The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1869-08-12
ANDERSON, S G. THURSDAY AUGUST H. 1859.
Literature-A Plea for the Beautiful.

Literature-A Plea for the Beautiful.
The theory that man is justified alone,
lii the employment of objects which have
that Utility which is necessary to preserve
life, is as fallacious ds it is unpleasant.
The principles of creation, as expounded
by Almighty God in his works; forever
disprote this unsavory propositions He
stamped The impress Of the beautiful up
on efery inhnitcsmal atom he made; as
well as Upon the loftiest peaks of sublime
grandeur; when he spake the fiat of crea-
ton, and called forth from EMPTY nothing
ness the bending heniisphefes of earth,
and spread bvet, with hnrivallcd beauty,
the blue curtain OF the heavens, spangled
with HE countless myriads of worlds and
the uHnumbcred nebule of stars. That
moment the use of the beautiful was le-
sg,timatized for man, in all tho varying
paths of sublunary habitatlon. Human
nature, in spite of the fallacies Of the &C.
centric, and the unwisdom of the ignor-
ant, has everywhere responded to this
law of his being implanted in him from
birth and desires that which is pleasing
to his sight, and beautiful to the eye
The measureless domain Of literature,
with it's winding labyrinths of thought,
add their testimony to the fact, that God
made the world and the things thereof
beautiful, and intended them tor mans
ENJOYMENT. Gcd could as we'll have Madc
tho Improvement of mans mind a duty
incumbent upon him; without the REIN
bursting element of enjoyment; but he
has chosen to infuse into pleasure; prihci-
pie and profit The beauties Of literature
are unanswerable arguments that God
has made man susceptible of the lovely,
that is of Divine orig gin, its qualification
lawful pursuit, and its acquisition legiti-.
mate possession. The elegance of letters
are not among those objects which charm
the physical eye, but they fascinate the
mental vision, and take their place in the
hall of memory, whence Oft from along
the road Of life, they are called forth to
delight please, and soothe us. Litera-
ture, then furnishes potent argument
that man's qualification of this cnnobling
sense, is not only no wrong, but great
and grand gift from God Himself, who, in
all His works has made his power with
beauty shine: The physical is the mediuti
which conveys TO tile mental eye the
grandeur and pleasure Of letters, and
there, in the rccesses of the soul, it pro-
duccs beatific enjoyment which should
fill man with high and worsbipful feelings
towards his Creator. The love of that
which is pleasant to the eye is universal
-fonnd ,n,ot or the rude inhabitants of un-
civilization, as we'll as among the intelli-
gent population CT educated countries.
The untatorsd savage is gr;itifed In the
possession of Il few fiauiitihg feathers and
the gaudy besmearings Of ocbre and ver-
million; whlc hicn Of Intelligence and re-
6nemcnt, seek THE ehnobling food of life
to appease the gnawing appetite for the
beautiful, and the chisel of the sculptor,
the pencil of the painter, the trowel of
the architect, and the spade of the florist,
are called into active labor 10 crafty his
wants, while oftmes, still unsatisfcd,
longing with hunger of soul to add newer
and grander beauties to his acquisitions,
and to satisfy his cravings, man goes
forth over the rolling world, Drawing dan
ger and facing death, to give to the i'm
mortal within it's dcathlcss and eternal
desires. 1t has divine sanction. We read
it in every phase of life, for God has
placed the beautiful in each, and has said
by His acts 10 man, that he desires to
possess that which is lovely, is the work
OF his own creation, and, therefore, right;
not wrong, but god like. Flowers, rills
and wales; crags, forests and mountains,
are the imperishable arguments that Je.
hovah does not disprove of mans love OF
tho beautiful; and we have seen that the
work of tho improvement of mans mind.
has been permeated by Him with the
beahtft! ahd that which might have been
drag and task, has been made d pleas
ure as we'll IS profit. Literature, then,
affords us a convincing proof that the
Creator sanctions mans desires, makes it
an invioablo right for him to crafty, al
ways within tho bounds of reason, the
longings of his imprisoned soul for the
sight and possession of tho sublime Of
earth.-Baltimore Monthly Calogram:
A STORY FROM "NED BRAcE."-A friend,
saws the Columbus Sum- sends us the fol.
lowing story from "Ncd Brace" the famous