Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1863-11-06
Fer the Enquirer.
LOOK TO TIE PRINCIPLE.

There is the text ri the SCHOOL To' III. II
every labyrinth Of difficulty, it hdaSmes The
"op.n sesame" to Tic puzzled novice, who
enters unicrsterjiiagly, for the first time, into
is full im2or.. .Naay II hewilderei young
"Nsws.n'' has lc!: the thrill OF is magic, rs
standing bc!nte the blac!;--to him, blank
board, where lie is tryirs, IN vain. to fl; his
practice to his rules nc catches, all at once,
the Thread q lighs' from his prcceptor, by
,shich nc can run 2.;a.5!y hack, through cum
l,rnu. fc-lo;:!a. ard confusing sisIS ana gym
hos. 70 aaiSa with . s'T1ng grasp upon the
never rn-ba-:orgcste;i Why md Wherefore. -
the cloud rolls from tho .''saia.nS morning
raca"-o-;:,r COMES ous q confusion and light
gu. of daYkncss - the conflicting byruies
are ruai,cd bac!z :::1 ;hcr places, and The
iri,:c rpr,,lr;1r st..a,;S out il bold reiIGt.
Now tie !)ov knows VIA. l:c is about. lie
can snap RS t;neers il the iaco Of those terri
be "ali:cGIiGncGus examples" that, IN de-
1uchci horrors, have been coming the Black
par.iaa over h:ln f3r so long. He has mas
tered t!:e spell, AID brrceGrward teacher and
box may state their unknown cqSations" as
Ibev choose; s!cv caanc5 brighten him.
Always lind -: the ,prin"ip!e, work by 1t,
ard your suDl il boun.: 70 come out right"
The biy oe;r-day IS tho ,aan Of 10 morrow
y ell! for him if the potent charm Of that
school text be rot left behind with his chalk
and board. lie will want i. often enough in
after life. IL this great old Life Academy
where We take no dcgiecS, but are evcr!earn.
ing, ever learning! what better spell word
could &c cr:biuzonsd oyer the mans door,
than .Aa boys nl3tt", "L,0k to the Pfinci-
pie ," Like the pazGlel scholar, we. too,
stand, many time, in blank dismay, trying
u. vain to 1T eIr rract;ca 20 our ruleS. We,
.oo, haze before US the cumbrous formula Of
habit, Of r:sns cp;3;uy:s, and of social dust.
!arnt. r:2a.ai!- With confusing signs and
symbols. that lcrp!ex us almost to madness +;
and ;.r7umiscno,.s questions" enough, heaven
kanwS, Ct .;:c!i, cit@n We cannot tell whence
,hey al". -: where hey l,"ung; that seem
Sugi: :n-gluh:c riddles. such detached hcr.
ro.s. barring down on lis in independea;
squads. until we set them marshGllcG
under rc:nc general head. Then, how man.
agca5io they arr. how the annoyance abates,
"a 70 RS, from the ty-o into the tutor! Fol
iu:: hero, in tiI:a very system. this art Of re
,!uc:,a: ora:-;in:; - {. principle, lies the great
difference between men There are not many
n,assc7.sDri;S: .hsu:anis - he led--not many
competent to lead. Nirc-tenths Of Us poor
life studcr.s 60 laundering along with only
dia ideas Of what.;!iey ere after if, indeed
thcy are after anything; theirwho,e existence
being cngrcssed with the passing pleasure OF
temporary Inconvenience incident to results
Their own immediate case and comfort the on,
absorbing idea. Vet, lifc's problems are to b.
