The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1861-04-26

er men are civilized. The causes which pro-
duce emergencies are the agents which edu-
cate men to meet them and nature is prod
igal of her material among men, as among
the things made for his service.
When, in the history of Christianity, it be-
came necessary to re-assert and emphasize
the truth that 'the just shall live by faith,
Luther was raised up /; and nothing is more
apparent to the student than that the age
which produced him demanded Eim-that he
fitted into his age, supplied its wants, and
cut new channel through which the richest
life of the world has flowed for centuries. He
found his country tied up to Journalism, schol-
asticism and tradition and by strokes as re-
markable for boldness as strength he set it
free. He stands at the head Of great his
torical epoch, which was prepared to receive
and crown. In another field. We have, even
in this day, refcrmer whom his age has
called for, ,and who will surely do in the world
of art what Luther did in religion. No one
can read Ruskin, and mark his enthusiasm,
his splendid power, bis earnestness, his love
of truth, his reverence for nature, and above
all, his love of God, without feeling that he
has great mission to fulfill IN this world
bow myself in homage before this land
acknowledge his credentials. He speaks
with authority, and not as the common run
of scribes, at all. Fearlessly he tears the
mask away from conventionalism and pre-
tension, sparing neither age nor nation, and
critics right and left
Like chaff from the threshing- floor
1t seems to me that the sight of this single,
unsupported man, plunging boldly into a
fight with whole world full of liars and
lies, thrusting right and left, anxious only for
the triumph of truth, and everywhere de-
voutly recognizing God and his glory, and
Christ and his honor. as the ultimate end of
true art, is one of the most striking and
beautiful the world has ever seen. Was
there not need of him Had not art become
superstitious and infdel and missonless p
Had it not faded to little more than the rep
ctition of old inanities, traditional manner
isms, stereotyped lies , Ruskin came to tell
his age that art was doing nothing toward
making the world better-that, instead of
lifting the heart toward God, and charging
the field OF human sympathy, it was only
minstering to the vanity of men-that ma
ture was dlshonored that men might win the
applause Of vulgar crowds by talsehood and
trickery. Nobly has he done and molly is he
still doing his work and the world is read
ing him. 1t matters not that critics carp and
scod and whine-tEe world is reading and
will regard him. The eternal truth of God
and nature is on his side ; and We are TO see,
as firmly believe, resulting from his noble
labors, beautiful resurrection of art from
the grave in which its friends have laid it
Il shall come forth, though now bound hand
and foot, and be restored to the sisterhood
whose happiness it is to serve and sit al The
feet Of Jesus Christ.
But time and space would fail to give il
lustrations of the truth that God has always
man ready for an emergency. 1t is moi
necessary to speak Of Washington. ItwoulL
not be wise, perhaps, to speak OF the first
Napoleon, because men differ so widely IL
their estimate of his work But of the las,
Napoleon it may be said that he furnishe.
one Of the most notable instances the worll
has ever seen of man prepared for his age
suppose that no one beIIe IS that there i
another man in existence who could hay.
done for Europe, under the circumstances
what Louis Napoleon has done Never dc
TIE central figure of an elaborate piece 0
mosaic fit more nicely into It's place than di,
Louis Napoleon INTO the complicated affair
of his age. They were made for HIM and h
for them. And the day is coming when "
shall .oDk back to the present time of ou
own national danger and trial, and see tha
there was a man for the emergency. In III
hea, OF partisan hate and jealousy he ma
not be apparent now, but he lives, and wi
do his work. If Il ere is no man prepare
for this national emergency. then indeed ,ha
God failed, for the first time in history. I
provide an instrument for the accomplish
ment of his will.
Shall the world of matter ever fall-sha
; the world Of thought be exhauStleSs-sha
men be found for all the emergencies of thei
race, and, vet, shall divine truth be containe
r in nut-shell ? Must the human soul lac
i tood-tresh tood-becalse generation lon
gone has decided that only certain food is f
for the human soul ? believe that the Il
Die is q revelation of divine truth to mel
and, believing this, believe that It's mo,
precious deposits have hardly been touched
$ | believe that in it there is special food pr,
L pared for all the wide variety of thuman soul
) and that, as generation after generation pas
es away. new deposits vii! be struck, so ric
: in illuminating power that their dIScovere,
e will wonder they had never been seen befor
|" know that just before me, or somewhere b
II fore me, there is generation of men wi
e will think less of being saved and more
J. being worth saving, less of dogma and MOI
e of duty, less of law and more of love who,
= worship will be less formal and more trutht
IS and spiritual, and whose God will be more
1t tender and considerate father, and less la,
1t giver and Judge. For such generation
It there exists deposit of divine truth almo
l. unknown by Christendom Only here al
n there have men gathered it, floating upon Il
l. surface. The great deposit waits the touc
n of another age.
e Proclamation by Jefferson Davis.
e Letters of Marque to be Issued BY Il
h ''COnfederate States.''