Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1854-12-22

ton, or wlatwu might, prrfI:pr' WoTe:!! eho"H'"
III" jae u. the pcrfrr!naut". and displays Inc sre'
importauce o%fIIislory and IT, maui.rs: utility e'coLec
ing und preserving .s materials. las the soclo'? ID az
insJ i'll d very happy and Impressive l'"iioer' Ia
6oIy oil the discourse. a. We beard it, ia 4 br'cirevle'
Of some par;. Of tl. History RI "a' s'ntt' "h'c
tv:nct, 4 power ni research hni " srae" " s's'o u"
wcrarelv lind 50 well united. We hr" happy 10 icarn'"
the Society will publish Tho whole Disc"u''' IN
pamphlet which, We have II" Doubt WI" DC very Ic
cep;able to the public.
!, F.,r,,t from, HE Discourse I.Ircrtd BY the Hon
p. ". r. Huntsr Of IL Z. :. Senate, tJo's IL
y!rgisa. Historical Society. a. as Annunl Meet
irr, on Thursdny e,entng last, Sts lih inst.
Nr. presidon, md Gcn;lomen OF tho Virginia His
.oricnl Soc;utv:-Whcu | received the invitation u
deliver Your annual di-cuurs", wos SO well aware
that | could no, bring 10 the task that fullnea' o
knowledge which is essential 10 do Justice to tn
| subject, tina, my frs; impulse waa 10 decline the hon
or, highly as I esteemed ii. But, upon subsequent re
a,ct;on, i. struck me that ] nigh, perhaps rcnde
useful aid to your society, b. calling public attention
in some degree, TO the greG. importance Of tho OBJ
iects Of your pursuit, and. the high value Of such la
burs Tot only TO ourfeirtg. bu; TO Others. canno'
he accused OF. error in bearing such testimony to The
c.ea, objects of your pu'sni', by those who rohec'
upon their nature and tohdentics. For, surely, ont
Of the highest offices thnt:innn can render to his rure
!, to store up tie experience a.id he ideaH Of The pro
scur generation, for tho Yves ot t:oso which are &c
succeed il, and 10 render suclI treasures OF tho pas!
accessible 10 his contemporaries. Mkt! IL Importance
to him who first conccive' Tho great thought or ofi'
ciua.cs lie high example, %'o:andr the man who pre-
serves the example and pmp";iitc4 tho thought FOR
the cvcrlae,i:g us and po'aesri1a ~ the generations
which are 10 succeed Kim. lis through mans capa-
CITY 10 use tho experience mud H." thoughts OF lis Sci
lows, and to store NJ tnt Such :f'a-
.ures by adding it's prI'."t stock 10 ttst
Of tho past, TINT h. mainly seC;res tie
mears oil tho progress snd e'~wth which so dis
,invui.h hin from all Other anunL.. 10 ascertain
lie elten, OF tho development, Which the human
race may attain by the use.'of such MEANS we hnve
only 70 compare The Ans!oSeAon, thc Crit' or ue lou
tou OF to-day. with bis rule ancestors who roalned
through The forests Of dauI, or Of Germany as de-
scribed 70 Us ny Cesar and Tac'tns.
I will not take tee moro .strIkllg comparison DO
tween tie Busbmau or Fei;Sn worsh!pp"r Ut Aifica
Win MS ClNlllI0A COicuEOEs' - '"H' '"bN
bo dscribed moro to O dIilereaca G: race than OF cuIa.
walton, 10 which slons ! reier a, present. Tho first
presents a case quite stroDs "pou&h :or be purposes
of Illustration, as theirs is alIuost Is much difference
between tine former and rrt:en! condition OF tho
races. a. between the first aud las; stan OF :he
statue map, imagined by :hs French phi!sophe. 70
awal on sense by sense into .~xlS,ence. until no Stood
clothed in 81 tho nth. au:co Of humanity.
Taks ths savage ancestor uud Tho civilized descend
an, aud COMPARE ,houn, sense with sense, ind fuculty
with faculty, acd how v..t il the iifcreocs' The
vision Of the frst WA bounded by tho limits OF tue
sensible horizon. d few niles upon oar:h, ard t'En9 ct
larger cbivc,s il tho heavens. aloG:, were visible
10 him, waus, he was entirely UNCONSCIOUS OF tho my.
