Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1854-02-08

night last, the opening Lecture of DR.. Deweys
course. 1t altogether Introductory in its
but appropriate and even necessary in
view of the complexity, variety and momentous
import of his theme, the sc Problem of Human
Destiny" Commencing with definition of the
word problem, derived from its Greek root, and
drawing from an English word having the same
derivation beautiful figure, he likened his sub
ject to BALI thrown out to be unravelled.-
Aye, said the eloquent speaker, our problem or
BALI is, indeed, the earth, wound round with its
threads of every tissue and hue-ts diversified |
scenery, its forests its mountains and its oceans,
its far-reachng deserts and its populous Cities its
atmosphere of sunlights and its gloomy darkness
es, its planetary and universe connections, its va
red forms of government, its wars and revoiu-
tons its wool of poetry religion and politics, its
passions, impulses, and aspirations, intertwined,
interlad and confusedly Gas it to us) inter
woven, and even twisted and knotted, and yet
upon plan, the lecturer did not doubt, simple
and consistent, and every way suited to the pur
pose of the Divine Designer. He then noticed
the two dscordant views entertained by the phi
losophical mind in reference to the external uni
verse-yieWs, the rude traces of which may be
found in the earliest efforts of mind. The one
considering the external universe something
positive, objective, having actual existence and
properties of its own Independent of mind-the
other looking upon the material world merely
subjective, having its being only in the mind, and
consisting, as it were, of thought thrown out into
the blank void of space. These theories, older
than the materialistie PHILOSOPHERS of Scotland,
ley-far older, indeed, than Plotinus, lamblichus,
or Proclus referred to by the learned lecturer,
Epicurus, Plato, or Hesiod; older, in fact. than
Egypt with her Acherusan lake and CHASTITY
| mummies, older, doubtless, than the Persian or
the Indian, to whom it can be distinctly traced,
and due to the inherent organism of mind, and
the first expansions of human intellect. Won
derful, indeed is the contrast between the two
theories-between the existence of boundless
space filled with the mighty works of creation,
and the phantasms of the Imagination. 1t is a
fearful conception-the theory of Berkeley carried
out-that there is no such thing as matter indie
pendent of mind, that this real universe around
with its innumerable stars and worlds, and myriad
souls, is in very truth nothing-that they are mere
points of immateria mind, sleeping quietly in some
narrowest loophole of Gods House, and dreaming
strange dreams of poetry and love, of battles and
pestilence of rail and telegraphs, of ncacuIa
bic universes and bounGlesS eternities. Space is
compressed into a span-time into q moment
| Well might the Poet say, ave are such stuff as
dreams are made OF, and our little life is rounded
| with Sleep
Without pausing to consider these theories, the
lecturer passed in rapid review the doctrines on
the subject of human destiny, entertained by some
of those people who have had most influence in
past ages Of the world, upon human progress. The
Egyptian, the Persian, the Hebrew, the Greek, and
the Roman The struggles of the human mind to
escape the memorable laws Of matter, have led to
the same result in all belief in the existence of
future state, where the iniquities and apparent
injustices Of the world may be made up, lies at the
foundation of all religions. Various theories to
count for the existence of evil, and its influence in
human atfars-and the struggle Of the intelligent
mind between its inherent belief in a controlling
and benefcent Creator and the doubts on that sub
ject account of the sufferngs and injustices of
| this world, were rapidly noted. The Persian the
ory of two antagonistic principles, Ormuzd and
Ahraman, light and darkness good and evil, will be
found incorporated in most religions The laws Of
physics teach that opposing forces are essential
to just balance and equilibrium The attraction
and repulsion of the ultimate particles of matter
constitute, perhaps the controlling power in wheel
ing worlds in their orbits. 1t seems equally natu-
raj to consider the existence of contending forces
in the moral world, and Ormuzd and Ahraman.
Drama and silva, Shaddai and Diabolus, embody the
| idea But the lecturer peculiarly happy in
noting the struggle of intelligent mind between its
belief in Infinite Justice, and the ills Of life which
fall equally upon the just and the unjust These
struggles he happily pictured in the writings of the
Hebrew Preacher and of the Apostle Paul He
might still more forcibly have Illustrated the subject
by the moral apologize in the book of Job-than
which nothing could be grander or more in point
The upright and good man, suffering under the
worst ills to which human feshTs heir and crushed
to earth by calamity after calamity, is tempted by
the unwise preaching of his friends to curse God
and die but nerving himself with the stern stocism
of the Greek Prometheus, (the grandest conception
vi eiacoIO llSH-Ct,J lelNOI DIS ne pro-
ceeds like the christian martyr at the stake, the
afflicted Arab rebukes the narrow bgotry Of his
friends, and exats the ways of God to man. These
struggles have always existed and still continue
They lie at the foundation of all skepicism Sad
duceesm. They are the great obstacles in the
way Of the teacher. Every person experiences |
them more or less They are the lightning, to use |
the lecturers figure, butnot his language, that rends
the bosom Of the cloud which envelopes human
affairs-and may their efforts be- like those of the
fiery element to purify the atmosphere and to ben
eft the world. 1t was one of the chief objects of
these lectures to aid in alayng these strugges-by
solving the problem of human destiny, and if posi-
ble pointing out the way its true end might be at
tanned.
An introduction is proverbially unattractve-
Few persons read the preface until after they have
examined the book. The anxious seeker wishes to
plunge into the middle of his subject and feels
every thing that delays him as irksome Many of
Dr. Dewey hearers anxious to gather, at one dash,
his whole theory, and to rush to conclusions-might
feel disappointment at this first lecture while they