The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1859-03-17
Social Tr.ini~g-The Heart Of q Nation

Social TTainisE-The Heart Of Natioa.
The Lecture delivered by DR.. VAN lSoKS
on Monday, eth inst, before the Mercantile
Library Association, was upon the subject OF
Social Training-,he Heart OF Nation"
In our notice of this lecture we deferred, till
such time as our columns would permit, q
more extended review of the positions
taken.
What the lecturer meant by the Heart OF
Nation, is finely illustrated in the follow
ing beautiful passage.
What We would be understood TO mean by q
nations he art, will be cleared by an inspection
Of some Of. the pictures with which History in
the lapse Of ages, has garnished her terrific but
instructive gallery.
What, by this light, have teen the heart Of
nations,
First for our answer, let us sit at the feet OF
some prophetic seer; who has surv eyed nations
from an eminence, by heart discerning torch
put into his hand by God himself; and whose
pictures are the truest history. So Daniel saw
the bah ylonian empire; an empire not only of
proud achievements in war and conquest, but at
the very summit OF grandeur in all that consti
tutes mere human greatness, OF cities the won
ders Of the world, of profound and varied at
tainments in science, in politics. in the arts in
commerce. nation that felt, and, with as
F,., 10 n had hna NJ
ed its independence.
What was IT'S Heart,
II was the heart of q monster, a lion with
eagles wings betokened in the prophetic vis-
ion. The heart of Babylon the great, Of Baby.
lon the fallen. Its enemies tremtled before il,
its pulses bea, for conquest, for dominion, its
wings were spread 10 overly oil barriers, its
monarch the organ and embodiment of it, pms
sions, was drunk with conceit and power.
To human eyes there stood Nebuchsdnezzar,
in his purple robe, and glittering crown, the
monarch of q mighty empire, but God stripped
the Lion with Eagle wings Of these DISCUSSES,
and men shrank back from q man with mon
ster's heart. and he was driven from them, and
his body was wet with the dews Of heaven, till
his hairs were grown like Eagles feathers, and
his nails like birds claws. Such IN the light OF
Truth il the heart that once beat IN great ns-
ton, a nation fair to look upon, mighty na.
ton, nation Of enterprise and wealth, and lux.
ury and learning. 1t had a monster heart.
And what by the light Of the same prophecy,
which we repeat is truest history, was Persia =
heart in her day Of early greatness 1t too,
had beasts heart Q heart Of complacent rev.
elling delight in blood The prophet saw ii
symbolized by a beast like = bear, never at
rest, bu. half reclining, as ready to arise and to
devour with :" three ribs in the mouth Of It.,
three kingdoms, which il was crushing and
devouring by one impulse OF its bloody heart.
Profane history tells us Of the fierce severity Of
their punishments, faying men alive BY piece
meal; and inspiration paints them a. shaving
no pity on the fruit Of the hours, in the cruelty
Of their martial spirit the hear, Of bear wait
ing always, waiting eagerly for the command
arise devour much flesh.
Again, we have in the molly sgglomerstion
Of kndreds and tongues OF compilations and
religions, which composed the terrible nation
OF warriors that grew up under the forming
hand Of the son of Philip, a nation whose heart
was symbozed by another monster-s leopard
with four wings upon its back, and four heads
upon it's shoaIders-a nation Of enterprize that
looked to the four winds at glance eager,
restless. swift, destructive, combining strangely
all known elements, and signing for new wilds
TO conquer and combine; its path OF boosted
swiftness, that annihils,ed distance, tracked in
blood, i's haunts full Of the carcasses Of ito
prey. and its end self destruction and self.sub
iugation TO a foreign power from the conflict
Of the opposing elements that were withn--a
leopard notified in its aspect, crafty and swift
with four heads and fonr wings, such was the
heart Of the Macedonian empire.
Another empire, with more drunken,
hercer, far more beastly heart, fills out another
picture. A new form Of government, with in.
sulting. devilish faseuess called a" common.
wealth"-the treasures Of wisdom and know
ledge and the arts, stored by the nations ii sub.
dued, filling IL repositories, and made is own
All Povers made 10 do lis bidding, all lands 10
wear ts livery and yoke. |. was a nation
whose heart was symbolzed bys beast with
out a man, dreadful and terrible and strong
exceedingly = ]; had great iron teeth, 1t de
youred, broke in pieces and stamped the resi-
due with the fee, Of IL, and was diverse from
all that were before IT; 1.-THE mistress Of the
world to let men see foronce what mere phys.
cal prosperity eau do, and how the hat,ering
Of the masses IL the sure.t road 70 despo;ism),
nation Boosting that ii inherited the blood Of
the heart Of the wolf il called the Tester m other
Of its infancy, which bred in ic camps and
palaces, in IL. senate and ia pagan temples. lie
baths and it, theatres, . fearful, nafneiess, IN.
disoriminable progeny Of monsters-its
Romulus slaughtering his brother, that he
might devour The prey alone; it, brood Of male
and female Tarquin.; is Brgtus, IL CsAgalA,
ia Nero and Domriian, lie CAtAlinss and Cas.las,
and An,onys with their domestic ard imported
Cleopa,ras, soft and fierce, eliminate and
dragon like, hOrrt mohsiroGs mixture.
dsgasrroiyped ia the Epls,le TO the Roman.