Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1860-12-11

ments OF truth in that, but it only describes
the material forces of the outward man. 1t
will do very well for the Imagination or rev.
erie, 1t is supposed that our young America
is creature OF this new co-ntry-and it is a
great country. 1t is supposed, of necessity,
that our young America must be II strange,
remarkable individual Young America, we
know, has Il peculiar opinion of himself and
he is not the least ditfident in expressing it.
He considers himself as being born in the
best country, under the best government, and
as the best citizen in the country. And thTs
it is that he satisfies himself we have vaunt-
ed much of our history, ard our country; and
much praised our institutions. A man now
has to be great deal more than he had to be
at any other period; it requires more to fill it.
He. considered the various types of charac-
ter found in our republic, and the reasons why
American character will never become homo
geBeous, and said there could be no progress
attained and continued without outside physi.
cal vigor. 1t is a tact that the body should be
looked to first and afterward the spiritual in
terest of man. The bod5 is the only ship in
commenting on ages and countries, he said,
God is democratic He never intended to
make a natural aristocracy." While speaking
OF human nature, he said, "The groand is
good, and God rubs every fourth generation in
the dust" He commented at length on work
for the body and work for the mind. We have
a right to demand of young America physical
culture, in order to counterbalance the work
ngs of the brain. There must be time for
the body as well as the mind to recuperate'
Yet physical exercise has always been dscour-
aged. The ten-pin alley is criticised, because
while they are knocking down balls at one end
the bar at the other end is knocking down
young men, Also the excellent recreation for
mind and body to be found in the game of bill
lizards is neutralzed because of its base sur.
roundings.
The young American ideal, to work hard
now with reference to a time of retirement
and lazness in the future, was commented ON
with severity. No man, he said, has the right
to retire till the sexton has shut the door be.
hind him and screwed it down The Indian
allotted to every's mans life, were described
with poetic tervor. He commented on the
old controversy about the big keys delivered
to Peter, one to unbot the door OF heaven, the
other of hell. The people had found they
each had a better way OF opening the door offs
of heaven-they had the key of love and
faith. He believed we should expect Il certain
degree OF youth about young America. He
was opposed to young mems wondering what
is safe, what is prudent, what is expedient,
what is cautious, what is conservative"
"Woe to the land whose young men are con
servative." Our tendency as people is to-
wards conservatism. We are morally conser.
vative in the extreme it is materially that
we are radical
The closing part of the lecture was devoted
to the present political condition of the coun-
try, and the canSe and consequence of the
perious division, at the edge of which we
stand. He though the north and south would
continue together for some time longer that
the cotton states would not commit the stu
pendous folly Of making their unpromising
off on a side track and back down The north
had been very tolerant of slavery as long as
both sections of the country were agreed in
the conviction that slavery was an evil but
when the south established the policy that it
was good and to be extended, the moral sen
tment OF the country was necessarily found
in opposition. Mr.. Beecher illustrated how
completely foreign to the south were free.
dom Of thought and OF the press
and how helpless the Shareholders were.
He alluded to the new discovery of a
kind of cotton which could be made from flax
for four cents per pound of the cotton fields
England was cultyating in Africa, and other
causes which are to bring about speedy cri
sis in the affairs of the slaveholding states of
America. Those states, he said, must 20
down, down, down, and beginning anew on
surer basis, that Of liberty, manhood, and con.
science and with new resources aud energies
rise again to power aud glories never possible
before. Ii they go out OF the Union they only
render more fearful their perils. He thought
they would act wiser TO remain, having the
counsel and sympathy Of the free states in
their trouhouS transition, which is inevitable,
whether they stay in or go out of the Union.
The lecture was heartily applauded.
The WORCESTER COUNTY TEACHERS AS.
II