The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1873-03-14

Fo- the True Northcrner.
BEAUTY.

Greek and Jew. Propriety and Order.
Perfection
Beauty has been defined to be, "An
assemblage of graces or properties which
pleases the eye, or any Of the other
senses of the mind We have no new
discoveries to present to the reader on
the subject named at the head of this
article, We only propose to add our
testimony to the "cloud of witnesses
who have already testified on this sub
ject; for on almost every quarter Sec
tions," in the world, may be heard the
alphabet of almost all thought, and the
utterance of almost all tongues, for life
and beauty in all their forms, abound in
field and flood, in air, and earth and sky.
''The lesson which the many color'd skies,
The howcrt and leaves, and painted butteri g.
The decr's branchd antlers, the gay bird IN at
filings
The tropic sunshine from ita golden wings.
The brightness Of the human cOmtenance,
Its play OF smiles, the magic oi glance,
Forever more repeat,
In varied tones and sweet.
That beauty, in and of itself, IL good.
The devout mind is lover of beauty.
Where there is beauty, it feels at home.
Beauty never limits us, never degrades
us, We are free spirits when with ma
ture.
The out ward scenery of our lfe,
when we feel it to he beautiful, is al
ways commensurate with the grandeur
of cur inward ideal aspirations it re.
fleets encouragingly the hearts highest
and brightest dreams it does not con.
tradlct the soul s convictions of higher
life it tells us we are safe in believing
the thought which to us seems noblest
If we have no sense vf beauty, the
world IS nothing more than place to
keep us in. But, when the skies and
forests, the groves and landscapes re
veal their loveliness, then nature seems
Il glorious picture, the apt accompani-
ment to the song of the beholder's heart
Methinks one of the greatest bles
sings that could be bestowed on the
weary multitude, would be to give
them the sense Of beauty, to open their
eyes for them, and let them see how
richly we are surrounded what a
glorious temple we inhabit, how every
part Of it is eloquent with God.
True Religion it is said, make.
man sensible to beauty, and beauty, in
its turn, disposes to religion = What
is beauty but the revelation of the soul
to the senses In all this outward
beauty, those soft swelIs and curves OF
the landscape, this incxhagstib.c variety
of form, and color, and motion, not
promiscuous, but woven together in Us
natural harmony as the thought in .
poem that MYSTERIOUS hicroglyphic OF
the flowers, this running alphabet OF
tangled vine and waving grass, studded
with blooming flowers, this perfect &C
cord OF lights, sounds, motions ard FRA.
lgiance all tuned to one harmony, out Of
which run melodies iuexhaustible of
every mood and measure in all this
Iman feels that God is without him as
we'll as within him, and that nature too
is holy. These views should form part
of our religious education. 4 heart
properly opened, may hold sublime wor.
ship through the senses AID the rclic-
ious sentiments be nourshed bY the cul.
tlvation of the sense Of beauty.
The heart pains and sickens If j. can.
not have beauty. The owe Of nature
tends to the love of God. 1t is impos-
lsible to feel beauty and no. feel there is
a spirit there TIE sensualist, the ma
terialist, the worshipper Of chance, is
led cut of his doubts the moment this
spirit meets him in Lis walks. This
surrounding presence OF tie beautiful in
nature, keeps the soul buoyed up for
ever in its element Of freedom, where
Iauty becomes lovely, and the call ,c
worship either by prayer or self sacri
l6ce, is music to il.
| lie in whom this sense is open, is put
las it were, into magnetic communication
with a life like his own, which flows in
around him, go where be may. Aswith.
out the air, the body could not breathe
80 without beauty the heart and relig.
ious nature seems to want an element
to live in. Beauty has moral atmos
lphere. The close uDseemly school
house where our infancy was cramped
lof how much natural faith did it rob
us ! In how an unlovely a garb did We
first see knowledge and virtue How
iuninteresting seemed truth How I'm
jloyely seemed instruction What re
bellion was nurtured ia us, by the ugl,
confinement to which an artificial edu
cation subjected US 1t would seen
that the cultivation of the sense o
ibeauty, formed 40 incoEsiderable part O
a healthy, sound, mental aud moral dc
velopemsnt The man educated other
wise, lacks something most essential b
is onesided. not of piece with nature
To the student of ancient history, tn
warm hearted graceful Greek, oil aliv
to nature is a more refreshing obiec
than the cold, formal, utilitarian jew
and resist it rs we may, our hearts ar
lalways drawn to the open, graceful
children of impulse, in preference to th'
Ifrigid, stiff, insensible patterns of virtue