The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-01-04
LYRIC HALL.

5lve CcEcmOuldL
LYRIC HALL
MIR. JOHN WEISS ON TRAGEDY IN NATURE
Mr.. Frothingham's platform was occupied by
Mr.. John Weiss, whose snakespearian lectures
are so renowned. He delivered . very eloquent
discourse, the subject Of which he announced to
be-"The development OF moral out Of physical
evil. the tragedy which it Involves and the divine
purpose In it," The physical ana moral evils
which supply the elements OF tragic lie were IN
VOWED In the worlds growth and came down
directly into the lineage or mankind; their roots
are deeply imbedded in the earth and
spread through all Its strata; they grow
up into the tree OF know edge OF good and evil, OF
" hich If a man eat he shall nourish smiles and
tears Nature valued life In itself, only the
best life, ana her measures to save and propagate
that have been Of the sternest kind. With this
object in view she invented the process called
death. As her creatures increased In sensitive
ness, hardship, prvation and suffering CORE
spo nded; no innocent life has been respected py
her and favored with immunity; the strongest
and not the weakest have been petted Dy their
relentless forces. Her motto over the entrance OF
every period might be, sin the midst OF death
am in hie." Let US observe This natural antici-
patton OF the tragic element, in the far distant
past and gather few OF Its omens. There was
no society for the prevention or cruelty
10 animals In the prehistoric times, and
nature preserves the same Indifferent tenn.
per OF her old devices. An animal
that has become decrepit is left without
help or sympathy, to die BY starvation. Sus-
teuance Is dependent upon lncessant stratagem,
which Is not confined to animated creatures
but was cur,ousiy prengured in the hab,rs OF some
plants. For instance, the witness OF plants Is
particularly hostile to the insect world yet no
little people in the world are more deserving OF
consideration. 1t Is noticeable that insects always
work with more neatness and finish than Ia alb
soiutely necessary for comfort. Wasps were
THE EARLIEST PAPER MAKERS
There Is Q ny that uses q saw and species OF
American ant that puts together raft for the
crossing OF streams. In short, insects bore, do
mason work, dig mines, cut saw, maze traps,
raise crops, spin, make paper, SILK, money and
wax, and perform carpenter work. Such end0w.
ment OF talent and patience ought to be favored
with immunity from bad designs. But nature con.
trives plants on purpose to circumvent these
working people.
The pitcher plant has secreted in it watery
nuid which kills every insect that touches it, and
this Qrogshop Is open night and day to tempt and
destroy the most industrious and painstakiug
members Of creation. They are skilled mechanics,
out nature refuses to enforce prohihitory law
for their protection. Let US observe q ground
beetle which has selected from Natures bill OF iare
May bug or q cockchafer. The brigand, in his
smart costume OF green and gold, attacks 1t rom
behind, and with his sharp mandIbles, slices OF
the nearest ring OF It's BODY. The cOckchaIer coll
tinues to retreat, the beetle follows steadily slices
on the next ring and the next, tall the whole alb.
domen 10 demolished and the poor cOckchaier
travels or with Its thorax, which the fastidious
endow ner beetle with an instinct to destroy the
May bug instantly The guiilotine and gar
s0se greater sss seas but oundea n dn
similar want OF principle. Existence is main
tanned by the diRes1blity OF all her creatures.
spider, the snake Is swallowing the toad when the
hawk descends upon 1t, and man Is lying In walt
for the hawk, and other men scrupe not 10 use up
the man. and death bolts the whole series at
meal. laughter 1t Is continuity Of mutual
uSou eas% oheT BY means m
spirit OF paradox or by way OF metaphor that we
attribute to nature want OF principle; TINS want
may be found as well where the moral conscious
ness exists as where 1t does not exist. The hIgn
estimate which mankind puts upon It's capacity
soul Is shown in the fact that it has invented trag.
edy 70 tell and set them forth. The human
race ns o1yov 70 not see men 'n1Gng bn
know that Hamlet has reached something after
death-the undiscovered country" where virtue
serves him better in the Iuture conflicts Of the
soul. He Will not decline the conflict: seeing him
enmeshed by the fatality OF his own disposition.
and slo WHY put 10 death, we feel as we 60 nome as
If we followed him, lifted up better nerved to
bear 1.-THE whips and scorns OF time" Natures
plan does not drift PRINCIPALLY toward pity; all
her accumulated circumstances would deieat
such an Intention, while they furnish someth
superior to pity. Her weather IS the bath that
rempers steel, her gale the ventilation OF tainted
mansion. II the sentiment Of pity had been in.
VOWED among the forces which elaborate world
II would have thwarted history's most instructive
period. To secure tnis desirable resrSs
NATURE ANTICIPATED
the need Of Cromwells, RooesP,,erres Ma.
special eye to absence OF sentiment and
whose awful lessons bite instructive features with
become worn, and have to be from time to time
renewed, to which END supply OF unfortunate IN
nocence, Of 6ungling honesty, Is always kept on
French sou when the gracious and beautiful heads
OIL Marie Antonette, Nine. ROLAND and Charlotte
Coroay, teli INTO the basket But when the execu-
tloner lifted them up before the eyes of Europe
tears fell TO recty natures nsbiiity and men
iolt more deeply than before that liberty existed
BY the
sUFFERAsCK or JUSTICE
The heart mas always taken great fancy 10 the
text, Like as iather pitieth his Children 90 the
Lord piteth them that fear him, ior ne remem-
bcrcth that we are dust.n Is there any encouraIa.
ment or solace In attriouting an abstract quality
VI pity TO overruling powers which do not grant
Man has learned by bitter experience that
practically pitled the tender text be.
lies its pretension. Sympathy IS mans own dis
covery. IL was made after countless savage ex-
periences OF the advantages OF mutual aid In bear.
Ing the Ills OF llfe Moral evil was sure to be the
result OF creatveness that admitted physical evil
into It's driIr. An intelligent Creator must have
ioreseen that n the survival Of the httest depended
upon the demise OF the unfit, the further the
method developed the more numerous would the
circumstances or misery become. what moral or
what practical deduction can be made from all
this preseD ,ation IL is this SHAT tragedy CO.
atty. TO this end Creator has tolerated an eyo-
luton from