Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-09-17

his nature Tor more than sixty
the time he bought his first copy of the constitution on
the handkerchief and revered parental lips had commend
ed II to him. with all other holy and beautiful things
along with lessons OF reverence to God and the belief and
love OF HIS scrptureA Mong with the doctrine OF the
catechism, the unequaed music Of Watts the name Of
Washington there had been hour that he had
noted II the master work Of man. just in its ethics
summate IN It's practical wisdom, paramount IN its in
uncons that every year of life had deepened the orig
nal Impression that his mind opened and his associa
tons wdcned he found that every for whom he felt
theological and moral teachers, his
entire party connexon the opposite party and the whole
countrso held too that its fruits OF than half
century OF unon Of happiness of renown bore constant
and clear witness to it in his mind and that it CHANGED
that certain emegent and occasions had deyoyed
him TO stand forth to maintain it, to vindicate its inter-
probation, to vndcae its authority to unfold its work
ing and uses that he had acquitted himself of that OPP
poruniy as to have the title of its Expounder and
Defender SO that his proudes memories his most priced
renown referred to 1T and entwined with it and say
whether with such antecedents readiness execute
disposition TO eyade would have been the hardest to
plain, Hkeliest to suggest the surmse OF tempta
ton lie who knows any thing of man knows that his
vote for beginning the restoration of harmony by keeping
the whole Constitution determined necesstated
by the great law of sequences great law of and
effect running back his mothers arms resstless
the law which moves the system about the SUM- and that
ne must have given it. although it had been opened to him
In vision that within the natural day his .seyes
should be turned to behold for the last time the in
heaven
To accuse him in that of SHINING against his own
conscience is to charge of these things either that
no well instructed conscience approve and maintain
the Constitution and each of its parts and therefore that
his BY Inference did not approve that he had
the proper of nsructng his conscience
and therefore its approval if it given itself
immortality. The accuser must assert Of these pro-
positions He win not deny take it for granted that
the conscience requires to be instructed by political
teaching in order to guide the citizen the public man
Alright in the matter OF political duties Will he say that
themora sentiments asne, whatever their origin whe
hef Fictitious and deratye parcel of the spirit Of
the child, and born with IT. that they alone by force Of
strict and mere ethical training, become qualified to pro-
nounce authoritatyey whether the Constitution any
other vast and complex civil policy as whole whereby
nation is created and preserved, ought to have been
made ought to be executgaf Win he venture to tell
you that ypur conscience approves the Union the Con-
ttituon in all its parts and the law which administers
it, that you are bound to obey and uphold them and if it
dsapproves you must according to your measure and in
your circles agitation disobey and subvert hcm and
leave the mater there-orgeng designedly emitting
to tell you also that you bound in all good faith and
diligence to resort to studies and to teachers ab td in
order to determine whether the conscience ought to APP
prove dsaproye the Union the Constitution and the
Law, IN rteoof the whote aggregate Of their nature and
fruits Does he not perfectly know that this moral a
Guilty, however trained by moral institution speci-
caly drectedt that end, to be tender sensitive and
perempory totally unequal to decide any action
any thing very simplest that which produces the
most papabe Ind immediate result of unmixed good
unmixed evils and that when it to Judge the
great mixed CASTS Of the world where the consequences
the light and shallow of blended and Rultiform good
and evil spread out the lifetime of nation that then
morality must borrow from history, from politics, from
operating history and politics her elements of
determination? think he must agree to this. he must
agree think tina, to single provision in politi
cal system of many parts and of elaborate nterdepen
dence to take it all alone exactly it stands and with
out attention to its origin and history the necessities
morally resistess, which prescribed its introduction into
the system the unmeasured good in other forms which
its allowance buys the unmeasred evil in other forms
which its allowance inders-without attention these
to present it in all " the nakedness of metaphysical abb
stracton to the sensbilities and ask if is not
nhuman and if they according to their kind that
tits, then to say that the problem is solved and the right
OF dsobedence is made clearhe must agree that this is
not TO exat and conscience but outrage both
He must agree that although the supremacy of conscience
is absolute, whether the decision be right wrong
that 49, decorng 10 ercai quaes OF things or notthat
there lies back Of conscience and It's actual
decison the anteror duty of having conscience
that shall decide according to teredt qualities Of things that
to this vast attainment adequate knowledge of the
real qualities Of the things which to be subjected to
its inspection is Indispensable that the matter TO be
Judged Of is any thing large complex, and conven
uonal as the duty of the citizen public TO The
State the duty OF preserving destroying the order
things in which born the duty of executing
violating of the provisions of organic law which the
country having wide and clear view before and after
had deemed needful instrumental means for the presdr
walton Of that order; that then it is enough ree-
gate the citizen or the public to higher law and an
interior illumination, and leave him there. Such dis
they high" He must agree that in such
ralty itself should go to SCHOOL There must be science
well conscience, old Fuller has said. She must
herself learn Of history she must learn Of politics she
consult the builders of the State the living and the
dead to know its value its aspects in tho long run
happiness and morals its dangers the of its pre-
servaon the maxims and arts imperial Of its glory. To
fit her to be the mistress Of civil fe he viii agree that
she must come for space from the interior round of
emotions and subjective states and CONCENTRATIONS and
introspecton-''c clustered, unexercised unbreathed
and carrying with her nothing but her tenderness her
scrupuosity and her love Of truth survey the objective
realities Of the State ponder houghtfully the compli-
cations and impediments and antagonists which make
the noblest politics but aspiring, approximation
compromise type, shadow of good to come, the bu
ing of great blessings at great prices and there learn
civil duty secundaa suieetam rateriam add TO your
virtue knowledge" or ii is no virtue.
And now, is he who Mr.. Webster Of " SHINING
against his own conscience quite that he os that
that conscience well instructed by profouudes political
studies and thoughts of the well instructed By
an appropriate moral institution seduously applied, did
not commend and approve his conduct himself? Does
he know that he had not anxiousy and maturey studied
the ethics of the constitution and question Of ethics,
but Of ethics applied TO stupendous problem Of pract-
cal fe and had not become satisfied that they right
Does he that he had not done this when his facu
ties were all their best and his motives under
picion May not such inquirer, for aught you
know may not that great mind have verify and CON
scentiousy thought that he had learned in that nves
cation many things May he not have thought that he
learned that the duty of the inhabitants Of the free Ses
in that days extremity to- the republic the duty at all
events Of statesmen to the republic, is little large,
and delicate, and difficult 70 be all comprehended in the
single emotion of compassion for class Of persons in
the commonwealth in carrying the single princi
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