The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1858-12-02
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Sir Isaac Newton.

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The following magnificent passage, occurs in
Lord Broughan's Grafton at the Inauguration
Of statute 10 Sir Isaac Newton:
"Nor let il be imagined that the feelings ex-
cited by contemplating the, achievements of
this great man are in any degree whatever the
result of national partiality, and confined to
the country which glories IN having given him
birth. The language which expresses her
veneration is equalled, perhaps exceeded, by
that in which other nations give utterance to
theirs; not merely by the general voice, but by
| the well-considered and wel-informed judg
when asked at the Royal table in Berlin his
opinion of Newton. said that, stalking mathe
mates from the beginning of the world TO the
time when Newton lived, what he had done
was much the better half" ".The Principal
will ever remain monument of the PROFOUND
genius which revealed to US the greatest Law
of the universe" are the words of La Place
THAT work stands pre- eminent above all
other productions of the human mini" "The
discovery of that simple and general law, by
the greatness aud variety of the objects which
it embraces, confers honor upon the intellect
Of man."
Language, we are told By, Della lambre, was
wont to describe Newton as the greatest genius
that eav- existed, but to add how fortunate he
was also, ''bs cause there can only once be,
found a system Of the universe to establish. ;
''Never,' says the father of the sInstitnte Of
France opef.ling a hinge place among tbe most
emineut of lis members--f' Never, says NJ, blot,
'swas the supremacy of intellect so Justly es-
tablished aud so fully confessed; ia nathemat.
ical and in experimental science without an
equal. and without an example, combining the
genius for both in its highest degree. The
'P.igcipia,' he terms ',the greatest, work ever
produced by lhe hand Of man, adding in the
words of HALEY, that a a,neerer approach to the
Divine nature has not been permitted to mortals.
'In first giving to the world Newtoa's Method
TO Fluctions, says Fonsepclle. g Leicinitz dip
like Promethus; he stole fire from Heryen to
bestow it upon man., g Does Newton, l.
Hop,tal asked, 'sslcep and wake like other
men? figure him to myself celestial gem
ius, entirely disengaged from matter" zafil
.sTo so. renowned benefactor of the world,
thus exalted to the loftiest place by the common
crnSent of all nen--one whose life, without
the intermission OF an hour, was passed in the
search after truths, the most important, aud at
whose hands the hnman race had only
good, neyerevil-7na memorial has been raised
by those nations which erect statutes to tyIants =
and couquorers, tie scourges of mankind,
whose lives wera passed, not in the pursuit of
triIth, but the practice of falsehoo ood-across
whose lips, it truth ever chanced to stray
| toward some selfish end, it ,urely failed to
obtain belief--who, to slack their insane thirst
| of -power or Of preeninence. trampled on all
the rights, and squandered the blood of their
fellow creat ures---whose course, like Lightning
blasted while it Aazzled-and who, reversing
the Roman Einpernr's noble regret, deemed
the day lost that saw the sun go down upon
theI forbearance, no victim deceived, or be-
trayed, OF oppressed. f5 ..e5. sa s.-s .s
| THAT the:worshippers OF. such,pestient gen.
ius should cor secrate no outward symbol of
the admiration they freely confessed 10 the
memory of the most iIuslrious Of men, is not
matter OF wonder /; bnt that his own county
men, Justly proud of having lived in his time,
should have left this duty to their successors,
after century and half of fprofessed venera-
toa and lip-homage, may well be deemed
strange. The inscription upon the cathedral,
! the masterpiece eff his celebrated friends ar
| chitecture, may possibly be applied in defeuce
| of this neglect: 'lf you seek for monument,
look round" II yon seek for a monument,
lift up your eyes to the heavens, which sh ow
forth his fame Nor, when we recollect The
Greek orators exclamation, that the WHOLE
earth is the monumen. of illustrious men, can
we stop short of declaring that the universe
itsself is Newton's! Yet, IN raising the statue
which preserves his likeness, hear the place
of his birth, and on the spot where his pro-
digious faculties We're unfolded and trained,
we at once crafty our honest pride as citizens
of the same State, and hambly testify our grace
full sense Of the Divine goodness which deigned
to bestow upen our race one so marvellousiy
gifted to comprehend the work of Infinite
Wisdom, and to make all his study of them the
source of religious eontemplations, both philo-
sophical and subime.v