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FHOTO. BY C. S. JUDD, 
 
 SHELBYVILLE, TENN. 
 
 i? »» 
 
 
SCHOLASTIC LITERATURE. 
 
 £ 
 
 COMPILED BY 
 
 C. R. DARNALL, 
 
 PRESIDENT OF LEWISBURG- INSTITUTE, TENNESSEE. 
 
 / 
 
 Kas&btHe, Cenn.: 
 SOUTHERN METHODIST PUBLISHING HOUSE. 
 
 1870. 
 
-pe> t4r 1 
 
 3 
 
 5 
 
 Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, by 
 
 C. R. DARNALL, 
 in the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 
 
 STEREOTYPED AT THE SOUTHERN METHODIST PUBLISHING HOUSE, 
 NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 The compiler of this work does not pretend to 
 offer it to the world without its faults; for no 
 doubt it, like all other productions, will exhibit 
 its imperfections. This work is presented with 
 the hope that it will contribute to the cause of 
 education. It has not been prepared for any par- 
 ticular class of readers. The speeches, compo- 
 sitions, and "literary addresses" in it will be 
 adapted to the various capacities of the commu- 
 nity; and the child-like simplicity exhibited in 
 many of the juvenile productions is carefully pre- 
 served, hoping thereby to interest the rising gen- 
 eration. This work embodies the sentiments of 
 so many authors on such a variety of subjects, 
 that it is believed by the friends of the enterprise 
 that the work will be read with great interest. 
 
 (3) 
 
4 • Preface. 
 
 And the compiler does not pretend to state that 
 all the pieces spoken and read on the several occa- 
 sions are entirely original with the students, but 
 most of them are; and credit is hereby given for 
 some valuable selections from some of the best 
 literary and educational works that could be ob- 
 tained in the country. While it is admitted that 
 some valuable selections have been made, yet the 
 majority of the productions reflect the talent and 
 ability of the school and its immediate home 
 friends. 
 
 This work is divided into four separate De- 
 partments. The first includes the speeches, com- 
 positions, and literary addresses of the scholastic 
 year 1866-7. The second Department includes 
 the speeches, compositions, and literary addresses 
 of the scholastic year 1867-8; the third Depart- 
 ment includes the speeches, compositions, and 
 literary addresses of the scholastic year 1868-9; 
 and the fourth Department will include and em- 
 brace different subjects composed by various au- 
 thors, and will be styled the " Miscellaneous " part 
 of the book. Such a work as this has never been 
 offered to the world, so far as the knowledge of 
 the compiler extends ; and he has undertaken it, 
 
Preface. 5 
 
 subjecting himself to the criticisms of a scrutin- 
 izing world, with the reflection that if the work 
 will stimulate the youths of the country to the 
 discharge of the heavy responsibilities that rest 
 upon them, he will never regret the great labor 
 and heavy expense of publishing the work to the 
 world. 
 
 The compiler would respectfully ask the active 
 cooperation of his co-workers in the great cause 
 of universal education to assist him in the circu- 
 lation of the work. He would here remark that 
 he has devoted his almost entire life to the educa- 
 tion of the youths of the country, and eternity 
 will only develop the good that may thus have 
 been done; and hundreds of poor orphan children 
 have received his instruction without one single 
 cent of remuneration, for not one single orphan or 
 poor child was ever refused entrance into the dif- 
 ferent institutions over which he presided. He, 
 having been raised an orphan himself, knows some 
 of the trials and temptations that surround their 
 pathway through life. The compiler asks the 
 gentle forbearance of his readers in saying as 
 much as he has in this Pre"- p.d he hopes they 
 will not regard it as egotism on his part. 
 
6 Preface. 
 
 This work will be stereotyped, and future edi- 
 tions may be issued, if the demand for the work 
 
 requires it. 
 
 C. E. DAKNALL. 
 
 Lewisburg, Tenn., June 15, 1870. 
 
§i0pgjjial Skity 
 
 OF 
 
 C. R. DAENALL. 
 
 Whenever an editor or compiler offers any 
 literary production to the reading public, there 
 are several inquiries that usually arise in the 
 minds of the inquisitive. To meet all such inter- 
 rogatories as may he made in regard to the com- 
 piler of the present work, he will just here ask 
 his readers to indulge him in offering a brief bio- 
 graphical sketch of his origin, youth, education, 
 and occupation in the world. 
 
 His father, Cornelius Darnall, was raised in 
 Kentucky, rather in a north-easterly direction 
 from Lexington, and in an early day came to 
 Tennessee, and settled in Lincoln county, in the 
 vicinity of the village now called Mulberry. 
 Some of his neighbors and acquaintances were 
 among the Parks, Whitakers, Robinsons, and 
 
 (7) 
 
8 Biographical Sketch of C. R. Darnall. 
 
 Brights. He lived a bachelor for many years, 
 but finally, at the age of about fifty, he married 
 a lady by the name of Lucy Robinson, about 
 eighteen or twenty years of age — a great dis- 
 parity in age. There were three children born, 
 but only two raised to mature years — the subject 
 of this sketch, and a sister. Cornelius Darnall 
 was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, and drew 
 a pension before his death, which occurred on the 
 28th of June, 1835, leaving the subject of this 
 sketch only about thirteen years old, his mother 
 having died when he was five years old. 
 
 Calvin Robinson Darnall was born in Lincoln 
 county, Tennessee, on the 15th of June, 1822. 
 His early training was very strict, during the 
 lifetime of his father; yet the facilities for educa- 
 tion were very indifferent — no good schools then, 
 only in the cities and large towns. Hence the 
 opportunities surrounding him were not of such a 
 character as to give him a thorough education in 
 his early boyhood. He lived with an uncle of 
 his by the name of John Broadaway, after his 
 father s death, who stimulated him to attempt a 
 thorough collegiate course, and then practice law; 
 but while efforts were being made for these pur- 
 
Biographical SJcetch of 0. R. Damall. 9 
 
 poses, this uncle died, leaving his widow without 
 protection, and this circumstance changed the 
 whole programme; and after having attended the 
 Fayetteville Academy for a time, then (that is, in 
 1841) under the supervision of Rev. J. H. Eaton, 
 afterward the beloved and respected President 
 of the Murfreesboro University, he abandoned 
 the idea of taking a thorough course in college, 
 or practicing law, and in 1842 was married to 
 Sarah W. Tally, of Marshall county, Tenn., and 
 shortly afterward moved into the county of Mar- 
 shall, and has lived in it ever since. 
 
 In the year 1853, C. R. Darnall conceived the 
 idea of building up a school in his vicinity, and 
 taking a scientific course of instruction himself, 
 though at the time about thirty-two years old, 
 and having three children large enough to attend 
 school; and after conceiving the plan, the next 
 thing was to attempt its execution. Having had 
 some acquaintance with Prof. C. L. Randolph, 
 who at that time was teaching school in the vil- 
 lage of Richmond, Bedford county, Tenn., but 
 afterward graduated at Bethany College, Vir- 
 ginia, he made an offer to him to locate in the 
 vicinity of said C. R. Darnall, and take charge of 
 1* 
 
10 Biographical Sketch of C. R. Darnall. 
 
 New Hope Academy, built up entirely by him- 
 self, with the special design of taking a thorough 
 classical course under said C. L. Randolph; and 
 within the space of three years the subject of 
 this sketch made his way, with the boys of his 
 vicinity, up the hill of science ; and he would just 
 mention the name of his principal classmate dur- 
 ing his academic course — Mr. James M. Brown, 
 now of West Tennessee, though heretofore Pro- 
 fessor in Petersburg Masonic Academy. In 1856, 
 Prof. Randolph removed from New Hope Acad- 
 emy to another position; for so w T as the agree- 
 ment with him and the proprietor, C. R. Darnall, 
 that so soon as he was sufficiently advanced to 
 take charge of the school, Prof. C. L. Randolph 
 was to locate elsewhere. 
 
 Thus matters went on smoothly and success- 
 fully in the Academy till 1861, w r hen the unfor- 
 tunate war came up, and the schools throughout 
 the whole country were broken up, and the most 
 of the young men went to the war. During the 
 period from 1853 to 1861, there were students, 
 both male and female, at New Hope Academy, 
 from various places throughout the country, and 
 the establishment of this institution at New Hope 
 
Biographical Sketch of C. R. Darnall. 11 
 
 really awakened general interest, and in many 
 other ]ocalities good, substantial, and commodious 
 academies were built up, until it became prover- 
 bial that Marshall county had more good acad- 
 emies and schools within its boundary than any 
 adjoining county. But alas! the war made a 
 considerable change in educational enterprises ; 
 for after the war, many people were not prepared 
 to take boarders, and thus stimulate educators; 
 so it turned out that the subject of this biographi- 
 cal sketch determined to change the base of his 
 educational efforts, and the commodious Female 
 Institute at Lewisburg was offered for sale, and 
 on such terms as he thought he could purchase, 
 and make it a success; so in the year 1866 he 
 purchased the building of the Masons, and began 
 his labors, assisted, from time to time, by compe- 
 tent assistants, and the success of the Institute 
 may be ascertained by an examination of its 
 annual catalogues. In 1866-7, the number of 
 scholars was 152; in 1867-8, 172; in 1868-9, 
 172; and the year 1869-70 will reach about 200. 
 The subject of this biographical sketch hopes 
 that no one will regard it as bigotry to place this 
 short memoir of his life before the public, and he 
 
12 Biographical Sketch of C. R. DarnalL 
 
 hopes that the book he offers to the public will 
 be received and read, and that it will have a ten- 
 dency to stimulate the rising generation to strive 
 to obtain knowledge. The subject of this sketch 
 hopes that his co-workers in the cause of educa- 
 tion will examine the work, and, if they think it 
 worthy, assist him in its circulation. Having de- 
 voted his best labors and most earnest attention 
 to the business of teaching the young, the com- 
 piler thinks it will be of practical interest to them 
 to read this work. He would also here remark, 
 that his management of schools has given general 
 satisfaction. His government in school is mild 
 and persuasive, and yet positive, in the execution 
 of his aims and designs in scholastic discipline; 
 and as evidence of his acceptability as an in- 
 structor of youth, wherever he locates he has a 
 prosperous school, and sends out both young ladies 
 and gentlemen well qualified to discharge the 
 various duties devolving upon them in the differ- 
 ent avocations of private and public life. He has 
 given the opportunity to numbers of poor girls 
 and boys to go to school to him, and, after being 
 competent, teach, and obtain means and pay. 
 Never has one single poor child, either the orphan 
 
Biographical Sketch of C. R. Damatt. 13 
 
 or any other, been refused the chance to get learn- 
 ing. The only question he wants solved is, Is 
 the applicant honest? If so, entrance into school 
 is allowed; and eternity alone will develop the 
 good that may thus have been done in this way. 
 The compiler himself, as remarked in the Preface, 
 was left early in life an orphan, and he knows by 
 actual experience some of the besetments that 
 obstruct the way; he knows also that all pre- 
 tended advisers are not friends to the orphan. 
 He knows that the charity of the masses is very 
 limited toward the friendless poor. Hence a 
 helping hand has always been extended; and 
 although he has not been fully remunerated in 
 this world for these labors bestowed, yet eternity 
 will fully settle the residue ; and although instruc- 
 tion in many instances has been given without 
 the most distant hope of reward, yet the reflec- 
 tion of having instructed the needy, of having 
 opened to them the well-spring of science, gives 
 inward satisfaction of having done his duty in 
 the premises. C. R. D. 
 
 June 15, 1870. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Preface > 3 
 
 Biographical Sketch of C. R. Darn all 7 
 
 I. DEPARTMENT OF 1866-7. 
 
 Deity 21 
 
 Changes in Human Life 28 
 
 The Siren Voice of Pleasure 33 
 
 The Misery of Idleness 38 
 
 "I Will." 41 
 
 Appearances Deceive 44 
 
 Personal Beauty, Wealth, and Talent 48 
 
 "Man was Made to Mourn." 51 
 
 Educating the Mind 56 
 
 The Weaker Sex 64 
 
 "When Shall We all Meet Again?" 68 
 
 The Order of Chivalry 72 
 
 Onward and Upward 79 
 
 Mutation 85 
 
 "Be a Hero in the Strife." 91 
 
 Passing Away 99 
 
 Pride 102 
 
 Onward is the Language of all Creation 107 
 
 Valedictory 112 
 
 Farewell 117 
 
 Literary Address 121 
 
 Literary Address 157 
 
 (15) 
 
16 Contents. 
 
 II. DEPARTMENT OF 1867-8. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Know Thyself. 181 
 
 What People go to Church for 187 
 
 All is not Gold that Glitters 191 
 
 Fashionable Follies 194 
 
 We are Passing Away 198 
 
 A Dream 204 
 
 Human Life a Warfare 208 
 
 Ancient and Modern Kepublics 216 
 
 Woman and Her Mission 221 
 
 Puins 227 
 
 The Sword 231 
 
 The Works of Nature 235 
 
 Beauty Without Paint 241 
 
 The Destiny of the American People 244 
 
 Dignity of the Human Mind 247 
 
 Books 251 
 
 Work On 255 
 
 To-day ' 259 
 
 Mother, Home, and Heaven 263 
 
 How Powerful is Sympathy 269 
 
 Tempus Perditum 273 
 
 Time Destroyed 275 
 
 Valedictory 278 
 
 Valedictory • 281 
 
 Literary Address 289 
 
 Literary Address 301 
 
 III. DEPARTMENT OF 1868-9. 
 
 The Influence of Poetry 321 
 
 The Useful and Beautiful 327 
 
 Washington's and Clay's Tombs 331 
 
 Women of the Present Day 335 
 
 Home 339 
 
 The Honored Dead 343 
 
 All Earthly Things are Transient 348 
 
 The Voice of the Past 352 
 
 Silent Cities 357 
 
Contents. 17 
 
 PAGE 
 
 The Self-conceited Student 361 
 
 "Life is What We Make It." 367 
 
 Confederate Dead 371 
 
 Female Reputation 376 
 
 Mobocracy 380 
 
 Science 386 
 
 Words, Though Sweet, Deceptive 391 
 
 The Indian's Wrongs • 395 
 
 God and Nature 400 
 
 Autobiography of a Flirt 404 
 
 Commerce 408 
 
 Skepticism 416 
 
 The Ideal and The Real 423 
 
 Human Development 427 
 
 All That's Bright Must Fade 431 
 
 " Remember Me." 434 
 
 Card-playing 438 
 
 Old Miss Fashion 443 
 
 What We Have Not Learned 446 
 
 Truth 450 
 
 Words 453 
 
 Love 461 
 
 The Affections 465 
 
 Man 's a Pendulum Betwixt a Smile and a Tear 469 
 
 Women of the South 475 
 
 Disappointment 479 
 
 Self-reliance 482 
 
 Matrimony . . 486 
 
 No More 491 
 
 Valedictory 496 
 
 Past and Present 500 
 
 Literary Address 510 
 
 IV. MISCELLANY. 
 
 The Changes of Time 521 
 
 Temperance 527 
 
 Pride 531 
 
 Virtue 533 
 
 True Greatness 536 
 
18 Contents. 
 
 PAOE 
 
 The Avenger 540 
 
 The Demands of the Present Age 544 
 
 Patrick Henry 548 
 
 Woman 553 
 
 Happiness 556 
 
 Reputation 559 
 
 Kindness 562 
 
 Not Afraid to Die 565 
 
 Hope, an Encouragement 567 
 
 Abridgment of Labor 570 
 
 Capital Punishment 574 
 
 The Twilight of the Heart 576 
 
 The Grave-yard 579 
 
 Astronomy 581 
 
 Trials of the Student 590 
 
 Parting Advice 593 
 
 Home has a Charm 598 
 
 We are Travelers, and Gleaning by the Wayside 602 
 
 Electricity and Magnetism 608 
 
 Aim High.. 613 
 
 "The Lamp of Virtue is the Torch of Glory." 619 
 
 Anniversary Address 630 
 
I. DEPARTMENT OF 1866-7. 
 
SCHOLASTIC LITERATURE. 
 
 DEITY. 
 
 BY A. D. McCLURE. 
 
 Man is disposed to worship, and he may wor- 
 ship the true God, or he may pay his adoration to 
 false images, and pour out his oblations on altars 
 and shrines that will be of no spiritual benefit to 
 him. Whatever man esteems the most, whether 
 the object be in heaven or on earth, that is his 
 god. But our subject refers only to that one un- 
 created cause of all things. This world presents 
 to us causes and effects, and we reason from one 
 to the other, and it has long since passed into a 
 philosophic proverb that "no effect can be greater 
 than its cause." Hence we read, "In initium Deus 
 coelum et terrain creavit," and by the power of 
 his word gave to a rude, chaotic mass the admira- 
 ble beauty and variety which now everywhere 
 salute the eye. Man was formed, the last and best 
 of his works, in the image of his Maker, upright 
 and happy, with powers of understanding and 
 
 (21) 
 
22 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 will. With his companion Eve, miraculously 
 formed out of his own substance, he dwelt in the 
 garden of Eden, where, yielding to the suggestion 
 of the tempter, he transgressed the divine com- 
 mand, and incurred all the penalties due the viola- 
 tion of a positive law. Sin, with its really mourn- 
 ful train, entered into the world; and though the 
 Messiah was graciously promised, our first parents, 
 being driven from Paradise, were condemned to a 
 life of toil and to the forfeiture of immortality. 
 
