The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-05-21

missed
Man skios from p%othingness on b. this whirl-
inc Globe Hs 0nds beneath his feet the
ehsnoss ooessioned BIZ millions Of ysars thst
have passed. he IL told OF the doines OF un.
numbered generations OF men who have pre-
ceded him. He 10 informed Of tho laws ana
INA wonders OF ali nature. He 10 pointed to
the achievements Of the living. He scarcely
takes in his own position before No skips
saain. and is in eternity.
We think the world IL ours Nothing 10 less
true than that. We are only casual visitors'
passing travellers who STAY but = day. we
have not time to View our stopping place pc
fore we are gone. We cannot even take IN
the past; much loss are We ablo to anticipa.e
the future; and yet the future OF our race IL is
most interesting feature.
There 10 nothing on earth SO sad AZ human
life: and whsn II 10 the life OF a renowned ana
unhappy poet. I shudder to hear its story IN
its connections with the material oolee.s
which surrounded It To 20 over the haonts
OF Burns. Scott. Byron thsse are tho shoek'ne-
ly familiar names to all Americana 10 iikes y
Ing to . orueiaxion . hanging 10 nothing toi J.
OvsrworkinR the brain 10 vetv ape ocs"'s
It to expire before the other podiiS !or0ss
From Nsriboroush's eyes the streams Of dotsss how.
And WIFI expires ''''
Old Lyman Beechers mind gave WAY ions
before his body. Indeed. second childhooui 10
recognized as a human oondition.
Yet many active.minded mems Drains hoio
out to the last. It has been the ease WIN our
Chief Justices, Marshall and faney. 90 IN
English Chancellors' Loro h'hu"u''' ~"u
Lord Broucham.
The true condition Tor ionReVity Q! oo.h
mind and body is reasonable exercise Oh po'n'
and no overwork. ~
The military men are one evidence OF TINS IN
general. though Marlborough seems TO nave
been an exception.
There are Wellington and Rhdetsky ana
Gen. Scott Of our times.
There were Van Tromp and Anoreas
Doria, though the former was not very oio.
There have been plenty OF old phi'osopher'
and some old poets and painters. but the merry.
active mind given up to brain WORK mas hos
been often found enduring to q great age.
Often 1t interrupts the courses OF the nouy.
and destroys It. But where 1t hnds the pody
firmly knit and resistant IL goes out auo
leaves the case In good trim.
Voltaire is the only example recall OF inc
kind Of mental organization refer TO. where
the mind held out as long as the body ana
both reached o great age.
exceeding great pleasure enjoyed In them.
and this: that what is. was, and always Will be.
We can trace the existence ofthose who pre-
coded US In a previous geological epoch BY
their bones and their flint tools. and We can go
back OF them to the age OF the lowest animate
and inanlmate existenoes: but who and what
preceded those2
Gigantic commissions may have swallowedin
subterranean fires q great humanity aud all
its works. together with all living things. ani-
mate and inanimate. excepting here and thoro
the seeds OF what has been and now ID. All
this is more plausible than any theory OF de-
velopm snt or creation.
wish some one out OF the multitudes VINO
are forever Boosting OF the great capacities OF
man and extolling his abilities. would take the
trouble to mark the Limitation OF his power.
and dwell o little on this.
It 10 sometimes much moro Instructive to re-
feet on what man docs not know. and cannot
know. than on what he knows 1t encourages
the growth OF o very necessary humility.
For my part. / am persuaded. man Is much
more OF an ass than he considers himselfto be.
He processes to be learned on subjects on
which he really has no sound Information ss
all. He has no knowledge Of his origin or his
destiny. He knows nothing Of the carly his
tory OF tho globe on which he lives. or the re-
lations 1t holds in the universe. whence came
II, or whittier will It gof What does he know
Of that2 Just as much As the Matched COS
ling OF yesterday. and no more.
Behold the existing systems Of human gov
eminent. What . commentary on the intelli-
gsnce OF mankind! Look at the systems OF
theology with which men have perpleIed
and do perplex themselves Could ever such
absurdities be predicted OF reasonable crea-
tures7 Poor. ignorant. pretentious. struG.
CLING. bafled. throat cutting mankindl What
follies. what absurditles. what iGnorances.
what mountebankisms have thus far illus
trated your wrstched and bloody careerl
No man can raise himself either by tueging
at his own waistband. or by graspinR at the
skirts Of other people. And yet these are two
methods on which the strength Of vain man Is
largely expended.
One man writes o criticism on Shakespeare
and another translates Homer. both having
the ambition to associate their names with
one which is immortal.
Why will not men be content with their own
proper proportions and relative size In the
universe. and not try to mako themselves