Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1865-04-27
Written for the Chronicle
= What Shall we Eat +? What Shall
we Drink ?''
AND WHEREwITHAL SHALL WE BE CLoTHED?"

from the Sermon on the Mount, by the Sa-
viour, as recorded in the 5th, 9Th and eth
chapters Of Matthew The whole discourse,
though not longer than can be conveniently
read in half an hour, is the most mastery
and searching that was ever given to man
kind. Any man who could utter such
discourse-so brief, so comprehensive, so
analytic and sympathetic, so majestical and
critical, so simple and yet so profound, so
apharismal and dogmatical, and yet so d.
dactic and poetic, so graphic and complete,
on medicine, law, politics, or any other
branch of human knowledge would be not
only a marvel but miracle A man might
as we'll try to make river or mountain as
to do such feat None but the power and
wisdom which made the mountains and riv-
ers could make that discourse If there be
any one who does not see this, then he
would not see the difference between canal
and river or a pyramid and a mountain.
The true intent and meaning" of this pas
sage, to use a phrase which has become
familiar from the quible of political parti-
zans who have been intent on swinding the
nation by just such means as this discourse
condemns-the ''true intent and meaning"
is, how shall we procure flood, drink and
raiment? ?" The anxiety respecting this,
which is one of the greatest curses of this
maledcted world, was forbidden by the az
thority, and remoued by the reasoning of
this discourse. What sort of food, what
sort Of drink, and what sort of raimcnt we
should have were not discoursed of, much
less settled, ~ the Author of this sermon,
or we would be silent. 1t will be beautiful
to our own mind to keep before US in our
puroorted dissertation Of this subject, the
calmness, comprehensiyeness, and crictical
didaction Of the Sermon on the Mount as we
proceed 1t is model from which we may
learn eyerlastingly lessons of wisdom and
truth. Food, drink, and clothes. How
suggestive Of thought. How pregnant with
investigation. How Astounding in topics Of
research. Almost everything which be-
longs to human nature is included in these
three words The materials and clements
Of them are found in almost every part Of
the globe, and by their collection, combine
ton and subsection to mechanical and
chemical processes, are educed what are
termed the supplies for the nccessalies and
luxurics Of civilized life The fact of in
exhaustible supplies of food of never failing
variety existing for man is one Of the most
remarkable Of daily and perpetual miracles
If man were constituted as now with
periodical irresistible demand for food, and
found no supply, or no adequate one, what
a mass Of misery and death would the world
be- But considering the innumerable beings
who make an unlimited demand for food
and are all supplied, the miracle becomes the
greater, the more common and perpetual it
is. In reading the history Of the Jews, as
recorded by that prince Of historians, Moses,
we are marvcllously struck with the account
of that people being furnished forty years
with one sort Of food in the desert. Doubt
less there arc thousands now as there al
ways have been, who deny the truth of the
statement on the grounds Of its impossible
ty-"which is enough to make all created
things, from angels to jackasses, weep" \
much greater miracle occurs daily to them
selves-an infinite variety of food. Nay,
more, the very variety of taste which is thus
applied coming out Of one appetite
is a miracle greater than any Moses records.
If any one thing which man does could lie
made to produce as many varieties of wants
as hunger in its phases Of appetite, how
miraculous would be the genius of the per-
son who did it. Let US suppose lathe Of
Of some mans construction, so wonderfully
contrived as to make any kind of machinery,
from steam engines to pocket cronometers,
from formidable cannon to delicate musical
instruments, from the most ponderous der
ricks to the finest sewing machines, from
an anchor for hundred and twenty gun
man-ofwar to delicate needle for working
on muslin-and what would be the admira-
ton for the inventor Yet for that one
appetite Of our nature, hunger, to cause a
taste for every species and variety of food,
from the hoof and horns ofbuffalo, through
every graduation Of animal and vegetable
food, to the minutest Of insects and most
invariable Of flowers, and for all to answer
the one great end Of food-the supply Of the
ever wasting substance Of the body and the
perfect satisfaction Of the most delicate
sustenance, this is greater miracle than
any. Let US examine little more closely
what food is. It is some substance which
is either animal or eegetable, and must
POSSESS either animal or vegetable life.
Thus we know the fact though we may not
know the reason why, that an animal which
has died Of age, injury, want, exposurs or
1;coora IL rct c,ocd for food Nor IL do |