The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1880-08-19
Lords of Creation.

can conquer nations, cover the earth
with a network of railways, chain the
thunderbolts of Jove, and practically
annihilate space, yet as individuals we
regard one another as amongst the
mostimpotentcreat that come from
the hands of our Maker. Though
man. in the abstract, is lord of crea-
ton, in the concrete, he is an abject
slave to the vaguest whims and fan
cies. In common with his fellow
beings, he holds sway over the savage
hearts of glade and jungle ; place him
| by himself near a bear-pit in the
I menagerie, and he clings with Il feel
ing of terror to the iron ratings, lest
he should topple Overland be devoured
| by his captive bruin. He will, at
| times, exert the superiority of his
rights over the brute creation, by an
! noying them as they crouch. behind
the bars that keep them confined
| among their civilized rulers. He will
make so bold as to sound the backbone
of an alligator with a gold headed
cane, or throw peanut shells at the
eyes of some doing tiger. We have
even seen the gentler portion Of hu-
man nature become so courageous as
to pass ginger snaps on their fans to
the chattering, mischievous monkeys.
Let but the captive show his teeth or
elevate his tail, and at once his petty
annoNers shrink away from his pres
erce, "to go and see the elephantn
The superiority Of mind over matter
has long been proclaimed by the
would-be rulers of both. Poets, whose
eyes, ain fine frenzy rolling,n scan
empyrian heights, and read the
secrets of our lordiy nature, do not
disdain to cast their optics around in
search of something material where
with TO satisfy the lower man. They
may pretend to mount the winged
Pegasus, with no other hopes than
that they may lee bourne aloft to the
purer regions of deserving fame, even
though no material advantages may
greet them in their aerial passage. As
they upward Hy, they sean the surface
OF lower earth in search OF tlattery and
greenbuclis, like the stately eagle
which hovers above the crested peak,
yet scans the valley below, to pounce
when it can, upon crippled sheep or
donkey. Statesmen and tCamatcrs,
engineers and ag-pickers, are, alike,
dup"s of their own misguided hlncies,
when they begin to land the chastuned
nobility of their natures, which rise,
they would persuade us, above the
sordid things of earth. The very
question "what is the matter?r 50
repeated by the busy world, shows us
that our tendencies are downward,
even though our open pretcntions in
the walks of science. art, and mental
Improvements generally, would pass
lis oil as the sincCresi devotces OF in
teiectual advancement. Very few, il
any, will ask ''What is the mind?n OF
course we must all aciinoW,edge that
what custom has introduced among
Us should he entitled to some consider
alton and respect. If novelty seekers
would now begin to revolutioni4e the
existing order of things the world
would be turned into one grand
babel of confusion; sensible men
would flee from their fellow men, and
bury themselves in solitude, rather
than expose themselves 10 what they
would be pleased to term universal
insanity. However, when we look
into existing customs. and endcavor to
find out the reason OF their origin, we
discover that many Of them took their
rise from the misguided laucics OF
those who really believed themselves
omnipOtent tC rule their fcllOwmen in
thought as well as action. Succeeding
generations receive the boasts rs well
as the laurels OF their predecessors, ,and
treasure them with simple reverence,
because, perchaicc, those vanities are
recommended by their hallowed dust
of years. We do not wish to Gppre-
ciate the greatness OF human nature;
such an attempt would be useless, and
perhaps sacrilegious; we only laugh
in II moment Of leyity at the folly OF
those persons who viii listen to "a
generous truth, and believe they can
eNemplify it in their puny selves. We
are lords Of creation; but which OF
us 10 show his superiority, will dare
to bride refractory mule? We COM
mand the ocean, yet which OF Us will
attempt to appease the rebellious
waves, which toss Us about like corlzs,
when we enter our Watery realm at
Long Branch or Coney Island? We
know that to the vague rule called
humanity, of which we constitute
a part, the whole earth is subject,
with its mines of wealth in the veg
etable, mineral and animal Kingdoms;
yet as individual parts of the whole
monarch, we may not possess a bushel
of corn to pay the tribute which in
turn is eXacted from us by our tyrant
stomachs; of all the gold and silver
which line the floors of our terrestrial
dOminions, we may not own a fraction
sufficient to pass us through a circus
tent, or admit us to the pantomime
of Humpty Dumpty.
MAYIMUS.