Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1882-06-24
Address BY P. i. Rohrbaugh, Esq.

heart and brain power of which society ID pos
sessed: work In which those who participate
should feel the profolndest sense OF their re-
sponsibilty. They are moulding thought, that
great factor of human progress that breaks the
bonds OF sordid conventionalities ana cleaves
the very heavens with its yet half-fledged
wings and steppingfrom star to star, deter
mines the material oiwhich they are made, the
density of the body and the. velocity with
which they tell Their revolutions until the
feebler thought cary with following, stands
at the prodigious flight OF its elder
brother. What realm shall it not penetrate
where shall its wsarisd wing find rest? II We
shall turn over the leafy rocks of earth or bur-
row deep down into her dark bosom. there we
find its footprints sui. II we take the wings
of the morning and fly TO the utmost parts of
the earth, behold it IS there; and yet these
teachers hold the rdns to direct this power of
powers! well may the steam--this child OF
in its strength:
Bind me down with your iron bands;
BE sure you curb my rein,
For scorn the strength of your puny hands
AS the tempest seorns a chain.
i may be permitted there
fore to discuss .what constitutes Education in
Its most comprehensive sense" with the In
ducements to attain to it found in its pleasures
and utility. 1t is a source OF congratulatlon
due very largely to the teachers of the land to.
the advancement Of the present I'M
perfect, yet admirable system OF public in
when compared with the fossilized
ideas of former years when many were driven
to secure their education from It's simpler rudi-
the light of their own lamps, with no helps
other than their ownbooks, their best yet most
Mhq aayng an up
brow, with hope and despair ever huctuating
in the fainting heart sensible of the grand pos
sibilities of humanity, but shall rejoice and
be glad" as with eager longing they scan the
horizon for the coming Of that brighter day,
nshering in those scientific helps, which make
straight the path and prepare the way y for the
course of the highway of life, which but for the
and restraining influence of these
helps, like the unthinking war horse PUSHES
madly on and ever on, without system or
method in this highway of stupendous posi-
bilities, but to sink in utter confusion and con-
of difficulties and to find at last, life once
pregnant with good and happy results go out
undeyeloped in darkness and dismay. IT'S a
er one-one in which in the language of anoth-
err the "impossible :" may be accomplished.
= Did 1t ever occur to you rs
you have watched the inconsistent and mex
plicable conduct of humanity, that all this
and jostiing with indecent haste
through life is simply the conflict OF the many
we all live-Ifappiness. Some rush out after it
as though 1t could be speedily taken i'll the
race, others sit quietly down and calculate
their chances to grasp 1t i'll the near future,
whilst others take just SO much of the prize as
each moment affords them in connection with
the duties of life.
and men are actors; we each act our part. It
remains with us whether we will act the part
Of the King or the Kings fool fancy see an
actor playing his part THAT profifgate and dis
ona-with swollen face and bloated
body in his eye burns the fitful firesof eternal
lnfamy, with sickening heat; his staggering
Of brute--aye more of fiend than man; and yet
he began the course that now drags him heayi-.
