The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1857-01-28
Men of Action and Men Of Though,.

The world is divided into two sorts of
OF course, all men think, and all men act,
but some more of one than of the other, and
hence The propriety of dividing them into
two classes. Napoleon, for example, was
all able thinker, but he was man of action
10 much greater degree, and he may there
fore, be ranked among the last as conlradis-
tinguished from the first. Shakespeare was q
man of action to an extent that few poets
have been, but his career as a dramalist has
overshadowed his other qualities. and he is
TO be considered consequently as man of
thought. The men of action, in a word, are
those who carry out the thoughts of the nj
selves or others; tic Fsuru of tiougiu arc
those who think chiefly, and leave others 10
act. The first control their own age, the lset
generally the ages that follow. Alexander
the Grea, exercised a more powerful and ex-
tensive influence, in his own time, than Ar
lstotle, his old master but Aristotle's works
have been influencing men, communities
and empires ever since. A man of action,
however great, is like a stone, dropped
through vacuum, that leaves no percep'ibls
| trace of its passage. A man of thought is
like stone dropped into the water, which
SETS in motion circles that widen continually
and never seem to stop. a.
The men of action are Too apt 10 under
value the men of thought. The ordinary
type of the former, in our day, is the active,
sharp-sehted, energetic man of business,
| who brings everything 10 The test of the
question, twill ii pay?". The ordinary type
of The latter, is the talented clergyman, pro-
fessor, or author, who, generally, has no
great knack al what IS called "geiting along"
A natural aniipalhy seems 10 exist between
The Two classes. The first despises the last
for ignorance of business. The last looks
with contempetuous pity on the first, as
deficient in refinement and culture. Yet
why should this antagonism exist? Each
class is good in its own way, and each is
necessary to progress. II we had nobody
but busting, eager, money making men of
action, there would be no intellectual, nor
social progress, and dead materialism
would eat out the heart of society. If we
had only great preachers, profound profess
sors, or popular authors, things would soon
come 10 a stop for the want of little practi-
cal utility. The two go together TO make
mp ihn -Si4is--M -ssp. -e-zszha..-->---
vast his genius, 10 a dreamer like himself,
and their housekeeping is soon sat skies and
sevens." But marry him 10 q thrifty, ener-
getic woman, with strong dash OF common
sense, and matters get on very differently.
II is mistake, also, IN men of action, or
men of thought, 10 rank their speciality the
highest Each class has mission 10 per.
form; and each, therefore, is honorable in
its place and vocaliou. AS the material in.
terests of society demand that we should
have thrifty mechanics. adventurous mer-
chanis and enterprlsipg capitalists, so the
moral, social, political and religious wants
OF The race require teachers, statesmen, au-
thors and c!ergymen. II is as invidious as
il is false, therefore, for one class 10 say to
another, in the spirit of the Pharisee, "s.and
aside, am hoer than thou" The present
wants of society call for the man of action
as fully as its future Development calls fct
the man of thought. The vast and compli.
eated machine of human affairs would come
10 dead lock without either. One wheel
is as necessary as The other. and as noble, if
there is any question of nobility az all. lie,
each man fulfil his vocation, taking care to
perform his work fairly, and not to he, as
many are, carricalure of his class for the
man of action should not degenerate into a
mere miser, nor should the man OF thought
pass into a crazy dreamer or idesolgst.-
Pkila. Ledger.