The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-02-17
IDENTIFIED WITH AN IDEA,

II there is divine comedy in lite
nature il is the Mask Of Comus. IL
will De hard. indeed. to find anywhere
else such a wealth and luXurianoe OF
beauty and splendid imagination a.
abounds there Among It's most beauii'
ful lines are these
so dear 10 Heaven l. sanity chastity,
That when sou "a found sincerely -,
4 thausaud HNcrci angels CuucN her.
Dri,irg far Of each thought OF guilt ana
And noiear dream ana solemn vision.
Toll he ot Things thar no gr - ear eau
hear
TN Of, converse with heavenly habtants
Begin- Sos casf q beam "a the outward su0pc,
Thruupolutnd tempt of the mind.
and turns 30, by degrees, 10 the souls es-
seuct.
Til ali shall be immortal"
The natural gives way to the spiritual,
and the mortal puts on the immortal in
advance
This reminds us Of one Of the prettiest
things in American poetry, "A Toast
bv Pinkney, who talks of zone made up
of loveliness alone, a womyn of her gen
tie SEX the seeming paragon, &c" We
call this the very high sentimental
And vet who would like to count such
possibilities rs altogether impossible,
unreal. and impractical Who will
Insist that the flesh, the earth. the
rough, the ugly the common. is the
only honest outside. Gentle thoughts
make gentle manners, and the spirit Of
honor and nobleness softens the rough
est exterior, and manifesis itself through
the commonest covering The good
tree has leaves and branches that please
and attract as well as good fruit Il wss
beautiful reply the little girl made
when asked why sho did not quarrel
like the Others. Il don't know how.
Nature teaches the everlasting fitness
of things" and makes the outward 10
conform 10 the inward. Certainly she
does not misrepresent The world is
still deceived with ornaments, but for
far the most part that IS man work.
One Of the wholesomest truths that q
man can make himself familiar with, IS
that our persons, our face, contour, gait
and manners and apparel are going to be
tone manifestations of our real selves
ourruling desires and our ruling thoughts
and "bespeak the man For d good
portion Of our lives the struggle between
opposing feelings and principles goes on.
We are In a transition state. And we are
neither one thing nor the other only
formalilies. But, presently, the consoli-
dation comes, the crystalization has taken
place, and the community knows us, and
may be later on, we know ourselves as
positive fixed characters We are shut
up. locked IN to a character that we cant
get out Of or throw of, and that il is idle
for US to attempt to disguise or be any
thing else. And then ugly irregularities
make the finest garments failures, and
deformity irresistibly asserts itself.
Times glory is
ITO unmask fasehood ard bring truth TO
light
There Is period in our lives when the
voice of judgment here on earth is pro-
nounced against us. " He that is unjust
let him be unjust still; he which is filthy
full let him be filthy still, and he that is
righteous let him be righteous still, and
he that Is holy let him be holy still
We are completed and bound up-fn-
ished-such as we are What could be
more wretched than the account of Cali
bans
AS with old age his body uglier grows,
So his mind 1anAers."