Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1873-07-10

eel? To this 1 venture to give some
answer. In December, 1880, while vel
a mere boy in the Law Department o.
the Cincinnati College, this inquiry
suggested itself to my mind, and with
more of rashness than prOpriety, had
the audacity to PROFOUND it to so dis.
tlnguished statesman as Henry Clay
With great courtesy he replied in an
autograph letter which Is now before
me, and which 1 will read as follows:
"Dedr SRI do not know that ]
can offer you any advice according IL
your request that would be useful to
you. But if / We're it would be to say,
be diligent in your studies, temperate
and industrious in your habits, and
punctual In your dealings. With these
qualities in a good location you will
not fail to succeed. In haste,
,u,, - T'rs, Respectfully,
WASHINGTON, 18th Dec. 1899"
These views though evidently pen
ned in the midst of Senatorial cares,
contain some but not all the elements
Of success. Before we can learn what
these are, we must know something ol
oarsesves, our relations to the Supreme
Intelligence, aud to our fellows. The
elements of success may be appFoprt,
ately divided into two classes, those
which relate to ourselves, as acquire.
ments, cultivation and capacity, and
next the circumstances and mode of ap.
plying these to useful purposes. Blu.
these may be considered without refer.
ence to their separate character.
One of the ablest Of the old writers
on natural law says thaG "man is al
animal endowed with understanding
and reason, being Omposed of an or.
ganized body and y rational SOUL"
l will not now inquire beyond this, II
the vital and spiritual natures or forces
are separate or one. Here then is al
least a double nature or entity, one
material, the other intellectual and
spiritual. ..-......-
Man is Soma Kai Psuche( body & soul
or perhaps more properly Soma Kal
Itunaas (body and spirit). a-
He is corpus ct nle,ks or per.
haps more properly corpus ct aninaus.
This compound nature exists for time
on earth with capabilities which may
be vastly increased or diminished; i'm
proved or deteriorated by training, ex-
ercise, or by the want, or misdirectiOn
of these. We all know that men OF
ordinary physical strength may by long
training become powerful athletes and
pugilists, or by the want of exercise or
abuse OF powers may dwindle into i'm
beetles. We all know that the mind
and each one of its faculties are liable
to like metamorphoses. -.f. . .
There are questions affecting this
twofOld nature for time and eternity.
With the first of these only or mainly
it is my purpose now to deal. i-.
In every professor, art, science OF
employment the powers of the body
and the mind are called into requisi-
tiOn. There never has been time In
the history of enlightened nations,
when this was not well understood
The measure of our success then, must
depend upon the proper capacity, cut.
tiratiOn and direction of these. That
there are natural differences In the
physical and mental capacity of different
men, some of which can never be over.
come, cannot be denied. This is part
of that plan Ofa WisePrOvidence, which
diversifies our natures, so that one de-
lights in mathematics, another in Ian
guage5, one in natual science, another
in metaphysics, nne in theology, an
other law, one in music, another in
painting, one in c0fr nerce, another in
agriculture, and SO on -indetiniteiy.s
The tt'st Jaet we, sh1uld ascertain
then is, what is the peculiar taste and
capacity which nature has stamped up
ON US physically and mentally, for ii
we can learn these, We but follow out
Gods purpose and secure our own hap
piness, in developing the powers OF
body and mind, and so directing them
rs to accomplish our "manifest des-
tiny" Those of you who have wit
messed the unrivalled performances OF
''blind TOm," the wonderful and world
renowned musical prodigy must know
that with his absolute want of capacity
amounting almost to idiocy in some OF
his faculties, he never could have been
cultivated into metaphysician or states
man. There are men who cannot dis
tinguish colors, and they could never
became great masters in the art OF
painting. But the great mass of young
men are endowed with such an equi-
pOise of faculties that they may safely
select any employment compatible with
inclination with an assurance that q
proper kao,ctedgc and application of
the elements of success, will enable them
not only to attain respectability, but to
achieve distinction. Let every young
man then select his profession or call
ing aud devote all his energies to en-
inence in that. Bearing in mind our
two fold nature, will name as among
the elements of success-physicM en-
eSyy-health. 1t may be conceded that
some men have cultivated mental ac-
tivities to such AN extent as to achieve
eminent success despite great physical
long continued physical infirmity is an
obstacle in the way of, if it is not an
absolute barrier to success. The body
and the mind act in harmony; what
ever impairs the one disturbs the other.
This has been taught in all ages by all
authority upon the subject sacred and
profane. The necessity for health must
have been understood by Juvenal
when in immortal verse he sang of the
"Men's sdsad IN corp0se sd,ao,"
1 give prominence to this because too
Ah0AlJ AhOk oO hOo eih1CAot0ha VI
appreciate the dangers which threaten
health at every step, until their con-
stitutions are shattered forever. They
study with care the laws which gov
ern the heavenly bodies, and keep
them in their orbits, but too often ne
glect those which pertain to the "hu-
man form divine" cannot now teach
or discuss theories Of human physiology
of dietetics or Of hygiene, but all these
demand attention because they con-
tribute to one of the great sources Of
human happiness-One of the elements
of success. On these great subjects
study the laws of nature, for these are
a part of the laws Of God, the viola
tiOn Of which is sin, and this brought
death into our world. and all Its woe."
Reason and revelation alike proclaim
as duties we owe to God, our neighbor
that koH anl