The Jasper weekly courier., 1873-10-17

From lecture recently delivered by the
Rev. Henry Ward Bccchcr in Boston, We
make the following extract:
The battle of business l. always the chief
interest in the nations history. II j. just
now the engrossing and almost exclusive
theme 0; thought and conversation. One
OF those great storms which the past j. un-
fortunately 80 well acquainted with has
just passed over IL. and all along the shore
We see the wrecks, or stately vessels
stranded. waiting for some rise in the tide
that shall float them again. Everywhere
disaster. or fear of disaster, and hesitation.
Commerce j. Ia the body polite what the
nerve system is To the human body-the
sensitive part. When il falls into convul-
sions every organ In the body suffers and
commerce l. 81 interviewer with the life OF
the nation that when il suffers paralysis
everything sympathiZes. He that embarkS
in IL is like one who sails upon tropical
ocean; magnificent skies are over him but
tornadocs spring ont OF them. II all men
were honest. truthful, intelligent and gem
erous, how easy would commercial life be-
come. Ii is seltishnes~. dullncss and the
want of moral force that makes business
dangerous and Cumbersome. Every avo-
cation has its peculiar trials. and each one
is apt To think that ts own are sharper than
any others. 30 the pain we feel to-day Is
very apt 10 feel more severe than anything
we ever had before. But the hceXactions and
anxietics of commerce. always severe. at
times mount up into degrees that are sell
dom experienced 10y any other profession
i'm life.
Having long been ob>ervant of the life
of the professional man, the mechanical
man. the labOring man and of the COM
mcrcial man. have come To think there
j. no class Of men, take one time with
another. that suffer so much. bear 80
heavy burdens. are raspcd by anXictics 80
severe and. at certain crises. suffer such
anguish. a commercial men. The inten-
sity of bpSiness is one cause. III We could
but Introduce habit of slowness il might
be- otherwise: but from the very nature OF
the genius of our people. our climate. the
sharpness Of competition. the eNcitahillty
which j. nurtured by all our public habits.
by all these things. business l. driven with
an intensity which grinds up every few
years multitudes and multiiudes OF men
who are conducting IT, Men know no
rest. no moderation Of hours. Early.
middle and late they are driven. scarcely
knowing how 10 consult the laws Of health.
and certainly not how to consult that
moderation which j. 80 necessary 10 men,
tai and moral life. They live upon the
edge of excitement perpetually. and dis
dain calm. Home. that should be the
counterbalance of outdoor excitement,
loses it, benefits and virtues. II is place
for sleep. for eating: il is a repair shop.
Men shoot into it and shoot out OF il. but
do not rest there. and certainly do not rc-
cuperate there. Whilst in other lands
business flows with the tranquility of a
canal. with u it RACES and roar- necessarily.
The effects of fover-c0mpetition still further
aggravate these troubles. Men enter busi-
ness seeking for fortune. and fortune is an
ideal thing. in the pursuit OF which they
never know when TO stop. If. now. YOU
add the complications which arise from
moral alterations. you make the picture
full sad enough.