Mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado Co., Cal.) 1854-1860, 1858-01-23

ference 70 the egernal lnIeTeg8 O1 IneIp
souls. And this assertion is lGmentably
true In reference to most Californians and
especially Of those in the mining sections
Of our State. Coming here to seek gold,
they have made everything secondary to
their inordinate desire for wealth. Morn
ing, noon and often in the time of night
do they Slavishly work their poor bodies
to this end. Tho FIRE within them is not
fed, the nOblcr part is lost sight Of almost
entirely, the mind receives but little ifany
attention. The subject have been en-
deavoiing to present for your cOnsidera-
tiOn is the last one should have selected
had desired TO be heard nttentiYcly by
most men. But, from the fact gentlemen,
of your having associated yourselves TO-
gcther in this the Oldest Lyceunl in the
State, it is to be presumed you earnestly
desire to free yourselves from the chains
ofmental slavery which bind no many, in
order that you may more freely and easily
in the high sphere of intelligent life for
which your Creator has evidently designed
you. 1t is for this reasonI presume upon
your patience, in placing before you q
few means whereby you may cause your
mind to become vigorous and useful.
The assertion has before been made that
the same laws, to certain extent, govern
the body and mind. Keep the body ac-
tive, and it will grow; use the mind and it
will cxpan1. BY using the mind, mean
the exercise Of its faculties. Constantly
think, compare, cORtrGSt, distin0Wish and
conc ude. Never view an object in Ma
ture or Art without thinking upon it; at
tend closely to those thoughts; compare
and contrast them with each other, and
also with the thoughts Of other men, then
endeavOr to distinguish between the cor
rect and the incorrect. When you have
done this and are satisfied that you have
gotten all tho light possible upon the point
Of difference, draw your own conclusion.
This course should always be taken, and
when closely followed il cannot fail to de.
velOp the reasoning power. But, bear in
mind, the end Of investigation and the aim
of Reasoning is Truth. Have truth as
the port TO which you steer, the goal to
which you direct your steps, and the Ul-
TINA thule of your desires. If you fail TO
do this, you will acquire habit of false
reasoning which will materially weaken
the mind and bring upon the unfortunate
rcnsoncr the contempt Of all honest, right
thinking men. TO illustrate, the appearri
ancc Of man who attempts rather to rea-
son against than to truth: suppose man,
looking at the heavens on a clear evening,
beholds twinkling amid its deep blue a
small bright object AT first sight he calls
it n star, or at least the reflection Of the
suns rays from some opaque body in the
field Of space. Being an Infdcl, however.
he does not wish to acknowledge the vast
ness OF creation; he therefore dismiSsca
the first idea without q moments thought
and concludes that it was Imagination
caused him to see the appearance Of q
star
The course Of reason which leads him
to this conclusion, il IN keeping with
nearly all infidcl or anti-religiOus reason
ing, and is about thus: "That which We
think We behold in the sky at night, can.
not be seen there in the day. The cause
Of our imagining the stars to be visible Al
that time is easily explained. At night
man is very credulOus, his imagination
very lively; stumps become giants and
harmless geese are transposed into fright
ful spcctres dressed in the habiliments OF
the grave. 1t is because Of this greater
power Of imagination, that persons
think they see that at night which they
acknowledge is not to be seen during the
day. Other persons besides myself be-
lieve that nothing really exists but in mans
imagination" Now you can easily see
how such an one would appear. Yetevery
one who attemps TO reason his own pccu-
liar views into truth, regardless Of all the
lightand help he might get to show him his
error, will present an appearance equally
as ridiculous. In just such positions do
we find most persons who have written
against the Bible. They sat down witt,
but one end in view, that end the destruc-
ton Of the Bible. They received no tes-
timony in favor oft; they closed their eyes
to oil light save that which seemed to
lead them to the conclusions they desired;
and when they fOurd they could not
reach il by close reasoning they jumped
at it. The illustration we have used is
not an extraordinary or an altogether Wis.
ionary one, for th0uaAnds of our fellow
beings arc in just such dtp OF able sit.
uation. Some, in opposition TO the accu-
mulated light and experience Of years,
are working nightly to uproOt and over.
turn old established systems Of truth,
while others take for granted, every
thing their religious or political teach.
ers may say. Both these extremes
should be guarded against by all who
wish their minds to be strong and usaful;
for in the countries where the mind Is
dormant, and few men do the thinkiAg,
there is TO he found the deepest degrcda.
ton.
Look at Italy, Russia and most Of the
countries in the old world. The mass fthc
people still cling to old corrupt systems
Of government and religion uOtwithstand.
ing the food OF light being poured upon
the earth. In France, some
years since, the other extreme was faith.
fully presented in eli its rcpulsiveness.-
Everything Of age had to yield to the new
philosophy. Very nearly everything
which had before been believed was cast
away as untrue. The opinion Of wise
men therefore had no bearing with the
French. The people were thinking fOI
themselves, asked noassistanee. ahdwould
accept Of none. The Religion of reason,
or rather the uncurbed mind governed by
depraved passions and 'appetites wrote
then indelibly upon the worlds truthful
history this fact; "man IS . dependent
creature, communities are dependent upon
each other, one sgeis dependant upon Aho
age which preceded II and all things are
dependant upon GOa9 This conclusion