The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1865-10-28
Sunday Reading.
The Theorz Of oomponsation.

Human labor, through all its forms, from the
sharpening of stake to the construction of a
city or an epic, is one immense Illustration of
the perfect compensation of the universe.
The absolute balance of give and take, the
doctrine that everything has its price-afld if
that price is not paid, not that thing but some
thing else is obtained, and that it is impossi-
Bile to get anything without its price-is not
less sublime In the columns of ledger than
in the budgets Of states, in the laws OF light
and darkness, in all the action and reaction of
nature. | cannot doubt that the high laws
which each man sees implicated in those pro-
cesses in which he is conversant, the stern
ethics which sparkle on his chisei-edge, hich
ale measured out by his plumb and foot-lule,
which stand as manifest in the footing ola
shop bill as in the history of a state--do re-
commend to him his trade, and though sell
dom named, exalt his business to his imagina-
tion. uaj7h
The league between virtue and nature en-
cages all things to assume a hostile front to
vice. The beautiful laws and substances of
the world perseeute and whip the traitor. He
finds that things are arranged for truth and
benefit but there is no den in the wide world
in which to hide a rogue. Commit a crime,
and the world is made of glass. Commit
crime, and it seems as if q coat of snow fell
on the ground, such as reveals in the woods
OhS tA~CN vi NfOAy teAbA4uSC cL1O 1OA ttiAQ
rel and mole. You cannot recall the spoken
word, you cannot wipe out the foot-track, you
cannot draw up the ladder, so as to leave no
inlet or clew. Some damning circumstance
always transpires. The laws and substances
of nature-water, snow, wind, graVitation-
become penalties to the thief.
On the other hand Che law holds with equal
sureness for all right action. Love, and you
shall be loved. All love is mathemasically
r-4 oh 81,
equation. The good man has absolute good,
which like fire turns everything to its own ma
ture, SO that you cannot do him any harm; but
as the royal armies sent against Napoleon,
when he approached, cast down their colors,
and from enemies became friends so disasters
of ali kinds, as sickness, offencs, poverty, prove
benefactors: ss sess
''Winds blow and waters roll
Strength to the brave, AMI power and deity,
Yetin themselves are nothing"
The good are befriended even by weakness
and defect. As NO man had ever a Point of
pride that was not injurious to him, so4ii5f man
ever had defect that was not somewh here use
ful to him. The stag i'll the fable admired
his horns and blamed his feet, but when the
hunter Gang his feet saved him, and after
wards, caught in the thicket, his horns de-
stroyed him. Every man in his lifetime needs
to thank his fault. As no man thoroughly un-
uerSIanuS truth unJn ne mas cOutendedl
against it, so no man has thorough acauain-
tance with the hindranees of talents OF men,
until he has suffered from the one, and seen
the triumph of the other over his own want of
the same. Has he defect of temper that un-
IFS him to live in society? Thereby he is
driven to entertain himself alone, aud ac-
quire habits of seli-help; and thus like the
wounded oyster, he mends his shell with
pearl sq ssss,nl gi,-