The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1862-04-12

Away with lin, cruelty him! cruelty
him,i" Now led on by some patriot hand
they cry: Long live the Itepublcl Nov
bewitched by demagoyue and traitor. the!
rush msdiy into the maelsirom of Seces
sion. AS the waves at rest when N
contending winds raise their foam crests o,
: high; 50 the gravity and inertia of their men
: talty, give equilibrium to such a people
! when there are no opposing influence
sweeping over them. But even then, it i
E such calm. IS that in which ships Will
$ dropping sails cease to move. A Nation o
such men, like the ocean in storm woulc
! wreck civilization, or in a calm, the nobls
: ship could not advance.
The second class think, therefore, have
higher claim to intellectually. They think
Jreely. tina. is as they understand freedom
without restraint; little realizing that liberty
without law. is anarchy and confusion. -
Ihey may be. and generally are very dog
matical, as TO their discoveries of truths =
II you do not think as they do. you are an
old fogy, although they may think that il
you hold your hand in the fire it will not
burn. Or, if your head were under water
SIX weeks, you would not drown. Or, il
the Bible were demolished, the morals OF
the people would be virgin pure Ii is truly
astonishi g how wonderfully dazzling are
their mental scntilalions. Yet they seem
to be kind OF unnecessary evil. 1t might
be questioned, whether we would not all die
OF ennui. if they did not, occasionally, star
tie US from our fogyish dreams. Although
these men, in their meteoric flashes, may
sometimes give US glimpse Of truths, which
the ordinary lights would be slow to reveal.
yet, it is to be feared that like the meteor,
they go out in eternal drknass.
The third class, those who think ,oeU and
accurately, make claim to a still higher in
tellectuality. The world has been blessed
with many such. Ye. it is sad to reflect
that many OF those who have entranced the
world in their praise. have been in some
department or another OF truth, the dupas
Of their own and others imposi,ions. This
has happened. however. more generally,
when their wonted activity of thought has
been directed not to the imposition. but to
something else of an all absorbent charac-
ter. When error has been thus received,
by such men. it has been by an Indifferent
assent. rather than by force Of will and
conviction. Excepting this cause. also all
insufficient development Of facts and criti
cism, with some minor cause, thinking men
have always been the great conservators ard
propagators of truth. To them the world
IS indebted to an extent that we will, per-
haps. never understand. 1t would be vain
to undertake an enumeration of the great
lights in the different departments of poll
tics. science and religion. We would only
mention now such names Socrates. Pytha-
goras. Plato. Aristotle, Bacon. Newton,
kepler. Coperncus, Luther. Calvin, Wes-
ley. Jefferson, Adams, Franklin, Webster;
= HAur,ea fs hosH 81
sncient and modern times. These, it is true.
iiffes in the sPlendor of their genius. talent
md attainment, but "as one star differeth !
rom another star in glory" These men !
ave frequent use for such interroga,ives as
low, when, where. why. wherefore, instru
nents with which they penetrate beneath
he surface. analyze. synthetize. and IN ,uld
ruth. like clay in the hands Of the potter.
They deal not, altogether. "in glittering
,eneralities.' substituting blind credulty
TOR Judgment and reason, yet il they do gen
eralize. tho glitter Of truth is seldom ab-
sent. They neither give nor take the
auge on condition of devouiing rind, seeds
and all, but with discriminating taste aud
Judgment assert the nutritious from the I'M
nutritious. Quacks, 10 any department of
seldom approach such men
Inpostors always seek more plastic material
to manipulate. They well know that the
ears Of thinking men are quick to detect the
ring of the base metal. Shall we not learn
An important lesson from these bright exam
pies? that to be truly great, we must htiak,
not around. above, or beneath, but about
the thing itself presented TO the mind. Mt
only must We think. but the rays Of thought
must be concentrated. as in q facal point,
upon the thing Itself, if we would burn out
the dross.
We may remark here, that while men
have the elements Of greatness. in thought
lul and invcstigative turn OF mind; vet, one
man will be greater than another, other con-
ditions similar as he has greater concentra-
Iion of thought. 1t is 10 be feared that in
his day OF many books and much reading,
our minds are spread out over SO much
surface, and consequently the texture is
SO gauzy, that the thought passes through
and escapes. To learn to think accurately
and well should bs our first lesson. Patience
and Perseverance, in learning this lesson.
must have their perfect work What if it
requires years of toll to master one idea;
better be so, than that the idea should mas
ter Us. 1t confined kepler five years in
"tread milr' of figures. to discover his three
laws regulating planetary motioas. Yet.
his patience and labor will continue TO be
rewarded. AS long as appreciative genera
tions re,nain to weave garlands about his
name. Are We not justified, in giving to
this third class place in the scale, CORE.
spondens to the altitude Of the stars? Ave,
they are stars set in the armament of ages,
that will shine on with undimiuished lustre,
md constant. steady etfulgeuce. while the
centuries roll.
So capable Of disssn,ion is the first branch
of our theme, tha, the second. in connection
with it. can only be glanced at. 1t is APP
parent to every one. that if our thoughts are
stored away TO remain sepultured in the
chambers Of the soul. the world is loser of
the benefit. The Great Author of our be-
ing has not only made US to reason and
Judge; but. also. by the organs of speech.
TO communicate with those in our inme-
diate neighborkood. Man has added the
inventions Of wiring and printing, which
serve to communicate with those afar off
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