Spirit of the times. [volume] (Ironton, Ohio) 1853-1858, 1853-03-08


borne upon the subsequent history Of
our country. What man was more sur.
prised with the high honor conferred up.
on him, and who ever received an honor
with more unobtrusive humility than
the President elect of the United States?
And what party ever bore a defeat more
manlully than the party in this instance?
[Applause.]
Look in Imagination at the last open
grave in St. Paul's Cathedral, where
The dust Of Wellington now mingled
with the ashes Of Nelson, and read the
lesson there pronounced upon the chan.
cos Of human life. Think Of Trafalgar,
and estimate, if possible, what might
have been the effect if the bulle! that
struck down Nelson on board the Vic.
tory had been fired an hour eaflicr.
Think what would have been the story
of ofWaterloo had Bluchcr been more tar.
dy, Or Grouchy more agile. Look now
at France and behold that strange spec.
taclc, in which the stars Of Josephine
and Napoleon seemed to minglc their
light over the head Of the new Emperor,
for whom VIC might even now imagine
we heard the shouts Of the populacc
cheering him to his throne. Think of the
man-thc mad.cap Of Strasbourg and
Bolognc, and the scape. goat of Ham,
President, and now Emperor-Emperor,
apparently, by the sulfragcs of the peo.
pie, and really by the influence Of the
men of property. Think Of that man
upon the Fronch throne, and then medi.
tate upon the chances in the affairs of
men.
In meeting the chances of their lot,
men divided themselves into three gener.
al classes; according as they watched
those chances, they looked upon them
with hope, OF with fear, or with an even
mind. First came the man who was in
q fever at the prospect Of luck-the san.
gune man who believed life to be lot.
terry, in which he intended TO win. Such
a man in his most vul gar shape was lit.
orally gambler, bent on making for.
tune as though the scene ofh his excrtons
was the card table or the race course
But let the gambler pass, for gaming
trained no active, manly energies, and
necessarily ruined the man and his for.
tunes. Closely upon the heels Of the
gambler came the "fast' man of bust
uess-in haste to be rich, impatient Of
labor and by his expenses, proving lha
if he did not make his own fortune, he
understood as we'll how to spend anolh.
cr mans fortune as if he learned the ait
in our Common Council.
(This happy hit at the notorious pro-
digality Of the Common Council was re
ceivcd with the most enthusiastic appro
bation.)
The lecturer concluded by speaking
of the duty of man to master tho chances
oflifc by energy, and referred 10 the ex'
amplcs presented in the lives Of Demos
themes, Webster, Columbus AMI Shak.
spcafc.
"Man," said he, "should, in the first
place, consider that he was something
that God sent him into the world Il
be fact; he should then plant himscl
upon his position and not move from il
he was called upon to use his force o
, thought and to bring the power of III
, Judgment into the field. From whateve
quarter contin gencies lame he was to in
terrogate them sternly; gathering tn
treasured wisdom of his race, he was tc
choose the way of life best fitted for him
preferring to be an efficient somebody
-. with hands little rougher than q milk
sop nobody, with fingers as soft as
:, girls. He was TO study the science O
, probabilities not like the gambler, but {
!, student of practical life; he would Loo
). before he leapel, and while prepared fe
:, mishaps, he would not add himself a
.. one more 10 the number Of those VIII
s began life in presumption and ended i
despair