The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1857-12-24

ceed TO try, to accomplish cure Shall
We read phillipics on the causes of the
present evils, and write ourselves all down
Ms denkeys fools and blind" as some
! have been doing OF late? This will not
do the work of cure. 1t is ouly evi-
dence of the mania which has been upon
us. Sober second thoughts will follow
this. Il will arise and 90 to my Father
said the prodigal, when he came to him
self He "has bread enough" in His
house land to spare Why then shall
we either feed on husks, or stay where We
are aud perish with hunger? Il will
arise and hasten to Hieo," let as say.
;, READ Truth then, let me say, first of
all. l see young people here | wish to
speak to them tonight. Read Truth.
The universe is full Of truth, and the
world Is full Of error. We cannot stop to
busy ourselves with the latter. Let US
seek after the former. La newspapers,
politics, art, religion, read both sides.
Neither one has the whole truth. Hear
the other party, zone thing is good till
you hear the other" Read both then.
A good progressive, and a good conserva-
: tive newspaper, 1t is the duty Of every man
Of intelligence to read Truth does not lie
az the eatremes. The middle ground Is
safest. 1t is the only safe one The need
the extremes, however, always to enable
us to find the mean. The conflict of prin-
ciples is a necessary one, to eliminate
Truth. After the smoke OF the battle is
over, and both parties have retired from
the field, peace with her olive-crown and
sober joys is soon in possession Of the
spoils. Neither party gains all the adyan-
tages. Man gains them. We children
of the victors and those of the vanquished
enjoy them together, each one under his
own vine and fig-tree with none to modest
or to make them afraid 1t often takes a
generation, though, to accomplish this,
like the clearing up of your primeval for
ests the resounding of sturdy strokes OF
axes, the crashing Of fallen trees through
the deep old woods, must first be heard.
Then the smoke, and black logs. and
stumps, and CRIME, and sweat and lifc-toil
Of whole generation, are necessary be-
fore We can see the smiling farms, and
lowing cattle upon thousand hills, and
sheep, and tilth, and plenty everywhere,
SO in literature, there is conflict of prin-
ciples first to be encountered. Hard ar
guments are to be used. Hard names
may sometimes have been called. But
when this is over, there is peace. Let no
perpetual animosities be waged. Let 40
I eterual warfare be cherished; for both
belligerents are in part wrong, and it is not
for war but peace that we contend.
i And there is Truth enough, remark
again to be read. The great deep sea OF
Truth has not yet been sounded. All the
navics of the earth may float in it forever,
and rarely meet each other. Beyond our
horizon arc other ships; and still beyond
others, and others still further on. And
as we sail on over life's solemn main, y
how little do we know Of its tides and cur
rents, its storms and calms how here the
compass varies to the east and there to
the west How little do we know too of
/ the history of those about us, or of our
own mysterious craft il which we sail p,
How little again, do We know Of the strange
depths beneath us-of the deep sea sound
ings of the sea of life. Or, again, of the
still stranger and vaster depths above US !;
of the silent stars, and worlds, and con-
stellations in the heavens over our heads,
all of which We can sec and some imp0r-
tant part of which we are, And then the
Infinite unknown-whom the pagan Athe-
mans worshipped by erecting dumb al
tar to Him-how little do We know Of
Him. Read truth then l say. There is
no lack of it.. Read History, Travels, BIZ
ographies, Researches in Science, as much
as you please Bat "beware of men" as
our Saviour cautioned His apostles. Do
not pin your faith to any mans sleeve.
/ Go to God for this, and to Him alone.
And beware of philosophy" oppositions
of Science falsely so called" This is of
men. True wisdom comes from God In
all your reading then lightly esteem the
opinions Of a man, as such. The opinions
/ of men-the "voice Of the people, which
is the voice of God, If you can distin-
gu'sh this utterlng, amid all the Jargon
q attending a certain sound;' if it harmo-
nizes with rightr cason in your soul, and
with revealed Truth as it is in the Holy
Scriptures, hear it---hear them.
Besides the right Books and Newspa-
pers, then, let me say, you should read
something OF Reviews and Periodicals.
These hold a middle ground between the
two former. And between the two an ef-
fort has been made to crush them out. A
part of them might as well have been
crushed out long ago. Putnam has al
ready been consolidated with Emerson ;
and the knickerbocker, Democratic Re-
view, Atlantic Monthly, G just started) and
Harpers Magazine with Cooley, Little 5
Living Age, the Eclectic Review, and
various other American publications, all
mt tooather into two GOOD DarIodicals-