 But let us travel a little farther, and what do 
 we see? The death of Adam, the translation of 
 Enoch, the feebleness of the other patriarchs, and 
 the luxuriant abundance of the earth filled man's 
 heart with presumption and guilt. Impiety made 
 rapid progress, and, like a contagious pestilence, 
 infected the mass of society. In the midst of the 
 general depravity, one man "found grace in the 
 sight of the Lord." In the year of the world 
 1656, the whole of the human race was destroyed 
 by a deluge, the only survivors being Noah and 
 his family, in all eight persons, who were preserved 
 in an ark, made in obedience to the divine com- 
 mand. Say you that these are no proofs of the 
 existence of a God? In a word, all nature pro- 
 claims his existence ; the herbs of the valley, the 
 cedars of the mountain bless him; the insect 
 sports in his beams, the birds sing him in the foli- 
 age, the thunder proclaims him in the heaven, the 
 
Deity. 23 
 
 ocean declares his immensity. Man, poor, defiled, 
 and ruined by the fall, alone has said in his 
 heart there is no God. Unite in one instant the 
 mighty ocean, the snow-clad mountains, with all 
 the most beautiful objects of nature. Suppose 
 that at one instant you see all the hours of the 
 day and all the seasons of the year; a morning of 
 spring and a morning of autumn; a night be- 
 spangled with stars and a night darkened with 
 clouds; meadows enameled with flowers, forests 
 hoary with snow, and fields gilded with the tints 
 of autumn; then alone will you have a just con- 
 ception of the universe. While you are gazing 
 on that sun which is plunging into the vaults of 
 the west, another observer admires him emerging 
 from the gilded gates of the east. By what in- 
 conceivable power does that aged star, which is 
 sinking, fatigued and burning, in the shades of the 
 evening, reappear at the same instant, fresh and 
 humid, with the rosy dew of the morning ? At 
 every hour of the day the glorious orb is once 
 rising, resplendent as noonday, and setting in the 
 west; or rather, our senses deceive us, and there 
 is properly no north or south, nor east or west, in 
 the world. Man himself is a proof of God's ex- 
 istence. Let us place him before us, in his proper 
 light and full stature. We are at once impressed 
 with the beautiful organization of his body; with 
 the orderly and harmonious arrangement of his 
 
24 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 members. Such is the disposition of these, that 
 their motion is the most easy, graceful, and useful 
 that can be imagined. We are astonished to see 
 the same simple matter diversified into so many 
 substances of different qualities, sizes, and figures. 
 If we pursue our researches through the internal 
 system, we shall find that all the opposite, different 
 parts correspond to each other with the utmost 
 exactness and order; that they all answer the 
 most beneficient purposes. This wonderful ma- 
 chine — the human body — is animated, cherished, 
 and nourished by a spirit within, which pervades 
 every particle, feels in every organ, warns us of 
 injury, and administers to our pleasures. Erect 
 in stature, man differs from all other animals; 
 though his foot is confined to the earth, yet his 
 eye measures the whole circuit of the heavens, 
 and in an instant takes in thousands of worlds. 
 His countenance is turned upward, to teach us that 
 he is not, like other animals, limited to the earth, 
 but looks forward to brighter scenes of existence 
 beyond the skies. Whence came this erect, orderty, 
 and beautiful constitution of the human body? 
 Did it spring up from the earth self-formed? 
 Surely not. Earth itself is inactive matter ; that 
 which has no action cannot produce any. Man 
 surely could not, as has been vainly and idly sup- 
 posed, have been formed by the fortuitous concur- 
 rence of atoms. We behold the most exact order 
 
Deity. 25 
 
 in the constitution of the human body. Order 
 always involves design; design always involves 
 intelligence. That intelligence which directed the 
 orderly formation of the human body must have 
 resided in a being whose power was adequate to 
 such an effect. Guided by reason, man has trav- 
 eled through the abstruse regions of the philoso- 
 phic world. He has originated rules, by which 
 he can direct the ships across the pathless ocean, 
 and measure the comet's flight over the fields of 
 unlimited space; he has established society and 
 government; he- can aggregate the profusions of 
 every climate and season; he can meliorate the 
 severity and remedy the imperfections of nature 
 itself. All these he can perform by the assistance 
 of reason. By imagination man seems to verge 
 to creative power. By this he can perform all the 
 wonders of sculpture and painting; he can almost 
 make the marble speak; he can almost make the 
 brook murmur down the painted landscape. Often 
 on the pinions of imagination man soars aloft 
 where the eye has never yet traveled, where other 
 stars glitter on the mantle of night, and a more 
 effulgent sun lights up the blushes of morning, 
 flying from world to world ; he gazes on all the 
 glories of creation, or darts the eye of fancy across 
 the mighty void, lighting on the distant margin of 
 the universe, where creative power has never yet 
 energized, where existence still creeps in the wide 
 2 
 
26 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 abyss of possibility. Surrounding creation ob- 
 serves the wants and proclaims the dignity of man. 
 For him, day and night visit the world; for him, 
 the seasons walk their splendid rounds; for him, 
 the earth teems with riches, and all things speak 
 of glad fruition. All things, beautiful, grand, and 
 sublime, appear in native loveliness, and proffer to 
 man the richest blessings of fruition. Never be 
 tempted to disbelieve the existence of God, when 
 every thing around you proclaims it in a language 
 too plain to be mistaken. Never cast your eyes 
 on the created universe without having your souls 
 filled with this sentence : " There is a God." When 
 you survey this globe with all its appendages; 
 when you behold it inhabited by numberless crea- 
 tures, all moving in their proper spheres, all verg- 
 ing to their proper ends, all animated by the same 
 great source of life, all supported at the same great 
 bounteous table; when you behold, not only the 
 earth, but the ocean and air, swarming with living 
 creatures, all happy in their spheres; when you 
 behold yonder sun darting an effulgent blaze of 
 glory over the heavens, garnishing mighty worlds 
 and wakening ten thousand songs of praise; when 
 you behold unnumbered systems diffused through 
 vast immensity, clothed in splendor and rolling in 
 majesty; when you behold these things, your 
 affections should arise above all the vanities of 
 time. Your soul, filled with ecstasy, and your 
 
Deity. 27 
 
 reason, passions, and feelings, all united, should 
 rush up to the skies with devout acknowledgment 
 of the existence, power, wisdom, and goodness of 
 God. 
 
 " He spake, and it was done ; eternal night, 
 At God's command, awakened into light. 
 He called the elements — earth, ocean, air ; 
 He called them when they were not, and they were ! 
 He looked through space, and kindling o'er the sky, 
 Sun, moon, and stars came forth to meet his eye. 
 Man from the dust he formed to rule the whole ; 
 He breathed, and man became a living soul ! 
 With powers of thought the lord of Eden trod, 
 Upright and pure, the image of his God. 
 
 " The unwearied sun from day to day 
 . Doth his Creator's power display, 
 
 And publishes to every land 
 
 The work of an Almighty hand ; 
 
 " While all the stars that round him burn, 
 And all the planets in their turn, 
 Confirm the tidings as they roll, 
 And spread the truth from pole to pole." 
 
28 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 CHANGES IN HUMAN LIFE. 
 
 BY H. F. EDWARDS. 
 
 When man first comes into existence, he is 
 altogether incapable of any self-sustaining power. 
 He is the most feeble and helpless of all living 
 beings. His limbs are so delicate, they must be 
 caressed very tenderly ; his intellectual faculties 
 are dormant ; therefore, while in this condition, he 
 must acknowledge his inferiority to the lower or- 
 ders of creation. The delicacy of his constitu- 
 tion is such as not to be visited roughly by the 
 varied changes of the atmosphere. This is the 
 state in which man, the lord of beasts and the 
 king of men, enters this world. He is like the 
 soft, tender flower, that is so easily withered by 
 the chilling blasts of winter, or by the sultry sun- 
 beams of summer. If the unwearied assiduity 
 of a mother were withheld from him, and he not 
 permitted to that fountain from which he obtains 
 his nourishment and warmth, his wailings would 
 soon be hushed in death. But this stage of ex- 
 istence soon passes away, and his physical powers 
 
Changes in Human Life. 29 
 
 increase. Now his hands have the strength to 
 grasp; now he is able to hold his head erect; 
 now his curiosity begins to expand; his attention 
 is arrested by every object that presents itself to 
 his view. As the current of life rolls on, his 
 physical organization becomes more and more 
 adapted to the endurance of labor and suffering. 
 His mental faculties wake from their slumber, 
 and commence action. What a blessing it would 
 be if man through his earliest days could only 
 see the path that would direct him to usefulness 
 and prosperity — yes, to eminence ! How many 
 whose names might be green in the memory of 
 the world, when their bodies have been long in 
 the dust, go down to an untimely grave unwept 
 and unsung! They look upon their youthful days 
 as being allotted expressly for sportive joys and 
 mirthful pleasures. The lad, as he trudges along 
 his school-path, seeks for objects to amuse him- 
 self. The chatterings of the forest songsters fur- 
 nish his ear with harmonious sounds. Though 
 his juvenile years quickly glide away, and all his 
 boyish pleasures are abandoned, still strong mem- 
 ory shall engrave these youthful scenes on his 
 heart when he has grown old and weary. Before 
 he has reached the years of puberty, his intel- 
 lectual faculties are to some extent developed. 
 He now commences inquiring about the nature 
 and causes of the objects by which he is sur- 
 
30 Scholastic Liter attire. 
 
 rounded. He cannot think of consuming his time 
 in vain sport and playful glee, as in days past. It 
 is impossible for him to look around and survey 
 the wonderful architecture of Nature's works, as 
 in his younger days, and not be struck with ad- 
 miration and astonishment. When young, he 
 could lie down on his couch and slumber in un- 
 broken and sweet repose; but now his mind is 
 active; it sees no opportunity to cease from re- 
 flection and meditation, when it looks over the 
 wide-extended earth and the starry worlds above. 
 He has the beauty and grandeur of Nature every- 
 where spread before him. He has access to the 
 history of all nations, their inventions, and all 
 the improvements in the sciences and arts. 
 how man laments when he beholds what a bound- 
 less field lies stretched out before him for vision, 
 being conscious how very soon his locks will be 
 silvered over and his face all corrugated! 
 
 Notwithstanding the rapid changes in life from 
 youth to manhood, from manhood to old age, hu- 
 manity is so constituted that it demands employ- 
 ment. It is only through the instrumentality of 
 action that we ascend the ladder of fame. The 
 trimming of the midnight lamp conducts us over 
 many a round. The mind in the morning of life 
 is active, but it scarcely takes any thought of 
 those things which are valuable and noble that 
 would be ennobling to the human character. Vi- 
 
Changes in Human Life. 31 
 
 vacity and novelty are characteristic, while the 
 blooming rose-color is flush on the cheek. Those 
 objects are sought that create merriment on the 
 brain, and free the heart from its desires. When 
 those morning years — the springtide of human 
 existence — have flown away never to return, the 
 noontide of life begins. Then both body and 
 mind enter a new sphere. A great change takes 
 place. The body acquires its full growth; the 
 muscles become firm and invigorated; the coun- 
 tenance puts on an intelligent appearance; the 
 traits of boyhood are disgusting ; the mind is no 
 longer in quest of futile things, but is sober and 
 reflective, relative to objects of importance. This 
 is by far the most productive part of life. In 
 this season the philosopher unravels his knotty 
 questions and demonstrates the theory of nature; 
 the astronomer surveys the heavenly bodies, and 
 measures their relative distances and weighs their 
 magnitude; the poet sings his sweetest strains, 
 and paints Nature in her true colors; persuasive 
 tones of eloquence burst from the lips of the 
 orator; the warrior grasps his weapons with a 
 strong hand, while the pulsations of life beat high 
 in manhood's active might. But the noontide or 
 meridian splendor of life fleets away, and the 
 shades of evening approach. Then the body 
 bends over; the rosy cheeks, that once seemed 
 so lovely, are faded and all furrowed over; time 
 
32 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 has whitened the black, glossy curl- the muscular 
 powers are nearly exhausted; the mental facul- 
 ties leave the field of reason and dwell on remi- 
 niscences of earlier days; that once shrill and 
 eloquent voice can scarcely be heard; that proud 
 and ambitious spirit which once predominated has 
 bid adieu to its habitation within. Night is fast 
 drawing her sable curtain. The end is visible. 
 The traveler sees it. A few more days to reflect, 
 and moisten the eye with tears; then the soul 
 will put on the robe of immortality. 
 
The Siren Voice of Pleasure, 33 
 
 THE SIREN VOICE OF PLEASURE. 
 
 BY D. W. C. HOUSTON. 
 
 There has ever been a siren voice, the melody 
 of whose music is continually drawing man within 
 the influence of its power, but to hasten him to 
 destruction. In the blushing bloom of youth, 
 when the heart is all calm and placid as the gently- 
 flowing rivulet, and as pure as the crystal waters, 
 the voice of that siren is heard like the sweet 
 cadence of far-off music that falls upon the listen- 
 ing ear but to charm and bewilder. It lulls to 
 rest the timid fears of his beating heart, and in- 
 vites his excited imagination to the ambrosial 
 fields of bliss, and to the shady groves of pleas- 
 ure, where the waters of happiness sparkle in the 
 light of an eternal sun ; where the sweet fragrance 
 of perpetually - blooming flowers perfumes the 
 gently-breathing zephyrs with the richest odors, 
 and where the votaries of pleasure continually 
 revel in the sunshine of happiness. Captivated by 
 the sweet tones of the siren and enraptured by 
 2* 
 
34 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 the delusive fancies and apparent loveliness of her 
 realm, with eager, trembling heart he draws near, 
 and lightly tastes her limpid waters. To taste is 
 but to taste again. Excited by the exhilarated 
 pleasures of the draught, and overcome by the 
 novelty of his position, he lingers long upon the 
 banks and drinks deep of its waters, until, when 
 filled with the wild raptures of the moment, he 
 penetrates farther within those delightful bowers, 
 and suddenly the wide-extended fields of pleasure 
 burst upon his enraptured view. His votaries 
 flock around him in crowds, with their faces radi- 
 ant with the smiles of happiness, their brows gar- 
 landed with swelling; he joins the throng, and for 
 a while mingles in the wild reveries of pleasure; 
 but after awhile he approaches the opposite bound- 
 ary of the plain, beyond which he beholds, stretched 
 out before him, the realms of dark despair. Trem- 
 bling, pale, in vain does he attempt to turn back 
 and to shut out from view the horrid scene before 
 him. His reason turns upon her throne — his will 
 is gone; the chain that has strangely bound him 
 has destroyed his energy, and, a prey of the 
 basest passion, he is borne along upon the tide of 
 destruction. In vain do the groans of the dying 
 fall upon his ear, and the wail of the miserable 
 echo through the chamber of the soul. Stung by 
 the lash of enraged conscience and the soul-with- 
 ering sins of the past, he rushes madly on until 
 
The Siren Voice of Pleasure. 35 
 
 he stands upon the brink of death's dark and re- 
 lentless tide. He hesitates for a moment, casts 
 one last lingering look back upon the happy scenes 
 now past forever, and then with one howl of agony 
 he leaps into the surging floods beneath. And is 
 this the destination of the joyful anticipations of 
 the youth of pleasure? Alas! the experience of 
 the past too plainly tells it is. 
 
 The gentle maiden, too, has listened to the song 
 of the siren, until she who was as pure as the 
 morning sunlight, and as delicate as the lily of 
 the valley, is transformed into a fiendish demon, 
 and the soul, unruffled by a single disturbing care, 
 has ever learned to revel and to join its horrid 
 imprecations with those of the most depraved of 
 humanity. The delicate flowers which the gentle 
 zephyrs fanned have been hardened by the blight- 
 ing curse of sin, until their firmness is unshaken 
 even by the hurricane's breath. 
 
 The noblest work of God, the finishing touch 
 of divine architecture, is adorned for the mansion 
 of despair by the siren. The unyielding reason, 
 and the proud heart of man, too, have been made 
 to bow before the power of that voice. Insidiously 
 has it crept upon him until, like the worm of the 
 still, its dreadful bite has bound him so firmly 
 within its chains that he seeks anew the loathsome 
 reptile but to be bitten again. At thy shrine the 
 young, the old, the aged, alike bow in the wildest 
 
36 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 adoration. By this power the loftiest intellects 
 have been dragged from the pure heights of reason, 
 from the sublime fields of philosophy, to the low- 
 est depths of degradation and the foulest haunts 
 of shame. The purest innocence of earth has 
 been converted into the blackest infamy, nations 
 have been swept out of existence, and yet upon 
 each succeeding wave of time thousands of thought- 
 less victims are hurried to eternity. wonderful 
 inconsistency! inhumanity! When will you 
 learn reason and common sense? In vain do 
 the light of reason and the experience of the past 
 shed their lights around us. They may arrest our 
 attention for a time, but anon that voice is heard 
 and borne upon the breath of pleasure; nor is it 
 easily resisted, for as some unseen power it comes 
 upon us in a thousand insidious forms. Its in- 
 fluence is wafted upon every breeze of the morn- 
 ing under the guise of philosophy; it is shed 
 abroad from a thousand presses, wrapt in the holy 
 garb of Christianity; it is proclaimed from the 
 desk; its seeds are sown around the family fire- 
 side. In short, there is no spot, however pure 
 and holy, but that its influence is felt. 
 
 Then listen not to the siren voice of pleasure, 
 but steel your hearts against the tender eloquence 
 of her persuasion; listen not to the sweet melody 
 of her music, nor meditate upon the fancied beau- 
 ties of her realms. Her joys will fall like the 
 
The Siren Voice of Pleasure, 37 
 
 mist in the morning sun; her pleasures, beautiful 
 to the eye, like the apples of Sodom when touched, 
 to ashes turn; but her pangs are as deep as per- 
 dition and as lasting as eternity. 
 
38 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 THE MISERY OF IDLENESS. 
 
 BY MARY WILLIAMS. 
 
 When Adam and Eve were driven from the 
 garden of Eden, God said henceforth man should 
 live by the sweat of his brow; hence, the being 
 who lives idly, lives contrary to Nature's first law, 
 and he must take, as his appropriate punishment, 
 poverty, misery, and want. The farmer who 
 would neglect the cultivation of his land because 
 he has a long life before him, would soon find that 
 food suitable to sustain him would not ^row in an 
 uncleared forest. Nor will virtue grow in an in- 
 active, uncultivated mind. If you sow the seed 
 of idleness, you will reap misery and poverty. 
 Many young persons seem to think it is of no con- 
 sequence if they do not improve their time well 
 when in youth, for they can make it up by dili- 
 gence when they are older. They think it is dis- 
 graceful for men and women to be idle, but that 
 there can be no harm for persons who are young 
 to spend their time in any manner they please. 
 Alas! how often such idle, delusive thoughts as 
 
The Misery of Idleness. 39 
 
 these lead the young into the path of misery, 
 when the mind is fresh and susceptible, more ready 
 to admit useful knowledge, the time when the im- 
 portance of industry and the value of time should 
 be impressed on their young hearts. Instead of 
 that, they squander the precious moments of child- 
 hood, and contract habits of idleness. If you do 
 not improve your time when young, you can be 
 neither useful, respected, nor happy. The conse- 
 quence of this idleness will follow you through 
 life. With all sin God has connected sorrow, and 
 as it is sinful and ruinous to be idle, so indolence 
 is intimately connected with misery and disgrace. 
 The idle boy is almost invariably poor and miser- 
 able, while the industrious boy is happy and pros- 
 perous. We are placed in this world to improve 
 our time. In youth we must be preparing for 
 future usefulness. We have no time to compose 
 ourselves to listlessness and inactivity, when we 
 should be active in doing good. All the knowledge 
 we acquire not only qualifies us for usefulness and 
 enjoyment in this world, but increases our capaci- 
 ties for enjoyment in the world to come. Then 
 how important it is that we should learn the value 
 of time and make a wise improvement thereof, 
 since every idle moment diminishes our capacities 
 for eternity, and sinks us lower in the grade of 
 misery ! The child, as soon as it begins to walk, 
 likes to be busy about something, however trifling, 
 
40 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 and is ever ready to be usefully employed; and 
 this natural inclination to industry, if not turned 
 to good account, will be productive of evil, thus 
 verifying the old adage : " Idleness is the parent 
 of many vices." Our life is a vapor, which soon 
 passeth away. It is then the part of wisdom to 
 turn away from idleness, and improve the few 
 fleeting moments as they pass by. \ 
 
"i wmr 4i 
 
 "I WILL." 
 
 BY VASTINE TILLMAN. 
 
