The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1875-05-13
MUNSEY,
The Great Preachers Lecture
upon Man.

DIR. w. Z. Munsey, as announced,
lectured at Antoinette Hall, Wednesday
night the 9TH, to p good audience, upon
the subject, "Man." There is a variety
of opinion among those who heard him
as to the merits of the lecture. Some
gave to his thoughts the conside alton
OF mere vagaries, without point in
reality; others by close attention said
that they were enabled to follow him.
and that his lecture was deep and
sought the truth; others "failed to ex-
aetly catch that idea, and missed the
connections" others professed not to
know as much when they came ont of
the hall as they did when they entered.
There are as many minds as there are
men, and we do not think there was
ever more tit occasion than this to
make the observation that no two mems
transparent optics refract the same de-
gree OF illumination from any given
thing, or, in other words, they don't see
it in the same light We agree with
each one of these opinions. In fact, we
would agree with most any opinion
concerning this lecture. Vagaries
there were, to be sure-thOse imagina-
tive conceptions, inspiratiOnal idealisms
and daring rhapsodies that entrance the
hearer with their wild fertility and
chill him with their sanguine vague
ness. There was, indeed, want of
point, but his thoughts plowed into the
vastly deep of mind, and explored IN
imagined realms of idealism, and
reached into the limitless confines of
space, where chaos reigns, and God
only exists, and there was nothing left
upon which to fix point. His lecture
was also deep and sought the truth. In
fact, the very Vastness of its prOfundity
left great many little fishes be-
hind that could not live in the high
pressure of such depths-and some
times all of us had to swim on top and
watch him dive. We do not blame some
of his hea. ers because they failed to
catch some of the ideas of the great
preacher. In ordinary fishing all one
has to do is to spit on his bait and throw
it in, and then sit still and wait for
luck; in catching ideas, though, that
are drawn from sources we have never
explored, with the silken line of genius
and hook of steeled wisdom, baited
with learning of books and seasOne 8
with reason, a man don't stand much
chance for luck Il he has never been
there. We don't wonder at those who
failed to learn anything, either. Well
acknowledge that we were umbfOunIed
and didn't know even what to think,
much less to say and we are not aston
ished that the bewildering force of
logic, the staggering fascination of rea-
sOning, the startling electricity of ideas,
and the prodigiOus astounding, amazing,
stupendOus powers of language and
description that burst from the lips OF
the wondrOus man in volcanic splendOr
should Supply, cOnfound and utterly
stun his hearers. We agree with ali
these opinions, and then we have q
further idea, which is this: We have
no idea at all. He completely passed
our conceptions and absolutely eclipsed
| all imagination. No doubt some of his
hearers understood him and followed
him throughout, and we have less doubt
that these accepted the truth of his
reasOnings and conclusions and learned
| a vast deal but they were bottom water
! fishes, and of course could stand the
| pressure that we minnows couldn't
Munsey, in our estimation, stands I'M
rivaled as a man of the prOfOundest
| learning, the deepest thought, with a
knowledge of science and all philOsOphi-
cal eruditiOn that amounts to almost in
tuition, perfect in theory, faultless in
logic, proficient in fancy, and unap-
proachable in language and descriptive
| pOwers-withOut peer he stands upon
| the acme of attainments.