, 1860-12-19

The Presidsnt Elect from an Eng1ish
| StAnd~Point.
fFtou tho London Tiues, Nor. ISL
Ihe rase Of 1lfe ts 50 interesting subject,
tnoao who have been disappointed In it, that
the adventuroua career Of the preaident elect
ol tno United States, as the New York presa
describes 1t, Is sure to att,act much notice. It
~ put forward as remarkable Instance OF
Whht man can do "undet the influence Of
American 1nssituttons," !" aud 30 undoubtedly II
H. we viii only alter the phrase little, and
say that 1t IL remarkable instance Of what
man cab do In America In the absence of all in
stltntions to check him. The favorable pccu-
iiarlty OF American institutions in Nr. LIN
coins case has been that thcy did not exist,
That 1t has been the great institution Of Ameri-
ca not to have Institutions In tho sense in
which We Of the Old World haye them. L is
plain that our inItitutions, if they are d great
assistance 70 society. ste at the same TINA a
great check to individuals. Our strongly and
clearly marked professions entirely put It out
Of anytody's head that he should enter iuto
them after certain fime: Of life and without
acertatn education.
The barrier il almoat insuperable which an
| adycntnrcr who approaches By short cnt has
70 cross. In America 1t Is quIta different
Mr. Lincoln was first = farmer, then q trader
| down the Mississippi, then surveyor, then
lawyer, upon which lust platform has risen
ne statesman and the President Of the United
oAtea Nov, tako man Of Mr. Linco1n's
versatile and fertile mind, and this liberty Of
professional accent Il an enormous gin. Il il
everything to him. In Mr. Lincoln we hare
not your man Of one talent. Your man Of one
tasat may possess 1t to perfection, but he
may spare himself the labors Of ambition, he
may Re suro that he Is born to be drudge.
MI Lincoln can do anything he sets his uind
to, partly from natural pliabllity, partly hv
IN immense power Of fixing his attention on
Whatever Is before him. He starts without
even the common education Of village school,
10Y sx weeks in loGs-ho1se school, when be
sehoolnaster, but hs is seen Afterwards giving
nifty minutes Of fixed and absorbed attention
out Of his midday hour OF relaxation. affcT
some hastily swallowed mouthfuls, to liz
book The consciousness of this power gives
him confidence. He knows he can get up
anything he likes. 1.-THE 'boys' catch lin by
the aru'' and make him militia captain ont
of momentary freak, because he is the most
popular and pleasant fellow in the " New Sa.
lem;,,' an ordinary man would beg to be e.
sase1 campaign against the 81 Black Hawks"
but the storekeeper in M instant accents The
command It Is with the same sclfconidence
TINT when his storshouse, owing to fraulu-
lent partner, fails him, and leaves him eleven
hundred dollars In debt, he follows the hint
which an accidental look into a book Oh sur
himself a surveyor in no time. Again, be
Knows nc can make himself i lawyer and nc |
cof1insIy lawyer he bccomes~ We must add
10 ms i striking eountcnauce, commanding
person, good manner, properly combining |
seifposscssion and heartiucss, and we sea sf 1
once a man WHO has prodlgious powers ot
making his why.
Now, as We say, it is obvious what . clear
cain American institutions" arc to man ri
this aspiring mould Of mind Joined to such an
tecede1ts. Such antcccdcnts must have been |
ta1al dIag M upon Ar: Lincoln in any country
Of the Old World, at least in itx normal condi- |
ton, and without a revolution to disturb it
Would the profession Of the law, for example,
eS'oarEeman. Observation-Disclosures, e1-land
surveyor In their country! Itwou1d not have
neen: The idea wonld never hare entered into
i'll: Liuco1n's head. The venerable looks Of
the sages Of the law, their wigs, their ermine,
INC divinity which hedges 10 a Judge, the
proud traditions Of the profession, would have
forbidden the aspiration. Al . certain time it
IS too llte to begin.
