Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1870-02-16
Lecture Last Evening.

church in this city.
Mr.. Moor commenced by saying that there
is a great deal of unused and msused power
in mankind some are awake in dark thoughts
and feelings, and others who have good i'm
pulses, waste their energies for the want of
seasons when nature burries in her work the
human body does the most of its growing in
few years; there are seasons when the mind
makes special advance. On account of the
brevity of human life, many things must be
done quickly. The intellect of the mighticst
becomes developed by some particular force
the student learns more in some weeks than
in years before. If we look into the expert
ence of those who have adorned and blessed
the human race, they had their times of con-
scious growth, showing the necessity and the
possibility for Ready Men," Childhood,
youth, early manhood, middle life and old age
come but once with each of their peculiar
golden moments and opportunities. Many
vantage of these. The boy who was inquired
of the other day as to the distance to GER
tain city, had an opportunity of making him
self useful, but he Indignantly replied, "Who
yer calling boy' I've chawed terbaccer these
three years." That boy probably never saw
the inside of school house except in his
days of truancy and neglect. His time is
spent with old sinners, and his clothing and
personal appearance generally is disgusting.
But the boy who warned the passers-by that
there was ice under the snow in the pathway,
was on his way from school-tidy in his
habits, Clearly in his person, and with cheer
full and glowing countenance. Mr.. Moor
gave several illustrations of the blessedness
of unselfish goodness and the Importance of
being ready to learn at the right time Ma
ture, with its philosophy and science, with its
loneliness, beauty and grandeur; the voice of
the Almighty in his Providence; man with all
his capacities and resources-all are the
teachers Of ready learners, of those who seek
to improve the passing hours.
Instances were given of ready talking and
ready writing When vain and pompous
militia captain, in very condescending man.
ner invited poor and ragged negro to drink
with him and the negro replied, sob, GER
tainly; I'm not proud; I'd just as live drink
with militia captain as anybody else" we
get an illustration of one kind of quick speech.
A clergyman was discoursing dogmatically
on the appropriate sphere of woman, when an
old lady interrupted him with, s.Prav. sir.
what is the appropriate sphere of woman 2"
"A celestial sphere, madam" he replied,
giving an illustration of a somewhat different
kind of quckness of speech Other instances
were given of ready utterances that were
sharp, witty and eloquent. John Randolph's
ready sarcasm, Websters burning and I'M
pulsive eloquence, the fiery words of James
Otis and Patrick Henry, the brilliancy of
Lord Chatham and his son William Pitt, Fox,
Sheridan and Brougham, were dwelt upon.
We have examples of ready takers among the
men and Eomen Of the present day. But
talking is not living. He was sure that if the
catalogue Of ready takers were exhausted, a
much larger catalogue of ready livers would
be left Carlyle has classed Cromwell among
the "great silent men," and has called him
the prophet who could not speak. But he
could pray. He was ready and mightier
than all the forces that were arrayed against
him. Several illustrations were given of au-
th0rs who have been conspicuous as ready
writer's. But all good writers do not have
good lives; living is not exactly the same
thing as talking or writing. If there are any
saints on earth they have fought their way up
to the heights and had many hand to hand en-
counters with the devil, whom they have been
enabled to conquer through divine grace
Sometimes we are hedged in and can do
nothing but staud still and wait. A man who
is ready to trust and wait in patience has
reached the very heights of moral heroism.
To such, deliverance will surely come One
of the drummer boys of the Union army was
wounded in one of the battles of the Wilder
ness and died on the field during the follow
ing night. The next morning his body was
found, and in his cold hand was a bunch of
sweet violets, and on his face a sweeter smile
From that cold and bloody soil-from that
field Of carnage and death-the boys eye had
detected the beautiful things, and amid his
mortal pain, agony and dissolution, he had
gathered some of them and held them on his
breast, as all the most ready livers always
pluck the fairest things from the whole of
life's most dusty and sorrowful ways.
The lecturer proceeded to give examples of
those in the humble and common walks of life
who were useful and ready to do good in their
day and generation, and inquired the cause
Of the difference between men,-the really
little and the really great of our race. 1t is
not in mere bodily power or intellectual ahil- |
ity, but in actual energy, invincible determ-
nation, faith in God and faith in the human
soul SO blended as to produce the best har
monies of life. All ready men are not ex
pected to be ready in the best and highest
sense; yet in this power of the will, this gush.
ing, uprising, overlooking energy-whether
sanctifed or unsancfified we find tho ,,,;rh.,,