, 1870-12-11

PREoR1NE TICKLE.
EMERSON ON IMMORTALITY.
\ Now Lecture on AN Old Subject by
sne MAKE vi concord.
Losson tDsc :, co7tsponatnee Of The Mr. lork 7s1-
buAk.
The lecture in the Pa.ker F1ateruity course
lsst evening Was delivered bv Ealph Waldo |
Emerson On tho subi ct Of '' ''In,n,oEta4ty." 4
i.,ge and cultivaftu audience WIS present
his il to be Sit. Emessons oulY appearance
He said: feel that It thta new faith can give |
Ut more certainty It deserves to he received.
Ut course. IL the fist records Of nation iu |
*rs degree thoughtful or cultivated, some be- |
ttf in the life heEoud life would 90 eaggested
The who]e life Of man in tho dtnt agcr
teens to bare been pouuerou.ly deter
sa'nt d on death-as you knoE the politg Of |
the Egy ptia1 y. The bs-iawa of towns. streets, |
houses. respected outiaaa, and made every |
man an uuceztxket. and the priesthood |
s'ei1g to be hurried well: Tho Greek had quite !
asc'hes I'bl!esol hy.. He loved life and de- |
l,Ented Iii beauty. He adorned dea,h: ha
locked at death only as The distributor OF im- |
I.rishahle glory. Nothing can excel tha
teanty ! ea.ls. Of bis sa.eoph,gus; chnss..ni5s
apoh the learner. No moie truth csu be ctn-
ve!ea than the popular mind can bear. and
tbs ba1barisu= who received the truss took
tt'e doctrine Of the II eutrectiou a. the EEyp-
tian took tit waH au affair Of the body mar
rvwtd again BY the fury Of sect.
LII thtse times ne zee the defecta Of our
old Tx o1og its inferiotits to cur habit OF
ttopght. Men SO up and down; sciences
pt tpulA1ize; the irreslstibie democracy Of
chemistry, Of vegetation, accompanies With
new life every decomPosins psrticle--the race
never dying, the individual ntEer spared.
Having pys Esed on the minds of tho age tho
lutiiltt Of the old arts OF embal,uiog, va give
orr carh to earth. Sixty years ago ue were
taugh: that We were born TO die, and beyond
! that all the ter1oss that theology could gather
from savage passions were added to increase
the glcern. A Ertat chapge has occurred.
Death il seen ss natural event, md il met
| With flimness. Agreat man Of uur time caus-
Cd to be "rittcn on bis tomb. " Think on Liv-
| ing. The lermanept heaithy state Of the
mind aud body III the love Of life. What il 10
good let TIL Ell dute. The skeptic affirn,s that
| the nn1verta III > nest Of boxer, With nothing
in The last OK. Ronaratte said Of the heart
@hr, that's ole Of tho sisesta. I,'a hunger,
It's the pit Of the stomach thAt mo7es the
world. Our disgust is the protest Of human
| catu1e 4Eaiuss = te- On tho borders Of the
Gra. the wire man 1ooka forward With equal
elasticity Of mind and hope, and why not, af-
tsr millions q ysa1e On .he strge ot ati,1 rev.
lei, St. to be ever new to life. 4 friend Of
Michael Angelo saying to linn that bis con-
stant 3Aoor for art must make him think OF
deatb with regret. by no mesns," he Ans-
reath il also seut by tue hand Of tho same
Master. neither rhoula that displease us."
Then We should sty, With Schiller. whAs il 20
uplselsal - death must be L benefit.
Proceeding in the enumeration Of the few
simple el. l.menss OF the natural faith, the isst
fact that etrikea Us il our delight In pernla-
nenco. We wish 10 live for what ia great, mt
for Whist it ulean- A man of thorg1t IL will
| inE to die. ~iliuE 10 Iire. snppoae because
he has TEEN the thread on which the beads
a1e strung, and pescfiv ivcd that It reaches up
snd down. exie1ipg quite independently Of tha
rrerent illl. ious. man Of tnAir4 ID afraid
10 die. IN pester~d with terror. because le l1s
, OF This vle.on. and is the victim Of those who
lave Guided the {eligsous doctrine Ii tosome
new and plausible. syeteu. II Calvinlsm, To-
n.auiem. S@edeubosSisniem for household
n=e. Who has not said. ~ I know my soul
il immortal :" II ir u perception that cou,sr
" the activity Of the intellect, never to
the l,z5 Or rusty mind. The reai Eo<d
It books il. perllap.. the feeling Of imuor-
tally which they awaIen- The very uames Of
emmett scholars and pocss ceroted TO pure
literature tugeest ideas Of vast leisure. new
co' ditions Of exi:tence. ioeshe said - Tho
eternal exi2tet co Of my soul is proved from
MT ioes tf activity" It were hard to racud
tic eayi.g Of Marcus Ansonius. '9 It were we'll
to die it there be gofs. Bud cad to live il
| sl.cre be none" p'ntarch bad deep f%stl, in
the doctrine Of divine providence. Milton an
tlcipated Sssdeuborglsnssm when he wrote in
Iaiari-e Lost:
s'what II e&r'h I've hut the shallow OF heavea,
; The thinpa therein eseti 70 The other iike.