~ to his destiny, in raptures OF delight. Ashe
drained the golden goblet of its sparkling wine
there vent tingling through his whole being
NV .. ~ efisbie, Elvsian dreams enrapt his mind,
and he was ori, ssensible q the rosy bowers IN
which he whlled the long ul,s. st hours mWasi
fields, whilst at his feet stretched out the beau
tiful green carpet of cartli bedecke ed with fiow-
ers of varent hue filling the air with their sweet
perfume: about its borders dances the Dab-
bling brook, whose silvery sheen throws back
the shafts of light from orient stream, and thus
like the syren song earth s pleasures lulled his
net in the great drama: habits OF ease and in
dOlence taught him to abhor every effort 10 en-
ergize life; excess ran riot with his whole pc
ing, until habit, the second nature of man, has
forged chains about his will SO effectually, that
the thunderbolts of Jupiter can otbreak their
massive links. These beauties of nature which
which once delighted him, now surteit his
soul. He has made the lamentable
mistake of laying no foundation on which to
build, he has sown the wind and shall reap
the whirlwind.o Alas! what a picture we be-
hold as with wonder and pity, we watch the
going down of that sun and the gathering gloom
Of thick night that engulphs the miserable
wretch, whose early mistake has eliminated
SO disastrously: he shall find his place in the
CHASTITY shades of darkness, where neitherpray-
erS nor batteries shall avail to move the mex
orable disposition Of the gods of the Plutonian
shore. The subject of this picture little dream
"a e when he slept the bright moments away
inst drawn : But more in
viting picture awaits our inspection, this is the
picture of a young man who has just pushed
aside the gates of morning. while all nature
smiles at his coming. The rose tint of health
is on his check, and on his brow sits the kingly
coronet of natures lord. There is elasticity in
his step; there is dignity in his mien; his
every movement is one of grace and beauty !;
intellectual light beams from the countenance,
and the eye sparkles with the fire OF purer
passion This young man has found the roy
al highway to happiness; but this road cannot
be reached by ease and Incidence. The sick at
plying with all the conditions required by
stepping into the pool, when the angel
troubled the waters, however great the effort !;
SO this regal highway Is to be reached only
a strict compliance with all of ma
lures laws and conditions.
To acquire this knowledge to become educated
our attention,-the culture of the
the Intellectual and Moral nature; to
neglect either of these essentials Is to construct
a useful machine and expect 1t to perform its
without applying the motive power.
How necessary the study of the human frame,
that we thoroughly understand the laws of its
being with its relation to the world of matter
with which it comes in daily contact.
The culture of the intellect demands greater
that God-like something in man
that reasons, that memories, until like q vast
of treasures it yields to our touch
the brightest pleasure earth can give and high
or joy OF heaven.
than either of the two of which have spoken,
is the culture of the heart; the affections; the
moral nature of man. Neglect this-and that
beautiful and symmetrical combination OF the
Physical and hysical-becomeS a power
for evil whose acts and words are as sounding
brass and tinl<ling cimbal;" like the illustri-
Tr,ern 10 hri
liant of mankind, but what shall the harvest
be? what with all his massive intellectual
weight has Ingersoll contributed to the sum
total of human happiness, but shaken faith in
the existence of God and the truth OF his word !;
with an expectation that somehow, some
where, when 1--WE shuttle off this mortal
coil, we shall step off into land OF song and
Frequent contemplation of the deity and the
works of his fingers are ennobling and infiame
the mind with lofty aspiration. Who, with an
eye OF enquiring faith, can sweep the i'm
of space, measure the distance of
the planets, or gaze in the nighttime on the
numerous brilliant myriads which bedeek the
skies and display such gorgeous glittering of
useful light without feeling that these are the
of heavens King. or who can
stand before Niagara as its mountain bilious
chatting and dashing against each other with
impetuosity in their eager strife to
gain the precipice, and take the awful leap in
a flood of waters, amidst the tremendous roar
while the mist of foam fills the air around, and
not realize that the great incomprehensible
spirit is IN eacn feature OF the catafstct, ulrect
ing all its amazing energies, while the heart is
filled with awful sublimity and tender emo
tons.
Prepared now with oil the God-giyen capa-
bilties to drink deep from Natures ever-copi-
Gus stream, what feast of delightful trans
ports! How we long to stay. vainly imagin-
ing we shall ever be happy here, that we have
reached the goal of human felicity. But again
hear the voice of our guide calling us away,
bidding us TO enter now the path Of duty, to
deal with the stubborn realities of life.
We are now prepared for real, active, energetic
life; there stands out before us grand and
noble existence; we have ROW the truly edu-
Gated mind, with all its necessary concomitants.
Now with energy, system and concentration of
life's forces what shall stand between this
and fame? why shall not the world
do homage at this shrine. There lies in our
no obstacle that did not impede the
progress of the indomitable Napoleon. or con-
spire to defeat the aspirations of the illustrious
Garfield
The century-beaten and UNCOVERED walls of
yon castle are but the monuments to the MEM
Dry of the great and generous souls that dwelt
there, whose splendid pageantry dazzled the
world, and the potency of whose genius moved
the Empire to action. The castle remains,
but the spirit has flown to participate in lofti-
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