Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1866-03-23
The Twelfth and Last Lecture.

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The twelfth lecture was by General J. c.
Caldwell now of Ellsworth. The theme,
& the Young men of this Age and
their Mission as near as we can state it.
This opened wide field tor the play of the
fancy and for weaving into the text many
terSc savings of authors, and not few
witty ones. The premise that the minds
that rule this country. in all departments
of human effort are to be found west of
the MECHANICS, is not so patent to all. Ii
is a postulate that the solid men OF BoS-
ton. as we'll as tIir literary men of all the
New England AMI middle States might not
at first be willing to take for granted. So
also one other point announced as pre-
mise or proposition on which to found an
argument might be disputed by some. that
is. that men above forty become so we'd
ded to cotton. or gold. or coal e. in other
words become so much of the hard mat
ter of fact, kind of men. that they are im-
pervious to the kingly authority of ideas
To illustrate the position of the lecturer;
Ideas rule the world: only those under
forty possess this wonderful gift or ac-
knowledge their authority. 1t i quite
difficult 10 class the human family Ill this
way. The precise time when men become
SO practical or so material, or so much
engrossed in providing the ways and means
OF procuring the bread and butte' necessary
to sustain the waste of the body. is not so
easily determined. 1t may be at forty. for
the old proverb has it lat forty wise If
ever" Some men get the romance, or the
dreamy Ideally of early years we'll shaken
out of them before that age. and become as
dry as a stick: and yet We see that even a
sentiment in some great emergency can be
awakened in the masses, old and young.
which will lead them on to accomplish
wonders. General Chamberlain mention
ed an instance in his lecture when such a
itelin" called into active exercise saved his
little band of heroes from annihilatien.
Laws rs fixed and rs memorable as those
which control the planets. control all onr
ways said the lecturer. Just how many
letters Will be dropped into thr post Office
in London. or Paris. not superscrihed,
next year, i not mattero guess work.
for there i fixed law governing tlis.as OF
matters Of more or less moment, and that
lah is aSeertainablc. SO OF matrimonial
alliances This personal matter, is really
an impcrsonal matter. and is determined.
not by our own wishes, hut by the pftce OF
rera' The lecturer it would seem i a
thorough believer in the doctrine of ayera-
res. In the Eeieftir for February there i
an article from Te@ffo Btr, discussing Mr.
Buckle, theory ot the doctrine, favorlbly.
and cr;ici>ihg writer in the CothtlH
.H,qteiae WHO object, to It. Is being oppos-
ed to free viii. This writer says: the cX-
peripncc Of a century In England has PROV
cd that thi, great social institution, (marri-
age instead of haYiu. amy connection with
eatircIg bv the lricc Of b,.qi aud the r,'e OF
,rorcS. Thi, may be Too true in England
bai tie rule will not hold good to an equal
extent in 'his country. 50 that this fixed
and glAffAt iaM Aol'a @"od eHIH III '"''i'-
tries Nhefe Inc avenues 10 co'lpP'''s1 q