Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1854-10-10
LIT e 4 s1.

The nuln Of HUGH Miller ui CrnmIrtT, Scotland.
| win bean III, II. Il sinna-ila .mu. has fr fourteen
years been allied t" III EVER incrraainE celebrity. y
.clf-rnaie, scif-e'lrcnted man, he hrs won a place III
Scottish Literature even higher than the NE occu-
pied by the Et:rick Shepherd. - n journalist be Is
Justly distinguished. His 'Sr"mc- and Legends ct
North Sc",I#ui,' 'lmprr>Si"ias a: England and lis
people" &c, cvincc hi capabilities A. Il i""'''al
and imaginative writer. lis work on the old Rcd
Sandstone proves his claims to cminrncc rs 4 s""lu-
gist. His "F"oipriris "f the Creator which mp
prurcl in rclutatinn ii "Yroli.cs Of the Natural His
tory ofthr Creation was looked upon by English re-
viewers IL Ill.,, most rl"lucni, scientific AMI conclusive
ni the many learned replies called forth by that sin
eular production. Ili- present work, "miitlc! MY
| Schools and Schnolma-ter4,' IS an aurohi"grnphy.aI" AMI
rcc"mts his life from lis commencement np I" his
| ,lirty-rishih year, from which period his public Ca
rccr mny be- dated. The author writes III his fifty
second year. In spite oi his celebrity rs Il man III
! letters and al science, he loves To dwcil upon his luwly
ori.in-his early -truGGlrs-ihe earning Of bread by
the sweat Of his brow. lie relates lis history IN elu.
cidate the mutual relationship between school cduca,
ton and sell. education. His own words are:
ut has occurred to me thnt 10y simply LAYING before
| the working men "f the country the STORY uf ms
Education,' may succeed i'll first exciting ;hcir cnri-
o-itv, aud ncxt, occasionally Mt least, in gratifying it
also. They will find that by far the best schools |
ever attended ure schools open 10 them all-that the
hest teachers | ever had are Though severe in their
lisciplincl always easy If acccss-nnd that the spr-
"ial fern, ut which | wns, il may say SO, most sue
| ccssful IA II pupil. waa IL form I" which ! was drawn
hy q strong inclination, but M which | had lcss Assist
n!lrc from ny brother men, or even from books. than
Mt any ni the others. There are lew of the natural
sciences which do not liG quite rs open IL Tho work
ing men Of Britain and America, ns geology did IN
me. - My work, then, if | lmve not wholly
iniIcI III il, mny be regarded u- n sort Of educational
treatise, thrown into the narrative '"r'a; ""'i a.Itc'"I
ci more especially to working men. The Will ilnd
tlnt II considerable portion Of the scenes and Incl
dents which it records read their lesson, whether OF
encouragement or warning, or throw their occasional
lights Oh pcculinrities ut character or curious natural
phcnumenn, 10 which their attention might he hot ui-
pruftaLly directed. Should il be found {" POSSESS an
interest to any other class, il will be an interest chief
" dcrivahle from the glimpScs which Il furnishes OF
the inner life Of the Scottish people, ana lis bearing
on what has been somewhat clunSiIy termed the
cun'lition-of-t the country question My sketches VIII,
| trust, be- found true To fact and nature. And n |
have never pcrrlscd the autobiography oi n working
man oi the more oGserrant type, without beng m
dcI:cl Ia it for new facts aud IDEAS respecting the en-
cumstnnces and character 81 SOM, portion "i IN"
people with which | had been less perfectly aclnalnt-
ed before, | can hope TINT, regarded simply IL the mo
mnir of IL protrnctr,l Journey through inr"fH Of 7"-
cietv mOt vet very s"duluns!y explored, and scenes
which few readers have had an opportunity OF OBJ
serving for themselves, my stnr" may br found 10
possess ONE ot the interest which attaches To the
narrative OF travellers, who see what IL not often
seen, and know, in consequence, what In not general
~ Known
In connection with the above. We give the conciu-
ding passage Of hs narrative, which is n summing mp
of his experiences:
ain looking back upon my youth, ] scc. m%cthimks, Il
wild fruit tree, rich i'll leat anu blossom ana II Is
murtiiying enough Ia remark how very lew al III"
blossoms have set. and how ,l!iniluti"C and Impcr-
fcctlv formed the fruit is into which even the prodnc-
tive tcw have been developed. a right lsrn the OPP
portuni,ics of Instruction afforded M III early youth
would have made me Il scholar ere lay tw.niy-litil
wear, and have saved Ia me at least ten -! the best
wears Of lfr-ycHrS which were spent III obscure anu
humble occupations. But, while my story mu,tscrvo
Ia show the evils which rceUlt from truant carclrssness
in %boyhnod, and that what was sport L" the yollrli; IHd
may assume the torn al Serious luisihrin;ir 10 thc
mnn, il Inny also serve ~ hiinw that much may be-
done by after diligence t" retrieve an early error 81
this ind-tha life itself il II school, AMI Nature NJ
WAYS II fresh siudy-anI that the man who keeps hts
eyes and his mind open will always find fitting, though.
il may be, hard >chhol-lnastcrs 10 rl"rd MN III III HE
lifelong education.
