Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1872-01-18

an unalterable fate, and that We
are3destined, without Temedy anl
pespite ourselves, tgFfbrtnne ol
.mihfolrtn l nne, to hQ9oEpEs dishonor
to wealth and fame Or poverty ard
misery,isa a. mon frosty wholly in.
imical TO reason and human ex.
perience. There are Ssomee who
contend fora rredestihaiion SO far
as concerns n psrf s eternal ana M pir, Si
itpal Interests; 4et that be. as. 1t
may, but there! can certainly be
here las tu47his worldly interests
and hischarscter IN. lie. There
can be no 'sinyinetble'necessity,n
>'fixed-ofd ofrthingsestab
and controlled by an s'indissolable
connection of causes gHdefftcts,s
except it be the divine will .or de-
cree. Then to say that we are
controlled in all our actions, so far
as-concerns our worthy interests,
by this fate or invincibIe> necessi.
~, takes from US that free agency,
which nature and experience tell
US accompanies every thought and
action. When we look around US
and see the wonderful achieve
ments of man, or his utter depray-
lity and notlingRess, all caused
by his own exeftion or want of
energy, we must conclude that he
is free to act Tor his own good or
evil. f r-yr-- --.o -
Intuition also te ches US that
we are free agents. for we feel no
natural copstfaint in word, thought
or deed. five believed from the
result Ola certain action that we
were destined inevitablyLt a no
Die or ignoble life and would cease
to act from the belief that iurther
eXertions were useless, imagina.i
tion. even could not conceive of
what would be our misery and dis
content; Orif we believed that we
were doomed to a dark and igno;-
ble life we. would be most unhappy
then AMI. SO long as. we retained
such belief; or If we believed that
our future would be, inevitably
great and glorious, and would cease
to act, feeling it useless, we would
very soon be disappointed in our
expectations, and instead of pro-
crossing or even holding a middle
ground in life, We would rapidly
retrogradc. A man destined by
an invincible necessity to be great
or low" will he 70, even against
his will ard efforts. But the les
sons of life teach us there is no
''invincible necessity" to, control
US, for we have learned too we'll
that by energy we rise, and by a
want of it we fall !; that by want
of industry and application we
live unseen, and by them we rem
der ourselves great. This we.
know to be an undeniable truth,
not only from history and obser-
vatiou, but also from real expert
ence. Mans destiny is dependent
on his o'rn actions, and he is what
he ociils himself He knows him
self to be what he makes himself,
and in his proper mind does not
conceive of any settled fate either
to. aid or obstruct linn, but knows
his future, whatever it may be,
to be thereSult of his own actions. !
en- al some time are mastersos their fates;
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in oar stars, |
But in oarsclreS, that We are undeTliags.'
Those who for causes are disap-I
pointed IN attaining certain ends,
for blind solace frequently attribute
their misfortunes TO unknown and
invincible causes, andsare uhwill-
ing to see any error they may
have committed themselves.
Be-aSsured then that your lives
will be, what, you make them, and
That you are free to make themnas
you desire. The course of life. is
mp, stream; drop the oar, aud youi
awiH be hurried down witifincreas-
ling .rapidity until soon you will
'beS unseen and lost among the,
surging waves. '3as @ - 1'} 4
-s Concluded. next weck.) 60
/ 90 fsa .Gt5~.I