a man does not leap into practice at once
With rs, however clever he may be Tradition
dictates the patronage of solicitors, and vetoes
experiments. In :ountry, however, where
successful professional ascent Is open to 4 man
alter trying ever so many previous lines, where
there is no barrier to keep out sudden visitors,
:sasEc 1t is not necessary to make your choice |
neloTc you arc twenty, but where you have
aae op;ion OF turning experience and growth
oi intellect, through whatever previous chan
nels derived, at once, when you like, into The
most dlgnlfed and elcyatiug channel, where
I'll lhis IL sanctioned and encouraged by public |
oplmon, and man creates no prejudice against
lltnscn as q pushing and presumptous a.pi-
faaI oy sueh course, but rather fcclfngin his
favor rs a man Of proper spirit, who is turning
% account the advantages Of the state Of soci-
sty ln which he llves-Whcre this is the order |
y Things In 2 country, powerful and extraor-
lihary btmulous to eIertiou il offered to one |
:!ass OF men which is not offered elsewhere-1
NC mean to that class which Is conscious Of
33reat powers, but has the drawback Of m un- /
a asoraole start and bad introduction to life.
lhesc men do not hear ths words "Too late"
oundins in their ears; within moderate | :
compass 1t is never "too late" for them They
re IN time long after the clock Of older insti-
hem They have their chance when it would
ave gone under another sun. The prospect, | .
hen, is an enormous impulse to then, ,bec1use.
1t is never too late to sueceed, it is never TOO
atc to exert themselves.
Ihls, indeed, produces restlessncs4 in the |
etlyity of American society which We have
lot M III our own: Society with us is actiye, but
rim the consciousness at the same time of |
cftafu bounds which cannot be passed. There ! j!
tendency to men resting OH their oars In | :
u professions, in this way-that, inasnuch IS !
Aere Ia no way out of q profession when mai I
once In, he co1tents himself with IN advance I
the arts and facilities Of that one profession,
t Is hard work, at first, because oycrv new I
lateral y dtfdutt, as being new; but as soon i
= aItnnue fs acquired, the professional man
as tolerahly straight sailing, md then comes t
ae disposition to repoge in the pleasant excr- |
ic aud command Of arts and knowledge al ,
lady acquired. The real activity Of mind is u
lore OH the surtace than below, because !;
1e main struggle with the obstructive +
'7ttcr Is over. But American active life is o
:stless, because, us new material to be mas 7
'fed comes In with every new profession, i :
here man can 20 On changin. from one pro- II
ssion to another he 1uultlplics the necessity q
y conquest, and keeps up the struggle for !;
g far longer. In fact, the American neyc. LET'S q
mseH rest There il no hsrbor Of refuge II
hich receives the accomplished professional u
an ut a certain time Of life, where he simply e'
:cuPtcs himself in the use Of tools which he u u
Is already mastered; no, he must migrate =!
II. Everybody mig1ates in America, and the n
r!y removals Of the Lincoln Eamily from o.
entucky to Spencer County, from Spencer u
'unty to Illinois, from Coles County 10 Ma v
n County, only typlfy. the transp1antatious II II
american Intellect, the constant breaking al
pied succession Of new positions and orpor-
mites which convey the Mississippi boatrnan
the dignity Of the White House. Ifthcuew
stem has it advantages, however. the oil one RI
5 Its points ofsupeIorttytoo. It would re- NJ
are long dlsqutsttion to enter into them | ~
j, but 1t may be mentioned Is ono advantage, r.
ut life should not consist wholly Of motion. s.
t that there should be : little rest in 1t as ~.
IL Such modified system may not produce ~
0 most prominent instances Of individual -
'vation, but it produces large amount Of IN
'dcrate distinction time and rest to cpfoy It. ~
'ereas the American plan, for one great rest ~
iutellect which attaias its complete object, Il,
y ~ - es...ia "naeu - tatuuen 11o Mnole e. on
= ~ A@7'seeeueoo aao ne'e1 1eaen tnc goal. iii
llu
Items Tor the Chicago Times. sfs
The Cincinnati Gazetss Gays: III
sapta!n hountz, Of The steamer City Of ~.
:mphls, running between st. Louis and ~
" Orleans, has been ordered away from the IN