We offer orr readers one NOR" extract, hiIi Il II one
we'll worth perusing, which exhibits Tho doubts AMI
combinations of II powerful and highly culti'"-
tel intellect on the subject Of religion
81 have sometimes, in looking back on the doubts
and aucstiouings OF this period, thought, and perhaps
even spoken, of myself "a an lnthdei. BAT an Inidei
| assurpdlv was not; my belief was NJ lrast rs rcal as
nv Incredibly, and hnd, | am inclined To think, Il
much deeper seat in my mind. But, wnvcrIng be-
tween the two eXtremcs-n"w Il believer, and anon IL
sceptic-thr belief usually exhibiting itself nG n strong
~ based iustinct-thc s]crpiicism ~ the result ut some
intellectual process-I lived on for years III Il sort ri
uneasy, sec-slw condition, without any middle Glound
between The two extremes, ON winch could at once
reason and believe.
Tint middle ground J never succeeded in finding.
II is at once delicate and dangerous IL speak ri ones
spiritual condition., or 81 the emotional sentiments own
Oh which ones conclusions regarding. Il ARE often 81
duubtiiu!ly founded. I:e"ii-m in til" religious torn IS
prIhaps more tolerated than in any other; but II Is
| not ui that account less pcril"us Il" III" "-niiri him
sell. There need be, however, les, dclicacy III speak
iur of ones belief than of ones feelings; and trust
need not hesitate to SAY, that wns !rl I" sec, 1T tins
time, through the insirmIncutalitv ri my Trend, tiini
my thculoglc system had previously wanted Il central
object, 10 which the heart, n, certainly ns the intellect.
could attach itself; and that the iruc centre ol an rii!-
Client cir IstiaHHy is. ~ the nImc Ought "i itself /"
Indicate, "thc Word made flesh. Around Tins rclI-
trial sun of the Christian system -apprcclatcd, how
ever, not ~ II d0ctrimc which is Il mere nhstrnciior,
hut ~ Il Dirimc PtrsOn-so truly mar, that the alice;
tions Of the human heart can lay lruid upon HIM, AMI
~ truly GDi, that the mind, through faith, can At ell
times, and in all places, be- brought I'M" direct con
tact with llim-all that is truly religious takes lis
pIncc in a subsidiary AMI subordinate relation. hiy
sllDslllurS anu SuD'IiillNlt. Nv w '''' ~ ~
great attractive crnirc-ihc sole grayi'nting point "i
a system which owes 10 Him all the c"iIcrciIry
which would be but chaos were II" away: II seems
10 be- the resistance. nf the human nature III tins cen
tral and paramount object, that mpnrts tn clrlsilaiiI-
~ in its subjective character, its peculiar power "i
influencing and controlling the human ll!nd. HERE
mnv be men who, through Il peculiar ldI"syii"rhsS oi
constitution, ARE capable OF loving, after II SoFt' Il
mere abstract God, unseen andinconcciv"bie 'houSh'
as shown BY the air OF sickly sentlmcnialIty borne
bv Utmost all that has been said and written on the
subject, the feeling, i'll its true form, must bG u very.
rare and exceptional one. In all my experience "i
men, never knew II genuine instance; o. II. me
love ui nm abstract God seems I" he Ms ilttIc ia'tf'l
Ia the ordinary human constitution n the love ut M
abstract sun or planet. And 81 II viii To-. f"ui'd' ii,h'
i'm all the religions that have taken strong lo!d ui me
mind nj man, the elements oil Il vigorous huiun',Lt'
Ia. mingled, in the character If it, Gods, with the
thristic element. Tho Gods al the clnSsic mythology
were simply powerful men let l""SG from ne tyrHii-
ny Of tho ~pllysicnl laws; nnd, III their purely human
character, ~ warm friends aHd d'nfly cnci!!!cH' ii!'y
were both feared and loved. And :" the hcIict when
bowed at their slirines, ruled ia" old civilized world
for many centuries. In the great ancient myth"lu-
tgies of the East, Buddhism AMI BrnliIlahIsi"' p"l'
very influential forms of belief, we take the same
misunderstanding humanity added 10 Gnd'!lKr
power. In the faith of the M"slcm, The human
character of the man, Mohammcd, elevated. Ia
MI all potential yice-gcrency III things sacred 5'Nfr
great strength 10 what, without II, would be Il -rc"'
iiicism. Literally, il Is Alah's supreme riInl,li'' 'i"'
maintains Tor AlIal liiilSc'' " i'"'' III u
dan mind. Again, in Popcty we md an excess "i
humanity, scarce lcss great than i'll the classicaI my
tholury itself. and with nearly corresponding results
Though the Virgin mother takcs, a Queen ct lica'
ven, Il first place i'll the scheme, ant 'ornl,' III ihn'
character, u greatly more interesting, goddess man
anv of the old ones who cOunse!lcd l!y,Hc", w re-
spondcd to the love Of Archiscs or OF Endyinioil' she
hns 10 slInrc her empire with the minor saints ana TO
recognise in them, Il host of rivals. But, undnmu'rd,
~, 10 this popular element Poprry owes not a little OF
its irdouitahlr strength. In, however. HI tht-r '"r.i-
of religion, whether inherently false from the begin
ming, or 80 ovcrlGid in some inter stage, ny 'hrt''-
tious aud the untrue, as 10 Lave their original SUP
sirninn Of truth. cnYcrcl up bv error and lhhlr.