Randolph County journal. [volume] (Winchester, Randolph County, Ind.) 1855-1862, 1861-03-14
For the Randolph County Journal.
Iile-A Semi-Plagiarism.
"In the worlds broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of life,
I a 4 =. I.

Be not like dumb-driyen cattle
BE hero in the strife LOnqfeiiop.
Amid the varying scenes ani vicissitudes Of
life, surrounded by beings upon whom We may
bestow blessings OF inestimable worth, how fore
IDLY these lines must impress the feelings of be
nefcence And the great trouble in the outset
in life with many is to decide a. to what course
in life they shall pursue that they may render
themselves the most useful to our race When
we enter upon the stage of active life, ambition
invites us to her embrace and points us to the
aurais of undying fame. the srst incentive to-
action is to secure honor and applause from our
fellow men, and consequently we rush vigorous
ly onward and in orr ardent thirstng for plaud
it and commendation we lose sight of those OBJ
jects which we may render the most happy.
Truly there are names upon the list of Great
Ones of Earth that Justly claim to be revered by
us; but it must be remembered that We can not
all be Newton or Washington, Bryant or
Gray, Hemans or Sgourney Yet we all
have a field in which to labor. and in which ey
cry word and action must have its bearing on
some Of our race, for certainly our influence must
elevate or degrade those on whom it is exerted /;
and it must be exerted over all with whom we
are associated How, then, shall we proceed in
life that we may be usefull The first requisite
is to cultivate the inner man soul. For how
ever much it may be doubted, we hold that there
is existing somew here in the mysterious organi
zation of our being principle Of moral justice
susceptible of education and discipline; and which
if left TO its own course will follow the paths of
folly and vice, and fall into ruin and destruc
ton. As a child, una,sisted by tutor, is des
titute OF a knowledge of the arts and sciences,
and as its mind becomes more and more degen-
crate, the more it is neglected, the soul, when
untaught by its Paternal Guardian, sinks into
baseness, wretchodness and misery.
Nav we not be needless, then, Of the lessons
which almost every occurrence in the daily
walks of life may teach us; but let us learn
from the quivering leaves of the forest as they
rustic in the gentle gale; from the murmuring
rvuet as its ripping waters glitter in the qui-
ct moon beam; from the moaning,winds of Au-
tumn, and the bowling storms of Winter; from
the howerly lawns of Spring, and the fruitful
fields Of Summer; from the mysterious con
struction of our own being, and the sacred pa
ges of inspiration.
All these impart healthful lessons of ins,ruc
ton to the soul. But rs the student must
employ the sciences which he has learned in or
der to retain them. so these teachings must be
applied in life, that they may become imbibed in
to our nature and so that we may be heroes fully
equipped for the great battle of life
To this end, then. let us strive to practice a
spirit of forgiveness toward the erring, and TO
cherish feelings of love, sympathy, and compas
sion, for the bcreayed, the cnthralled,
and the cstrangcd, regardless of the
circumstances which have placed them in this
condition. For we know not but in some un-
guarded hour we may be capturedhy some of the
mi scralle deiorm ties Of vice, and We can have
no better safeguard for the protection of the soul
from dcgeneracy, viciouSncss, and folly, than
the cultivation and incu cation of these genuine
principles into the soul and life May We then
write the errors and folles of others in the
sands of the ocean of time, that the ebbing
waves may wash them out and forever obscure
them from our view. But may We engrave their
virtues, in burning capitals, on parchment OF ad-
amant, so that they may be visible during all
time, that we may ever read and practise them
And as the pearly dews of heaven cause fra
GRANGE aud beauty among the blushing flowers,
so the priceless gems of virtue, love, purity and
truth imbuing the soul shall cause it to expand
and bloom like the rose.
We should ever bear in mind, that true and
lasting happiness can not be obtained from vic
tories won upon the crimson field of battle, or
from the unavailing honors that nations bestow
upon those that claim to be their benefactors.
But to the contrary, may that holy injunction he
remembered by all, that "Whosoever giveth unto
one of these little ones cup of cold water TO
drink in my name shall in now:se lose his re
ward"
Then while the fleet wings of time bears Us
onward to the shores of that boundless ocean Of
infinitv, wherein We shall dwell through the
countless ages of eternity, may We, in the lam
guage of Bryant,
$50 live that when our summons comes to join
The innumerable caravan that moves
To the pale realms Of shade, where each shall
take
His chamber in the silent halls of death,
We go not like the quarry slave at night.
ScOurced to his dungeon, but sustained and
soothed
By an unfaltering trust, approach the grave
Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch
About him and lies down to pleasant dreams