The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1870-05-18

clared that he was not a Macmillan
lite. or Russelite, or a Hamiltonian,
or Harleyite, or a Howdenite, that he
would be led by the nose by none,
and take his name as Christian from
no vessel of clay, his antagonist could
simply reply that be must be a Dean
lite, and refuse to continue the con-
troversy.
Thus, for example, we may take re-
fuge in the distinction, so extremely
useful in the parallel case, as to de-
cision being made or not being made,
eC cdtheor0. When we made that I'M
lucky assertion, that black was white
which, it is confessed, does not tai
ly with the facts so accurately as might
be desired-We were not quite awake:
or we were thinking about
speaking, without the full con-
sideration of the facts, which, it
must be admitted, is necessary even
to our own undertaking accuracy.
Then we may point out that, IN a
large number of cases, our opinions
differ only in so far as the latter is a
legitimate development OF the carrier.
In our youth, perhaps we were radl-
Gals, and in our old age we have be-
come staunch conservatives. Bot the
great principals which we have as
serted only received their due COM
pliment when we advocate the neces-
sity of order as we'll as progress.
OF course, one may be astonlshed
at the curious mental illusion which
causes Mr.. Deans and his like to fancy
themselves individually the central
point of the world, and to measure
| the errors of all other inhabitants OF
the globe by the extent of their de-
Election from their own private code
of opinions; but when a man has, IN
fact, the audacity to place himself IN
such a position, he is entirely safe
from the whole armOry of logical
reasoning. There is a certain dignity
and considerable degree of comfort
in adopting the attitude. When an
opponent has been arguing with you
as long as he pleases, he must ull-
mately come, under the most favorable,
circumstances, to this dilemma-eith.
er you are wrong, or the whole of the
rest of mankind is wrong. If, when
he has driven you, as he supposes, to
this obvious absurdity, you calmly
accept the absurdity, and reply that
the whole of the rest of.4snankind is
undoubtedly wrong, there is simply
no more to be said.
You have retreated into a fortress
from Which, like some fabulous crea:
ture, you may smile grimly at your
batfled pursuers. You are in the DO.
sition Of the Captain of a ship, who
authoritatively makes it twelve.
The sun and the astronomers may be
of different opinion; but on board
the ship it is twelve, for all practical
purposes, and neither the stars mol
the astronomers can bring their au
thority to bear. of course the con-
sequences may be ultimately incon-
venient in either case, because facts
will not adapt themselves to our con.
venience; but within the limited
boundary of the ship, or the human
brain, there can be only one authori-
ty, and its decisions are for the time
being without appeal.
1t will generally be found as well to
limit this infallibility to narrow
range of subjects. Some people, for
example, consider themselves to have
the Papal attribute in regard to mat
ters of art, and declare with perfect
confidence that everybody who differs
fir ON their taste in architecture OF
painting or poetry is not only wrong
In an intellectual point of view, but
shows unmistakable symptoms Of
moral degradation. Other people are
content with a much humber sphere
of authority. We have met travel
ers who rejoiced in what is peculiarly
called bump of locality. and consid.
cred themselves absolutely incapable
of ever missing their way. In such
J q case as this it might be thought that
the test of facts was unpleasantly
near.
1t is as if the Pope should pro-
nounce, not merely that the sun goes
round the earth-a matter which can
not be brought to the test of actual
experiment-but that a certain eclipse
would not take place at given time.
If, however, the eclipse insisted upon
keeping its appointments, devout be-
lievers In the Pope would not be
troubled; and the gentleman who
finds that a point which he supposed
to be as due north persists In getting
nearly to the south of him has never
much difficulty in getting out of the
apparent contradiction. The modes
in which we may reconcile any given
assertion to any other are practically
. infinite, and require very little prac.
tice for their satisfactory application
! Great changes have taken place
around us; the grievances which ex
cited our wrath have been removed
and that bloated aristocracy which We
denounced with so Inuch vigor has
learned wisdom, partly, if our mod.
esty viii permit US to say so, owing to
our own exhortations, and now de.
serves the support and affection of all
right-minded men. 1t is not we that
have changed, but the world; and
those misguided youths who apply In
an altered state of things the subver-
sive energy which was so much In its
place when we were young. 1t is
pleasant, or perhaps melancholy, to
observe how easily people who have
grown reconciled to the world gener-
ally persuade themselves that it is be.
cause the world has grown so much
better. If, on the other hand, they
have grown to dislike reform as much
as they once disliked obstruction.
they fancy that the world has changed
from excessive immobiliry to Excess
sive rashness of movement.
Of course when a private Pope-if
we may so call him-has the misfor-
tune to be slightly incoherent in his
opinions, he is necessarily reduced to
rather awkward expedients. He does
not actually take to forgery or those
questionable assumptions of which
the Popes have been recently accused
/ b~y IaarpaH RnrDan fIokb