New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-12-30

Il N old fabc (ssi Mr. c) TIA, ,te sea tsunsed 10
lsrd for conqucrrs only third Of the globes surss,
ard the enrssri Lard shook with earthquakes. saf
.ror.ed forth hses IN defiance from iss volcanic mou
and called upor It's ehidr~n 10 revenge the insult
Tiey cut tree fross Tire hill side and followed Il,
SPREAD upon il sail woven from the produce Of the
eelds launched Il upon the ocean and saiii FORT
INTO every 2one. defyins the soft sephyrs Of sAs
ecsics. and the msddess storms Of the polss.
Then the hollow tree returned safely 10 tho
shores from whence started and chip
clip with 9 thought In q had conquered the oesss.
This l. the cldess account Of the origin Of nav,sHsa
R, the genius of later DAY has rore scientifically
veneed the land upon the by taking from the wsssr
itself the secret Of It's sseusstoa a. Il the long
hair Of the espve should be twisted into fesrs for hs
limbs. Nas the heir Of the land. has made water hb
slave On every hand you hear the shrek Of he ter
ror, orthe hollow.voccd oewsilines ofits despair AZ
mans command the great sscnsthe eonqueror Of the
ocean-descends into the earth 10 oaos dved int
the sea, returning to the surface laden with pesr q
thered in Indian or Persian dspsAs 40 s returns -
the esrths surface with freight Of metals useful anl
rich and capable OF being fashioned into sny form -
the viii Of man.
The farmers son may wonder ss he plows with stroax
bus beside his father but the father turns pale whea
be thinks of the fearful power and energy Of his master
slave running through hills and over the horizon upoa
his errsnds No lees the purveyor OF pleasure thAa
the toiing drudge i, smooths the bills aud bridges
the rivers that obstrect path. and ~ hurres on
ward makes the summer landscape appear a. bss
feeting picture seen in the air Onward the selfcoa
ouered slave speeds with almost fabulous swincss.
but whether 10 carries US along slowly or rapidly. .
no more faguei by it, exertions than were the iovN
and peacocks that drew Juno through the heavens.
The spirit of the age observed the ecture partook
largely of the charseteriscs of the great invention
Steam and in calling attention to the age of steam is
was his object rather to describe than dscusa
This was fast" age; the world went by steam
and the word fast had acquired now siays sisus
canoe Il never had before. The great Babylons were
all full of fast men :" and the summer mirage Of
fashion tia, annually fitted along the land fron
Niagara to Newport dspaye ed certain figures nos
mersted in any natural history enough to perpsx any
historian or philosopher and universally recos.
nized as fast women. Equally significant the sP-
plicston Of the opposite wordslow. In fscs an tho
traditions and Institutions OF past ages now being
called up for Judgment and the modern Rhsdsmantas
with a steeplecrowued beaver upon his head. and
jack knife In hand was daring the philosophers and
politicians Of former times. aud dared them TO hs
favorite game Of brag. . game In which when
playing with any country or nation he seneruily
held trumps In his hand. Men lived touch. and
90 life every man got what he could and kept
a. much a. possible, without making the first inquiry
a. to how Il came. "you tickle mo and | II tickle
you" the doctrine but at all events. you tickle
me-" (Lsughterl The lecturer then humorously al
uded 10 the extreme eagerncss eyinced BY the young
cn of the country to enter upon the active duties o.
life at go early an age In conradisncsion 10 the
ton and slowncss with which Europeans undertook
the responsibilities of business life In relation 10 the
peculiar proeressiveness of tho Yankee, Mr. @. TO
marked that II fishing smack went across tho ocean
and rded over the waters which once Jason plowed.
we might follow its cntcprising captain on his pro-
gress seeing him sailing for any port where good
bargain could be made. II you saw him exhibit
bold self relisnce In ell circumstances, cool
deliberstien and fearlessness In danger and .
stern resignation In death II we discovered him
loungng with bis hands In his pockets aud qud In
his mouth, around the base Of the Pyramids In the
shadow of the Parthenon or In the twilight Of the In
dian Rock Temples. only stopping his quick whstlng
10 calculatc the dimensions of tho ~nrkn you fo~nd
him sticking his great rude boot through the fashion
able inches of conventionalsm hob nobblng with the
Grand Lama or taking snuff from the Popes SINUS boz
we would see In all these places and under all those
circumstances the personidcation Of the spirit Of
steam age This spirit onward its face wa for.
ward Believing that this spirit did not come out az
sodom, 1t did not look back with womanly tendsr-
ness but hastened on ito journey 10 other cities Of mea
considering that there good acshpots In Jcru
salem 90 in Egypt In fact, IT, secret manifest
destiny The lecturer then referred to tho division Of
"fnst and slow, applied 20 politics. especially
dwelling and In very happy terms upon thenow general
application Of the terms Old Fogy" and "Fogysm"
to the "slow party and In this connection ailusioa
was also made to the fast spirit a. displayed In he
projects entertained In regard to China Japan. 60. He
then drew attention the peculiar aspect Of ageina re
gious point Of view. maintaining that Mormonsm (nvai
ofMohamedansm in wonderful ncreasc) wa, reiis
ous system operating by certain Influences upon ~
professors strongly marked with all the characteristics
Of the age In which the movement began. IL was
strange eclectckuia combination Of mystic theology
with the strong common sense OF New England. Wha-
ever peculiar whims or blasphenies might DO In the
creed there was much contained In IL that W. not
either whm acai blasphemous But the influence Of
the spirit Of the age also observable In the old fors
OF fsth II to be In the spread Of more cath
olic feeling tending to obliterste old sectariAn lines.
The lecturer then went into q glowing and eloquent
description Of the wondrous facilities which are nov
possessed for the acquisition Of knowledge Of passng
eveats through the agency Of the great power Of the
sge, at the same time showing that by means Of sesn
this people had not become only an omni writer, but
also an eaini printer In support Of this Mr.. G.
ferred to the astonishing success that had attended
the publication Of the Harpers Magazine, Uncle Toms
Cabin &C. &C.; and In alusion TO the literary aspect
Of the influence Of the age Of steam In this country he
referred to tho fact that here IL that Thomas Ger
lyle and Alfred Tennyson were fret hailed a. child
rem Of genius Here also published the first com.
plete editions Of the works Of Boingbroke, Sydney
Smith, Mscaulsy. Motherwell, thepocl, &c. sc.
Leaving that branch Of his discourse, Mr.. G. pro-
ceeded to say that there were obviously danger
Gus tendencies inherent Ia the very nature Of
the age Of steam. The steam spirit begat su'
perfeality, and Jonathan could not deny that, for
be went Oh the principle Of knowing little Of every.
thing, and consequently did not know great deal
Of anything We mat confess that the education Of
fered in colleges, wa not 80 thorough or profound