with a bubble, tlckled witf1 aexaggs it runs off
.atn arSasz ~ -aoag4h - .ePpeHfte Tor no veltY,
like the horse feech,, is ever Crying give, give,
and is never satisfied.
Such is a feint resemblance Of SOME of the
natural attributes of the human mind, and moth
ing but the force of education, in conjunction
with an indomitable will both to act, and to be,
can purge out, and r~enovate its pernicious pro-
pensities so as to make this Incompatible %constit-
uent of man what the Ailwise Creator intended
it should be capable of bringing forth good and
wholesome fruit, both for this world and for that
from whose bourne no traveller returns.
But, ". P. it is our happy privilege to have
been born and reared in an aye of mental pro.
gress and Improvement, In an age when all the
errors of mind have been seen, felt, appreciated
and deprecated at a time when all the God-Gke
principles of both Heaven and Earth have been
! ao1lod into roo,ioi+;oo h 49,. ,ifb 4Lo.o GILL
lingering traits of mans ignorance and depravi
ity-Vlrtue mounted upon the steed of morali
ty, with the spear of love and the shield of phil
anthropy, dashes on to the conflict, and cries
down. down /! with the foe.4
Religion, clad Ill the h~abiliments of Heaven
Yields the sword of Divine faith, and with the
finger of eternal truth, points to the means o.
its determination. But in this unitarian age O
the practical and the useful, with all these pc.
tent agencies at work-allow me to enquire
! have these evils been subdued ? have they beer
even mitigated? Alas! no, no. Whilst man
} kind shall continue to exist, I very much feal
that mental intrnnity will continue to be hi
c~oncomltant characteristic. Many, many hun
dred years ago, when the clouds of ignoranc,
l and barbarism seemed to have enveloped anC
= Obscured the whole face of the earth wher
, the entire aspect of nature was SO dark ant
gloomy that even God Himself was forced t.
wink at lt-man's principle and highest pursui
upon earth was to act in obedience to his ami
NAL Propensities and appetites which brough
J him at once almost upon a level with the yer,
2 brute creation. His highest conceptions Q
? Divinity then, was ONE 6razen image mad
J with his own hands; and his most devout idea q
a U0rShip, was to bow in humble alteration at tn
feet of this lifeless God of his own creation
5 And such sir, were the times which we, in thes
wonderful days. with our exalted Intelligence
: are ready to stIgmatize as the age of superstitioI
and Idolatry. Those dark ages have, for III
U passed % and gone, and we are now standing i
I the middle of that glorious era termed the nine
teenth century but in this mighty age of intel
ligence, civilization and refinement, is there
J man any where to be found who will now rs
y up and place his hand on his heart, and saw, that
II we are at TINS day and time perfectly exemp
from those sacrsllgious denominations which infes
ted the people of the dark ages Ali methink
there are none here to-day at least. to answe
that question in the affirmative. But on tn
other hand, | for one, would unLesitatingl
hazard the assertion, that idOLdtrg exists t.
cay yes, THIS very day, to an extent almost a
u deIeterlous and pernicious as at any cher Derio
3 during the whole history of the worls. Men d
not now as IN days of yore, bow down, and ofe
up religious vows to stocks and stones. and igne
Talstty make a mock of God but With sham,
= with horror and objectionable reprhension +
it spoken-the Great God of The present aae
SELF and the only real orthordor ~rsEio;on Of II
times is. to get momnaon for selfis sake
at 1t matters not what pursuit II life in wbic
v, we NAV be engaged, this in1mdclate sebfis tb
magnetic pivot around which IL things els
er must revolve. Should we step side for a me
5 ment TO engage IN some work ofgirtue, mora
p ity. philanthropy or religion-m the lapse I
many days, comes the sordid Aculation. is
likely to prove beneficial TO mysE! and unle.
he this question can be satisfactory answered.