Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-02-27

wealth. pleasure, popularity ana the Ike
these are, as will be seen, desirable-we
only mean to impress upon you, that they
are not to be the chief objects of life If
they come (as they may and will, if your
steps be ordered wisely,) let them come, as
blooming cheeks follow the sports of chill
dFen; as a strong right arm the labor OF a
smith; and as health and yigor, life Of in
dustry and temperance.
In carrying out this first principle-the
veal of your fellow-men, self, then, will be
your great antagonist. Self within bounds
is well enough, but self as masters blind
tyrant that cares not to see-that will,
while promising palaces and gold, despOil
you of your fair reputation and rob you OF
the sweeteSt pleasures Of life
'Despite his titles, power and Pelf,
The wretch, cOnceutred all in self,
Living, shall forfeit fair renOwn,
And dOubly dying, shall 20 down
To the vile dust from whence he sprung,
UnYept, unhOnOred, and unsung."
How selflOye rules is well set forth in
Cardinal Wolsey's advice to Cromwell:
s.SIark but my fall, and that which rune me.
Cromwell, l charge thee fling away AMBITION
Love thyself last. Cherish the hearts that hate
Be Just and fear not;
Let all the ends thou aim'st at, be thy couutrys,
Thy Coils and truths; then, if thou fall'st, Q,
Cromwell,
Thou falTst a blessed martyr"
But hear a whisper-'.It is little worth
while to talk thus. This is poetry. All
men are governed by SelfishneSs per Sc"
We do not believe this common cant.
We cannot. and retain our respect for
man-created in the image Of God. Some
are doubtless thus goyerned-it may be
large majority; but the majority do not
reach the level of true mankind. There
are many, we rejoice to know, yes, in this
goOdly CITY Of Nashville, who deserve the
name of men. Let peStilence come, bear
inc death and CONSERVATION on its shad-
owy wings, and rich and poor alike will
have cause to bless the Towards, the Sis
tiers of Mercy, the pharmacists and the
physicians Of both body and soul. Let
duty demand, and hundreds brave plague
and DEATH Then, mothers devotion;
fathers sacrifices; the perils of those who
snatch the helpless from fire and flood; the
CUP Of cold water; the visit 20 the prison;
the loaf sent to the starving, give the lie 10
this doctrine.
There is, however gentlemen,
4 sELF-LOVE,
I do not call it selfshnesS, which is CON-
mendabIe. You must secure life and
health, supply your wants and perfect your
powers. Life and physical strength
have been given to us, and we must
be true 10 the trust. Your mental
endowments, whatever they are, one tai
ent or ten talents, must be fOs-
tered: opportunities must be seized upOn-
the mind ought to be trained, moral char
acter and good habits established, know :
! edge stored up, PROFESSIONAL skill acquired
influence and the good opinion of men
| sought, pecuniary means regarded, al
ought to be done, and nothing left undOne
that will make YOU efficient workers and
soldiers in the field Of life. You cannot
make yourselves too great. But the posi-
tion Won may attain is 10 be in harmony
with the veal of your fellows; it is 10 be
subordinate to the sweet, swelling soprano,
glory to God good will to men. If COM
placencv follows this, YOU have right to II.
Such c0mplacency is true and solid happi-
| hess.
To make men of yourselves Of high pur-
pose and power, YOU must furthermore
| guard against the temptations Of Incidence
and pr0crastinatiOn, evil and twin sisters,
who will ever attend you, and with blan-
| dishments seek to charm you into inactiv-
ity and repOse, who will invite to
pleasure TO-DAY and work tomorrow.
| Who Of us have not felt the force of their
| entertainments, and lost opportunities We
can never recover? How many yield too
| far, and form habits-self-made chains
which hold them fast forever;
| All promise Is poor dllstory man,
| And that through every stage. When young in
deed,
In fall content, we sometimes nobly rest,
f.sr nr1Fsa1vaS and only wish
| A. dutrous sons, our fathers were more wise.
At thirty, man suspects himself a FOOL;
| Knows it at forty. and reforms his plani
At fifty chides his Infamous delay
Pushes his Erudent purpose 20 resoivei
| In all the m3gnanimity Of thought,
| Resolves, and re-resOlvos, then dies the same.
Take a lesson from this.
Re wise to-day: tits madness 70 detf;
| Next day the fatal precedent viii plead,
| Thus on till wisdom is pushed oIt Of life.
Shrink not, then, from work-from pre-
| sent work. ".All true work" says Carlyle,
| sis sacred; in all true work, were 1t
| but true hand-WOrk, there IS something
| OF diyineness. Labor, wide rs the earth,
has its summit in heaven. Sweat Of the
| brow; and up from that sweat Of the brain,
| sweat of the heart; which includes all
| Kepler calculations, Newton meditations,
| all sciences, all spoken epics, all acted
| berOism, martyrdOms-up TO that agony OF
bloody sweat which all men have called
divine"
| During the last five months, gentlemen,
YOU have been good workers; and permit
me. here, in the name of the entire faculty,
to commend YOU for your attention to duty
and for vour uniformly good department.
| We look upon your class as one of unusual
merit and promise. To appear before you,
day after day, in the hall, the amphitheatre
| and labOratOry-we known placeS-has
been to us a source Of great satisfaction.
We say this, unreSevedly, with pleasure
and pride. But, gentlemen, nOtwithstand-
inc YOUR f4ithfulness in the past, you have
| notime TO waste. You must now be pain
fully aware Of how little you know. You
| have barely finished the rudiments.
Won are at the foot of the hill.
Would YOU meet the expectations. of your
friends. the great responsibilities You as
sumo. make the most of yourselves, the
rugged steep YOU must climb.
The path is over rocks and through bram-
bles: to advance there will be needed all
| the craces we have -seif-sacri-
fee. industry, and promptness in action;
and in addition there must be judgment,
zeal and strong will.
LET all things be well considered, and,
then, sure that YOU are right, be jealous In
what Won undertake. Learn of the ant
and the bee. Be untiring and in earnest.
If this be your spirit, difficulties will melt
away as, in the eye of great soldier,
mountains shrink to mole-hills and fur
LONGS TO feet. Zeal is the ruby hue of the
blood which circulates through the veins
and amin ties the whole body with life
and vigor. 1t stimulates to the perform
ance of every duty, infuses life into every
experience, spirit into all work, and sur
mounts all obstacles as fire surnounts re-
sisting Objects Zeal is allied TO industry,
hut the latter may have no heart in 1t,
while tine former is a living, breathing
trace. II is wonderful, gentlemen, how,