Ntntt squicls did not Wisl, TO exchange the
, | idea Of inmtTtalt, for that Of the be.titudf
| Of Que ia.. and FFanklin kaid Il man was moi
completely bezn till lie had pa-eeA througt
! dcath.
r i great integrity makes us immortal. Al
= | In Nt Tf1t,fvx xEr11
. beyond fear. 1t rnsker the day memorable
| y Q ray We live years in that hour. And while
9 ! iDd tho bin's and suggestions noble anG
!. ~helesome. ~liie ind that al! the wAvs oi
y .irrnqus llripg lead upward and onwsrd, va
\ it is not my dnty to prove to myself the secre
+ II the eoul. That secret is hid very cunning
i u. Perhaps the alchangelt cannot dnd on
tic -ecEet Of tl.ciF existence, as the eye can
. OF zee iteeit; But it is the ti1tt duty. end
}. Il immortality only an intellectual quality, O.
Il sllsll say only Al energy, there being n,
6 patsire' lie has it. and be alone, who eises
It life to al Dauaes, rerrone, things, where b
70 cernee. No religion. not the widest msthol
&c oey, tiier for him. He ey3viuea what he touches
e There isnothing In nature capacious. or whiua
le eical. OF atciden. al. OF unsupported Satnr
:. n+ver move, b, iumpe. but al*ays ty stead
J. and tut ported ADVANCES. II usture plant i
n constitution Of th&s animal is the means Of il
70 eratihcation. IL there not > longing in tn
10 eoul fer the spiritual exitteuce TO the bount
is lees extent which thcnGht requires7 An
Ut What does that point to-: Where il IT. graft,
H. cation Where but in the new and endes
9. life? If there il desire to live In large
l. r1,lete, With more knowledge aud power.
st Ii because life aud knowledge are good for d
.v aud We are neutrality-suspicious. fehcee tk,nE
Tbs is 10 tptcrlatioc, but, ~ said. Il
.e, ! mest practical OF doctrines.
But tie question ari-ee whether ali men q
Z /: alike immortal. He who would lire heseafl
us must i've now. Tnis sublime hope 0! man
tures 10 deal With men in masses and race
It ete1nay eesers the individual soul from I
at whole world and deals with him alone. IL
i'll agrees this iuestimahle mortality with +
I frivolous population. Viii you build ms
"a Lihcensls for mice: Why. these people c.
[t's OF dispose Of = dsy. !sn hour hangs hea
re-: on their hands. and will you Offer them rolf
10 hear h11a bigct OF shal.os sentfnt
tals.t talk Of Immortality. The belief OF sol
leoplc in their duration suggests oce
in ito-e mustt househo!ae1s who encums
m, their gsr1ets ni'h every wreck Ut pottery =
'rs, their childhood. No, thus does God pfese,
Ife. tie old souls, What does be sara them Il
inE Yon ehtll not get ont OF nAlurn TIL you b:
his mid your debts, and other worlds and
] to uotl1s viii resemble this IN the eternal pst
on lrE. The future state ss n Illusion for
ing tver present etate. 1t is not length Of |
ill, Int depth Of life: It is not duration. but
bed taki1g & OF the soul out Of time. as all mt
but telee, ~ ali high action does; and. ~hen
'en- Ate living In sentiment, We AK NJ quest
n And This is the way We rise in bel
and Within every mans thought IL > big
,eps ! tbouSht-mithin the CHARACTER he exhibits
not day nob1e1 DEVELOPMENT: The youth I
80 ID tie weakness OF the child. 50 the nan +
cff the ignorance and ,umulfnous passion
be he youth Thcu he puts OF tho eeosier
fel- manhood, ard becomes At least ppblic
re- unive1ssI eoua. HI l. FIRING toiae1=. Il
Rith firing AFRO in reA1ity-sbe out~ard circ
re- starces dying ont. be entering deeper into
Chi ljcbest einc, ,uta truth and knowlejse.
iano | last csrreut at eEpt,>m falls OF, and Il
,a1k. the diy,ni.<. shares the wall and the imne
:eut. .y Of she fist cause Tbs ancieuts said it
who | yisl o3 water broken into ,he sea- con
---h that everything With relation TO pesson
ming | tails, Nature never spares the indiyid
zee We have our indemnity only IN complete
nch. cesr, ard tie soul slipuia es f1r no pri
idn't eoo5. That which is rrisats ssa not I
tone ccod.
cou1- On tbeee grounds I think that yhe,,
Miss .nxu rirenee. this eondinon OF belicf pres
lhl3e ! appear, in the savage saraSely, in The
ahd urety. A. soon - virtue grows. the
hing confirms itself. Il cannot rext On leSen
occa- cannot be quoted from. one to another.
tho | ul.ies, AZ d they can dll large thestre. :;
atty. l,Yse1 term than life allows hin. know
oung agairet all arpe arauces. The universe ca1
10 old ce,ye no detlimt ut: that There is 4 re.ned
- as every wropg aud satisfaction for every
! gift The evidence from Intellect il ~ valid u
az evidence from life. The intellect tha,
shing .hsre a thought and feeling. 30 noble ~ !
ltc 10 t1betce in truth is no masnroou- Oul
air. fst;efact:on with any otnef conception IL
. Just | ios evidence Of immortality.
down
'oked PENNSYLVANIA.
sui
hour, ~