National Republican., 1876-02-09
THE PAST AND PRESENT COMPARED
| CUNNING DEFENSE OF HIMSELF
QUIXOTIC VIEWS OF A REF0RMER
Panacea .ior All Our Ills Suggested

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never before attended lecture, and to this fact
he may attribute the peculiar applause bestowed
| upon his wonderful effort. or course there were
among the throng many wsllknown citizens of
both sexes, but the majority simply attended
from curiosity and after 6 look at the lecturer,
which gratifed their curiosity, they were easily
Influenced to applause by the artful stress laid
by him upon certain portions Of his address.
A few moments before o'clock, the time named
| for the beginning, the lecturer appeared alone
upon the platform, and was greeted with slight
, applause. He took his seat upon o sofa in the
front Of the stage. and crossing one leg over the
other, let his eyes wander over the throng. Mr..
Tlton is used to audiences but the instant eye!ing
| Of several hundred opera glasses toward him up
set even his equantmity, and to the practtcsdeye,
however, fer at least three minutes, and then be-
| gan his work.
Mr.. Tilton evidently had two o3iec,s in view
when he wrote The Problem Of Llfe"-irst,
the $3.50 or more be receives for its delivery and,
second, that 1t should be q defense of his action
in condoning the fault Of his wife and so long
keeping the sad story secret from the world.
With the mastery use OF language with which
he is gifted, he manages to do the latter without
sOnal allusions: but in one or two instances when
be is dwelling on happiness" "fortssude" and
Kindred sublscts, the burden OF his thought Is TO
| make Theodore Tiiton hero Tor the course he
has seen tt 10 pursue.
| He takes occasion, also, to say 4 word in favor
OF the woman's movement aud the old doctrine of
| holding men equally responsible with women, as
lar virtue is cCnceTCe1, ana tnel TCalS l!ly
| on how children Should be reared. He insists
| that the shining lights 10 ancient aad modern
| history should be their study, but evidently for
| gets that newspapers, cOntaining the history OF
| the present, must come iat) their possession and
| their contents Including the Brooklyn scandal
| As piece OF rhetoric the lecture is superb, but
| Mr. TIItoD, who has from his bOyhQod to the pres
ent been tossed upon the waves OF adversity and
| prosperity in abmat equal proportions, without
the stamir to eIst he one enjoy the otEeris
hardly the man 10 arise before an American audi.
| ence and with selis ltisfed air lecture them in
rounde periods Gil the solemn, awful Problem
| of1hie."
| TIE LECTURE.
Mr.. Tiltou said tha; in this capital c.:y, de-
voted as IL was TO the problem of government, LIS
would go back OF that and consider the problem
OF life. He did not mean Professor Tyndsl's the
ory was new, but his was old. Every man who
had gone far enough into life to feel It's burden,
who had stood at the altar Of marriage, who had
lOOkec upon bis young. who had buried his dead,
such man was often brought to a stand-s:ill to
ask himself what was the junction, the mystery,
| the problem OF life?
Tie problem of life had taxed the wisdom of
| solomon, the patience of Job, and it was theme
he dared not hopeto solve,
Here was the great world spread around them,
| and man placed in the midst Of it, and the rela.
ton which man bore to the world vas called life
tents. Who ceuld tell the treasures 1t contained
What panorama Of nations had gone marching
over it, always each following the other In fdueTa
| train. And what science, what arts and induS-
! tries, and what temples Of worship-Mahomet's
crescent, Christs cross-and what habitations
were spread over the earth! What millions of
objects cover the earth for mans use. IN the pro-
| fusion in which they had been flung out by the
| divine creative hand, mans mind was unable to
grasp
THEIR CNSUMBERED NUMBERS.
\ ct how small was each mans undivided share.
How large 4 share could every man make his
own, with every facility, discipline, health, op-
all these subtle weapons for fighting the battle OF
lie, how large share could he make his own!
II LIE 1t were were his ambition am 70 become money maker
| in his single purse! Give him all that his eyes
can see all that his ears could hear, all that his
hands could hold, all that his mind could grasp,
| and he could share but little of the world. IN
this great world each mans share was indeh-
alter. or all the sands of tho shore each mans
share was but grain. Since no man could hope
to master the world for himself every man should
in the only way that he could get 1t, and tina:
was wa not by mastering the world, bat by master;
was to develop his character.