-iads OF beings living ani moving within AID
s.ouud lin. Tho vision Of The laa. lensta:es INTO
he very depths Of space, dnd dischrers worlds
lnd sys,gn, * worlds, all unb Down 70 bis rude pro
;enitor; is weighs their substance, measures ,heI
sud calculates their motious with az 40
.uracy, which the other hardly attained wiki regard
o the objects OF his iia:uoii1,a cnu;r,ti Or, turning
,is mes!c glsss, be explores a microcosm IN the allaoe:
uiu;:oss;ma. atom, and becomes eap.siDle OF uyriads
If beings, who pooplo IL mud give I: life. How many |
more times. then, is tho last n man, ns compared w!lh
he first, If tested by The soIsn OF sight aiouc' lfied
the faculties Oh physical strength and motor the
Inference is still Us great in his favor. He dINots
md controls The wost suo,le aal powerful physical
.r,ncios, ard i~mpr!.1ns captivts for m!gbtier than
;ansoa, who grind b!;ndly Of his WI. BAL moro
wonderful Is his supe.io-i,y in tho moons ii eounu-
,;cauuz With bis fellow. His thoughts arc exchanged
q seconds over distances. through which formerly
bsv could uot have bocu communicated in niontAsi
be, himself, ties along tho earth With aspeed
-rsater nsp the horre, and. perhaps, e1ral!!aS thst OF
ne bird. In this vat iuoreass a the neans tor ecu
nulatins strength snd for useoci''iou amongst 'p'n'
low mach greater u the amount Of power, ~Sica 'ais
o the sbare Of tho civilized individual. than tuat "
Which the savage anoesnr, could. by possibility, have
Doubtless tho wild nun Of tho woods could dis:in.
.ui,b ba,wsea souuls, as p.cnslu! o: unpleasant, As
rave OF gay, but what sense bad no OF te hidden
which hoated in the Dir around bini DIG
,e dream that the very au which he hrea'hcd, could
mod uIa;sd into eouoIs Which suiaiuG the sens!i by
heir tones, aud stir the ,onl to its inmo-t deptns, spos1-
NJ in the only universal ~lan5anso kuowu u 'naa.
On uperrinc concord, and & r-f;Hiniy ct ekpse5'
ion which the original curse OF Babel has never
cached 10 confuse or Destroy SO, too, ho must have
sun. ideo # the Beautiful, in tia forms Of things,
~, il was rs unusi,ory a. the ligh!s and shniowa
which a;;tei by him. To fix the i!"a ere 1t t'' aud
,%epro!urr i: III forms moro ~c!opreu: thnH words to
ncks sen;ieut tho cold impassivc st"oc, and 10 ON
emotions and sru;,meat- III li;'i;N borrowed nom
Icavcu, would have been indeed =" alEl an "a.t and
facrl.y divine" 30 far did it tiaD""Gud bis power OF
.xecu.iun. Nor 10 tho superiority OF toe last o'et the
ormer generation Of the mon Of whom bave boon
peaking, lcae striking III n ,nora!. TINA u phyt!ch
.oiut OF view. Conceptions over which '"led u New
on or Lribni,z, or D.rnou!iil Or Eulor, arc now she
exercises oi boys At college, Il the higher and
ub.ler ~aualysis of La Grunge or ~ Plncn, is prohh
,y destined to be mastered w!.h rqual facllty here
fter. Ilea., whose or;ginahon, cost 80 much TO
Pia,o or IN Aristotle, a Baron, n De Cortes, or q
iant. are now The Common p.epsrty '"t' tho world. aud
understand Thoughts. Nnsch probably not
us Of ,heul could have discovered.
In :incs oi rearc, hnd s!n1" the ~iiven'on Of print
ns, i: nay nlmvs. be Eaid that er'' H"norsuoa starts
rom the l.,in, .ba. tbe lahi bad ~a;iiiDri, md !! 70
>~olnpc.;us TIC present with b" pas, Hn a,d r., vast
did, reucc in favor N TIC oxistiu. EHue, alton OF m3d,
With VIA, proud Lo.es maywo not be jnA.y inspired,
'or tue future progre-, q oar rHoSi Ii thu d;Gorenee
t,s two geuolainus whom ! hnA compafsd
he such {. woulG .,sln 10 G sn,.TGri oh4errsr 10 il.
Nca,o q .uperios uature in tho in-', .~h1; may we ~.
expect o. :uta.o improvement, VIXEN ~e
fiins a lbs greater opportunities IN presrtss waiea
s.ch saccssalns Sonora:;on vii ':joy1 y rrcri
:bought;h tbs, but 10; ~ proud. i "o remember with
~s.aiitrts ard h~umi!'Y, t" whose power it
is. ;bct wo owo ;hcso :acri'i3" aHt opportunities, aad
TO fulfl .aS cYud,..oas urro "!i"h ulone
such d promise could nave boa sivco. One Of these
condition. uA'lruondiy II, tio: W" .hcuii rreA-rre
the experience eai The IDEAS %: Ito pas; aad un p:9.
ssut, for the ure q: iue future. Without this faculty
.. one ,orn &, urg acd pcs.es, i.i@!s''li OF L.. example
ana ii,a. NJ, pnn,nor. crr rae, CSrid never haze