 "I will" is a determination or decree of the 
 mind. It is powerful in its influence, and exten- 
 sive in its operations. From the force and effect 
 of this decree in the mind of the Eternal Father, 
 all things become as they are. There is where 
 it took its origin. He willed, and all animal crea- 
 tion — from the lowest reptiles that crawl upon 
 the earth, and the smallest insect that floats in 
 the air, to the most profound philosopher that 
 this world can boast of — had their being; nor 
 was the force and effect of this decree confined 
 exclusively to earth, but it was felt in the sun 
 and satellites of heaven. He willed, and the 
 burning sun rolled from his omnipotent hand to 
 its present position, to light up this mundane 
 sphere. He willed, and bright worlds rolled forth 
 through the immensity of space, and took up 
 their position, and continue to roll and revolve in 
 harmonious action, and in accordance with the 
 same decree. Hannibal, Caesar, and Napoleon 
 
42 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 were triumphant soldiers. While it made Plato 
 and Socrates learned philosophers, it also enabled 
 Hannibal, too, with his Carthaginian army, to 
 scale the frowning glaciers of the snow-clad Alps 
 — a thing that no other soldiers had ever at- 
 tempted. By this decree Franklin brought from 
 Nature's realms the mysterious art of electricity, 
 and applied it to a useful purpose in the business 
 of man. Fulton, too, was enabled to apply steam 
 to a useful purpose, and to start the first steam- 
 boat that ever plowed the waves of any stream. 
 It has ever made men, when fixed upon proper 
 objects. It enabled Newton to prove to a demon- 
 stration that it was a principle of gravitation that 
 causes all bodies to tend toward the center of 
 the earth. "I will" caused our forefathers to 
 launch from the white-clifFed shores of Old Eng- 
 land, the place of their childhood, to cross the 
 trackless ocean to search for a shore in the wilds 
 of North America, to brave the tomahawk of the 
 merciless savage, and to quench the appetite of 
 the wild beast of the forest. By this decree Con- 
 fucius, the great Chinese philosopher, established 
 the first school known in history; and our Puri- 
 tan fathers were enabled to found and build the 
 great institution of learning, afterward the Uni- 
 versity of Hartford ; and others were established, 
 and are now standing as proud monuments of 
 their undying fame. And if we, my dear school- 
 
«i war 43 
 
 mates, will follow the example taught us, we will 
 need no architect to perpetuate our memory, no 
 princely dome, no monumental, no stately pyra- 
 mid, whose towering height shall pierce the stormy 
 clouds, and soar its lofty head toward heaven, to 
 tell posterity of our fame as a people. 
 
44 Scholastic Literature, 
 
 APPEAKANCES DECEIVE. 
 
 BY EMMA HOPWOOD. 
 
 And this one maxim is a standing rule. Men 
 are not what they seem to be. How common is 
 it, in all the associations of men, public and pri- 
 vate, to have an eager desire to extend and en- 
 large their acquaintances as they advance in life 
 and character, wealth and fame, seeking for the 
 object of their acquaintance men whose external 
 appearance and public deportment give them the 
 appellation of gentlemen; whose dress, manners, 
 gait, and style of conversation are at once com- 
 mendable and inviting; without for a moment 
 thinking of the being within, enveloped by out- 
 ward attractions and fascinations, such as the 
 latest fashions of apparel, the gravest imitators 
 of dress; when, in the course of their acquaint- 
 ance, we find, instead of a man upon whom we 
 can bestow our admiration, one upon whom we 
 can look and behold in perfection an image of 
 purity, we are saddened and pained in finding 
 ourselves admiring a knave — a man black at 
 
Appearances Deceive. 45 
 
 heart, motives impure, and, indeed, a fashionable 
 hypocrite, wearing the demeanor of a gentleman 
 to serve the devil in! How much more easy for 
 a man full of hypocrisy, deceit, and degradation 
 to ingratiate himself upon an innocent and un- 
 suspecting people, and gain their respect and es- 
 teem, than one who is disposed to do that which 
 is right, fair, and honest, unbosoming to the world 
 his whole nature, his intentions, designs, and in- 
 clinations, simply because we are led to hasty and 
 rash conclusions from outward appearances! In 
 truth, we trust too much to appearances. How 
 often are we forced to writhe under just penalty 
 of conscience, and equally suffering in pocket, 
 the derision of scorn and reproach, loss of char- 
 acter and friends, from having hastily taken into 
 our confidence and esteem some new-comer, only 
 because his dress was becoming, his manners at- 
 tractive, and his behavior courteous ; when, to 
 our mortification, we have only been giving life to 
 the serpent, to receive, in exchange for our love 
 and regard, its poisonous sting! 
 
 As the world advances in age, and the re- 
 sources for amusement and enjoyment increase, 
 this evil will always have its numerous votaries 
 and victims, ever and anon leading the careless 
 and unthoughtful in the paths of vice and trouble, 
 rejoicing over the sufferings of its victims. As 
 each clay brings forth its fresh objects of pleasure, 
 
46 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 so will their advocates be alike new and numer- 
 ous; and the unsuspecting, not having learned 
 lessons from their ancestors, will also suffer disap- 
 pointments, resulting in their perfect discomfiture. 
 Every one in the different avocations of life has 
 his peculiar appearances; some from the peculiar 
 profession they follow, some to gain the admira- 
 tion of their associates, some the confidence of 
 their patrons, some that they may be styled the 
 elite, and others to cover a foul deed of wicked- 
 ness — to prevent, if possible, their sins from find- 
 ing them out ; so it appears that we cannot judge 
 a man by the face or deportment he wears. But, 
 
 " Within the oyster-shell uncouth 
 The purest pearl may hide. 
 Trust me — you '11 find a heart of truth 
 Within this rough outside." 
 
 Then if we do not wish the pain of too hasty 
 conclusions, let us first find out the man — break 
 the shell, though rough outside, and see what the 
 interior discloses — before we receive him into our 
 confidence and esteem. My beloved school-mates, 
 this fact, "Trust not in appearances," might be 
 forcibly applied to each one of us. We appear 
 on this general examination - day before an au- 
 dience respectable, and anxious concerning us : 
 can we appear before them in such a way as that 
 they will say of us truthfully that we have acted 
 
Apijearances Deceive. 47 
 
 well our parts, and that we have been benefited 
 and improved by our course of studies here ? 
 Let our appearances be genuine, and let us by 
 our profession to have studied hard tell upon us 
 in future; by our constant diligence and untir- 
 ing effort let us master what we attempt before 
 quitting for something else. Let our appearance 
 in future life be of such a character that no one 
 will have occasion of reproach for cultivating our 
 acquaintance and regard; and let us also learn 
 lessons of wisdom in youth from the misfortunes 
 of our seniors, not to come to rash and imma- 
 ture conceptions concerning new-comers and new 
 things until we have first found them out, and are 
 perfectly satisfied as to their purity; and, 
 
 "The deepest ice that ever froze 
 Can only o'er the surface glow ; 
 The living stream is quick below, 
 
 And flows, and cannot cease to flow! " 
 
48 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 PERSONAL BEAUTY, WEALTH, AND 
 TALENT. 
 
 BY MAGGIE T. WILLIAMS. 
 
 These are three bright links in the human 
 character that we scarcely ever see united — beauty, 
 wealth, and talent. Each has its peculiar grace, 
 its peculiar power, its peculiar loveliness; but out of 
 these three favored gifts which God has bestowed 
 so richly on man, wealth is far preferable, more 
 essential in the estimation of some than the be- 
 witching charms of beauty or the superior excel- 
 lence of talent. The golden chain of wealth will 
 give man a passport in society which no one thing 
 else could give, no difference how uncouth in man- 
 ners, how repulsive in appearance, how unculti- 
 vated the mind of the man of wealth; his gold 
 will cause his faults to be forgotten; his gold will 
 cause him to be ushered into the best society; 
 gold will purchase for him all the riches of earth. 
 Wealth produces good, and has desirable influence 
 as well as bad productions and evil effects. Wealth 
 is the key that unlocks the coldest hearts, and 
 
Personal Beauty r , Wealth, and Talent. 49 
 
 causes sweet words of kindness to be poured into 
 the ears of the possessor. Wealth has its votaries, 
 its thousands of worshipers kneeling at its feet. 
 'T is wealth that sends ships o'er distant seas; 'tis 
 wealth sends the smoking locomotive from the 
 tempestuous Atlantic to the Western Pacific. 
 
 Although wealth be desirable, be essential, it is 
 not the only gift that has an effect on the human 
 mind. Beauty weaves around the heart of man a 
 bright and lasting charm. Who is it that can 
 gaze upon the gracefully-molded form, the beau- 
 tifully-chiseled face, the intelligent, soul-speaking 
 eye; who is it that, while gazing on so lovely an 
 object, could fail to have his admiration height- 
 ened into love, even adoration? 
 
 Next in the chain is talent. It is one of the 
 greatest gifts which God has bestowed on man- 
 kind. 'Tis talent that has written histories and 
 thrilling biographies. Poetry, too, arose from her 
 skillful hand, the sweetest and brightest produc- 
 tions of her pen. Talent has her thousand useful 
 discoveries. She first saw resemblance in plants, 
 and divided them into classes, orders, and species. 
 Talent discovered America; talent gave her free- 
 dom; talent made her laws and supported them. 
 She not only explained the beauties of earth, and fu- 
 ture nations, and individuals as to their glory, but 
 she ascended higher ; she caught the lightning in her 
 grasp and chained it down forever; she discovered 
 3 
 
50 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 the laws of gravitation; she fashioned her a tele- 
 scope, and, looking out on the starry heavens, saw 
 new stars, and measured the remote distances of 
 planets, weighed their matter, and explained their 
 motions. 
 
 Wealth was not idle; she published talented 
 books; she went with Columbus in his discoveries; 
 and she has formed numerous observations where 
 the glorious artillery of science nightly spans the 
 skies. Then we see wealth and talent working 
 together. Talent shows wealth what to do and 
 how to act; and wealth with enthusiasm performs 
 the work. Which should be considered the great- 
 est? Wealth? No; riches will fly away. Beauty? 
 No; beauty will soon fade. Talent? Yes; tal- 
 ent lives forever. 
 
"Man was Made to Mourn" 51 
 
 "MAN WAS MADE TO MOURN." 
 
 BY VV. W, HUNTER. 
 
 "A few seem favorites of fate, 
 
 In pleasure's lap caressed, 
 Yet think not all the rich and great 
 
 Are likewise truly blessed. 
 But O what crowds in every land, 
 
 All wretched and forlorn, 
 Through weary life this lesson learn, 
 
 That man was made to mourn !" 
 
 Thus the Scottish bard, one of nature's most 
 gifted sons, sung and made classic this melancholy 
 thought, by stooping to touch it with his inspiring 
 genius, and' strewing the flowers of poesy amid 
 the shadows of its gloomy home. But in his wild, 
 artless notes, he never sung a more solemn truth, 
 the shadows of which fall upon the life of every 
 human creature. Each day of our lives warns us 
 of fresh testimonials from which we learn new 
 lessons of grief. 'T was a fate to the transgressors 
 whom God drove out of the garden of Eden, 
 that man should eat bread all his days by the 
 sweat of his brow; and so it will continue to sound 
 from generation to generation, and from posterity 
 
52 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 to posterity, through all ages, that melancholy 
 dirge of the hopes of the human heart. No hu- 
 man being ever did that which was not a living 
 monument of the truth of this solemn thought. 
 Well has the poet said : 
 
 " man ! while in thy early years, 
 
 How prodigal of time, 
 Misspending all thy precious hours, 
 
 Thy glorious youthful prime. 
 Alternate follies take the sway, 
 
 Licentious passions burn, 
 Which tenfold force gives nature's law, 
 
 That man was made to mourn." 
 
 Yea, turn with your minds, plumed with swift- 
 winged imagination, and travel with the electricity 
 of speedy thought o'er centuries lost in the deep, 
 deep past, and there view Alexander, who could 
 boast of being monarch of the civilized world, 
 when his cup of ambition was full to overflowing; 
 see him set a city on fire and die in debauchery 
 amid its ruins. Who was it that, to the astonish- 
 ment of the civilized world, scaled the frowning 
 Alps — a thing that no other soldier had ever done — 
 and put to flight the armies of the Queen of Rome, 
 the mistress of the world, and after draining am- 
 bition's cup, was banished from his own native 
 land, and died from poison, administered by his 
 own hand? It was Hannibal, the great Cartha- 
 ginian chieftain. At a later period of the history 
 
"Man ivas Made to Mourn" 53 
 
 of the world, we see Napoleon, one day the man 
 of a thousand thrones, to whom monarchs bowed 
 the trembling knee and begged but to live; the 
 next we see him disrobed of all his pomp and 
 power, and sunk to the most abject and contempti- 
 ble state of misery and woe, confined in disgrace 
 to a sullen isle, where the mountainous waves of 
 the sea leaped and laughed in their freedom, and 
 mocked him with their smiles at his woes. Look 
 at Csesar, the fourth of the mighty and misguided 
 sons of earth, who grasped with his own strong 
 arm the mighty scepter of the Roman Empire, and 
 having carried the terror of the Roman army into 
 every land, and caused his victorious eagles to 
 dance in the rising and setting sun of every clime 
 of the earth, died at last a miserable death upon 
 the floor of that very senate-chamber where he had 
 sacrificed his all to rule. 
 
 Nations are no less the subjects of this sad law 
 than individuals. History, that faithful chronicler 
 of human events, presents us with some lamenta- 
 ble instances of nations w T eeping over their deso- 
 lation. The Jews, that once Heaven-favored 
 people, who enjoyed the high prerogative alone of 
 being called God's own peculiar people, have been 
 made to bow in sackcloth and ashes, and hang 
 their harps upon the willows, and weep in their 
 sadness and anguish for their national desolation; 
 and they are to-day the most ill-fated and unhappy 
 
54 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 people upon the face of the earth. But it is need- 
 less for me to refer to ancient history for examples 
 of the blighting influence of this inexorable law, 
 when every thing around us contains elements of 
 misery and woe. Death and disease lurk in every 
 flower, and not a cheek that burns with beauteous 
 blushes before me to-day but is a blossom on the 
 tomb of all earthly hopes. Turn, while it is still 
 in the deep shades of misery, and look at our own 
 beloved country. what a spectacle meets the 
 sight! Six years ago the flood-gates of human 
 sorrow were lifted up, and its angry waters ran 
 over our once happy land like the simooms of 
 Africa, leaving desolation in their track. Unhappy 
 South! thy people, once proud, inflexible, stern, 
 and devoted, who looked forward, with hearts full 
 of pride and hope, for national honor, are now 
 without hopes, upon the wasteless, shoreless, tide- 
 less, and fathomless sea of troubles ! Alas, how 
 sad thy fate, beaten in battle ! "Where is all that 
 was near and dear to thee? It is desecrated by 
 the terrible armies that overflowed thy sacred 
 country. Black and ashy spots mark where thy 
 proud cities stood. Thy marshaled hosts have 
 been rendered unavailing by the devastating hand 
 of the enemy. Thy glory and honor have all 
 been swept away like " the aerolite that flits away 
 ere you can point to its place ; like the snow-flake 
 that falls into the river, a moment white, then 
 
"Man was Made to Mourn" 55 
 
 melts forever." All that was sacred and desirable 
 in national life has been sacrificed to the avenging 
 nemesis — nothing left but thy universal poverty. 
 Weeping and widowed mothers tread thy soil from 
 boundary to boundary; bereaved sisters proclaim 
 to the world an everlasting desolation, followed by 
 the greatest miseries of man, originating from the 
 ruthless deeds of man. Long after the visible 
 marks of thy wrongs shall have been washed out 
 by the dews of heaven, will thy debased oppres- 
 sion prove, with a hundred-fold force, that " mans 
 inhumanity to man makes countless thousands 
 mourn." 
 
 I presume there is no one under the sound of 
 my voice that doubts the veracity of my subject. 
 If so, let him appeal to the hoary-headed father, 
 the subject of the bard's song, who was weary, 
 worn with care, and whose staff was bearing his 
 tottering footsteps silently on toward the grave, 
 and hear him express, in feeble accents, but ac- 
 cents that will never be forgotten : 
 
 "I've seen the sun that overhangs yon moor, 
 Outspreading far and wide, 
 Where hundreds labor to support 
 A haughty lordland pride. 
 
 "I've seen yon weary winter's sun 
 Twice forty times return, 
 And every time has added proof 
 That man was made to mourn." 
 
56 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 EDUCATING THE MIND. 
 
 BY J. A. YARBROUGH. 
 
 The mind is the invisible part of man. The 
 natural eye cannot see it, ear cannot hear it, 
 tongue cannot taste it, nor hand cannot touch it; 
 yet we know it is an inhabitant of the body. 
 Like the wind, we know it blows; but "whence 
 it cometh, or whither it goeth," we know not. 
 The body (that is, the physical man) is the ves- 
 sel, and the mind the inhabitant, that directs and 
 guides it through the stormy tides of life. We 
 see the motions of every limb of the body in all 
 the various avocations of life, and are led to pause 
 and think where the pilot resides that gives mo- 
 tion and life to all these various forms of action. 
 Hence, after reasoning and philosophizing, we 
 must come to the conclusion that there is a great 
 moving cause, whence proceed all the motions of 
 the animal man, which must be the principle that 
 makes man superior to all other animal creation. 
 We behold the massive ship moving regularly 
 upon the broad bosom of the ocean; we see the 
 
Educating the Mind. 57 
 
 direction it goes; hence we come to the conclu- 
 sion that there is a pilot watching over its des- 
 tiny, and guiding it to a port of safety; so, by 
 the motion of the vessel, we have an index to the 
 mind of its pilot. By the same course of reason- 
 ing, the external manifestations of visible man 
 are a living index to the movements of the invis- 
 ible ; every physical motion must be preceded by 
 a facsimile movement of the mind. It is said, if 
 a man in almost a starving condition were placed 
 between two loaves of bread, at equal distances 
 from each, he could not move toward either till 
 he had first called his mind into action, and de- 
 termined to which one he would go. Then how 
 important for the world that the mind be gifted 
 with skill, with knowledge, and information, that 
 the vessel may be kept off of breakers, guided 
 safely througli life, and not become a floating 
 wreck, with a drowned crew, at the mercy of the 
 winds ! 
 
 The mind of the little babe, like the tender 
 twig germinating from the seed, is easily inclined 
 so that the tree will grow crooked. what care 
 and attention should be given to it, while caressed 
 in its infant cradle, that the tree may grow strong, 
 and spread its green foliage over vast plains; 
 that disease may not be located in its body, and 
 eat away its vitals, till its tottering frame may 
 bud before the mildest winds! It is in youth 
 
58 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 that the vessel is directed to its grand port of 
 destination, and that the mind receives that vigor 
 and strength that enables it to grasp great ideas, 
 survey worlds, and climb to the summit of the 
 hill of science. While in its earliest stage of 
 youth, like the distant cloud in the far west, rais- 
 ing its head above the horizon, does not appar- 
 ently seem to cover a larger space than the palm 
 of the hand, but gradually it advances, expanding 
 wider and growing heavier, till the whole hemi- 
 sphere becomes covered with the immensity of 
 its size, so in youth the mind is confined within 
 the narrow walls of the home-circle; but grad- 
 ually it moves out upon the busy stage of life, 
 grasping more and more, till it reaches the limit 
 of the state under whose laws it receives protec- 
 tion. 
 
