National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1885-08-15
PRACTICAL AND POLITICAL.

The "practical man's' estimate OF
his brother, the imaginative and poetical,
is, TO me, subject Of daily surprise and
sorrow. / can never be reconciled to
the mistake, never cease to regret II,
never see reason why II should have
occurred and must be continued.
The one so illiberally treated has, in
bis broader view, no such opinion of
his opposite, unnecessarily his antago.
mist. He admits the great usefulness of
the other, often appeals to him for sub.
stantial aid in the more ornate pursuit,
but only denies that the practical is
all, admitting freely, at the same time,
that "all' Ia not embraced and confined
in his own favorite inclination, yet
claiming that both are needed to form
the perfect man.
He has an idea that practical things,
hard facts, may often, IL not always, be
presented by his fanciful method in
most attractive light, and consequently
fasten more tenaciously on the readers
or hearers memory, therefore, produc-
ing better and more durable effect. For
the truth of this he refers, eminently, to
the inspirations of the Bible, and the
writings Of Shakespeare, Dickens, and
others. These give absolute truths such
dignity, such grace, such charm as they
never before knew, whereby they have
won the world.
The exalted practice ofthe Creator may
be reverently alluded to. His works, in
our own world, are apparent TO all. He is
grand mechanic. He is practical, o
maker Of hard facts. Whatever He has
produced is useful; this ia the chief char
acteristic, but not the only quality Of
His wonders. For He is also an Artist
and Poet. Utility the first requisite,
His labors are never permitted to end
with that attainment; ornament is added.
The useful and the beautiful become one.
Graceful forms, varied colors abound.
The God Of the rough rock clothes il
with vines and MOSES, and even marks
it with many tints.
The emerald field, delightful, is not
delightful enough. He strews it with
flowers. The waters, clear and bright;
He presents them now as mirror, calm
and shore and sky rejecting, where, as
in Eden, Eve might behold her own
blushing beauty; now as "multitudinous
seas,p rearing aloft thu If naughty white
crests and contending iiercely with the
empire of upper air; now : hahbling
brooks, playing hde-and-seek n, ;inaowy
places, or jubilant rs childhood in Tic
free sunshine; now as flashing cascades,
leaping down from irregular step to step of
the mountains gigantic staircase. And to
each change He gives its appropriate
voice, its music, its melody Of poetry,
low or loud, lute-like or organ.toned,
and varying thousand times in express
sions sweet or sublime. His grand oaks
talk grandly, in epic. All his innumera.
BILE trees, beside their innumerable forms
Of beauty, have many differing voices
Gentleness and music everywhere.
There is no straight line in nature; that
were simply the 'practical," the "hard
fact" But lie adorns; therefore it does
not exist.
God loves variety, loves harmonious
gayety, loves poetry. Through all His
myriad works no two objects are alike,
no two mountains, seas, rivers; no two
trees, not even any two leaves; no two
human beings among millions of their
class; possessing the same general form,
the same general features, they arc yet
how different With the lower animals,
yea, descending along the extreme line
of insects, beyond the ken of the unas-
sisted eye, the rule of unlike is observed.
This is true of the entire earth and its
inhabitants; true also of the inliniy
above us, as far as visible, even by the
mightiest telescope. There is a light of
the sun, another of the moon, and there
are countless indescribable lights of the
stars. While every member of this
seemingly infantile celestial assembly is
beautiful, yet there is no resemblance
among them, and some star differeth from
another star in glory"
Then the voices of crealed things are
soft and soothing, or If harsh tones break
in, they are only designed TO heighten
the harmony by contrast, as the noblest
masters Of music, imitatingly, introduce
discords in the midst of their melodies.
The poetry which God loves pervades
all His works. Flowers write it and
! breathe it in perfumes over the universal
pages Of His inspiration. Above all
bends the exquisite poetry of His arch in
heaven, the rainbow. Then, from His
mysterious skies, the breeze whispers it,
sings it, till the storm, in majestical en-
thusiasm, takes up the strain and pours
glorious anthems throughout space.
/, After all the intricate novelties of His
works, He so conirivts His marvellous
lights of morn and noon and sunset and
{; night clearness and mistiness, calm and
storm, that these themselves still further
produce changes ever new and strange,
,, interesting and astonishing.
Ornament, which is the result of fancy
or imagination, is the law of the uni.
verse. Poetry is the spirit and the life
of all created things. Without it the
! world were clark and void"
! would here introduce from school
! day recollection a few lines of verse,
which may serve as fit conclusion:
A nightingale that all day long
lad cheered the village with her song.
Nor yet at eve her note suspended,
Nor yet when eventide was ended.
9 Began to feel, as we'll she might.
!, The keen demands ofappetite.
q She saw far off, upon the ground
A something shining In the dark.
And knew the glow:-worm by its spark.
She thought to put him in her crop.
The worm, aware of her intent.
llarangped her thus, right eloquent:
Did you admire my lamp" quoth he,
"As much rs / your minsrelsy,
!. You would abhor to do me wrong,
As much as | to spoil your song.
For twas the self-same power Divine
Taught yon to sing rs me TO shine,
That you with music, with light,
Should beautify and cheer the night"
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OUR GRANT MEMORIAL NUN BIER