National Republican., 1877-04-22
March Of RanAon.


There 10, we humbly think, something I'm.
pressively appalling in the reflection that
everything 10 creation has been immutably
nIed by q strict entail, save aud except the
march, progressive or rctrograde, Of human
reason. The velocity Of lightning, the sound
Of thunder, the power OF the wind, which still
goeth where Il listeth, do not increase. The
heat Of the sun, the blueness OF the sky, the
freshness Of mountain air, the solemn gran
deur OF the trackless ocean, remain unaltered.
The nest OF the bird improves no more than
its plumage, the habitation Of the beaver no
more than It's fur, tho industry OF the bee no
more than its honey ami, lovely as ts the
melody OF the English lark, yet the uncha nged
accents OF it's morning hymn daily proclaim
to us from the armament OF heaven, that,
10 the copjugaton OF the works OF Nature,
there arc no distinction OF lenses for that
what is, what was. aud what Will be are the
| same.
But Il Is not SO with human reason. Man
| alone has the power TO amass and bequcath to
his posterlty whatever knowledge he scquites,
and thus our condition on earth may be i'm.
proved dd inJlpitUDi by the labor, intelligence
and discoveries Of those who have preceded us
Human reason being, therefore, fuctuating
series, while brute instinct is q fixed quantity
there Is something encouraging IN rejecting
that the high degree Of instinct with which
animals are gifted, coupled with our promised
dominion over every beast Of the field fore.
tells the superior emlnence which human in
telligence is capable OF attaining. For In
stance, the powerful eyesight of the eagle
might have almost led q philosopher to
prophecy the invention OF the telescope, by
which we have surpassed IL; the ast on hing
instinct OF those birds of America, which from
the luxury Of o southern latitude annually re-
turn to a Wilderness nearly thousand miles
distant 10 build their nests on the very trees
upon whose branches they were reared, mig ht
have led him to foretcll the discovery OF the
compass, which enables men, no. only In one
direction, but In all directions, to probo their
way to the remotest regions OF the earth. The
strength and ferocity OF the lion, the tiger and
the rhinoceros might have foretold the inyen
ton OF firearms, which have empowered us
n with fearless confidence, to seek, rather than
avoid, every beast OF the field. The immense
size OF the whale, so fortified by the bolster
GUS element In which II lives, might have led
. man TO prognosticate the simple apparatu
by which 1t Is now captured.
The speed OF the horse, the strength Of tn,
OK, the accute sense Of smell In the dog, tn,
patient endurance of tho "ship OF the desert, ,
(tho camel, y the stupendous power OF tn,
elephant, and tho swiftness of the carri Ter
pigeons wing have al ready, by the oxcrtion o
the human mind, one after another been mad,
subservicnt to the interest of man, for who's,
dominion they were created; and, though W,
cannot deny that In certain instances humal
. reason has not yet surpassed brute instinct
, yet We should remember that in science, a
we'll as In religion, IL has benefcially been de
clsred to US, "Seek. and ye shall flnd; knock
and II shall be opened unto you"