 Not being satisfied with this — for it has now 
 but received a thirst to continue its progress — it 
 moves out in search of wider fields, that it may 
 have prey of richer productions, till it has scanned 
 the walls of the mighty nation that furnishes 
 nourishment for millions of souls. Onward it 
 goes, guided by reason, across the bosom of the 
 mighty oceans, in search of sciences wilder and 
 more romantic, till it has traveled over the wa- 
 ters, cities, hills, and valleys composing the en- 
 tire globe. Alexander - like, it now pauses, and 
 weeps that there is not more to do. Ah ! it now 
 
Educating the Mind. 59 
 
 turns its course upward, linking thought together, 
 rising higher and higher, till, with a bridge of 
 thought, the mind has safely arrived in the hea- 
 venly regions. Thus it surveys star after star, 
 and planet after planet, till lost in the wilds of 
 endless distance. Like the angels of heaven, it 
 smoothly glides in sweet chariots of thought, feed- 
 ing on heavenly ideas till filled with blissful ec- 
 stasy. 
 
 Then, let me admonish the youths of this 
 Institute, who are daily bending over the scien- 
 tific works of past ages, to prepare, while heaven 
 showers her vigorous dews, to gather all these 
 glorious treasures, sweeter — yes, far more delight- 
 ful — than gathering the lilies of the valley, or the 
 roses of Sharon. The tottering frame of our na- 
 tional skeleton, as it reluctantly bends its frown- 
 ing brow over the dark abyss of ruin, now invites 
 the talents of the rising generation to dispel the 
 angry clouds of ruin, that the brilliant skies of 
 light may dawn over her national halls again — 
 that the lonely and sickening shrieks of the dying 
 and mangled may not longer grate upon the ears 
 of that lovely Father, commingled with the sweet 
 hosannas of lovely angels, but that earth and 
 heaven may meet with that unison and accord of 
 action and sound that filled the heavens from that 
 noble choir that sang in praise of God on the 
 morning of the world's contemplation. 
 
60 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 In conclusion, permit me, my kind school-mates, 
 to relate to you an anecdote that I once heard, 
 showing how students w T ill sometimes act in order 
 that they may make a great show without much 
 study : 
 
 " I once heard of a man who was in the habit 
 of drinking too much liquor, and w T ho, when in 
 liquor, would sometimes steal. On one occasion 
 he came home pretty tipsy, and it occurred to his 
 disordered brain that he had not stolen any thing 
 for a long time. He pondered the matter over, 
 and came to the conclusion that, unless he should 
 steal something pretty soon, his ' hand would get 
 out;' that is, he would lose his skill, and be de- 
 tected the next time he ventured upon a theft. 
 With these thoughts in his head, he lay down on 
 his bed to rest for the night, but could not sleep 
 for thinking; of the danger of detection, if he did 
 not put his skill for stealing in practice; so he re- 
 solved to get up and practice a little. He went 
 out of the room, closed the door behind him, went 
 to some distance from the house, then turned 
 about, and approached it as a thief. He slipped 
 cunningly and slyly along, opened the door softly, 
 entered with great caution, stole up to the side of 
 the bed, peeped timidly over to see that all were 
 asleep, took his own clothes (of which he had but 
 one suit) from the chair where he had placed 
 them on going to bed, slipped quietly out of the 
 
Educating the Mind. 61 
 
 house again, went to the stable, and concealed the 
 clothes under the straw of the loft. He then 
 went back to bed, chuckling at the success of his 
 trick, and soon went to sleep. In his sleep, the 
 excitement of the liquor wore off; the transaction 
 of the night fled from his memory; and w T hen he 
 awoke, drow T sy and dull, in the morning, he was 
 surprised at not finding his clothes on the chair 
 by the bedside. He called different members of 
 the family, but no one could give him any ac- 
 count of his clothes. In his anxiety and struggle 
 to remember the transactions of the night, a vague 
 recollection of what had happened came up, and 
 he at length satisfied himself that he had stolen 
 his own clothes, and concealed them; but all his 
 efforts were vain to call up the place where he 
 had concealed them. There he w T as, owning but 
 one suit of clothes, which he had stolen from him- 
 self and hidden, and, for his life, could not think 
 where." 
 
 Was he not in a bad fix? and was he not 
 a great fool? But stop! do not condemn him; 
 you may be condemning yourself. I do not mean 
 that you are a drunkard or a rogue, but it is 
 to be feared that you sometimes steal your own 
 clothes. Let us see. Look at that school-boy 
 in his class, there, with his Latin book before 
 him: he is pretending to translate the author, 
 while he is only reading off the meaning of the 
 
62 JSchoiastic Literature. 
 
 words which he has written down in his book at 
 the say-so of some one else. He thinks he is 
 playing off a beautiful trick on his teacher. But 
 he is stealing his own clothes. Watch that girl: 
 she seems to be reciting finely, but do you notice 
 she has one ear open to catch what the girl be- 
 side her is whispering, while she passes it out of 
 her mouth to the teacher? She thinks she is 
 making a fine showing, and is getting great credit 
 for her smartness. Indeed, she is only stealing 
 her own clothes. Notice that boy again : his 
 class sits in regular order; he is No. 4; he is 
 counting the questions, to see which one will 
 come to him; and these are all of the lesson he 
 intends to look at. He is chuckling, too, at the 
 thought of how smart he will be, and how skill- 
 fully he will shun labor, and get the advantage 
 of his teacher. But alas ! he is only stealing his 
 own clothes. Take another look at that girl: she 
 was lazy last night, and did not look at her les- 
 sons. She goes to school just before the time to 
 recite. When she comes, she puts on a long, sad 
 face, goes up to her teacher, and says : " Please 
 let me go home; I do not feel well." Her kind 
 teacher permits her to go. She goes sneaking 
 along home, feeling like — like what? Like the 
 man felt when he found he had stolen his own 
 clothes, and did not know where to find them. 
 Now, my clear school-mates, do you ever steal 
 
Educating the Mind. 63 
 
 your own clothes? I hope not. But if you 
 do, I affectionately exhort you, in the language 
 of Scripture : " Let him that stole, steal no 
 more." 
 
64 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 THE WEAKER SEX. 
 
 BY SALLIE P. DAVIS. ^ 
 
 When or by whom this appellation was given 
 to woman I know not; yet, like an axiom, it is not 
 only too plain to require, but even to admit, of 
 demonstration. 
 
 The blame, or rather the shame, if there be any, 
 contained in this term, rests exclusively on those 
 whose pride it is to echo and reecho this unjust 
 epithet, wounding the heart of every woman who 
 has any regard for those rights which she should 
 ever strive to defend. That we are inferior to 
 man at present, as regards intellect and mental 
 capacity, is justly allowed; for reason and obser- 
 vation teach us, as weak as we are, that our judg- 
 ment and intellectual powers are far surpassed by 
 man, the mighty lord of all creation. And why ? 
 Simply because the same means have never been 
 used, the efforts have never been made, to cultivate 
 and expand our minds, as have been made to en- 
 large and increase the capacity of his. Man it is 
 who rules the world by that inexhaustible supply 
 of wisdom which he claims to be his by the dis- 
 
The Weaker Sex. 65 
 
 pensation of an All- wise providence; and he boasts 
 of his high prerogative and exalted station which 
 he assumes to be the design of the Omnipotent for 
 some wise unrevealed purpose, when it is indeed 
 nothing but the result of his own efforts to place 
 himself at the head of all created beings, efforts 
 also quietly acquiesced in by those he delights to 
 stigmatize as the weaker sex. 
 
 But I greatly fear a cloud of gloom and repen- 
 tance has long been gathering around the eternal 
 throne; for if it once repented God that he had 
 made man, when both sexes were included, how 
 much deeper must be his repentance now when he 
 beholds the depth to which his favorite sex has 
 fallen! for surely none will pretend to deny that 
 man is many degrees below woman in crime and 
 degradation, and that he is far from living in ac- 
 cordance with his high and noble calling. That 
 she is by nature weaker intellectually than he, is any 
 thing but true ; and yet he dares too often to offer 
 himself to the poor weak daughter as one worthy 
 of imitation ! And man, who is willing that the 
 weakness of frail woman should be manifest, is 
 too often obsequiously attentive to this miserable 
 caricature of the noble ones of her sex, rather 
 than to the woman of cultivated intellect and high 
 moral principles. Here we perceive the mystery 
 revealed and proceeding from the will of man, 
 guilty, in this way, of a deed, not perhaps dis- 
 
66 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 honorable, but not so noble as his boasted eleva- 
 tion of character demands; but he frees himself 
 from all the shame of his deed in this respect by 
 affirming that it was the decree of Him who spake 
 all things into existence, that woman should be in- 
 ferior to man. On the supposition that this is 
 true, what plea can he offer for his inconsistency? 
 for instead of placing us within the limits of 
 equalization, he has studiously placed all means of 
 elevation beyond our reach. And is this an indi- 
 cation of superior intellect, not to aid those who 
 really stand in perishing need of assistance ? Yet 
 this is the disposition exhibited by man for many 
 generations. But that the weaker sex have a 
 greater propensity to extend the hand of mercy 
 to all who need their aid, is a foundation for which 
 I will remark, in the lans:uao;e of another: "If 
 woman has one less cell in the brain, she has one 
 fiber more in the heart." 
 
 But this is claimed as one proof of our weak- 
 ness — having a heart ever ready to sympathize 
 with the sorrowful ones of earth, and weep with 
 those that weep. Jesus, the meek and holy Sa- 
 viour, wept while in this cold, unfriendly world 
 of ours, and why may not we? And who does 
 not desire to experience some of those feelings 
 that heaved the bosom of the Son of God? 
 
 But again, if woman is so much weaker than 
 man, why is it that he requires so much more 
 
The Weaker Sex. 67 
 
 time to accumulate the amount of knowledge he 
 must necessarily have? Why so many years of 
 study and scientific investigation which parents 
 allow their sons, while three are amply sufficient 
 for the daughters? But if the interest in female 
 education increases as it has done for ten years 
 past, but few more will have to run their rounds 
 before woman will share those advantages which 
 have too long been the special property of man, 
 and his alone. And I sincerely hope the time 
 may come, and that speedily, when the term, 
 "weaker sex," which we so much spurn, and con- 
 sider to be so unjustly applied to us, will no 
 longer exist, and that w T e will cease to be an ob- 
 ject of man's pity; but that he shall find a kin- 
 dred spirit with which his own may mingle, en- 
 couraged by the same hopes, and fired by the 
 same aspirations.- Then will he find that he has 
 been deceived in regard to our intellectual strength 
 and mental capacity, and that we are not abso- 
 lutely — what some have been pleased to term us 
 — the merchant's sign, or a frame to hang dry 
 goods on. To go farther, and enlarge upon woman's 
 rights, is wholly unnecessary; as I sincerely trust, 
 and would fain believe, that many among the other 
 sex, if not all, begin at last to comprehend the 
 fact that woman is, not so much by nature, but 
 by education — or rather, the lack of it — the in- 
 ferior of man. 
 
68 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 "WHEN SHALL WE ALL MEET AGAIN?" 
 
 BY MOLLIE HUNTER. 
 
 The associations of earth are very touching. 
 We mingle together in the pleasures of the social 
 circle, while the winged moments of life pass 
 sweetly, as the halcyon days of fancy-loving hope. 
 The buddings of affection begin in the rosy-tinted 
 morning of existence, and unless withered by the 
 blightings of some cruel train of bitter disap- 
 pointments, they cease not to send forth bright, 
 encircling tendrils, until we slumber in the dream- 
 less, wakeless tomb. We are surrounded with 
 scenes and friendships delightfully pleasing, and 
 unconsciously love's fond attachments increase 
 with each fleeting moment, and the effort to sever 
 them alone reveals their strength. Perhaps to 
 the thoughtless, whose minds never dwell upon 
 the reminiscences of by-gone days, this may seem 
 weak and foolish; but before the judgment of 
 those whose opinion we value, we present no ex- 
 cuse. 'Tis an attribute of our nature, and we 
 are glad that it is. True, the separation of friends 
 
"When Shall We all Meet Again?" 69 
 
 is painful, and the sacred countenances which 
 never quailed beneath a foeman's gleaming steel 
 are often stained with unbidden tears, when the 
 shrill clarion of war is hushed in the sacred still- 
 ness of peace, and disbanding squadrons wheel 
 away on the march for home. But even in this 
 there is a melancholy sweetness over which, in 
 the twilight of remembrance, the spirit loves to 
 brood, and receive the dewy influence of its holy, 
 tranquilizing power. Chide us not, then, should 
 we drop affection s parting tear when we utter 
 the faint farewell, and turn from the scenes with 
 which we have been so intimately connected. A 
 few fleet months have swiftly flown since first we 
 gathered in this temple of science for the culti- 
 vation of the intellectual faculties — the brightest 
 gift of God to man. We were strangers then, 
 but now each for.m and voice, by association, has 
 grown familiar; and even these friendly walls, 
 which have sheltered us from sun and storm, seem 
 to greet us with benignant smiles. Friends, per- 
 haps I need not repeat the growing sense I have 
 of your kindness, yet I know not how to forbear. 
 I love to recall to mind the various ways in which 
 it has shown itself, as it dissolves my whole soul 
 in the tenderest love and gratitude to you and my 
 God, whose hand I cannot but view therein. If 
 I look back, I must say, even since my first ac- 
 quaintance with you, I have been treated by you 
 
70 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 as a friend and sister. Ours have been golden 
 advantages; and if we have failed properly to 
 appreciate and improve them, we ask the chari- 
 table judgment of the critic, and hope to profit 
 by the lessons of the past. But the hour of 
 separation is approaching, and when the farewell 
 greeting is extended, the familiar chime of the 
 calling-bell shall have ceased its frequent sound- 
 ings; and my ever-inquisitive mind, running out 
 into the future, thoughtfully inquires: "When 
 shall we all meet again?" When shall we again 
 enjoy the pleasures of each other's association, 
 and together drink of the well-springs of knowl- 
 edge, or gather the beauteous flowers that fringe 
 the bright, green pathway ? When shall we bow 
 to instruction's willing voice again, and look upon 
 the scenes we have loved so well? Shall it be 
 when the orchard is bending beneath its luscious 
 load, and the golden harvest is waving in the 
 breath of summer? Shall it be when earth, 
 stripped of her emerald robe, is dressed in a sil- 
 very sheen, and swept by the sighing winds ? 
 Shall it be in the dewy morn of spring, when the 
 anthems of God's choristers are rising as incense, 
 redolent with the perfume of bright, blooming 
 flowers? Shall it ever be, within the circle of 
 this fleeting life? Or shall some of us be slum- 
 bering in the forgetful tomb, when this temple is 
 again made vocal with commingling voices? 
 
"When Shall We all Meet Again?" 71 
 
 "Whether we meet again upon the shores of 
 time is very uncertain; but we will cherish the 
 breathings of hope, which whisper a happy re- 
 union in the spirit-land. Then by faith cast your- 
 selves, for time and eternity, on that Saviour who 
 is the only foundation that will stand sure — who 
 alone is able to support you when heart and flesh 
 fail, and to give you a place at his Father's right 
 hand when time with you shall be no more. Then 
 let us banish every anxious care; for if we never 
 meet on earth, the best meeting is in reserve. 
 Yet a little while, and we shall meet beyond this 
 vale of tears — meet to part no more; have nothing 
 to interrupt our happiness; for we shall be freed 
 from sin, affliction, death, and every thing that 
 has troubled us here below. Here the parting 
 hand is given, and the fountain of affection weeps 
 its crystal tears, when the associations of friend- 
 ship are severed; but there 'tis one bright sum- 
 mer always, and hope's bright beauties never fade 
 away. Then fare ye well ! And spending life's 
 golden moments wisely here below, may we mingle 
 there our anthems of melody forever ! 
 
72 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 THE ORDER OF CHIVALRY. 
 
 BY F. B. FISHER. 
 
 Plume the mind with swift-winged imagination, 
 mount the lightning of speedy thought, and travel 
 back a thousand years, lost in the deep, deep, and 
 buried past, and there you will find the subject of 
 this address. In the dusky horizon of that gloomy 
 day of barbarity is shining a single star of civili- 
 zation, trembling like a pure love-thought in the 
 heart of dark, dark night. 
 
 Thirteen centuries ago the flood-gates of human 
 woe were lifted up, and its angry waters swept 
 over the home of civilized man. Shadows deeper 
 than the darkness of the grave, thicker than the 
 veil of Egyptian night, hung over the liberty and 
 laws of man. By one incomprehensible, stupen- 
 dous revolution, sweet civilization was lost in the 
 thick shades of barbarity; lost, like the sun that 
 sinks behind the western horizon, to give place to 
 the deep shades of night; lost like the warm, 
 genial summer, that yields to the piercing winds 
 and cold snows of winter; lost like the victim of 
 
The Order of Chivalry, 73 
 
 the vampire bat, that is fanned to keep it quiet 
 while its life-blood is sucked away ; lost like the 
 aerolite that flits away ere you can point to its 
 place. That brilliant sun of civilization that 
 warmed into life the stupendous Roman Empire, 
 with its arts, sciences, poetry, and laws, went down 
 into the darkness of anarchy and superstition. 
 No longer did the voices of Cicero and Demos- 
 thenes, with their honeyed eloquence, charm the 
 ear of an enraptured people; no longer did the 
 stern philosophy of Plato, Zeno, and Cato hold in 
 check the fiery passions of man, but their stoic 
 voices were drowned by the wild notes of unculti- 
 vated mind; no longer did Pindar, Horace, and 
 Virgil strew the flowers of poesy over the Olym- 
 pian plains. All, with their godlike beauty and 
 grandeur, had gone, and there reigned a monster 
 in political ethics, as hideous as the dark Makanna, 
 the veiled Prophet of Kharasson, whom 
 
 " No church-yard ghost caught lingering in the sight 
 Of the blest sun, ere blasted human light, 
 With lineaments so foul, so fierce, as those 
 The impostor now, in grinning mockery, shows." 
 
 That monster, with his scepter of iron, voice of 
 death, breath of fire, feet of flame, eye of blood, 
 and heathenish darkness, streaming his locks, was 
 called the " Middle Ages." Anarchy and misrule 
 was his code of laws; foul revenge, that tramples 
 4 
 
74 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 on the dead, his cause of war; superstitious and 
 cloven-footed Mohammedanism his religion; rea- 
 son, virtue, benevolence, and all those finer feel- 
 ings of humanity, were prostrate at his feet; yea, 
 swallowed up like the prophet-chief Amphiaraus, 
 whose virtues the gods determined to rescue from 
 the stain of an odious conflict with the Polynices 
 and the Thebes. In vain did reason's voice call 
 through the blackness of cloud and storm, in vain 
 did shrieking virtue cry for help against the rough 
 legion of this beast of blood. 
 
 Amid this prevailing darkness the " Order of 
 Chivalry" originated, and beamed forth a dim light 
 of civilization. It came from the spontaneous 
 effort of human nature to express its feeling of 
 love, honor, and benevolence ; as sprang the youth- 
 ful hero of Syracuse, all lovely in form, with his 
 shoulders of ivory, from the red, hissing caldron 
 of the gods, so sprang the " Order of Chivalry," all 
 pure and white as unfallen snow, from the red-hot 
 caldron in which that dark monster boiled a na- 
 tion's blood. It rose not like the brilliant sun of 
 civilization that now shines with tenfold luster, and 
 warms every cheek with an intellectual glow, and 
 makes merry happiness dance in every eye, but 
 like the streaks of morn that ran as the harbinger 
 of a coining sun, like the steady-branded torch of 
 Glod that kept in the van of Israel's host as they 
 trod the sea and cloud-walled path that led through 
 
The Order of Chivalry, 75 
 
 the wet sands and over the coral hills, of the Red 
 Sea. It came, from no palace halls, where learn- 
 ing with studied thought decks its creatures in its 
 gayest dress, but came from the silver home among 
 the hills and rippling streams of unlettered Ger- 
 man tribes. This solitary light of civilization, 
 shining on the world like the "lone lamp trembling 
 in the tomb," continued to brighten until that cloud 
 of barbarity and superstition that had wrapped 
 the world in gloom gave way before its piercing 
 rays like the fabric of a night's -dream before the 
 morning's dawn; "like the snow-flakes that fall 
 in the river, are seen for awhile and then melt for- 
 ever." 
 
