Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1852-11-19
BY HON JOHN s. BOWEN, OF WEST CHESTER
Amid all tho associations Of life, gre

Amid all tho associations Of life, group
ing together by their several affiniri men
of all shades of character and of every
degree of cultivation, one trait invariably
gives pre-emincnce to its possessor. The
eloquent Aaron was but the mouth piece
Of the Leader Of Israel! The ripened in
tellect and rare scholarship of Erasmu. and
Melanc'hon faltercd at tke principles and
quailed before the storm of Luthcr's rcfor-
nation. The mute Cromwell gave TO Eng
land liberty at home and amincnce abroad,
a living embodiment of the theories Of
Sidney from which he fed aghast.
1t is always thus in action. The man
Of Energy, with limited resources, achieves
work, from which the less vigorous mind,
however stored, shrinks in contemplation,
or fails in the attempt.
Power, capabilities, the ,cor'h of a man,
is estimated by his work. In order to
know what he is, to understand him rightly,
we do not so much inquire Of his capac;-
ties, as their fruits. What has be done !?
Is he man of intellect, Of learning, Of
skill; profound, eloquent, ingenious, or
/ laho,ous We inquire. What are the re-
suits where are the logical developments
Of truth-the mastery of complex prob
ems-i in science, Or in government! Have
his acquisitions of learning shed any light
upon the obscuriiies of ancient text, recon
eied the discrepancies Of historic record, CT
gathered the disjointed experience of the
past to guide the progress of the present
age? Has his eloquenee given fresh force
! to truth, or impaired v:gor to its advocates:
Has he skillfully and laboriously computed
the elements of some unseen planet, from
remote and almost intangible data ? Has
he enlarged the domain of natural science,
rcctihsd the practice of art, improved tLe
processes of manufacture, taught better
modes Of agriculture, or in any way con-
tributcd TO the well being of society? If
so, we have the measure of his value. All
telse is but the foundation of a hope Of bet
ter things which his future life may produce.
In rudcr ages, whether Of ancient or
modern civilization, the achievements Of
physical force were almost the only events
committed to the charge of tradition. The
viii to do, the valor to perform these are
the qualities which arrest attention, and
the deeds Of men so endowed, are Lcralded
from land to land, and from age to age.
But when in the Feudal ages We note
how the keen Intellect of the willy priest
converts the noble soul of chivalry to his
own base purposes-evcn while we are
constrained 10 acknowledge the facility of
intellectual acumen over physical or moral
strength, we can not withhold our sympa-
tiles from the more noble, but less astute,
warrior, nor Indignation at the treachery
Of the smooth and cunning monk. For
cunning is the weapon of the weak, and
hypocrisy the armor Of cowardice. Intel
lec;ual strength lies not in Machiayellism,
nor its value i'll subterfugc.
1t is general law that force must be
met by its kind. When the earth was in
its original state, wild, untracked by
man, life itself was perpetual contest,
and every acquisition was a conquest OF
physical force. Hardihood Of mind and
body was the chief virtue Brutality, from
the same cause, was the prevailing vice.
The hero who broke down the barriers OF
nature, opening new fields for the dominion
of man; or routed the marauding bands Of
men grown savage as the beasts Of the
forest, was himself in danger of merging
his heroism in the brutality of his con
quered foes, and of growing savage as the
wilderness he Overran.
In like manner the encounter of intel
lcct begets its kindred vice; the advocate
Of truth and right often losing sight of the
end and STOPPING to means wholly incom
patible. 1t is thus that the resistance tc
oppression begets brutality /; that sophistry
not logic, is employed to sustain principle
and fraud and falsity to further mora
ends.
The beauty Of intellectual and mora
Energy is seen in the character Of thos'
who have led the race in wholesome revo
'lutions in the moral or physical world
There great energies, combined with di
rectness Of purpose, have full sway; and
the mould produces the rugged form and
gigantic proportions of a Luther, Crom
we'll, an Adams, or Washington.
Energy is an attribute Of mind more
fascinating than the whole galaxy Of exte
rior accomplishments. The strong admire
it. The weak bow before its presence. Il
is magnetic in its influence, imparting te
others measure of its own strength, anG
polariziug mind to harmonious action.
Capacity, such as this, were the more
desirable, because it is inherent. Du,
g. ,.lo -. = IL