New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-09-13
ILLINOIS LETTERS. Nv.



twas an Ordinary occurrence such a. one nay wit
..ss almost any hour 81 ever day in the week AMI
vhieh AVE witnessed perhaps hundreds OF Tim =
vithip A month with scarcely pasnsg thought bat
to Ssy a. sat 10 our quiet room tnnkng Of the mys-
IA. ~ joys al ffnged with s0rrOws its boPss
~ tar, going down BY behind the mountains
~ ACKNOWLEDGMENT and wondering how found conr-
s, vet 10 live looked with and strange interest
on the tanned fare the furrO1ed brow AMI sprtless
..it of the passer-by. He a cOuntry man. coming
INTO town with his team the great painting
With heat and the weight Of their load and the farmer
kslfbent With wearness, covered with duet and look
g even less animated thar his cattle walked by Their
side Here life in three distinct forms. Three
ssy for felt that mine, with all it, present past and
future. distinct irom bis and it seemed TO M
then as much above IL his above the animals
that obeyed bis voice
In rapid panoramic view the spheres seemed to pass
befofe me The lowest all animal, without The curse
or blessing Of hope its enOyments all Of appetite us
Efe endured becaVse life il given and II knows not how
to end it, its .eritude rewarded only by WAT sha
continue its capacity for serving, ts END death Inc
highest intellect predominant over all tnat Is oa5e VI
log in the ANIMAL inspired by hopes st once lts bane
md blessing its Joy 10 Outye all lesser hopes IN pros
pect of that one for which alone II Is glorious 70 ve
tie higher and purer future-its use an en0rt aias
feeble one ito e1alt and benefit its kiDds highest re-
ward the Of rigb-its end Ofe the begin
ming OF eternty-ts destiny immortality And that IN
termediae class thought ], with its burden OF lgno-
rance, and poverty, and tol-its aimiess hopeless ex
stenceits painful drudgery, without the stupidity Of
fhe beast 10 sink il beneath mental suffering the in
,piraton Of intellect or genius TO raise il above, what
ean il hope for what is its destiny for what Is II Nv
iDgi Living for wife and children! said gentle
voice at my sde-for in the energy OF my thought L
had spoken aloud. This the voice Of one whose
experience was deeper than mine-who read my
tl0lqhts and answered like thoughtful woman, Low
ing for wife and children" And they asked The
wife living for husband and childrenOny the future
can tell for what the children live"
And his present reward : said l. Ihlnk watch i0r
/" his return and read it in his face.
Think! went back to intellect and thought OF all
its great achievements, its triumphs over time and
spsce and ignorance and darkness its bright rewards
Of honor and renown its pride in the CONSCIOUSNESS OF
its own pOwer-I thought Of all II had DONE OF all II
hoped 10 do and wondered that life without such hopes
and such power could be endured. But even while
thought the chlliness of isolation seemed to settle
down around my heart felt that intellect alone could
no more give happiness to life than ice could give it
warmth Intellect is not hapPlness-ambltion is not
bsppDess-an iceberg in a polar sea--an eagle on the
mountain hight
IAN happy singing birds live the earth and hare
sompanionship Melt the iceberg, mate the eagle; the
purity Of the and the power Of the other are not
" made in vain Melt the iceberg True, there must
be milder element to soften those dazzling properties
before they blend with our natures or their purity
form palatable Ingredient in that cup of which we
are all thirstng and painting to drink But what is this
element where is it
"In the heart OF the very man you looked down
"upon with pity making light the burden of lie,
"castiDg a warmth and glow around the domestic
hearth prompting him to live for wife and children
blessing and being best" But without intellect,
without ambition, such an existence would seem
living death. :" He has intellect, all he needS-mOre
than YOU imagine Mark him well now, as he passes
" and read chapter from him" | read the bent
shoulders erect, the weary step has become firm
and the face all changed the sun-browned hue
Marvellous change Where is the compressed and
anxious expression of the mouth where the pain
n. I,..,t fha ovsad ,xith
hnrrOwsl There is than contenment in that
sountenance IA deep happiness - intelligent too
through all its dust-ull Of manly integrity of charac
ter-and-do | read Alright ambition Yes but
not the sinful, selfish ambition cherished in your
"bOfom." Why sinful how selfish II will tell
you, by and by read on while You may"
All! see the solution to it all The letters in his
hand, and the newspapers in his pocket
That VIII solve part not all Listen: That man
has aborod for years to secure his little homestead to
his family This Unexpected rise in the price of corn
has enabled him to cancel all his debts, and now he
els free This morning he had doubtless heard that the
market was declining as III fact It was, and do you
wonder that his form was bent and his face urrOwed
Now YOU need no better token that wife and little
ones are safe than the countenance You have just
read You the papers they form the link OF com
"municatOn between him and the world, frequent and
welcome messengers are they IN That family but
"you did not observe the brown paper parcels in the
wagon and that great bag grown drOpsical with tea
and sugar, and calico dresses In all but food for
the mind they have praciscd the strctest economy,
and now while the husband and father repays his de-
pendent for their patience and selidenal dOy You
ask where is his reward 2" No; saw ii in his face.
full aud complete. How much superior seems his
sphere to NINE and how much swecter the reward of
his abors The object of bis highest ambition attained
and that ambition the purest that can animate the hui
man heart his hopes realized, intelligence blending
with affection 10 purify and consecrate the domestic
altar-ah truly he has nOber aims and truer JOYS in
life than l.
"Sympathy is the magic element that melts tho ice
berg affection brings the eagle from his lonely hight
4" 10 find a mate But where is the sin selhshness
of living for intellect alone 1t is cold life, in which
il there is but little happiness there Is at least but
b. suffer. The sun throws of rays OF light aud heat
blessing others, but himself unwarmcd The sun
"may do 60 but il is not human nature To bless il
To be blest Your ambition is selfish because il shuns
sympathy, and sinful because IL il selfish You shut
yourself up in Your house at snow you have light
within and warmth that is threatening to dissolve the
walls around you and yet only now and then,
through little creyice you let faint light flicker
out to show the wanderer you are there But where
fore The door Of your enchanted castle j. never
"uncosed; the fire that is cons ming sou and your
house warns not another 50 long Ms the walls OF
snow are between YOU And there YOU sit the
flames within the ice around, the Turing light just
cleaning through, and no hand outsrcched t. raise
the weary or bring the wandering in Is this living
to benefit your kindl Aud the hopes that you call
"your bsnc and blessing what are they Simply to
lead many 10 wonder at the bright deceittul light
4" aud when your ce-cod fabric is dissolved, TO have
yourself regarded holocaust seitconsumed!
Bane bane alone There is no blessing given where
none IL received And what is that higher and purcr
future for which you profess to live or what VIII
lin Doyalit have of joy for you il you enter upon II
with your destiny here yet unfulhedi Break down
your walls step out from your shroud and sepuchre
live among your Kind il you would learn to benefit