 Its first gentle beams rested upon the crested 
 head of that mountain of wrong that was crushing, 
 like an incubus, upon woman's innocence and vir- 
 tue, and its black and bleak form, startled and 
 affrighted, gave way beneath their gentle touch, 
 like giant shadows in the cavern's depth before a 
 single ray of light — receded like the circling waves 
 of the Red Sea from the magic wand of the leader 
 of Israel's host. Ruthless anarchy had trailed in 
 the dust, all torn and tattered, and dripping with 
 innocent blood, that pure white escutcheon of 
 woman's virtue. By man's brutality and inhu- 
 manity she was made an article of traffic, and 
 that wondrous spirit of chivalry that sprung like 
 a wild flower on the desert waste, armed with the 
 
76 Scholastic Literature, 
 
 symbol of that flaming justice-pointed and light- 
 ning-wreathed sword, lifted her from the depths 
 of dark degradation, into which her wrongs had 
 driven her, and led her into the cool shades of 
 love's ambrosial bowers, to live amid its sweet- 
 scented vines and lilies bright. 
 
 A true knight of this order staked his life upon 
 defending, not only his own lover against Rome, 
 but redressing every insult offered to woman ; and 
 when in solemn splendors he received his spurs, 
 shield, and helmet, he lifted up his hands and 
 called God, St. Michael, and St. George to witness 
 his fidelity to honor, benevolence, and especially 
 to the character of woman. And faithfully did 
 he observe this solemn pledge, often risking life to 
 do the most trivial courtesy; entering the lion's 
 den to pick up the glove of the hand he loved; 
 yes, to the faithful adherence of the knights to 
 this solemn pledge are due all the high and virtuous 
 emotions w T ith which we associate the name of 
 woman. 
 
 The next step of chivalry was to hasten to the 
 storm-throned Woden, who thundered forth no laws 
 but of passions full of lust for blood ; and they 
 shouted to him in the pauses of the storm, saying 
 there were such principles as freedom and honesty 
 — that they ought to be observed, even in his bloody 
 carnage. That monster that had cursed a world 
 with unholy crimes, glutted himself on human 
 
The Order of Chivalry. 77 
 
 gore, quenched his thirst with widows' tears, and 
 danced in merry glee to the horrid music of or- 
 phans' cries, trembled for his throne at the wild 
 notes of this heroic order, and though he refused 
 to quit the abode of men, he argued to the relent- 
 ing of his rigid laws, and to deliver into their 
 hands those dark, infernal legionary passions that 
 had made his curses more accursed. Yes, if there 
 is such a principle as civilization in that barbarous 
 art called war, it is due to that soft, genial light of 
 "chivalry." In this day of brilliant intellectual 
 culture, in this day of religious learning, in this 
 day of national honor, no other law will that vam- 
 pire of human blood observe than that which the 
 " chivalry of honor" forced from him, the cruel and 
 rapacious day of which I have spoken. 
 
 The next step of this order was to fly to the 
 rescue of Christianity. Already was the moslem 
 walking with a conqueror's pride over the "City 
 of the Great King;" the sandaled Parian holding 
 his bloody orgies in the holy courts of the temple 
 of Jerusalem; the dark flood of Mohammedanism 
 was sweeping Christianity before it like a ship- 
 wreck before the maddened waves of the storm- 
 tossed ocean. The long, loud, deep blast of the 
 thunderings of God's holy law from the flame-girt 
 Mount Sinai, that delayed the fiery sun and 
 checked the moon in its merry round, was gradu- 
 ally dying on the dull ear of a sin-smitten and 
 
78 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 God-cursed world. To free those holy courts 
 from the polluting tread of sandaled Parians, and 
 prepare a pure resting-place for the " Son of man" 
 at his second coming, chivalry enlisted under the 
 banner of the cross. Thus began the Crusades, 
 those romantic expeditions that astounded the 
 world with their order, uniting all the tribes of 
 Europe, from the Baltic to the Straits of Gibraltar, 
 in one common cause of war. The blood-red 
 cross floated o'er their van, and their hermit-leader 
 led the storm of war, hurling his steel-clad war- 
 riors against Asia's sandaled hordes, until he placed 
 the waving cross above Jerusalem's rescued tower. 
 For nearly two centuries the best blood of Chris- 
 tendom flowed in this desperate struggle, and no 
 less than six millions of lives were offered up as 
 a sacrifice for the cause of Christ from the stream- 
 ing torch of this bloody carnage. Genius, brooding 
 over the past, rose, phenix-like, and soaring in the 
 clearer light of Christianity, scattered from her 
 wings the refined dews of science, arts, poetry, 
 and laws, and belted the world with commerce, 
 that golden girdle of the globe, thus making the 
 jewel net-work of civilization that now wraps the 
 world in its splendor. 
 
 The last crowning measure of this child of 
 honor was to force from ignorance that grand 
 palladium of freedom called the Magna Charta. 
 
Onivard and Upward. 79 
 
 ONWARD AND UPWARD. 
 
 BY KNOX A. McCONNEL. 
 
 It is not my mission to-day to extol the god of 
 war, or to sing the praises of the far-famed Au- 
 gustus; but be it mine to speak of the onward 
 and upward progress of the scientific world. 
 
 There is no human being that is fully satisfied 
 with his present enjoyment. The mind of man is 
 ever on the wing in search of new acquirements, 
 of new objects, and, if possible, of greater facility 
 than the present moment can afford. Thus it 
 matters not however exquisite any particular 
 theme may at first sight appear, it soon begins 
 to lose its relish and pall the intellectual appetite, 
 which reaches forth to grasp the yet hidden treas- 
 ures and unfold them in their sublimity to the 
 age, that the progress of science may not deviate, 
 but still, through countless nges yet to come, her 
 course may be onward and upward. Thus the 
 ardor with which the philosopher prosecutes one 
 discovery after another, without ever attaining a 
 resting-point, or setting himself down content with 
 
80 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 his present achievements, "lie ponders through the 
 labyrinth of a most busy life," that, while the 
 many eagerly search the volumes of his scientific 
 work, he may be able to hand down other impor- 
 tant themes for the minds of men to feast upon, 
 thereby rendering his name immortal, to be spoken, 
 in praises by posterity, and those who prosecute 
 the cause of science after him. Reflecting with 
 the lightning speed of thought to the date that 
 Cadmus introduced the use of the alphabet into 
 ancient Greece, which then consisted of but six- 
 teen characters — but since that date the different 
 nations have been dealing in the cause of science 
 and literature — that alphabet has been greatly im- 
 proved, and others adapted from it to suit the 
 different tongues and kindreds of the earth, and 
 to-day ours presents itself to the eager eye of man 
 in number twenty-six, by which we are able to ex- 
 press any thoughts, conditions, or desires known 
 to the human family. And again, cast back a 
 thought to the ancient Arabians or Moors, who in- 
 vented the nine digits, and strove for a series of 
 years to gain a knowledge of the science of mathe- 
 matics without ever obtaining its use farther than 
 common arithmetic and algebra; but ancient 
 Greece and Rome, far-famed for the cultivation of 
 literature and the fine arts, and, as it were, the 
 Alma Mater of science, took strictly in charge this 
 particular branch; they greatly improved the arith- 
 
Ontvard and Upward. 81 
 
 metic and algebra of the Moors ; also attached the 
 hook of geometry, to-day the most renowned with- 
 in the whole mathematical course. They also 
 dealt in the sciences of philosophy and astronomy, 
 those beautiful works, the one a lover of wisdom, 
 the other that treats of the terrestrial and celestial 
 globes — their magnitude, construction, their dis- 
 tance one from the other, the time in which the 
 earth performs its annual revolutions round the 
 sun; but as to what extent they produced those 
 works of science there may be some conjecture. 
 Still, they gave them great rise as sciences, and, 
 after the downfall of those mighty empires, they 
 were pursued by persons in different parts of the 
 earth, and thereby the names of a Brahe, Kepler, 
 Gassendi, and others, have become immortal; they 
 stand recorded on the bright pages of history as 
 those commanding the master-minds of the age. 
 
 Also, Sir Isaac Newton, of a more modern date, 
 the most profound philosopher and mathematician 
 the world ever saw, who died, in the year 1727, at 
 the age of eighty-five years; a death regretted by 
 the entire world. If historical tradition be cor- 
 rect, his father died at quite a tender age of Sir 
 Isaac's infancy; still, his fond mother took great 
 care to prepare him with a splendid education. 
 At the age of eighteen he entered Trinity College, 
 where he began to display his wonderful mind for 
 
 mathematics, in which he made numerous improve- 
 4* 
 
82 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 ments. At the tender age of twenty-two he dis- 
 covered the method of fluxion, upon which he 
 afterward greatly improved. His next was the 
 grinding of glass for the improvement of the tele- 
 scope ; soon after, he followed the theory of light 
 and color; but his greatest discovery, and the 
 greatest known to the world, was universal gravi- 
 tation, and his sublime work was published in the 
 year 1687. Still, after the publication of his 
 work, he did not abandon his studies; he still 
 strove to gain a farther knowledge of the sciences 
 in which he was engaged. His motto was, Ever 
 let our progress be onward, yea, upward. 
 
 But notwithstanding those towering minds 
 worked in the cause of science and literature up to 
 the date of 1765, the forces of nature were yet 
 confined to that of wind and water. But Robert 
 Fulton soon learned to convert heat into steam, 
 and apply it to the driving of machinery, which 
 gave rise to the locomotive that " darts across our 
 broad and fertile plains with frantic fury," con- 
 veys the merchandise from one portion of the 
 country to another, and enables man to visit the 
 most remote parts of the continent, comparatively 
 so to speak, but in a little time. 
 
 Up to this date the sun, by its daily returns, 
 had marked the fleeting hours of the life of man, 
 and Daguerre had not made use of his light as the 
 docile instrument of the art photography — to that 
 
Onward and Upward. 83 
 
 date it had not entered the mind of man : chemistry 
 has since had its origin as a science, and Lavoisier 
 has rendered his name immortal by the discoveries 
 which explain the reciprocal relations of matter 
 composing the earth, with the same clearness and 
 as indisputable as the laws of Newton to the 
 movement of the stars that adorn the blue vault 
 of heaven. Earth, air, and water have been de- 
 composed ; the nature of metals and that of car- 
 bon are no more unknown; and the nature of the 
 acids, alkalies, and salts, now used in so many 
 ways of art, was then but obscure problems. The 
 cause of combustion is no more ignored; the ex- 
 istence of gas is now clear and distinct from that 
 of atmospheric air; the proximate principles of 
 plants and animals have been defined, their respira- 
 tion has ceased to afford a mystery, their nutrition 
 an enigma. Agriculture is no more a blind and 
 devastating practice/ ruining in turns the different 
 parts of the globe, but, comprehended in its many 
 beauties, is prosecuted throughout the different 
 nations. Also, the secret mystery of the angry 
 lightning that once prevailed, has been extorted 
 from nature, and the lightning-rod will ever serve 
 to direct the thought of man back to Dr. Frank- 
 lin, who discovered the identity, and gave it rise 
 for the preservation of the human family. The 
 electric wire is now a familiar scheme by which 
 the thoughts of man are conveyed from one por- 
 
84 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 tion of the earth to another; it connects different 
 nations and cities, and enables man to converse 
 with the towering minds of the age, though miles 
 apart, as though they were at such a distance that 
 their voices might be perfectly audible. 
 
 Up to the date, 1765, " geology was an inspired 
 romance, but since that time the surface of the 
 earth has been explored, and the formation of the 
 globe has been revealed in the age of the relative 
 mountains, in the former condition of the Alps 
 and Pyrenees, and of their rival chains." In fine, 
 the eye of man penetrates the broad profundity 
 of space ; he assigns to each star the place in its 
 orbit that it must occupy; he marks out the path 
 in which it must move; he weighs the sun, he 
 analyzes the substance of which it is composed, 
 as though it could be placed in his crucible; and 
 he has acquired the right to say of what elements 
 the stars consist that bedeck the azure sky. 
 Again, he transforms light into heat, heat into 
 light, electricity into magnetism, magnetism into 
 electricity, and all these forms of action into me- 
 chanical power. He applies to his use all the 
 forces and all the gifts of nature; indeed, his pro- 
 gress has been onward and upward, until he has 
 the right to say, if matter and the forces which it 
 obeys afford a mystery that he does not know, 
 the increasing light of modern science will open it 
 to his view. 
 
Mutation. 85 
 
 MUTATION. 
 
 BY G. W. EWING. 
 
 We look abroad over the extent of our beauti- 
 ful land, and we see poor, weak, frail man, toiling 
 and striving after the transitory things of this 
 world, little heeding the expression, but too true 
 sentence : "Dust thou art, and unto dust returnest." 
 There 's not a flower which blooms so bright, whose 
 sweet perfume is wafted afar by the gentle breeze; 
 there 's not a bird which sings so gay, giving us ex- 
 amples of cheerfulness, but which bears the fatal 
 impress of, ^Dust thou art, and unto dust re- 
 turnest." There's not a tinge of beauty's cheek 
 which it does not discolor. We see it impressed 
 on the brow of the manly youth, upon the frail 
 bark of the aged; in a word, decay is indelibly 
 written upon every page of nature's boundless 
 book: flowers, birds, man, cities, countries, and 
 worlds. The seasons are subject to change ac- 
 cording to the lex naturce. Winter comes with his 
 cold and chilling blasts, and we must feel his icy 
 grasp; summer comes with steady march, and we 
 
86 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 must feel his scorching rays. The inclemency of 
 the air injures our health, and we must decay. It 
 is not in our power to change this established 
 course of things, namely, the laws of nature, or 
 winter, summer, cold and heat, rain and sunshine ; 
 but it is in our power to rise from idleness, degra- 
 dation, and ignorance, to a state of knowledge and 
 virtue. Let us address ourselves to the Ruler of 
 the universe, as did Cleanthus : "Parent of nature, 
 Master of the world, wherever thy providence di- 
 rects my footsteps thither will I turn." Thus let 
 us speak, thus let us act. Resignation to the will 
 of God is true magnanimity. But the sure mark 
 of a low and base spirit is to rebel against the 
 changes God sees fit to make. While we are enjoy- 
 ing the boon of health and the gayeties of youth, 
 we are standing on a narrow span, regardless of 
 the future ; yet a moment's reflection teaches us 
 that the hcfur is swiftly approaching when things 
 shall be not as they were. Towers piercing the 
 sky, splendid edifices and solemn shrines; yea 
 this vast globe on which we dwell, with all the 
 shining hosts which surround it, shall melt, crumble 
 to dust, and be no more. We, and they, and all 
 their inhabitants shall be changed. But we shall 
 survive: "an angel's arm can't snatch us from the 
 grave, and legions can't hold us there." The 
 trump of God shall sound, and the Lord, who once 
 said, " Lazarus, come forth," shall descend with a 
 
Mutation. 87 
 
 mighty shout; then shall the dead burst forth 
 from their resting-place, to sleep no more in their 
 dusty chambers ; " Then shall this mortal put 
 on immortality, and death be swallowed up in 
 victory;" then shall we cease to behold the blue 
 canopy of heaven; then shall we cease to hear the 
 mutterings of the distant thunder, and to behold 
 the vivid flash as it rends the sky — scenes which 
 now impress us with wonder and admiration. We 
 shall look around us and see all nature dissolving 
 into dust; the flowers of spring, the leaves of 
 autumn decaying, never to revive. I repeat, we 
 shall all be changed, not gradually, but in a mo- 
 ment, in the twinkling of an eye. 
 
 Let us go back, through swiftly-flying years, to 
 some of those celebrated cities, such as Rome, 
 Jerusalem, Babylon, Alexandria: look at the 
 changes they have undergone from grandeur, 
 beauty, and sublimity, to a mass of ruins, fit only 
 for the habitation of bats and owls. Autumn is 
 a great teacher, to remind us of the changes which 
 cities, countries, empires, and kingdoms undergo; 
 for as the leaves bud and continue growing in 
 spring, and in autumn fall blasted and molded by 
 the hoary frost, so kingdoms rise, flourish, and 
 perish in ruins. mutation ! powerful is thy 
 arm, and thy ruins never cease ! A thousand cities 
 lie buried in the dust, laid low by thy hand! 
 Greece — beautiful, lovely Greece — the home of 
 
88 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 philosophy, poetry, and song — where are thy halls 
 which once resounded with the eloquence of a 
 Demosthenes, whose palaces were filled with the 
 learned of the world ? Thou art no more ! Rome ! 
 w T here are thy glittering towers, cloud -topped 
 palaces, and lofty temples? Crushed as with a 
 besom of destruction! Thy once proud banners 
 are torn, moth-eaten, and gone to dust, and thy 
 boasted victors have filled warriors' graves long 
 since. Music, laughter, and merry voices have 
 ceased to resound in thy decorative halls, Troy ! 
 But why should we go to those ancient cities to 
 view the mighty power of mutation? Where is 
 the noble Stonewall Jackson, who led our valiant 
 troops to fight our country's foes by the side of 
 Albert Johnson? They, too, are gone, and we 
 have cause to mourn for them. Our sunny land 
 should be draped in mourning for these and many 
 others. If you could have asked our fathers and 
 brothers, who fell scorched with powder, sunburnt, 
 bleeding, and dying, where their companions were, 
 they would perhaps tell you that when they saw 
 them last, they were dying on the field of Manassas, 
 Chickamauga, or some other field of carnage: we 
 stood by them till the hand of mutation bore them 
 away. Sad change! They are gone from earth 
 forever ! Where are the peace and plenty we knew 
 before this cruel war? "Echo answers, Where?" 
 Show me, my friends, a land where, in a period 
 
Mutation. 89 
 
 of time, mutation did not exist, and I will show 
 you a star that never shone and a leaf that never 
 was shaken by the breath of heaven. The halls 
 where once the gay and festive met, to join in the 
 giddy dance or to listen to the charming tones of 
 the lyre, have gone down the tide of returnless 
 years, and wild grass marks the spot where they 
 stood; the footsteps of that once joyous throng 
 echo down the corridors of time, and step by step 
 we tramp after. The owl's solitary cry at mid- 
 night's hour adds to the solitude which surrounds 
 their moss-covered resting-place. The palms which 
 once were borne by conquerors, the garlands which 
 crowned the warrior's brow, have sunk into obliv- 
 ion. Hills and mountains, the bulwarks of nature; 
 massive domes, the labor of years, are alike the 
 sport of the ruthless hand of untiring mutation. 
 No edifice is too sublime, no work of nature too 
 mighty, no world too powerful, to resist the power 
 of its arm. A few more years, and all who tread 
 this earth's joyous step, all upon whose faces smiles 
 are now playing, will be no more. Xerxes, when 
 reviewing his army of men without number, be- 
 cause no one of them would be alive a hundred 
 years to come, wept. The rich, the poor, the old, 
 the young, the gay, the beautiful, are all fit sub- 
 jects for the hand of mutation, and they will soon 
 have passed away and sleep beneath the clods of 
 the valley. How careful, then, should we be to 
 
90 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 be prepared for our solemn change, since some 
 diseases reach us and others pass on to strike our 
 neighbors ! From the Dirge on Bion we may select 
 a beautiful and consoling thought: 
 
 'OmroTSTrgdra 
 Idvafieg dv&x<50i &v %iovi xoiXa 
 
 Et> doveg ev \idXa fiaxpbv arep\iova vrjyperav vttvov, 
 KaiTjfxeig \iev ev ay a nenvxaofievdi eaceai ev yd. 
 
