Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1886-04-01
VICES AND VIRTUES.
BY GEORGE SAND
WHICH ARE WORTH READING.
What Man Is Made and What Men Often
Make of Themseives--some of the
Riper Thoughts of the Immortal
French woman's Mind,

nail IL mystery, ana lie is poem
which human dcpravity too often makes
into prose. Man was given the form Of
God, but for wisdom he had to pay the
price of discomfort Still, the man to
whom poetry and music appeals can nev-
er be wholly base.
The history of France tells us of one,
would -be-assassin, whose hand was
stayed with the point of his dagger at his
intended victims very throat by the dul-
Get and trembling notes of flute which
came to his ears from a neighboring win.
dow. Another, vile Italian adventures,
was pouring deadly poison into the wine
OF an old man, whom she had Just wed
ded for his money, when her fearful and
wondering eyes chanced to rest upon a
small and quantity bound book. Some
strange impulse moved her TO pick it up,
and some accident. still more strange and
curious, caused her to open it al what in
the days of her childhood and innocence
had been her favorite poem. Sobbing
and with wet lashes she dashed the poi
soned wine aside and abandoned her foul
purpose.
1t is this poetic instinct, mans best gift
from his Creator, which predominates in
all our worthiest actions when we are
base we stifle it, All men are poets,
though but few can voice the melodies
which are born in them. The singer Is
not always so great poet as he to whom
utterance has been denied. 1t doe. not
mater though, so long as the music is in
ones heart.
Lille must be poem; man must be
poet Poetry is one with love, and man
is the fruit of love. And yet, ever gnaw-
ing at our hearts is the discomfort which
wisdom costs us, and, fostered and nour.
ished by ingratitude and avarice, it has
grown into the rankcst weed in the fair
garden of humanity 1t is the perpetual
conflict between these two which makes
US ashamed of our perversity.
Two mothers bring forth sons in sin
gle night, one in kings palace, and the
other in the hovcl of paupcr. Widely
diverse circumstances, you say. True
enough; but wait little. Years 90 on;
the prince becomes king and the pau.
per's son a scholar; the burning words
which drop from his lips are proverbs for
all ages, and his name is known wherey.
er language is spoken. As to the other,
when he is gone he is onl Y remembered rs
one of the Kings who reigncd 'in the time
of the great scholar"
The germ of greatness is an element,
an essence, which enters at berth into the
composition OF nearly every nature. For
its development man is personally respon-
sible. He makes or unmakcs his own con.
ditions. Fate and luck are two polite
synonyms for Stiffness. True, misfor-
tune and outward circumstances may cast
one into want and deep misery. but, If
the victim of such disaster so wills it, he
can cXtricate himself Determination is
q sufficient weapon to do battle with
against any adversely or oppression il,
with it, we hayc also discernment To
misapply force is to waste it,
All men cannot meet with success in
every direction, but every man csn be
successful in some direction. BY this |
mean, of course, every man with ordina
ry intelligence. Idiots have no place in
the economy of life. Men who can think
logically can regulate their own lives.
One must, though, ever guard against
one. sidedness. The man who is more
than ordinarily sensitive is in danger of
relaxing until he is little else than a |
coward. Others become biased in equal.
ly unfortunate particulars. The extrcm-
ist is not an anomaly by birth, but by the
injudiciOus surrender Of his own com.
mon sense. 1t is much the same with the
negative man. Since all these defects are |
the outcome of bad or insufficient reason. /
ing, they may be rcmedied If proper
mental effort is male. 1t is in mans
power to be what he will The highest
awards are his-to win or lose.
Ones peculiar bent must be clearly as.
certained. Universal genius is rare en-
dowment, and taste must not be mistaken
for capacity. However humble the pur.
suit, success still demands ones best abb.
lity, and, if the way is bcset by Difficult.
ties, the jewels in ones crown CLEAN sll
the brighter for it when il is won. j
An insignificant mind acquires Il smat-
tering of many things, while great
mind is philosophically weighing q sin.
gle element or principle. This is con.
stantly being instanced in colleges and
universities, where mediocre minds win
honors which are denied TO genius Mean
minds and little natures skim lightly
through all branches of learning, and on
ly gain mere talking" knowledge Of
anything. While seeming to know eve.
rything, literally they know nothing, ex.
cept in the most superficial way. SO mar
row mental organism is satisfied as long
as the world accepts pretence for sub.
stance; but for a great nature pretence will
not suffice. Inner consciousness is the
monitor that must be satisfied. And so
the great seem mean and the mean seem
great. The deep pool lies quiet and 81
lent. None know of its existence except
by accident they chance upon ii, and mar.
vel at its wondrous depths. And all the
while the noise Of the narrow, shallow,
rill is filling the whole land. /
II is merely the pool and the rill-that
IS all.
Virtue and vice, the two major Gle.
ments Of life, have an abiding place in
every heart No one except Christ and
Satan eyer possessed either one in its en-.
Iirety. lnthe purest Of this stuff we call
human clay is some stain OF vice; in the
heart Of the vilest criminal Is some trace
Of virtue Virtue, In the highest sense,
Is an attribute Of spirituality. No tenn.
pie of mortal flesh, unless the Jewel in
the casket is god, can ever contain il
without profaning ii. Vice Is nm attri-
butte of humanity-the natural tendency
of the flesh. To be free from H. one
must be rid of this bestial, encumbering
body,
Throw acid upon the snowy purity of
a perfect lily and most of the beauty Is
burned away. The lily can never be
,leansed, and yet the wanton acid looks
less hideous than II would IL none of the
wrecked beauty Of the lily remained. So
With the soul and the body The one
'corches and chars the other, yet ncith-