St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1861-01-03
Of people hay be 'ascertained BY knowing
the influences exerted upon them. . S':'@

Of people may be ascertained by knowing
the Influences exerted upon them. . ]'"@
1 If the physical aspects Of a country
have anything to dosin fixing the 'cbarac-
ter of people, we may claim the first po-
sition in the ,allotments of Providence-
Here is the seat Of intellect. Our locality
to great extent fixes our destiny. We
have every variety of hill and dale, wood.
land and prairie. The purity Of tbe at
mosphere gives all the freedom and inde.
pendence of the Scot, while the Broad
prairies develop the mind and liberalize
our faith. Here poetry and philosophy are
indigenous. Our future is written by the
same finger that wrote upon the tables Of
stone. It is reflected in the crystal lakes.
it is beard in the dashing, foaming cata-
ract, felt in our refreshing breezes. What
means these vast forests, rich deposits of
mineral and alluvial fatness, but the ma
terial which God has furnished to develop
the powers of mighty people.
Valleys have ever been the home Of civ
ilization. But God never made but one
Mississippi. No poisonous simeon Or
bighting sirocco mixes with the atmos-
phere; no plague or pestilence come nigh
our dwellings,. No subterranean fires ever
heave our peaceful bosom, or huge volca-
noes vomit forth destruction.
We occupy the central summit of tile
New World; midway between the arctic
and tropic circles; midway between the
two great oceans; midway between the two
great mountain chains, the Gulf Of Mexi-
co and Hudson's Bay. If Geographical
position has governed all empires, in all
ages, what must be the future of this great
State. Wherever the seat of empire may
be, here must be the metropolis Of the
world ...T
The age in which We live also exerts
most powerful influence upon character
We are solving the world S m;ghtiest prob
lens. We are settling questions for com
ing generations. Utility is the watchword.
The ancients had their gods, but We use
them for GRAND boys and steam horses. -
The present is as essentially probation
for the intellect as for the moral man.
We are here to cultivate, enlarge and il
illuminate the mind. To endue it With in
exhaustible resources for activity and en-
joyment, to give it vigor, capability and
insight, that, in due time, it may be usher
ed into its ultimate state with momentum
that will enable it to fulfill its mission
through the endless cycles Of being. The
facilities are at our doors, and If we iimn- iin
prove them our sons and daughters viii BE
a noble race ), but abolish the church and
school house, and they degenerate into new.
tribes Of Sioux and Chippewas. Il
The work Of tie educator is a thankless
one. His deeds Of beroism and yalor are
not recorded. No monumental pile. or
matchless marble, or glowing canvass per-
petuates his memory, yet it is the NEST
promising field for Immediate eff rt. ...
Our enterprise and mission are on the
earth, but the fountain from which we
draw our spirit is above, our hopes are
founded upon the eternal law, our reward
is in the future. The architect of Pha-
ros inscribed his name on the solid rock at
the base of that great light, and covered it
with coating Of plaster, and on that in
scribed the name of the king under whose
auspices the work was executed. The.
plaster yielded to the action of the elc-
ments and crumbled away, but the name
of the builder was left in the rock forever
We begin our work, and wait until the
scroll Of fame shall be enrolled in the
Heavens.