 Which is: "Whenever we are dead, we sleep 
 unheard of in the hollow earth, the long, long, 
 endless sleep from which we never awake, and we 
 even in silence shall be in the earth." But the 
 gloom of this picture is removed in the description 
 of the sacred poet by the prospect of a resurrec- 
 tion, "when the heavens shall be no more;" but 
 here all is unmitigated darkness, the chilling hor- 
 rors of an eternal sleep : 
 
 " But there 's a bright world to which we go, 
 Where no changes we shall know. 
 Here, joy to-day — grief to-morrow ! 
 There, there is no pain or sorrow." 
 
"Be a Hero in the Strife." 91 
 
 "BE A HERO IN THE STRIFE." 
 
 BY W. D. L. RECORD. 
 
 To say that life is a strife, is but to utter a truth 
 and abridge into a single sentence that which the 
 history of man has recorded from the earliest ages 
 to the present time. This strife may be divided 
 into spiritual, intellectual, and moral, and lasts, by 
 the mighty fiat of the Jehovah, with unabated 
 fury, "from the cradle to the grave." It was 
 first sent upon man as a curse and penalty for 
 transgression, when, in plucking the forbidden fruit, 
 he disregarded and trampled under foot the divine 
 law, and thereby lost his original perfection and 
 purity, and stained his untarnished spirit with the 
 fearful blot of sin. But the curse has become a 
 blessing, the penalty a mercy, and man, who went 
 forth from an Eden, dwelling without a care, into 
 a world, to be reclaimed by toil, trial, and trouble, 
 and there to wage a perpetual conflict with the 
 obstacles of nature, now finds this rugged warfare 
 essential to the development of his physical, in- 
 tellectual, and moral character, and to that domin- 
 
92 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 ion over the .works of nature which he was de- 
 signed by his Creator to exercise; for if there 
 were no difficulties to overcome, no obstacles to 
 surmount, nothing by w T hich his strength of char- 
 acter, his better and superior nature, could be 
 drawn out, he would indeed be a beast. But it is 
 so arranged that, from the time that he embarks 
 upon the tempestuous sea of life, he must encoun- 
 ter the terrors that are ever agitating the waters. 
 The elements darken around him, as the storm- 
 cloud, in all its horrible grandeur, arises upon him 
 with terrific appearance, threatening to rend asun- 
 der his craft, and engulf and give him a nameless 
 grave beneath the unfathomed waters. The light- 
 ning shoots its forked tongue, with angry glare, 
 across his horizon, and the thunders shake the 
 waters beneath him; the waves, driven on by the 
 fury of the winds, toss his vessel against the 
 breakers; and thus lashed by every angry billow, 
 he must stem his way across, keeping ever a firm 
 hand to the helm and a sure eye on the look-out, 
 that he may direct his bark into a safe moorage. 
 No matter what lot be assigned him, he must live 
 continually in strife. Mother earth refuses to 
 yield the necessary sustenance unless cultivated. 
 The mind that has not rebelled, warred, and torn 
 itself from darkness, ignorance, and superstition, 
 is scarcely above the soulless creation : the heart 
 that has not overcome its worldly temptations can- 
 
"Be a Hero in the Strife." 93 
 
 not be acceptable to its Creator. Jlere we will 
 not dwell longer, for these are facts which none 
 will attempt to gainsay. And to meet and suc- 
 cessfully combat these requires the energy and 
 wisdom of the hero ; for, to our mind, a hero must 
 be one of courage, of strength, of character, with a 
 mind to conceive and a will to perform. These qual- 
 ities made Odin a god and Mohammed a prophet; 
 gave renown to the names of Napoleon and Wash- 
 ington, and were the characteristics of Luther 
 and Wesley. Endowed with these, men have 
 arisen from most humble stations, conceiving and 
 executing grand designs in advance of their age; 
 shed abroad their own superior brightness into the 
 dark places of earth, by means of which they have 
 heaped up for themselves pyramids of renown, 
 that the storms of time can never destroy. 
 
 These are the characteristics of heroes, as shown 
 from history ; for universal history, the history of 
 what man has accomplished in this world, is at 
 bottom the history of great men, who worked 
 their way through the world, and who were en- 
 dowed with these very principles. These great 
 men were the teachers of men, the modelers, 
 patterns, and, in a wide sense, the creators of 
 whatsoever the general mass of mankind have 
 continued to do or attain. All things that we see 
 standing, accomplished in this world, are properly 
 the outer and material results, the practical reali- 
 
94 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 zation and embodiment of thoughts that dwell in 
 the minds of great men sent into the world. The 
 whole world's history, it may be partly considered, 
 is their history. " These are the lights which en- 
 lighten, and which have enlightened the darkness 
 of the world, not as lamps only, but rather as 
 natural luminaries, shining by the gift of heaven 
 — flowing light, fountains of native, original in- 
 sight, of manhood and heroic nobleness, in whose 
 radiance all souls feel that it is well with them." 
 
 But having thus shown that life is a strife, and 
 that it requires the effort of the hero to meet its 
 issue, we are now prepared to take up the subject 
 in its full import, and exhort that, amid the calami- 
 ties in which it has fallen to our lot, as a genera- 
 tion, to live, not to permit our energies to stagnate, 
 and bury our talents in the earth, but with spirits 
 that no misfortune can suppress, and no strife in- 
 timidate, to go forward boldly and be heroes in the 
 strife. No age ever needed heroes more than the 
 present; no government ever called in more plain- 
 tive tones for them than ours calls to-day, to 
 snatch her from the gulf of destruction, over the 
 fearful brink of which she is now inclining ; for 
 she is but the sinking, decaying form of what she 
 once was, and is rapidly going the same sad rounds 
 traveled over by those nations that have long since 
 taken their stations among the things that were. 
 She must be supported and aided by efforts almost 
 
"Be a Hero in the Strife." 95 
 
 superhuman, or ere many years have gone by, and 
 their records enrolled upon the scroll of time, she 
 will have plunged into the pit of oblivion, and 
 buried us, unblessed and unhonored, beneath her 
 ruins. 
 
 Morality and religion call upon the rising gener- 
 ation for support — for heroes upon whose shoulders 
 the present strife in life must soon rest. Those 
 who have so gallantly supported it, must, enfeebled 
 by age, yield the cause to the young and vigorous, 
 who must bear it on boldly, keeping pace with, 
 or perchance outstripping, the tide of time in their 
 march of triumph, or, through cowardice, must 
 shrink back from the contest, causing, by such ac- 
 tion, the finger of scorn to be pointed at us — a 
 cowardly and inactive generation, who permitted 
 the good of mankind to degenerate in our hands. 
 Then let there be action in the strife, remembering 
 that — 
 
 " Not enjoyment, and not sorrow, 
 
 Is our destined end or way ; 
 But to act, that each to-morrow 
 
 Finds us farther than to-day." 
 
 It behooves us to spread knowledge throughout 
 the various classes of society. Hitherto, and even 
 at the present time, superstition, the child of igno- 
 rance, has a very large sway; and in this broad 
 field of battle, heroes may well press forward, for 
 if a more general diffusion of knowledge would 
 
96 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 have a tendency to dissipate these superstitious 
 notions and false alarms, to increase the pleasures 
 and enjoyments of mankind, to promote mechani- 
 cal arts, to administer to the comforts of general 
 society, to prepare the way for new inventions and 
 discoveries, to expand our views of the attributes 
 and the moral government of Deity, to prepare 
 the way for the establishment of peace and har- 
 mony among nations, and the extension of the 
 Christian Church — if such a position is true, what 
 higher calling is there for man ? What field more 
 open for heroes, where, unblushing, they may 
 exert their utmost strength of body and mind? 
 This is, indeed, a high calling, in which the most 
 splendid talent and consummate virtue may well 
 press on, eager to bear a part. " For it is the 
 highest occupation of the hero to further on intel- 
 lectual refinement, and to hasten the coming of 
 that bright day, the dawn of which will chase 
 away the lazy, lingering mist, even from the great 
 social pyramid." 
 
 Of its practicability there can be no doubt, for 
 nations, prior to this time, living in the lowest 
 grade of barbarism and most benighted ignorance, 
 have been raised, by proper exertion, to walk the 
 bright paths of intellectual attainments. And 
 what man has heretofore done, man may still ac- 
 complish ; but, as a general thing, he has been too 
 much absorbed in the pursuits of war and devas- 
 
"Be a Hero in the Strife." 97 
 
 tation. Had a tenth part of the treasures and 
 exertions that have been wasted in mad and im- 
 moral pursuits, been rightly directed, they would 
 have been more than sufficient to bring the means 
 of instruction within the reach of every individual 
 of the human race, and to transform the barren 
 wastes of every clime into the appearance of 
 terrestrial paradise. 
 
 Then, if we would be remembered — 
 
 " If, dying, we would leave behind us 
 Foot-prints on the sands of time, 
 
 In the world's broad field of battle, 
 In the bivouac of life, 
 
 Be not like dumb, driven cattle, 
 Be a hero in the strife." 
 
 Let us ride upon the storm, mount and over- 
 come the opposing waves, striving "to elevate, to 
 exalt, to adorn the character and alleviate the 
 miseries of our species, and to render the world 
 which we inhabit, like the heaven to which we 
 look, a place of innocence and felicity." If thus 
 we act, the goal is ours, and we will leave behind 
 us, when we have passed from earth, monuments 
 of virtue, that will remain unbroken and unshaken 
 beneath the tread of ages. "Though we exist no 
 longer than those ephemera that sport on the 
 breezes of the morning, during that short time let 
 us rather soar with the eagle, and leave the record 
 5 
 
98 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 of our flight and fall among the stars, than to 
 creep with the reptile, and bed our memories and 
 bodies together in dust." However short our part, 
 let us act it well, that we may be enabled to sur- 
 render our existence without disgrace and without 
 compunction of conscience. 
 
Passing Aivay. 99 
 
 PASSING AWAY. 
 
 BY C. A. ARMSTRONG. 
 
 When we contemplate the broad expanse of 
 the material world, we are enchained, as to our 
 wonder and admiration, by the phenomena and 
 beauties of Nature that present themselves to our 
 astonished gaze on every hand; and, as to our 
 love and reverential awe, by the omniscient, om- 
 nipotent, omnipresent, immutable, and beneficent 
 hand that molded them into existence, and in- 
 stituted for them such immutable and harmonious 
 laws. We are delighted with the systematic order 
 of the dazzling sun, the pale moon, and the twink- 
 ling stars ; the beautiful comet, dashing, as it were, 
 its glorious effulgence in its rear — that gorgeous, 
 brilliant appendage which has excited the wonder 
 and admiration of man for ages — and wending its 
 way through systems of worlds upon worlds; and 
 the evanescent meteor, gamboling and promenad- 
 ing athwart the ethereal regions, inspired as with 
 emotion of the beautiful, the grand, and the sub- 
 lime. When we view the myriads of suns like 
 
100 Scholastic Literature, 
 
 our own, with their respective planets, and these 
 with their satellites, all revolving round one great 
 common center with the greatest concord and har- 
 mony, and the far-distant nebulae, whose peculiar 
 properties have never been satisfactorily unrid- 
 dled by the scientific investigation and the deep 
 researches of man, we are held spell-bound with 
 awe and amazement at the mysterious attributes 
 and combinations of the King of kings. All of 
 these are truly and mysteriously grand ; but alas ! 
 on all is written — yea, stamped in indelible and 
 emblazoned characters — "Passing away." The 
 decree has gone forth that these sparkling gems 
 that deck the azure vault of heaven shall be 
 erased from the great cerulean scroll, and the sun, 
 and moon, and Nature itself, shall be discharged 
 from their stations, and be employed by Provi- 
 dence no more. And how manifest is the fact, 
 for we see it stamped upon atoms throughout Na- 
 ture's vast, boundless domain ! We see it in the 
 modest dew-drop and the blushing rose, in every 
 blade of grass that germinates upon the field, in 
 every flower that bedecks the picturesque land- 
 scape, and in every leaflet of the forest. We see 
 it in every hamlet that peeps from behind the 
 boisterous Atlantic, and radiates from the placid 
 Pacific. We see it in every dark and lowering 
 cloud that hangs threateningly in the heavens, 
 and plainly perceive it in the morning mist, as it 
 
Passing Away. 101 
 
 suddenly vanishes before the approach of the ris- 
 ing sun. We see it in the variegated and golden- 
 hued rainbow, and in the lightning's vivid corus- 
 cation. We learn it in the low-moaning zephyrs, 
 in the angry storm, in the deep-toned thunder, 
 and in the ocean's sullen roar. We see it in the 
 gently- flowing streamlet and raging river. We 
 see it depicted in the countenance of the tender 
 youth, and in the hoary locks of the aged sire. 
 
102 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 PRIDE. 
 
 BY E. M. FISHER. 
 
 Upon such occasions as that which has con- 
 vened this assembly to-day, public expectation 
 has been taught by a vicious custom to look for 
 gorgeous fancy pictures, interwoven with bursts 
 of nervous eloquence, rather than life-paintings of 
 fact in the frame-work of plain, familiar expres- 
 sion; and were we disposed to seek the origin of 
 this teaching, ifc might easily be found, together 
 with other unnumbered streams of evil, flowing 
 from the one great parent fountain designated as 
 the subject of this address — pride — the curse of 
 fallen angels, the destroyer of human happiness, 
 the fatal herald of approaching woe! Who has 
 not read the soul-stirring epic of Milton, and ex- 
 perienced a sensation of sorrow that even angels, 
 creation's moving stars, should have been subject 
 to this destructive passion— that it should have 
 found a lodgment in their pure minds, and been 
 nourished there, until it broke out in open rebel- 
 lion against the authority of Heaven, and termi- 
 
Pride. 103 
 
 nated in their final expulsion? What historian 
 can trace the record of misery through the ages 
 that have fled since they were hurled from the 
 lofty battlements of the celestial world? Leagued 
 together in one eternal confederation, the avowed 
 purpose of which was to wage ceaseless war 
 against the designs of the Almighty, they went 
 forth upon their nefarious mission; and the his- 
 tory of earth, chronicled with blood, attests but 
 too truly their unexampled success. Goaded with 
 keener anguish by every new accession to their 
 serried ranks, and yet enjoying a fiendish satis- 
 faction at every triumph they achieve, their zeal 
 and perseverance suffer no change, but increase. 
 
 But leaving these poetic fancies, although they 
 may be true, we may come nearer home, and dis- 
 cover the practical workings of this pernicious 
 principle. It has created artificial costs in the 
 social world, which are at once incompatible with 
 worldly progress or fraternal affection. The 
 haughty millionaire, inflated with pride, because, 
 forsooth, he has been either more fortunate or fa- 
 vored than others, driving in princely splendor 
 along the thoroughfare, disdains to look upon the 
 sturdy yeoman at his accustomed toil, although 
 he doffs his shapeless hat, and makes obeisance 
 to the passing lord. When the day of feasting 
 comes at the home of the wealthy and proud, no 
 kind invitation finds its way to the humble dwel- 
 
104 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 ling of the poor. In the great congregation as- 
 sembled for the worship of that God " who has 
 made of one blood all the nations of the earth," 
 the existence of this evil is manifest. Witness 
 the difference shown to one who enters your 
 crowded churches arrayed in all the splendor of 
 wealth and fashion; while one of humble worth, 
 clad in the neat, plain garb of poverty, is all un- 
 noticed, unless there falls upon him a look of 
 withering scorn. How often do those by whom 
 they sit down gather up their flowing robes, and 
 sweep disdainfully away, as if they feared con- 
 tamination by the plebeian touch! how such 
 senseless, slavish victims of this hateful monster 
 are to be pitied! It has destroyed the comfort 
 and happiness of many households, where, but 
 for its untimely invasion, plenty and enjoyment 
 would have reigned supreme. For the sake of 
 keeping up appearances, thousands have con- 
 tracted obligations which they were unable to 
 meet; and thus staking, they have lost all for the 
 gratification of a senseless, suicidal vanity. 
 
 This pernicious influence, first fastening upon 
 the mind of youth, accustomed to look upon the 
 gorgeous and fascinating rather than the plain 
 and real, fills it with golden imagery of magnifi- 
 cent display and pompous equipage, and thus lays 
 the foundation for extravagant expenditure, which 
 soon results in poverty and ruin. Not only so, 
 
Pride. 105 
 
 but withdrawing the mind from the lofty and en- 
 nobling pursuits of wisdom, it becomes fettered 
 and chained down to debasing considerations, un- 
 worthy the immortal faculties which God has be- 
 stowed upon his intelligent creatures. 
 
 Being emptied of the rich treasures of knowl- 
 edge which alone give to man an elevated posi- 
 tion in the scale of being, it becomes filled with 
 the gewgaws of fashion, the bubbles of ambition, 
 and the dust of avarice. Designed to be a stu- 
 pendous palace, furnished with all the splendid 
 paraphernalia of wisdom, its empty, cheerless halls 
 echo to the sepulchral tread of its own murdered 
 advantages. When, in the evening of life, pro- 
 spective vision falls upon the opening tomb, and 
 the eye instinctively turns backward o'er the 
 scenes of other years, along the gloomy corridors 
 of memory there hang no beauteous pictures to 
 cheer the sinking heart in the hour of deepest 
 despondency. These questions, affecting the 
 social or intellectual world, appear of smallest 
 consequence in comparison to the moral condition 
 of the immortal man. The soul-temple, from 
 which ought to have risen the sweet incense of 
 love and gratitude to the omnipotent Father of us 
 all, has been prostituted to the service of the idol, 
 pride. The terrible denunciations pronounced in 
 the Book of Truth against the proud, murmur 
 
 like the hurtling thunders of the angry storm-god 
 5* 
 
106 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 at the rayless midnight hour; while peace and 
 quietude, affrighted, leave the soul crushed down 
 beneath a weight of woe unutterable. Such is 
 the condition of the unfortunate victims of this 
 peace-destroying, soul-corrupting evil: miserable 
 through life, hopeless in death, and wretched 
 throughout eternity! 
 
Onward is the Language of all Creation. 107 
 
 ONWARD IS THE LANGUAGE OF ALL 
 CREATION. 
 
 BY J. M. CUNNINGHAM. 
 
