The River Falls journal. (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1857-1861, 1858-03-31

/ val, called tncn anu since - ne Ufeat ~
wakening,' occurred in New England,
and spread into other parts of Americas
in the years TAO and Al, while Mr.. Ed
wards was settled at Northampton. His
own writings and preachings had contrib,
uted largely towards the revival; and
when in progress, ministers and people
| both looked to him for direction and assis
lance. 1t was new experience to men
at that time, but Mr.. Edwards MAS able
to comprehend its true character, and by
his writings, preaching and, conversation
was Of great service in directing the pub
lie mind. Through his writings and rep
utation, his influence continues to be felt
until the present day, and no man can es-
innate its fall extent from bis day to our
own. Yet, in accordance with the theory
preached at the outset, believe this ntlu-
encc can, in no small measure, be detected
in the modes of thought, tho theology.
the mental characteristics, and the practi-
cal tendencies Of the present and all inter-
vening generations. .aaaaan8 u
But I will leave this branch Of the sub
jeet, to be taken up hereafter, aid now
bring before us the eminent sage whos
well deserved the epitaph written by q
celebrated Frenchman: 4 aa sz.ae-1f"aa
.Erpuit celo fulrn.n, .ceptTumque tEranni e.
"He snatched the lightning from heaven. tbs
scepter from tyrants. "7 r.at sasgIE sEUg
Every incident in the life of Franklin
/ has been rendered SO familiar by his in
imitable neutrality-suspicious. they need NO
repetition here. Children read it with
the same brcathless interest which attach
es to the fortunes of Robinson Crusoe.--
Each little circumstance ttcro recorded,
! from the time his first literary effort, slylya
slipped under the door of the Printing
House, was printed in the New Eng
land Courant, and he enjoyed, incognite.
! the enconiulms it received from the
wits of Boston, to his first appearance in
| Philadelphia, eating one roll of bread.
and CARRYING another under each arm.
and thence on to the close of his c,cntiul
career, have been the delight aud Won
der of the WISE and the simple ever Since
! shall therefore proceed as though You
were familiar with the life of Franklin.
with the remark, that if / happen to err
in the supposition, you ought as Ameri-
can citizens very soon to remedy the de-
| feet. Is" a'f
Franklin was born three years later
than Edwards, and much the same gen.
eral influences moulded his character
But the influences had altogether different
material to deal with, and, the result con
sequently,was an altogether different man.
| We have spoken of Edwards as 81 spirit
ualist; but Franklin may be described as
| materialist; and vet not in the sense
now commonly attached to that word.
He professed the same ultimate end that
Edwards did, and had as houcst q be- 4
lief in the spiritual essence Of mans
nature vet he addressed himself
chiefly to the good sense Of men, and
| tier desire for material advancement, in
the belief that if he made men wiser, bet
ter educated, and more comfortable, lie
brought them to condition where they
were moro likely to remember their obi
cations to Heaven and each other. It's
vas the architect Of industrial life, and
matured the people to material imagna-
ton. He had the faculty, discovery and
| invention, that could be called construc-
tive imagination. He imagined the ma
ton itself before the nation was, and lfo
was probably more than any other ons
the designer OF the American Union.
Franklin is our highest idea Of the prac-
teal man. He is our best representative
| Of that class, and his whole life shows
how devoted was his allegiance to tho
useful and the attainablc. No man has
ever accomplished SO much iii the way Of
direct and practical Influences All his
inventions bear upon them tho strong
stamp of use, and Of Immediate applica-
ton to the comforts and the enjoylnents
of life. lie supplied the world with
handsful of pocket wisdom-the conccn-
trated essence of homeiy truth: He was
one Of the clear sceihg men, who looked
directly at tile fact and valued It for the
facts sake, and yet he was not of the order
of the Gradgrinds, inasrnuch rs the fact
| in his mind was subservient to some pfin-
chile which IT illustrated, or brought down
to mems comprehension; md thus inado
available to their use. The application Of
truth to tho facts Of nature and OF life, 50
as TO benefit his fellow mon; the discos-
erv Of material laws, and their relation to
the highest interests of man, were sta't-
jos that never failed to engage his n2sf
earnest attention.