Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1850-1854, 1854-02-10
CHARACTER,
BY THE REV. HENRY WARD BrrcHER.


England Church, South Ninth-st.. Will
liamsburgh, before a large audience. III.
said:
viii draw distinction between char
acter and eputation-which are not sy-
| nonymous. A mans character is the re-
atty of himself; his reputation, the opin-
ION others have formed about him: char
acter resides in him, reputation in other
people; that Is the substance, this the
shadow; they are sometimes greater or
less. If man be able to achieve things
beyond his time, his reputation viii be
different from his character lie who
seeks reputation must not be beyond the
times he lives in. 1t is important to men
beginning life to know which they want
character or reputation. To build a
character is work of time as ships are
built on one element and used in another.
so character is formed in youth and home
for after life. Reputation is easily got
1T IS generally charlatanism empricsm.
taking many forms-as that of the patri-
OF, a tribe numerous as musketoeS, who,
Ike them, lean and hungry. suck all the
blood they can, but make none-who live
on suction. In man, as in ship. the
material must exist originally a man nat
urally mean may be improved, but never
VIII be noble man. Reputation may
be made jar man character must be
made by him, with labor and time. and it
cannot be taken away. The antagonism
between the two is not so great as the
dlSproportion. Thus a man. if wise. will
be content to be considered wiser: he
likes shadow three times his size like
Banks that issue three paper dollars for
every one in specie they have if worth
a quarter he likes to be called worth half
million, until the assessor brings him to
his senses. He will disclaim popularity
but claim the same thing under the name
of " influence" but it is what God made
man and he makes of himself that de-
/ termines his influence; the weights never
ask favor of the scales; a thousand
pounds will weigh-down five hundred by
their natural force. SO he speaks of
prudence" Prudence is coincdent with
rectltude; and there have been men against
the grain oflife all THERE days, who yetwere
most prudent men. He substitutes love
OF appreciation for love of truth. Thou
sands lose their characters to save their
regulations. | will consider three class
es of men: those whom single f,c,llty
rules; those who are controlled by groups
of faculties; and those who have several
characters at different times. | will con-
slider two instances in the first class: men
who are ruled by love of appreciation and
love OF gain. Approbativeness is almost
exclusively an American faculty; it orr
gsnates in the necessity for popular APP
prevail; we are exceedingly vainand grow
ing vainer. Our public man is the most
plant i'll the world; You may knead him;
SO may your neighbour, and thousands af-
ter him, but he is dough still his morals
/ are not absolute, but vary with the COM
pany ne is in; his religion is like nayi-
gators dress changed for every latitude.
Yet. the faculty has its uses; without it
the attrition in the world would be harsh.
but, where it rules, it causes weakness
1t leads men different ways; some Shun
anything new; others fling bombs into
the midst OF stale proprieties, and, like
! comets, slap the sun in the face with their
tails. Thes ultras are like the engine and
! the anchor-both are useful; but much as
| respect anchors, | would prefer to be
an engine. The faculty Is shown in fash
ion, whose first question is, what twill
people sayW AUD whose last what did
people say % Sometimes, believe, there
is a vain minister (though believe there
is no honcstcr class in the main:) it is
hard to bear constant applause, and love,
too; the toughest plank will crack under
perpetual sunshine; but the minister's van
ity is principally shown, in fearing to lose
the esteem he has gained. Characters
! founded on this faculty cannever be great;
/ he that does not write or speak from en-
! thusiasm for his subject produces moth
ing that will permanently control the
mind. Love OF applause is the fertile
| source of mediocrity; excellence springs
! from sympathy with God. man, and truth.
/ The lecturer next considered the love of
money as the controlling faculty. The
/ mlser, fearing poverty amid wealth, he
esteemed as much a mOnomaniac as the
ragged bcggar who thinks herself queen.
! Misers are but the wrecks of a larger
class. The lover of money may have 9th
er and good tastes; but economy is his
conscience; he will boast OF his Rubens
: phN iii'i' vi nov ppilSIiL IL at Il lGIljH
! of its value from one who did not know
/ it. If it he asked what character is the
most profitable, the answer depends on
what the question means. If it mean
money, the lean man is the best charac-
ter. who, like a weasel can creep through
anything. or like an oyster-scraper. can
collect great deal without enjoying any
| thing. The lecturer next considered men
whom group of faculties control. The
man controlled by the animal faculties is
reSpectable-S0 is cellar, but it is always
4 cellar. Those whom the social quail
/ tiles control are the saints of the family.
but not the men for public conflicts. The
active men who have no time for enjoy
ment are locomotives all the week. and
on Sundays, only lie by to be oiled. The
esthetic class. enjoy ETHEREAL things: but
an ETHEREAL wife brings curses on many a
dinner of bread and cheese. The intel
lectual class know nothing of sentiment
till they get an idea of it. Those whe
are controlled by the moral faculties feed
in moral deformity violation of theiI
own minds as much as of Gods law.
Their contests in life are not 50 much
iiolH ndAItd Oh e'll as from d lONe VI
| good BY elective affinity those classes
run into schools and seets; and It's as
vain to try to unite them as to bid the
eye 10 taste or the tongue to see. The
truth IS, not that men group themselves,
but that, when grouped they will not be-
have themselves Under the third head
the lecturer considered the difference be-
tween man at home where beneyOlence
rules him, and in his store, where he is
controlled by selfishness. The manufae-
turer merchant and lawyer were warned