The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1884-04-04
AN ESSAY.
IN NUMBERS.
By OSCAR A. TANNER.
NUmber 3.

But alas the contrasts ends not here.
Arises before the minds eye, vision of that
brilliant churchman, Cardinal Wolsey, than
whom no living man did once more firmly
tread the ways Of glory, or sound the depths
and shoals of honor. a plain and sincere
priest, raised by his talents and the favor of
Henry the Eighth to the very primary of
English citizenship, he ruled even that able
monarch, and influenced, more than any
other, tn, destiny of Europe. Dissatisfied
with cardinals hat he aspired to the chair
of St. Peter. Subordinating all other in
terests-the confidence of his king, the well
fare of England, the rights all loyal sub
iects, and the friendship of allies, to his
yaulting ambition, his state was more royal
than royalty itself, "far outspeaking pos
session of subject" and dreaming that he
already grasped the mitre, and wore upon
his head the tiara of papal sovereignty, he
subscribed his state papers, Ego ct Rex y
81. and the king Suddenly, andwithout
warning, the bubble burst, and he fell like
Lucifer, never to rise again. There is kind
of grandeur in the lonely apostrophe the
great dramatist causes him to utter, Fare.
well, a long farewell to all my greatness
Vain pomp and glory of this world, | hate
ye," an in his exordium to his only friend
Cromwell, charge the fling away Ambi
ton; by that sin fell the angels" Had
but served my God, with half the zeal serv
cd my king, he would not in mine age lief
me naked to mine enemies" Philosophy
| thy name is misfortune!
Passing to our own generation, we see ;
Murray, in all the imperial functions of in
tellectual supremacy, piously ministering a
the altar, or teaching with scarce a peer up
on the platform. At the witchery of hi
tones, the beauty of his imagery, and the ma
tural simplicity of his pathos, the stony hear
melts in tenderness and devoton,s the reasei
is aided and convinced by his logic, and tn
whole being, through the medium Of his in
spiration, is born again. But the star o
Murray had reached its zenith, and with Blu
one true soul to cheer his exile, it descende
zig-zag, through the murkey, pestilential at
mospherc of scandal, to New MeXica
sheep rancho. attempt no analysis c
these human phenomencc-it is no part c
my present task. You may study Locke
you please, or with my lord Bacon, tn
" greatest, wisest. meanest of mankind,
you may philsoophize, but to little purpose
fear, for the wonderful drama of human Lii
goes on. A Voltaire wields the sceptre {
literary supremacy over the most priest-ric
den of modern nations, and it becomes int
del France. Anon, the genius ofrepublical
ism broods DER its sunny fields, and tt
common school system is born and grow
apace. Churches and chapels embelsh tt
land and the gospel oil Christianity
preached in its purity by learned and pic,
, men, A Loyson, the modern Luther, sevel
the bonds of a superstitious past, and Pei
/. Eyacintha raises domestic alter, and b.
comes father indeed The transition of 81
, ciety never ceases. Nations arise, exist al
peri h-but the people, the human mil
! moves ceaselessly onward. Systems an
theories, tencts and creeds, respectable /
age and hoary with the mildew of a mus
past, grow weaker and weaker, DINNER al
DINNER. then vanish from the mind lii
"the baseless fabric Of a Dream before Il
rising sun of progressive investigation.