The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1875-10-28
CHiT-CHAT.

CHiT-CHAT.
''Mightie- far than strength Of nerve or
slnew or the sway OF magic, potent over sun
and stars II thought" yet the great ten
dency of this age is to avoid it, and whether
consciously or otherwise, society is exert
ing strong influence in opposition to the
cultivation of thought. Society In this re
spect is mass of Inconsistency; It's theory
being that We are immortal beirgs, placed
here for improvement and preparation for
higher sphere, while in reality it would
bind Us to The pleasures of this life With
no tho0ght of our intellectual nature.
Newton, on summers afternoon saw
an apple fall to the earth. Investigating,
stud. ing indlctively, the great law of
gravitation flashed upon his mind. Others
without his great power Of thought, would
notice this simple phenomenon with never
thought of applying it to the solution of
any problem.
The human mind is like a lake of living
water. It's incpmpassing margin Is the
human body; the streams and rivulets,
thar flow In from the surrounding country
are the senses, The mission of thought is
to agitate, enlishten and purify the soul.
Man as the representative of the Divine
being, possesses IN a finite degree the at
tributes Of the Divine, the. highest of
which is thought: which in the lower ere
atlon is limited to self preserving instinct
Mans thoughts range throughout the
loundless universe and comprises the uses
OF all humanity through the eudles. ages.
The thought of man alone lives Thought
Is not born of time, 1t had its birth in the
lninIte wisdom Of the Eternal mind 1t Is
Only when We retire within ourselves, close
the avenues of the external senses, that in
terror thoughts can be untoIded
What low estimate the popular sensa-
tlonal writers Cf to-day place upon
thought. Knowing what will please the
pubic they throw cut their thoughtless
works, which are eagerly drvoured by
the seekers alter mel tai dssipation A
sensitive lover If books, devoted to IL few.
was accustomed to say, when annoyed by
the constant mention ola new work that ev
elybody WAS supposed TO be reading: con,
1t will blow over" as if 1t were a dissa-
grecabe state of the weather instead of a
literary nuisance. But few have the cour,
age to ignore what is talked about, and
50 acquire the habit Of specifically reading
y hat i'"a no int,roet for tia, IA and which
requires no thought.
50 scrupuIousIy rastiI'ous was Pore n~
to ricety of expression that it j. known he
seldom committed TO the press anything
un.i it had passed under bis repeated in
spcction and review, and Cowper whose
poetry seems to f)w without an effort,
tells us that It cost him on an average.
half an hour for every line. Yet we are
expected TO Pay literally and spend our
time reUdlng nun beriess hastily written
books that are scattered abroad each wear.
until it seems as if it would prove Il bless.
ing if the publication Of books were for .
time stopped so that the victims might sit
beside the river of thought, ir stead of being
swept on food Of works, far inland, away
from all thought. The early training of
the child now conducted is more calcu-
lated to improve the memory than to pro-
mote the develop meut f original thought
When OR books are once laid aside and
active life is before us we are expected to
follow The narrow path society has marked
out, wasting no time in thought.
Following natural paths there is thought
in all around; in rocks, trees and flowers:
or gliding along the dark, sad pathways Of
humanity, thoughts viii come of suf' ring
that wiling bands may relieve. There
never lives wcrd or deed so dark that at
their mention our cheeks crimson with
shame but back of them lies thought.
We stand with awe before the mighty en-
gines Of power that human ingenuity has
produced and forget that every wheel has
been calculated aud its power estimated "
patient thought. Above, below, all around
are cour tless fields of thought, and if
these were investigated rather than avoided
infinitely fairsr and brighter would grow
the wtrld.