 Could we but mount the wings of imagination, 
 and, with light-footed fancy as a guide, glide far 
 away into the dim vista of other days — yea, even 
 into the councils of eternity itself — we would as- 
 suredly be convinced that the grand principle of 
 progression claims the most ancient date of any 
 of the wise and harmonious laws that wield a 
 potent sway over the various departments of all 
 nature. But let us not be so presumptuously 
 bold as to attempt to scan the sublime vastness 
 of infinity — a thing which it is impossible for the 
 mind of mortal man to grasp; but rather let us 
 lift the obscure veil of the past, and look through 
 the misty fog no farther than historical facts con- 
 firm and geological investigations influence. We 
 glean from history, both sacred and profane, that 
 this law has influenced the destinies of man from 
 creation's dawn to the present, and daily experi- 
 ence and observation show conclusively that this 
 
108 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 is the chief moving power over every part of the 
 world. 
 
 Astronomical researches convince us that all 
 the heavenly bodies are expressive of this great 
 law, and subject to the powerful influence it ex- 
 ercises over them. The gentle stars whisper it 
 in their courses, and the sweet harmony and con- 
 cord that they preserve with respect to each other 
 prove clearly that they are held in their orbits by 
 no other power than the principle of progression. 
 The sun and moon bespeak it, as they leave their 
 watery couches, climb the golden walls of the 
 East, promenade the azure vault, and sink to re- 
 pose behind the western hills, and the placid, un- 
 ruffled waste of western waters. The transient 
 meteor, dancing along the star-studded sky, and 
 the blazing comet, with its luminous train, wend- 
 ing its course through the immensity of space for 
 ages upon ages, tell us that every thing is onward. 
 The seasons, chasing each other in rapid succes- 
 sion, breathe it, according to the functions of each. 
 Spring, with its fresh greenness, its blossoms and 
 sweet-scented flowers, its mirth, gayety, and beau- 
 ty, and its sweet songsters of the forest warbling 
 mellifluous notes to their Creator, has its ephem- 
 eral joys and attractions, and passes away. Sum- 
 mer, with its rustling corn and mellow fruits, and 
 autumn, with its rich harvest and robe of many 
 colors, live for a day, as it were, and then invoke 
 
Onward is the Language of all Creation. 109 
 
 the bleak winds of winter, with iEolian strains 
 and Orphean lays, to sing the requiem of their 
 faded beauties and former glory. The gentle 
 zephyrs whistle it at eventide, and rustle in the 
 leaves at midnight, when the busy world is hushed 
 in calm repose, and balmy sleep lends its soothing 
 influence to weary man. The ocean heaves it up 
 on its mammoth billows, and the mountains, with 
 snow-capped peaks, rise up and proclaim it to the 
 clouds. 
 
 From clime to clime, from pole to pole, from 
 heaven to earth, all is onward. From the pel- 
 lucid brook, that wends its way along its meander- 
 ing banks, to the deep blue sea, every thing is 
 onward. The mighty rivers murmur it, as they 
 roll on in majestie grandeur, bearing off on their 
 placid bosoms the productions of every land. 
 The science of geology teaches us that at some 
 indefinite period of time — a. period of vast dura- 
 tion in the past ; a period, perhaps, of a hundred 
 millions of years ago — our beautiful planet was a 
 chaotic mass of unformed matter, occupying a 
 position upon the outward verge of the solar sys- 
 tem; that, by the universal law of gravitation, it 
 has been gradually tending toward the great cen- 
 ter of attraction; that at first it was occupied by 
 the lowest order of animals, which in turn passed 
 away and gave place to a higher order, and so on 
 successively, till at last appeared man, the most 
 
110 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 perfect of all. He, too, must fulfill some impor- 
 tant destiny, pass away, and give place to a still 
 higher scale of beings. But how shall this end 
 be consummated, unless by the grand principle 
 of progression? "Onward!" has been his watch- 
 word ever since he was ushered into existence, 
 and progression is stamped upon his very nature, 
 and it is this law that tells him that he was des- 
 tined to improve his intellectual faculties and 
 moral nature, as well as his progression in num- 
 bers. From time immemorial it has been the 
 means of revealing the mysteries of godliness, 
 and showing forth the beauties of Nature and the 
 perfection and power of the great Architect. 
 
 Men, customs, fashions, habits, and manners 
 are all onward. Countries, cities, towns, and vil- 
 lages are all onward. Cities hear its voice, and 
 rise into meridian splendor. Nations hear it — 
 are numbered among things that were. Kings 
 and emperors feel it, and fear preys upon their 
 inmost souls. Thrones feel it, tremble to their 
 center, totter, and crumble to the dust. It is 
 true that man is gifted with noble endowments 
 and vast intellectual powers, and has made won- 
 derful inventions and discoveries; it is true that 
 he has carried the arts and sciences almost to per- 
 fection; it is true that he has ascended high up 
 the hill of science, and engraven his name in liv- 
 ing characters on the tablets of fame; and it is 
 
Onward is the Language of all Creation. Ill 
 
 true, too true, that he knows "knowledge is 
 power;" but at the same time, and notwithstand- 
 ing all this, he is fast degenerating, and sinking 
 deeper and deeper into crime and wickedness, and 
 perpetrating deeds of the deepest dye. But there 
 is a time yet pending in the mysterious future — 
 there is a time coming when disease will dimin- 
 ish, and the duration of life will increase, till 
 death will be finally removed from the earth, and 
 man shall live to a good old age, and then ripen 
 for the harvest, and the soul shall leave the body, 
 as the ripe grain leaves the husk. Man will yet 
 regard knowledge as a treasure that gladdens the 
 heart, dignifies the mind, and ennobles the soul; 
 and this glorious time will be brought about by 
 this onward principle, and which will prove to be 
 the ushering in of the longed-for millennial dawn. 
 
112 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 VALEDICTORY. 
 
 BY MELISSA J. EWING. 
 
 "In American colleges, a Valedictory is an ora- 
 tion or address, spoken at Commencement by a 
 member of the class, which receive the degree of 
 Bachelor of Arts, and take their leave of college 
 and of each other." 
 
 Although there is no graduating class with us, 
 and it is not, strictly speaking, Commencement- 
 day, yet it is like it, in that we have been publicly 
 examined upon the several branches studied, and 
 have pronounced orations, and are now about to 
 take our leave of the Institute and of each other. 
 And now in place I appear to deliver the Valedic- 
 tory — a farewell essay. 
 
 About six months ago, our hearts were filled 
 with anxiety, because we were so desirous for the 
 day to come when we might wend our way to the 
 Institute and meet and greet our highly-esteemed 
 preceptor, the principal, together with his assist- 
 ant, our preceptress, whom, perchance, we young 
 ladies love more fondly. But the greeting did not 
 so suddenly stop with them : we met and greeted 
 
Valedictory. 113 
 
 each other, and were so happy to see each other's 
 faces again in the hall, and so much enjoyed the 
 introductory. Then with alacrity we entered again 
 upon our studies, and have prosecuted them with 
 a good degree of energy, and this is the reason 
 why we have so well acquitted ourselves on this 
 occasion. During the former part of the term, we 
 were able to study carelessly, both forgetting the 
 past and not dreading the future, only caring to 
 study, and to study closely, and to improve the 
 golden moments of youth as they pass; but so 
 soon as we entered upon the latter half of the 
 term, our hearts began, not to fail us in real dread 
 of examination-day, but to throb with a renewed 
 impulse to study — an impulse provoked in part, 
 'tis true, that we might be able to stand a good 
 examination from a little sense of pride in this 
 direction, but mainly that we might prove, to the 
 perfect satisfaction of our parents and guardians, 
 that our respective teachers have been faithful, and 
 that we have applied ourselves to study and made 
 marked progress. 
 
 And truly it is cheering, in these days of edu- 
 cation, to be so much encouraged by so large, so 
 respectable, and so respectful an audience as we 
 have had. 'T is certainly enough to stimulate any 
 lazy or naturally idle boy or girl to study here- 
 after. What more is needed than to witness the 
 intense interest taken in our behalf? 
 
114 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 " 'Tis education forms the common mind: 
 Just as the twig is bent the tree 's inclined." 
 
 This is a very true saying ; for if noxious weeds 
 and rude pressure be permitted to grow up with 
 and divert the erect and symmetrical growth in 
 maturity, it will ever be imperfect. And it is so 
 with the mind. If neglected and uneducated, 
 ignorance, imbecility, and perchance vice, will 
 make rapid inroads, choke its faculties, and render 
 it a bare nonentity or a nuisance. But when prop- 
 erly cultivated, well-educated, well-informed, and 
 stored with all useful knowledge and learning, then 
 how different! — then its regent is fitted to be a 
 useful member in society ; and, as the saying is : 
 "He will make his mark." The mind is, then, 
 " like apples of gold in pictures of silver." 
 
 But we are not going to read an essay on edu- 
 cation : that task has been undertaken by an able 
 and distinguished legal gentleman, and patron of 
 our school, and no doubt will be very ably per- 
 formed. From near and from a distance, from 
 within town and from the country, they come to 
 witness the examination. Lest we might make a 
 failure, and their elevated expectations not be re- 
 alized, we have felt some degree of dread and ap- 
 prehension; but what has been done is done; and 
 if any spectator has found himself imperfectly 
 edified, then it is hoped he will not have passed 
 too hasty and severe a sentence upon us, but made 
 
Valedictory. 115 
 
 sufficient allowance for slight imperfection. Dur- 
 ing the term now being closed, our teachers have 
 been very kind to us ; lenient enough in our dis- 
 obedience and idleness, yet bringing discipline to 
 bear in all cases of necessity. And thus the genial 
 principles of the school have been maintained, and 
 the regulations kept inviolable. For all their acts 
 of kindness, coupled with fortunate efforts to in- 
 struct us, we heartily tender them our sincere 
 thanks, and we trust the community will liberally 
 encourage and support Mr. Darnall hereafter. 
 
 And now we turn to each other, and with all 
 necessary confessions ask of one another forgive- 
 ness, if at any time feelings have been wounded ; 
 and we ask pardon, each one of the other. For 
 so many acts of kindness we thank each other 
 too; and we will not forget to express gratitude 
 to kind parents and guardians for privileges of 
 school. 
 
 Now, for a time, we come to bid each other, in 
 the sense of a valedictory, an affectionate farewell. 
 In the language of the poet: • 
 
 " When shall we meet again ? 
 
 Meet ne'er to sever? 
 When will peace wreathe her chain 
 
 Bound us forever? 
 Our hearts will ne'er repose, 
 Life from each blast that blows, 
 In this dark vale of woes, 
 
 Never, no, never ! 
 
116 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 " When shall love freely flow, 
 
 Pure as life's river ? 
 When shall sweet friendship glow, 
 
 Changeless forever? 
 Where joys celestial thrill, 
 Where bliss each heart shall fill, 
 And fears of parting chill, 
 
 Never, no, never ! 
 
 " Up to that world of light 
 Take us, dear Saviour ; 
 May we all there unite, 
 
 Happy forever ! 
 Where kindred spirits dwell, 
 There may our music swell, 
 And time our joys dispel, 
 Never, no, never ! 
 
 " Soon shall we meet again — 
 
 Meet ne'er to sever ; 
 Soon will peace wreathe her chain 
 
 Round us forever ! 
 Our hearts will then repose 
 Secure from worldly woes, 
 Our songs of praise shall close, 
 
 Never, no, never!" 
 
Farewell. 117 
 
 FAREWELL. 
 
 BY H. N. C. DAVIS. 
 
 Every moment that rolls by buries beneath the 
 dark waves of time's ever-moving sea some dead 
 human thing; each moment that flits by, like 
 shapeless shadows of the wind-footed cloud that 
 passes over the sun, bids us an everlasting fare- 
 well. Days, months, years, and ages roll on, like 
 an ocean's swell, engulfing beneath its cold waves 
 the most colossal achievements of man. Farewell 
 — that mournful, magic word of the heart, that 
 has been written in such black and frowning char- 
 acters athwart the universe — is the subject of our 
 address on this occasion. It is stamped upon the 
 broad, " aerial ocean," that sweeps earth in its cir- 
 cling tide, ebbing and flowing like a "thing of 
 life ; " it trembles in each star that sparkles in 
 the broad canopy of heaven; it mingles in the 
 crested billows of old ocean's surge, and glitters 
 in the dew-drops that fill the lily's cup ; it glows 
 in the gorgeous colors of the west at the decline 
 of day, and rests in the blackening crest of the 
 
118 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 gathering storm-cloud ; it is in the mournful winds 
 that sigh through the mountain's tall pines, and in 
 the cataract's roar, that comes bounding through 
 the air from dark chasms, between mountains of 
 ice, and over rivers of frozen glass; it is in the 
 lightning that rends the mighty oak, and in its 
 " quakes that shake the mountain's firm base, and 
 uproots the leviathan's bed. Yea, this terrestrial 
 sphere of God's vast universe, with its heart of 
 fire and sea of water, bears no less the visible im- 
 press of this frightful epitaph. But if the voice 
 of nature sin^s such mournful melodies, what must 
 be the poignance of our hearts when we hear this 
 word, or it is written by the dear ones we love? 
 ye pilgrims of a brief and mental existence ! ye 
 wanderers through the vicissitudes of life! how 
 often have the accents of this sad word rung in 
 your ears? Ask the mother, who has clasped for 
 the last time to her bosom her dying infant, with 
 heaven's beauteous smile upon its face, what is 
 it that heaves her pure white bosom like foam- 
 crested, storm-tossed billows of the sea ? It 's the 
 accents upon its lips of " Farewell, earth's bright- 
 est treasures ! " Yes, my friends, it is the last sad, 
 yet sweet, word, that is written upon memory's 
 tablet; it is a link between the living and the dead 
 that no change in life can erase. Touch the golden 
 clasp of memory's severed book, and on its hal- 
 lowed pages trace the scene of the last six years. 
 
Farewell. 119 
 
 Do you not remember when trie roll of the drunu 
 and the shrill note of the fife broke the stillness 
 of the morn, and stirred the frenzied blood of the 
 brave warriors? Do you not remember the force 
 and effect of this word when you clasped that 
 brother by the hand as he hurried away to the 
 field of battle, where the stars and bars were 
 proudly floating over 
 
 " The land where now ruins are spread, 
 And the living tread light on the hearts of the dead; 
 The land that is blest with the dust, 
 And bright with the deeds of the down-trodden just"? 
 
 Yes, my friends, then we could truthfully sing: 
 
 " How sleep the brave who sink to rest 
 By all their country's wishes blest ! 
 When spring, with dewy fingers cold, 
 Returns to deck a hallowed mold, 
 She then shall dress a sweeter sod 
 Than fancy's foot had ever trod." 
 
 To my teachers, whom I have met so often in 
 the classic halls of that old Institute, allow me, in 
 behalf of the students, to return our gratitude for 
 the many lessons of pious instructions that they 
 have so willingly and so cheerfully given us ; and 
 whatever may be your vocation in the future, rest 
 assured that you have our well-wishes and earnest 
 desire for your prosperity. May your footsteps 
 be guided by Him who does all things well; and, 
 
120 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 f in conclusion, accej!l our affectionate farewell for 
 awhile, perhaps forever. To my school-mates with 
 whom I have been associated for the last six 
 months: To-day we must sever that chain of 
 friendship that has bound us together. I hope we 
 have made improvement to do honor to this in- 
 stitution of learning. Hard, indeed, for us to 
 separate without the assurance that we will ever 
 meet again on earth. But if we are never assem- 
 bled together again as a school-band, let us so 
 hope and act as will enable us to meet around the 
 white throne of Him who rules yonder sparkling 
 canopy. 
 
Literary Address. 121 
 
 LITERARY ADDRESS. 
 
 BY RICHARD WARNER, Jr. 
 
 By kind solicitation, I am flattered with the 
 honor of appearing before you, on this occasion, 
 to deliver an address upon Education — a subject 
 that ought to fire the soul of every lover of lib- 
 erty with deep emotions and unyielding anima- 
 tion — one that makes me tremble with diffidence 
 while attempting to exhibit its lights in their 
 true coloring; therefore, excuse my undaunted 
 boldness in endeavoring to paint a glimmering 
 shade of its fountain-head. This, I am constrained 
 to say, has, in every age, time, and generation, 
 met with too little promotion and encouragement, 
 which causes the present as well as all past gen- 
 erations to weep in ignorance and blood. " Edu- 
 cate" is derived from the Latin word educare — 
 meaning, to lead or draw out ; hence, it is devel- 
 oping the physical, mental, and moral system of 
 man. The teacher is the sun that sheds light 
 upon the pathway, and conducts the student 
 through the meandering wilderness to the planet 
 6 
 
122 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 of science, whence millions have extracted from 
 the foundation of the world, yet, like the sun, 
 has illuminated the world for near six thousand 
 years without diminishing in density, weight, or 
 size. That the teacher may know how to lead, a 
 correct idea should be obtained of the object to 
 be led. This necessarily divides my subject into 
 three heads, to wit: physical education, intellect- 
 ual education, and moral education. The object 
 of physical education is to insure a sound and 
 vigorous frame of body, and a perfect symmetry 
 of animal organization, which is a necessary con- 
 comitant of an active, strong mind. This branch 
 of my subject should first engross the attention 
 of those who have the early training and devel- 
 oping of the child's frame. The mother becomes 
 the first educator, and, in order that Nature may 
 be untrammeled, is simply required to keep the 
 child in health. For this provision Nature has 
 implanted signal prerequisites of tenderness in 
 the female heart — a feeling w T hich always insures 
 an unfailing kindness, and lulls to sleep the 
 rougher passions, that would toss the babe as the 
 storm the ship upon the bosom of the ocean; but 
 woman, the counselor of the human race, and 
 calmer of the tempests of life, moves in her 
 sphere with a miraculous tenderness and super- 
 natural influence that has bafiled the skill of the 
 learned world. To know how she bends the 
 
Literary Address, 123 
 
 world at her will, and leads man captive to the 
 temple of Christ or the feet of Satan, has invited 
 the attention and employed the talent of the 
 learned world. 
 
 By a gentle extension of Eve's hand, the hu- 
 man race was dashed from Christian bliss to moral 
 death; but to glorify God, and redeem man, she 
 became the means by which Christ was made 
 visible, as the pillar of fire and cloud in the wil- 
 derness, to lead Israel to the promised land. On 
 the one hand, her breast is but a target for the 
 cruel darts of satire; on the other, her heart is 
 the great fountain of Christian revelation, which 
 awoke the genius of Paul, the revelation of John, 
 the eloquence of Luther, and made this a land of 
 Bibles and churches. She has richly verified the 
 poetical strains of Homer and Virgil, with music 
 sweeter than the notes of Apollo's harps, which 
 melted the winds to melody, made mountains nod, 
 and reared the magnificent walls of Troy. Be- 
 hold her at one time, weak, and washed in the 
 tears of grief, as she bows before the gods of ad- 
 versity: the next moment she is seen standing as 
 a heroine, buoyed up by angelic smiles, boldly 
 facing its most withering blasts. Thus the soft 
 smiles that cheerfully radiate from her charming 
 countenance melt the icicles of hatred into the 
 calm tides of joy. Pure as she may be, misan- 
 thrope man often sends quivering at her fame 
 
124 Scholastic Literature, 
 
 the poisoned darts of slander. Might I not ex- 
 claim : 
 
 " Be thou chaste as ice, as pure as snow, 
 Thou shalt not escape calumny " ? 
 