solved; and by these very men. They are or
the crowded beaches The Thread of Light
-, : ~, 70 1,t,t ha ~cfo
minds. who. having understanding Of the why
s;.!rc, to Leak steadily back through the acct
dents and c12ccn;:am!s straight to the Prnc;
.c These a-a the men who accomplish some
thing in lh2 world, who can laugh at petty
cnDUvlnccs that vcx others, and keep Straigh
On their course, though plucked right and lef,
~ :; thousand hi1ararccs. The good man ir
his troubles and the wise man in his ca!cnia
tons shows himself only "gnod' ard only
Principle iy ;shic,i nc proposes to be govern
cd. Eyery mn il this wn'ld, from the chem
iss, Ia&rSo il Tho essential essences of his IL
hnra'ory. 20 the martyr, bathcd in the flames
of his funeral Eyre. becomes intense and effac
tual and holds on 70 results with absolute in
tesrity and tcNaci:y IN exact accordance to the
ercrv undertaking tho great secret between
iailbrc ard sIcccp1. l. cxalts tho most tri
fling sc:;oa INTO = ''sum worth doing" and SC.
cures - CTR greatest undertaking. humanity
spcasiug, tho !nifi:laaat Of almost ma(hcmati
cal aecuracr. The operation may bn long and
ti:csone. bu. If We haze got the Principle
right, aud work by il, ti!cansweris ultimately
"blwad 10 conc" Aai human life, without
this adjustment and reference to some motive
.p.war. is tumble OF fragments as heteroge-
meow and ri.1naanirsa III arithmetic without
It's crnSecu,iGc rules or the dictionary without
It's alpdabc;ic arraase re"t.
,ire 70 The puiJt OF ell the terrible "pro-
,nscuous czam!las"-.-:;:c horrible unknown
enGaiiars" ,has have c:cr como up before us,
r,oss Ilogr:;l--:lG! If We sriScr ourselves to be
II, HOS; in;oivaDic. Men arc so many. and s,
we feel at times IN oar hclpcSs hearts. as if it
niast 60 on forever. Probably il New Or
Jeans or a Eic.;si,ur- falls, the scale rrcpondcr
:.:ca ;"r SAC lime in favor Of the successful par
-. Hope is IN or d'wn, just rs ono side or
rhe other gets the temporary advantage -
TO '!c sarc. to tic sword the appeal has been
,aain, sid to tina! wc naturally look for some
results Like MI FOOLS. savage and civilized,
rntc the woril began, finding we could not
agree. We. have gone TO letting out hot blood
in order to COIL our reason and clear. our
vision; arl. no doubt, in dua tina, it will do
its o!d work as agent and adjunct in straight.
ening 0ut cT- :ri"as t. Al agreement. But it
s. pisa2us 10 see how the pour souls in this cruel
CeLd, who Ece2 their eyes fixed exclusively on
men and measures, ere distracted and dis
trcssei ly the varying extremes of fortune
ever incident to war. Though we cannot
help tt" swell Of honest pride when we look
,,o02 the sublime spectacle the South is now
nr2scas:n:: 70 the world as quietly, unostenta-
-i"us!y 'Hiiing en- against every insult and in
iury that wrath and malice could devise; every
obstacle Tat unreaaiacss and sparcity cf|
means on tic ore iland, and tho oTerwhclm-
other copid mass together; fighting against
not one race and color, but combined Earcpe,
United States aad Africa; shut ur, in great
by the world: calumnia.ed in every way by
her interchangeable Zoe; through evil report
md GOOD reports" through victory and
through, defeat, she goes steadily forward, un.
dauntod and accomplishing; there is enough
Of grandeur and noblenoss in this sight to fill |
every eve with tears, and to make overy man
hereafter proud to call himself Southerner
At tho very first scent Of her childrcn's
flood, the South seemed to spring with one
mad bound from the mother into the giant, at |
me stroke of>hcse foot gulf unreasonable |
vawned out between the old Union and the !
lew: at tho flash Of whose eye a Lee and |
jackson, n Bsaurcgard and Johnston, with |
lost of scarcely ''lesser lights" darted forth !
. live while the stars shine; whose noble |
breast has barred itself to the fury Of the
,roud storm, anil dashed back wave after
yave into broken and retreating spray.
Her part Of the conflict has been gigantic,
-. s.o.oJ l,o- frnn,cndoua fno 7vr,no on.