The River Falls journal. (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1857-1861, 1858-03-03
neekness, found no place in his character,

"True dignity abides with him alone,
Who in the silent hours of inward thought,
Can still respect and still revere himself
In lowlincss of heart
Now in all these respects Milton was
the very antipode of Bacon. For if there
ever lived Il man whose soul was the
dwelling place of purity and sublimity,
that man was John Milton. OF his gen
Jus, little need be sad. Every one
who knows anything about it, knows it
was an exhalation of heavens choicest
breath-that it had angelic wings and fed
on mamma - and that it plumed Itself at
the very fountain head of grandeur and
beauty. No one with living faculties can
enter his presence without conscious en-
largement of spirit. In the words of an
other, " his soul, expanded by the genius
of the place, becomes almost COLOSSAL
Attracting all things to himself, lie blend
ed them together into the unity of his
own heavenly ideal. Melting down the
treasures of the worlds literature in the
alembic of his genius, he reproduced them
instinct with the very pulse and breath of
his own originality. And the celestial
light that shone through his own soul,
bidding him see and tell of things invisi
Bile to mortal sight, she'd moral trans
fguration over all that came from him.
His intense love of moral beauty, his pro-
found sense of the awful and sacred, kim
died in his heart the very melodies of
eternity, and inspired him with an inward
strength that more than triumphed over
all the outward difficulties of his life.-
With what high, yet humble conscious
ness of power, docs he speak of his last
calamity-the loss ofhis sight. "Yct l
argue not against heavens hand or will,
nor bate jot of heart or hope, but still
bear up and steer right onward. What
supports me, dost thou ask? Tho con
sciousncss to have lost them over-plied in
Liberty's defence-my noble task, of which
all Europe rings from side to side. This
thought might lead me through the
worlds vain work-content, though blind,
haj [ no better guide"
The truth is, it is doubtful whether
the best of us realize the wealth that was
given to the world in this great teacher
We under-rate the height to which he
scared, because he rose with strength
Of wing that bore us along with him; or,
rather, because he gave us wings to rise
with him of ourselves. We undcr-value
his greatness BECAUSE instead Of seeming
to triumph over lis in the superiority of
his own power, he causes lis to triumph
in the new power he awakens within us.
A true human seraph, lofty, radiant, far
shining, tie omnipresent brightness of
his beams almost forgets us Of the source
from whence they flow. Aud vet it was
the all-pervading spirit Of reverence that
lifted his character into such purity and
sublmity, and which, recognizing in all
things the greatness and goodness of the
Creator, preserved him from the littleness
aud meanness of the creature.
The sentiment cf reverence is not less
beneficial in its social tendencies, than it is
elevated and elevating in itself. He who
truly feels the sacredness of human char
actor, has a guard placed on his evil pass
ions, that is worth more than world of
legal restraints. No one can tell how
ns2ch of the finer grace and fragrance of
our life, springs from the reciprocal senti-
ment ofrevcrencc between the exe.ss-and
yet how might the beauty and blessedness
of our earthly sojourn be enhanced, were
that sentiment but duly enthroned in our
hearts. Sweep away the sanctities that
cluster around the fragile form Of woman,
and create an awe about her as ''gllard
angelic placed" and the vilest imagination
would shrink from contemplating the re-
suit It's the gentle, awe inspiring sacred
ness of womanhood- making her at once
the object of reverence and love that hal
lows her society and purifes her associ-
ates. Indeed, the celestial anthology of
all life's mutually reflected charities, owes
all its blossoming glories, to the gen
ial warmth and radiance of this central
sun-like agency. And if we duly felt and
revered the sacredness of humanity, our
whole life, with all its clustering affections,
would be chastened and renovated into
the purity and innocence of Paradise.
This may be a vision, but see no obiec-
ton to visions even-if they tend to make
lis better, or keep us from becoming
worse-It is a part of my creed that we
had better shut our eyes and dream of
something great and good than open them
and behold nothing but meanness and
littleness. Again, did men bear about in
their hearts, suitable recognition of the
saeredness of law, and justice and right
the spontaneous order and peacefulness of
society would at once be the proof and
reward of social perfection. The very