The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1859-10-14
Decline Of Imagination.
By HENRY WARD BEEcuER.

One OF the most painful experiences Of
life is that of being disenchanted. In
youth, all things are apt TO stand before
us in the ligh. of imagination or the color
and glow OF feeling. Men are demigods.
Artists and poets are divine. The scenes
of which child hears, the places described
TO him, the historic moments Of which he
reads, the foreign cities or memorable
places, all are fashioned in his mind with
woudrous aspects. The world which a
child sees he follows after without ever
finding. 1t is The tabled chase after a
rainbow. This use of imagination may
be unskillful, and it may carry its pains
and penalties with it, in the case oi per-
sons not robust in underlying common
sense. Yet we are sure that the habit of
painting life in pleasing colors conduces
TO happiness, and by this means, TO some
extent to virtue. We should be unwill-
ing to see things just as they are. except
in cases where we are called upon to deal
with them and needed to know them ex-
actIy. But, in walking Broadway, We
would not, for the world, willingly see
things ir their lileralness. We soften
hard men. From one beautiful feature
we work symmetry in face. We imag-
inc gayety and satisfaction in hundreds
of hearts that perhaps would motif known,
justify such Inscriptions. Children are
always beautiful TO us, no matter how
homely; youth has around it halo; and
we see them as they stand against rosy
cloud for background. Workmen, day
laborers, and the whole agile swarm o
human ants that run in such endless
rounds up and down before us, we would
not willingly see them as they would be
if all their cares, their frets, prejudces,
their ignorance and moral discoloralions,
lay upon them plainly. We see hearty
strength, valiant self reliance. content.
ment in well doing, and humble useful.
ness.
But as time natures the physical in.
tellec; of world-truth-ths spontaneous
painting power is apt to ware and fail
and every step Of decline from this habit
is a step toward discomfort and unhappi-
ness. A man may make his happiness
depend upon action, and by great indus
try find sources of satisfaction. But, in
SO far as ones happiness depends singly
upon his habits of thought and inspection,
the literaizing Of his mind is like the dry,
ing up OF moisture in the air; there are
no clouds for beauty and shadows, nc
rain and no dew, but bald heaven above
and an arid earth beneath.
In this process OF disenchantment, how
painful it is to see our heroes turned in
side out! to live until we feel how com
monplace .he things were that used tc
thrill us with enthusiasm With what
regrets we read the books now that used
to inspire our childhood and find them
tame. Thus we seem TO find out one
thing after another; and, with every mile
stone in life, we are compelled TO drop
some fair thing that once seemed divine,
but, held too close to the eyes, became a
grinning idol.
For ourselves, we could not wish 10
outlive the power of clothing nature and
human life with the coors which kindly
feelings and teeming Imagination give
Even nature is kind to us, and soltens all
things with genial colors, moses, the de-
caying roof, and musters on the surface
of every rock thin and fat forests Of
litchens.