Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1868-03-07
uow R1rENs.

" thNl eAS
gree of excellence with which they are
habitually played. The instrument
takes its final character and one FROM
the skill, or want Of skill, of the accus-
toned performer. When used for a
long time by n who brings out all the
finest notes Of which it is capable, the
grain Of the wood itself seems to be-
come closer and the texture Of the wood
finer, moro smooth and perfect, and
capable Of giving forth notes Of " greater
richness, tone and accuracy than when
first used. So, on the contrary, the in
strument used habitually by q careless
and uuskilltul performer, deteriorates in
character. Nor does it afterwards ac-
quire the power, even under the manip-
ulation Of the best performer, Of giving
tho perfect sounds Of q ~well.seasoned
instrument. Thus, this instrument also
is at last affected in its essential nature
by the character Of the player. In the
same manner the character Of every in
dividual is by degrees gradually mould
ed BY the habits in which he INDUCES,
whether clevating or degrading. OF
course there are great differences in the
natural dispositions and characters Of
men to begin with, and these will mod
ify the effects Of circumstances and
habits upon the after life and character,
especially because they affect the ac-
tons and dispositions in which each
one will choose to permit himself habit
ually to indulge; but repeated action
must always influence character for
good or for evil far more steadily than
any great sudden impulses or acts, how
ever earnestly or heartily performed.
The character of a gentleman cannot
be formed in a day or in a year, and that
of a good man ripens with age, and be-
come, more mellow and rich in tone and
influence by the thousand little acts OF
self.denial and earnest enterprise in
goodness, which years Of experience
have rendered instructive and natural to
him. Little actions, rather than great
or deliberate purposes, and unpremedi-
.ated rather than studied efforts, show
the usage Of the mind and life, and are
therefore the things by which we esti-
mate the tone Of the instrument which
produced them. The more spontaneous
the act, the more of the heart doe, it
display. The playful smile of delight
and welcome, or the %unbidden, silent
tear of sorrow for a%nother's trials, are
not the results of sudden effort, but the
effect of long habits and in fact Of q
whole life of sympathizing goodness of
heart, cultivated aud toned down by a
thousand experiences, uutasted by the
low and base and bad, but ever present
in the heart, and beamiug in the coun-
teuauces Of the truly good. The efforts
Of the intellect aud Of the heart are as
truly actions in this sense, and as forma-
tive of character as any motions Of the
body. Even the will may be so trained
as only to restrain what would usually
be called action; while, yet, the evident
and spontaneous feelings Of sympathy
may show a finely trained character
most perfectly developed by having
courageously aud correctly passed
through a long life Of duty and effort.
Some of the finest grapes are only per-
fectly at last by a touch Of frost and so
there are certain stages Of ripened and
refined feeling that are perfected in the
character only by gray hairs, or the eS-
p~erieuce of deep griefs within.
To walk wisely and worthily through
q great sorrow, is al experience which,
most of all things, trains a noble nature
and develops it into a worthy character.
The very texture of the soul is perfected
BY such a seasoning, so that henceforth,
if it act at all, it must ever be In accord
ance with the most elevated and correct
views of life. The expression Of its
principles will always elevate. The de-
teriorating influence Of gross pleasures
and unworthy habitusl iudulgences, is
equally marked upon the character. A
man may, even ifin heart he be the most
worthy, fall at times through ineIpe-
rieuce Of evil habits, into actions quite
repuguant to his better nature, and then
the regret it will occasion will cause his
after life to be q rebound from his error
much more potent, durable and infu-
entail on his character than his momen-
tary fall /; and, on the whole, the error
and the reformation mako him q more
truly elevated and virtuous man, in the
temper Of his mind, than he would have
been without such experience. Dr..
| Charming used to say that he thought
some of the boyish errors of his early
life had been most useful in the forma-
ton of his own lofty and exalted char
aeter. Perhaps it is often tho case that
the reactive impulse of a new affection,
the reboundiug Of the heart to the love
Of goodness, from the decisions of evil,
becomes the supreme force moulding
the nature and forming the most truly
excellent characters. It is where evil
habit, not of action alone, but Of
thought, will and affection predominant,
that deterioration of the tone and char
acter really takes place.
Old age thus furnishes q test Of char
acter most u~nmistakable. aud full Of
satisfaction. Those who in early life
have, by daily habits and rsfornstions,
sought the formation Of a truly wise
and elevated character, find this their