Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1874-08-27

| : udSC COuI IlOSCO VI OisO hdil-
dred and forty thousand words
by which we can express witt
perfect ease and harmony al
that can be imagined by the hui
man mind. Think of the time
when Cadmus first introduced
the use Of the alphabet, which
then consisted Of only sixteen
characters, but since that date
the different nations have been
dealing in the arts and sciences
and have made such great i'm
provements as to adopt others
from it, to suit the different
tongues and kindred Of earth,
and ours to-day presents itself
to the. eager eye of man with
twenty-six ir number, by which
we are enabled to express in
glowing style any thought, de-
sire or intention as yet known
to the human family. Then
what is true Of the formation Of
language must be true of lis
progress in literature; for many
years ago no college course was
considered complete unless it
contained the study Of Pope,
Swift and Addison as well as
Virgil, Cicero and Horace
They were universally acknowl-
edged as our models of excel
lence and placed without chal-
lenge at the head Of natural lit
erature, but all this is now
changed; though their names
are still familiar to our ears,
yet they have declined consid-
erably from the high meridian
Of their glory, and may be fair
ly apprehended as fastening to
their setting. Neitheris it time
alone that has wrought this OBJ
scuration. There are but two
solutions for this phenomena
our taste has either degenerated
or our old models have been
fairly surpassed. Now we are
not to believe that our national
taste has become absolutely and
permanently corrupted, but that
with the exceptions Of the few
great political disasters which
have given a check to all civili-
zation, we can truthfully say
that there has always been Il
sensible progress in this particu-
lar, that the general taste and
productions Of each successive
generation is better than that
of its predecessor, and for proof
of this we only have to refer
you to Lord Bacon, who in his
time was ali eloquent orator, but
Daniel Webster in his turn was
more eloquent. Hume was en-
doWed with many Of the good
qualities of a great historian,
but PRESCOTT was endowed more
and better. Pope was inspired
with the tastes and fancies Of a
great poet, but Longfellow of
more modern date was inspired
with the tastes and talents of
greater.
Cultivation lengthens life.
For the growth of wealth, the
improvement in agriculture, the
advance in the mechanic arts,
the increase in comforts, the
cultivation of personal, domes-
tic and social habits, the gener-
al culture and diffusion Of edu-
cation, the elevation of morals,
the refDements of manner, and
all that tends to advance person
al and social life, WELD a great
influence on the development Of
vital powers, the maintainance
of life and the proIongation of
mans days on earth. The ex-
hibition of inventions, whose
name is legion in the patent of
fees, and elsewhere, models and
descriptions of things new and
things improved, are indications
of progress in culture, Of in
crease in comforts, and conse-
quently in human power and
longevity. Ploughs, moving
machines, threshing machines,
and all improved agricultural
implements, not only increase
the productions, but they lessen
the labor of the cultiyator or
make it more effective, and by
their aid the laboring class are
armed to meet the responsible
ties and bear off the trials Of
life. And few, very few, of the
improvements that belong to
the civilized world are without
their good effect, present or re-
mote, direct or indirect, on hui
man health. Even the earth it.
self from cultivation has di-
rect effect on human health; the
forests have been felled, wet
lands have been drained, ,swamps
have given place to dry arabic