Daily national Republican. (Washington City [D.C.]) 1870-1872, 1870-02-16

LECTURE or Rav. L. II. CHLrrS.-In spite
Of the rain the audience assembled last night |
at Lincoln Hall 10 listen 10 the Rev. DR.. |
Chaplin, was large and enthusiastic, eylne- |
Ing their appreciation BY close attention |
and frequent applause. The subject was
"The Roll OF Honor" The speaker was In
trodueed to the audience BY General How
ard.
lie said It IL great mistake OF the people |
TO despise abstractlona, for they are the
power that drive the machinery OF the world.
All human action cannot be grasped as
substance, but 10 controlled by power. But
teia, In the long run, Yields 70 IDEAS. Physl,
cal force 10 reslatless only on the plan OF
physical being, and thia is controlled only |
Al the threahold OF the soul. The great |
torccs Of civilization arc invisible. As men |
grow In culture, they become more susceptl- |
BILE, intangible, sanctions. No man will |
admit he Il devoid OF honor. Men In all |
circumstances cling to some shred OF this
Idea. II may be the idea Of honest poverty,
or upon somo hereditary trust, or the long
ancestry Of an untarniahed name. He may
be 10 theloweat walks OF life, still some loyal
prstext mAJ rally In the heart to buoy up
the last wreeka Of manhood. Aud when
this Idea IL Loaf, the man himself Is lost,
Take away mans aelfreapocl, and than
Indeed he Il abandoned. The sbabblest
loafer ksepa some nbro OF Il 1utterlng In his
rags; the Eamoster aud the llberllne even
feel It, but to go beneath whore Il appears,
one must 20 beneath The level Of q horse
Jockey or Of a New York Common Council.
man.
mere arc men whose claIml 10 the pos.
session are ironical, and then they must be
supposed 10 be cllnglng 10 an Idea. Some
men have not enough OF Il 10 make q neck.
lie for = grasshopper. Men arc accustomed
70 the idea that what al one pace IL called
murder, Ia al ton PAGES called honor. II
must be affirmod that the incorrect idea Of
honor IL better than It's entire absence. In
some respects fictitious Idea OF honor Is
worse than none at all. II Is like idolatry,
which Is worse than unbellef. Men who
honor their command drains depreciate their
Incomes. Ana men Of the highest political
political principles will perform the most
eontenptlble acts, because Of q supposed
devotion 10 party. These may DO rated as
mean quantities or vulgar fractions. We
must, therefore, eliminate forms OF honor
falsely conceived or ascrlbed. Thia Ia the
age OF seeptlclsm, and there Is In our day
kind Of historical skeptlelsm which would
cause NJ TO break down the headlAnd OF past
honor. But, scanning Into tho condition OF
has seldom set up false Views Of men. In
nature thing appears great by comparison,
and this may Be the principle by which the
great men or tho past ages have been CON
celvod. In this country, II title be an EVIL
dence Of honor, our people arc celebrated
for Il. Aud, 80 far as the clerical profess
sion are considered, there arc 90 many
doctors OF divinity that there 10 hardly len
any divinity TO DO doctorod. But, really, as
q people, we are lacking In that element
which asserts authority over individual will
we are lacking In reverence. Bat, again,
there 10 no nation which ever admired laws
In the abstract more than we, while our
democratic feelings chafe under personal
authority.
Aftsr all, honor Ia provided for that which
ls excellent and worthy, aud II not mixed
with the seed II ripcns with the har.
vest. No precious deed Il Lost, no precious
word falls TO the ground. With US there
was an excess Of honor, and we were too
much given 10 ascribe honor 10 men who
have made some lucky discovery.
In the conniet OF vital principles mere
persons become Insignificant, and honors arc
stripped like autumn leaves. Then no mans
personality must baulk the way, tho wheel
Of revolution turns on, the low, strong 10
their moral falthfulness, arollned up, while
the great, unfalthful, will be cruahed.
The lecturer then said that Among the
elements OF true honor was loyalty, aud lie
radical Specification Ia attachment 70 law.
He who has no trAnscendlng regard that
attracts him 70 hla country may be sus-
pected In everything. In him all social
bonds arc loosened, aud no Is deai-mor-
ally rotten aud demorallEed. The majesty
Of loyalty governs the Issues OF the heart.
On the battle-ground OF life fortune and
friendship may be stricken down, but moth.
ing shall stain the shield OF honor. To
this, heweVcr, We must add the fact of ser
vice. A may may live to himself taking
all worldly benefits, and giving nothing In
return, till the dry-rot comes. The laurel
does sometimes grow on dead stumps, but
never on human toad.stools.
There are two kinds Of scfhshness-that
OF isolation aud that OF distribution. The
former can give no honor-the latter 10 the
only one which can. But there is auolhor
elemeut, and that Is Of sacrifice. Thus pri-
yato honor which flows from escutcheons
and blood, is not so great az that which had
It's rise 10 the cruclble OF suffering. Speak.
Ing Of those hollow politicians who ride Into
power on the popularity OF heroes who
sacrifice comfort, and even life for the well
fare oil tho country, the lecturer said they
make gambling counters OF the nations
ofnces, and Of those shRmI who pompously
strut about with selfconeelt, he said they
have not enough Of genuine honor to make
neektie for grasshoPper. Great laugh
ter and applause.
Mr.. Chaplin said there were four classes
who were entitled TO honor--archIeyers
heroes, martyrs and the falthful-those, who
At every sacrifice faithfully discharge every
obligation and fulhl every duty, whether In
dlTiduals or communities, promptly and
patiently. Among them he numbered
AchleyerS, ArtiatA, inventors, poets, thinkers,
and men Of practical ability, aud Of this
class there are two subdivisions, thoss who
work 20 make = reputation and those who
who work for the sake OF aud TO sustain
their regulations. Every good achievement
10 an incalculablo advantage to the world.
These are the houored roll OF beuefaetors.
Our national function Is to vlndlcAte the
dignity Of humanity and reconcile personal
freedom with social order. To develop Il IL
the grcat purpose Of national life, and We All
know now what national life means. We
have felt as never before that mysterious
uplifting Of sentiment which, under drum
roll and cannon roar, llfted US up by thrilling
every pulse Of our nature. But II IL not the
bright dream which hndles enthusiasm of
the thing, but the object which seems to US
the best there Is for real honor. What Ia
honor rbut q shlfting tconssit, . transient
memory, an assumption which bad men have
eIacted, which fools have borne.
What, then, Is honor, that has such power
oyer man, that wlelds the human soul TO
rapturel II y tho CONSEQUENCES of . true
completed bolngs go. z1.-.-'-rIls
The next lecture viii bOdelIrored by Benz.
J. Losing, the author aud artist.
--zS-- " . ." q .
FAIR At OLRROLL HALL.-If there is any
object which should appeal 70 the charities
OF the people OF this community Il IL the fair
for the benefit of the venerable 81 Patrtekba