If the problem OF life were the acquiring of
wealth, yet few men wero m1llionslres; II the
lew men were poTeffaI il il were =, po% 10 a.SaTe
learning, few men were learned; If It were to
acquire lame, few men were famous; lift were 10
happy: Carlyle said that happiness was cheap
one only went TO the right market for 1t, bu: he
did not think that the market was glutted with
1t. The problem Of life was the development: OF
mans character. When he said character, he
Ulu LOT mean TepuLuIiO0 CldE3C-eF was wldt
man was; reputation was what people thought he
was. The greatest character in all history made
bimself no reputation. The star that sets mi ght
rise again. but the star that falls
WAS LOST FOREVER.
The flowers Of the garden were no. more MINER
Gus than the diversities OF character. In all
times and in all lands there were some mea proud
to follow certain unique ideas OF character.
Around the world, everywhere, human nature
was many.sided and myriad d-minced-brutal aud
gentle, .austere and bacchanslau, helIish and
int In Ha m N hraa gf oil tnaaa aIa
existed. They were to seek pleasure, likewise to
desplse It; to shun pain and endure IL; to give
midst Of all these contrarieties had they asked
themselves what good character was? The
measure character; but what was a cardinal viz
tue? Could they thrust their hands in the fre
and hold It there until it burned of? He cited
the fortituee of Brutus, Elrginius and others.
These and many other incidents showed the ca
pacity Of the human heart for fortitude-fort-
tude on the deep, fortitude among wild beasts
forttude on the scatfod fortitude in the midst OF
bereavement in the midst OF all calamities. That
was the capacity Of the human breast, for fort-
Speaking of courage, he said that men said
that the spirit was willing, but that flesh was
weak. Il was slander on human nature. The
flesh was strong. twas strong enough to enable
Samson TO bear away the walls at Gaza-to ena-
Bile the mother to bear all the agonies Of life and
that they lead did not abound in incidents Of phys.
ical courage. The historian said that
THE CHEAPEST QUALITY
in all nature was physical courage. On the other
hand, DR.. johnson said that the uncommonest
quality in human nature was moral courage. How
many ladies among them had the courage Q to dress
more elegantly than the fashions permitted?
would they Sn!sy daEe say that trial BY Jury was
The problem Of LIE, If it were the development
%beth.T IN his boson dWei nn isa asEss
never knew an American citizen to understate
the population of his own town. King David
said all men were liars, and that was before any
American had undertaken to state the popula-
tion OF bis own town. There existed in human
nature i most sgGi%e p capacity iST telling the
tions 10 falsify. He then treated mag nanimlty.
He related many historical instances OF magma
listed to be suppressed or to be exercised? He
thought that Gods chief pleasure was not tho en-.
Joymert Of love but
THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS.
American society had not yet abolished the sys.
tenn Of an eye for an eye and tooth for tooth.
The old sr fdliOnfs rose up In this city OF WASH
ington, and overshadowed the sermon on the
Mount. They thought that this was Christian
man forgave an injury 1t was at the risk Of his
reputation. These were the virtues that were
called the virtues Of the past. Happy would it be
for mankind If they were placed once again
regnant over human society.
eys1V bnndred hOm meqebanfs faIeG ~ WouIS TS al
ways be SO, especially If American merchants
continued to buy at ak months credit onthe one |
hand, and TO sell at six months credit on the
other. That was business on the credit system.
The credit system carried one precious Jewsl-the
faith Of man In man.
Bishop Clarke lately said that the foundation
of American business was fraud. Lycurgus passed /
o law legalizing theft. In Wall street stocks |
were one hundred in the morning, ninety-fye at
noon and ninety at night, and the next morning
one hundred and ten. What had this but
foundation Of ffraud-legalIzed theft?
He wished to say that the rising generation OF
the country ought to be taken speedily In hand
and trained TO q far
HIGHER TYPE OF CHARACTER.
"Honor thy father and thy mother" was written
in the decalogue. Everywhere in American So
ciety, among the young, there was o lamenteole |
absence OF respect for parents, teachers and su-
peIiors. They had In this country what they con-
sidered the best system OF schools in the world.
Nevertheless for all that done for their chill
dreu, the American boy considered 1t his preroga
tive to have no respect for servants, to hog teach
ers, TO smoke on the sly.
In these days he would add to Plutarch and L
Asop, John Bunyan, for the children. They /
should make their girls and boys acquainted with
the heroes of the world. Give them the story OF l
that most illustrious President who went up to /
Heaven bearing the shackles Of six millions OF