 Give her defamers full credit — they only prove 
 some have fallen; "and angels fall." Scan the 
 pages of history from time immemorial, and at 
 once we are struck with the idea that man has 
 been by far more indolent in giving the proper 
 development to the youthful frame than woman; 
 for when the child passes into boyhood, his care 
 shifts from mother to father, whence Nature be- 
 comes much retarded, instead of assisted, in nour- 
 ishing the youthful frame as it winds its way to 
 the bloom of manhood. No nation presents us 
 the grand advantages gained more strikingly than 
 ancient Greece and Rome, where the youths were 
 taken in the earliest age possible and placed in 
 regular, organized schools, and daily trained in 
 physical education, till Nature had secured a per- 
 fect development, and age had turned the subject 
 to the decline of life. Leonidas, at the Gap of 
 Thermopylae, with about eight thousand Grecians, 
 withstood the attacks of Xerxes, with his half- 
 million of Persians, near two weeks; Alexander, 
 with thirty-five thousand Macedonians and Gre- 
 cians, marched over all Asia, slaughtered millions, 
 and put to flight many more; Csesar, with a 
 
Literary Address. 125 
 
 handful of Romans, crossed the Rubicon, marched 
 to the city of Rome, and drove Pompey to Egypt; 
 and Antony and Crassus marched into Greece, 
 met Brutus and Cassius at Philippi, and crowned 
 Rome with the grandest victory of the world's 
 renown; yet these nations, like every thing else 
 in the course of nature, had their birth, manhood, 
 old age, and death; and it makes me tremble to 
 think their equal in the education of the physical 
 man has not been known since their days. They 
 fell; the world shook beneath their mighty ruin; 
 physical schools were buried; like the fall of 
 Adam, man was driven from the worldly Eden, 
 and evils entailed upon the whole human race. 
 Is there no God of science to send a Jesus to 
 resurrect the dead, and redeem the living? or 
 shall they lie, dust of the earth, till the millen- 
 nium ? Ah, that some descendant could mold 
 this dust into human form, and breathe life into 
 its nostrils, that as much might be brought to the 
 world as was lost in the fall ! Youths of our day 
 are too often in the cradle of ease and luxury, 
 refusing regular and uniform habits, and defeating 
 Nature's objects, by which, instead of becoming 
 robust and manly in body, pale, walking frames 
 are the result, without symmetry of organization; 
 like the badly-constructed ship, the mighty winds 
 lift their hoary heads above the expansive hori- 
 zon, and they become floating wrecks upon the 
 
126 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 bosom of Time. These evils, like pestilence, 
 sweep across our fertile plains, locking millions 
 in premature graves. They visit the third and 
 fourth generations, as the Almighty in his Holy 
 Writ has declared. Wealth is one of the vipers — 
 a Pandora's box — that spreads these evils through- 
 out the land. Croesus, floating in seas of luxur} r , 
 was poorer than Lazarus, lying at the gate of 
 Dives, begging for the crumbs that fell from his 
 table. It behooves us, as a people of wisdom, no 
 longer to grasp after frivolities and worldly treas- 
 ures; Solomon had them, and tells us, "All is 
 vanity." I would it was in my power to color 
 this in its true light, and that I could send quiv- 
 ering to the heart of every one within the sound 
 of my voice darting arrows, as the forked light- 
 ning vividly flashing from cloud to cloud, awaken- 
 ing them to the support of true national jewels. 
 In poetical language, I am led to exclaim : 
 
 "How can he rule well in a commonwealth, 
 Which knoweth not himself to frame? 
 How should he rule, himself in ghostly health, 
 
 Which never learned one lesson for the same? 
 If such catch harm, their parents are to blame, 
 For needs must they be blind, and blindly led, 
 Where no good lesson be taught or read." 
 
 Having spoken of physical education, I now 
 come to speak of intellectual education, which 
 signifies developing the mental capacity. It is 
 
Literary Address. 127 
 
 like applying a telescope to the natural eye — it 
 unfolds the many thousand hidden treasures that 
 would otherwise lie dormant, and brings them to 
 plain view. But for it, the mind would be con- 
 fined to the home-circle, and never visit the re- 
 mote corners of the earth, nor scan the skies, 
 journeying from planet to planet. It is the elec- 
 tric spark that passes from person to person, from 
 town to town, from city to city, from continent to 
 continent, and from world to world; along which 
 thought passes, and conveys intelligence from each 
 to every other part of the many millions of worlds 
 that compose the solar system, chaining them all 
 together, in imagination, in form, shape, size, sta- 
 tion, cause of motion, and tracing out the lines of 
 attraction that run from one to another. It is 
 the grand principle that developed the resources 
 of the world, and adapted them to man's wants 
 and necessities; that gives character to the hu- 
 man race, that enriches nations, and protects life, 
 liberty, and property. Gems hidden in the dark 
 recesses of Nature are of no value; pearls undis- 
 covered are useless; diamonds lying in the bot- 
 tom of the sea become covered with moss; iron 
 lying in the ore-bed is of no utility, but the in- 
 genuity of the human mind has taken it from its 
 beds, molded it into plows, wagons, guns, found- 
 eries, steam-boats, railroads, steam-cars, and a 
 thousand other things, enabling man to accomplish 
 
128 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 a thousand-fold more in the same time. Educa- 
 tion is to the mind like labor to the external 
 world. Nature presents to us a continued scenery 
 of roughness, grandeur, and sublimity : the rough, 
 craggy mountains, level, sunny plains, and deep, 
 dark chasms, strike us with a godly thought. 
 Man comes along, hews down the mountains, casts 
 them headlong into the valleys ; cuts away the 
 dense, huge forests; builds towns, cities; erects 
 monuments; constructs locomotives, boats, tele- 
 graphic wires; polishes diamonds and all the pre- 
 cious stones, and, in a word, suits every thing to 
 his wants, desires, and necessities. So education, 
 to the mind, visits every one of the little cells 
 and organical chambers, digs up the huge moun- 
 tains of trouble and casts them into the pits of 
 despair, polishes the passions, refines the tempera- 
 ment, makes the actions uniform, softens the feel- 
 ings, and chains the person to the chariot-wheels 
 of happiness, which move along through all the 
 vicissitudes of life without a jostle or totter. It 
 so nicely polishes all the departments of the 
 mind, that thought may leap into the beautiful 
 little vehicle of words, and smoothly glide from 
 one ideal residence to another, leaving its impres- 
 sion upon each, till it has visited the domicile of 
 man's whole phrenological structure. Its rapidity, 
 like the electric fluid, encircles the globe in the 
 twinkling of an eye, burns the obnoxious gases 
 
Literary Address. 129 
 
 that hang around the soul, tempting it to evil; 
 purifies the heart, and fills the head with an act- 
 ive and vigorous brain. It moves from person to 
 person, like electricity moving from positive to 
 negative clouds, till all around become equally 
 filled; so when one mind gets a superabundance 
 of ideas, it imparts to those around having less, 
 till all become equally filled — that is, filled to the 
 extent of their capacity. Thus society imparts 
 to surrounding societies, nations to surrounding 
 nations, and so on throughout the world. This is 
 fairly illustrated in our own nation. As we move 
 eastward, we receive light; as we move west- 
 ward, we impart light; if we move northward, 
 we impart heat; if we move southward, we im- 
 part cold. So with all opposites of a positive 
 and negative kind. The absence of cold is the 
 presence of heat; the absence of knowledge is 
 the presence of ignorance — vice versa. 
 
 Let us briefly scan the pages of history, and 
 this fact is more strikingly illustrated. From the 
 time Adam was placed in the garden of Eden to 
 the days of Moses, there was not a word written 
 by man — a period of about two thousand five 
 hundred years. Here was a total absence of a 
 literary education; and the consequence was, 
 about sixteen and a half centuries from the be- 
 ginning of the world, God inundated and drowned 
 all in a flood, because of their iniquity, but Noah 
 6* 
 
130 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 and his family. When Moses became the leader 
 of Israel, he marched them to the foot of Mount 
 Sinai, pitched his tents, and encamped, and upon 
 its topmost tower received the first letters that 
 were ever written with the finger of God, on a 
 table of stone, known as the "Ten Command- 
 ments," which was made the basis of Israel's 
 moral and political laws. There was not at this 
 time any paper upon which to write. The Egyp- 
 tians, the most enlightened of that day, had es- 
 tablished some characters called hieroglyphics, 
 engraved upon plates of metal or stone. Not 
 many centuries after this, it was discovered that 
 the bark of certain trees could be used; then 
 canvas and tables covered with wax were intro- 
 duced; and paper, manufactured from the papyrus 
 plant, growing upon the river Nile and in Sicily, 
 was introduced in the age of Alexander the Great, 
 about three hundred years before Christ; and 
 soon afterward Eumenes, King of Pergamus, in- 
 vented parchment. The Greeks surpassed the 
 world in the cultivation of the fine arts and sci- 
 ences in their day and time. From Solon to the 
 death of Alexander — a period of about three hun- 
 dred years — she was the mistress of the world 
 in oratory, painting, philosophy, sculpture, and 
 all the fine arts. Alexander, after having con- 
 quered the world, established in Asia, at Alex- 
 andria, a library that astonished the learned 
 
Liter art/ Address. 131 
 
 world with amazement, which became the great- 
 est theater of learning. Thousands of men were 
 daily employed transcribing and writing books 
 upon the papyrus - leaf, parchment, and canvas ; 
 for printing had. not at this time been invented. 
 
 Greece, having lived her day, fell, and Rome 
 sprang up to shine as her successor, or head and 
 shoulders above every other nation; hence, science 
 continued westwardly in its progress, rising higher, 
 until about the days of the Caesars, when it seemed 
 to have arrived at the zenith of its glory. About 
 the coming of Christ, Augustus Caesar and Mark 
 Antony became enemies, and a mighty clash of 
 arms took place, in which the city of Alexandria, 
 built by Alexander the Great, was burned, and 
 the grandest library of the world consumed in the 
 flames. Rome began to grow weaker and weaker 
 in science, as the voice of the dying swan, who 
 never utters a syllable till death has chained it 
 upon its dying-bed. About four hundred years 
 after Christ, Rome, the great literary light of the 
 world, fell, and buried science. The world trem- 
 bled as if some volcanic action had shaken it from 
 its orb — the sun of science was eclipsed; hence 
 the dark ages, called the Middle Ages, engulfed 
 the whole word, and ignorance prevailed in every 
 corner of the earth; blood, misrule, and anarchy 
 reigned everywhere. For a period of about eight 
 hundred years the world mourned and bitterly 
 
132 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 wept, as Peter when departing from a crucified 
 Saviour; the inhabitants drifted as a wrecked 
 crew upon the broad bosom of the ocean, without 
 a guide, like the Jews when invested \>y Titus. 
 Disease, pestilence, and famine scourged the walls 
 of every city, and they had become so demoralized 
 that clan would fall upon clan of the same nation, 
 and bury their swords in their own flesh to test 
 their sharpness, and the whole country run in 
 branches of blood, as if showers from the clouds 
 of heaven. 
 
 When Jerusalem fell, there was written upon 
 the wings of time her condemnation, under which 
 was a picture of the goddess of despair, sitting at 
 the root of a palm-tree, with a deathly- green 
 countenance, and her own soldiers cheerfully play- 
 ing around her, pointing the finger of scorn at her, 
 and laughing at her calamity. 
 
 So when Rome fell, the world was bathed in 
 blood, and the clouds of darkness hovered over 
 every nation as the walls of the Red Sea over the 
 children of Israel, shutting out light on every side. 
 But to their sorrow, there was no Moses to lead 
 them across the mighty waters ; there was no pillar 
 of fire to guide them through the wilderness; there 
 was no sun of science to show them their situa- 
 tion ; there was no strong arm to protect the old, 
 infirm, weak, blind, and maimed — might became 
 the law of the land. In every direction death 
 
Literary Address. 133 
 
 stared them in the face, and they could hut ex- 
 claim : 
 
 "Me, miserable; which way shall I fly? 
 Infinite wrath and infinite despair, 
 Which way I fly am hell ! Myself am hell ! 
 And in the lowest deep, a lower deep, 
 Still threatening to devour me, opens wide ; 
 To which the hell I suffer seems a heaven." 
 
 Charlemagne — claimed as a saint by the Church, 
 as the greatest king by the French, as the country- 
 man by the Germans, and as the emperor by the 
 Italians — is placed at the head of modern history, 
 and reigned about eight hundred years after Christ. 
 He planted the seeds of light by which the tree of 
 education asrain be^an to receive nourishment and 
 food, and the order of knighthood and chivalry 
 began to exist, which annihilated the feuds, isms, 
 and fictions that fed upon human blood, as wolves 
 upon lambs. From these seeds sprang into ex- 
 istence the Crusades ; though they rained showers 
 of blood upon the whole country, yet they ren- 
 dered protection to the tree of science, by firmly 
 planting themselves, as the Pillars of Hercules, 
 to ward off the brutal attacks of the Mohammedan 
 clans and Asiatic demons in their wild career of 
 conquest and blood, till the branches spread all 
 over Europe, and its roots pierced the center of 
 the earth. Under its mild shades knowledge has 
 increased in calm repose, until Europe and Amer- 
 
134 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 ica tower in the skies of intelligence, before un- 
 known to the world. 
 
 The revival of learning, in the fourteenth cen- 
 tury after Christ, called for cheaper paper. In 
 the eleventh century, paper made from cotton was 
 invented; and about the latter part of the four- 
 teenth century, linen paper was invented by Pace 
 Da Fabiano. About the middle of the fifteenth 
 century, printing with movable type was invented 
 — wooden type was used in immovable form much 
 earlier, but the inventive genius of man soon pro- 
 duced iron type, and then steel type, of immova- 
 ble character. Where kings could not once have 
 books, now they decorate every family fireside. 
 Fifteen different cities claim the honor of the in- 
 vention; but the best evidence shows that Faust, 
 SchoefFer, and Gutenberg, of Strasburg, were the 
 inventors. The first book printed was the Latin 
 Bible, in 1450 or '55, known as the Mazarin Bible, 
 from a copy having been discovered at Paris in 
 the library of the Cardinal Mazarin. The first 
 work printed in England was at Oxford, 1468, 
 three years before Caxton began to print in West- 
 minster Abbey. 
 
 Gunpowder was first used in Europe about the 
 middle of the fifteenth century, by the Spanish 
 Moors, in defense of the city of Mebla. Cannon 
 was first used by the King of Granada in besieg- 
 ing Baya, in 1312. Musketry was first used 
 
Literary Address. 135 
 
 in 1411, and bombs in 1450. The mariner's com- 
 pass seems to have been introduced in Europe, by 
 Saracen merchants, the latter part of the four- 
 teenth century. 
 
 The order of knighthood, chivalry, and crusades 
 dispelled the dark clouds of ignorance that hov- 
 ered over and devoured the vitals of society, by 
 crushing the feudal system; hence isms, factions, 
 and fealty oaths pined into the arms of death, 
 and serfdom was abolished. Guided by reason, 
 man has traveled through the abstruse regions of 
 the pathless ocean, and brought before the world 
 the means of accomplishing Herculean tasks. 
 By the inventions of man, the ocean has been 
 lined with vessels of burden and commerce, chain- 
 ing continents together in brotherly love, moving 
 the superabundance of one article to a place where 
 there is a deficiency of the same, in order to sup- 
 ply the wants, necessities, and desires of the whole 
 race of mankind. By this, society has been much 
 improved in life, liberty, pursuits of happiness, 
 intelligence, and the fine arts, and wars, pestilence, 
 and famines diminished. By the advantages of 
 the compass and commercial intercourse Columbus 
 was enabled to discover the continent of America, 
 and plant the whole scientific race upon the rich 
 shores of its soil; by them, the East and West 
 Indies were discovered, and science spread over 
 their shores ; by them, outlet has been continually 
 
136 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 found for the densely-populated old countries, to 
 empty their starving millions into "lands flowing 
 with milk and honey." God, the controller and 
 ruler of the world, has furnished the means for 
 suffering humanity to supply their wants. He 
 works all things according to his own will, and 
 punishes man only for his iniquities. how 
 thankful man should be to know that there is One 
 upon whom he can rest his weary head, and sup- 
 ply his many wants ! 
 
 By the printing-press the world has grown in 
 science and literature from a mere pigmy to a 
 huge giant. Where kings could not once have a 
 primer, now the poorest serf can have volumes ; 
 where ministers of the gospel could not once have 
 a Bible, they decorate the family fireside of every 
 cottage; where missionaries could not once be 
 heard in cities, they now unfold the genial pages 
 of the Bible among the savages of the wilderness; 
 where the sun could not, for thousands of years, 
 shine upon a book of God, now he cannot lift 
 his brilliant head above the eastern horizon, or 
 hide his dusky face behind the western hills of 
 one. 
 
 The seed of science has been planted in the 
 heart of every nation, and the tree has spread 
 its green foliage over every continent. Unlike 
 ancient Greece and Borne, the fall of a single na- 
 tion or continent could not bury it in ruin; for 
 
Literary Address* 137 
 
 the remaining tree would receive additional nour- 
 ishment, spread wider, and grow deeper. Edu- 
 cation is the architect of human actions, thought, 
 and feelings; it hews off the rougher parts, calms 
 the raging winds of passion, softens the feelings, 
 and makes the actions consistent. It decorates 
 society with jewels more precious than gold, dia- 
 monds, or rubies — in church, in the parlor, in the 
 home-circle, in the school-room, and, in a word, 
 everywhere. It purifies the marital state, and 
 makes woman man's true companion, intellectually 
 as well as physically. By it we are taught that 
 woman is as much supreme in her sphere as man 
 is in his, without which she is incapable of fill- 
 ing properly her sphere — consequently, an ill- 
 suited companion. It is true, in the primary du- 
 ties of woman her qualities of gentleness and 
 goodness may suffice, without much education. 
 But when we learn that the early training of 
 children devolves upon her, and that man is a 
 being of warm feelings, passions, and active in- 
 tellect, he must have a companion with whom he 
 can confer — in whose judgment, reason, and opin- 
 ion he can safely confide. Besides, the more you 
 combine respect with learning, the deeper, more 
 enduring, and more blissful become the affections. 
 Thus commingled and improved, it reaches the in- 
 tensity, and acquires the true dignity of a passion. 
 The man that finds in the woman of his choice, 
 
138 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 not merely a person suited to his taste and affec- 
 tions, and gentle to his wishes, but a mind richly 
 cultivated, alive, and discriminating, combined 
 with a sound judgment, so that he can respect and 
 confide in the partner of his bosom, is indeed 
 blessed beyond the common lot of mortals. 
 he has gained a victory by far greater than Caesar 
 over Pompey on the plains of Pharsalia ! She is 
 the early trainer of national jewels, over the up- 
 rising of which a nation may prosper or sink in 
 ruin; she makes first impressions and inclines 
 the twig; she nurses and rocks the mind in in- 
 fancy, and directs the vessel to its grand port of 
 destination. In all useful machinery, the most 
 essential parts lie hidden from the casual observer; 
 so it is with the complicated machinery of human 
 society — the mainspring and moving powers lie 
 within the precincts of home, only to be seen as 
 they are exhibited upon the busy stage of life. 
 The faithful mother, who toils from year to year, 
 watching the bud as it unfolds into manhood, may 
 scarcely, if ever, be heard of a few miles from 
 home ; but still she is preparing material for the 
 great world, that will tell of her long after she has 
 been cut off from life and deposited in the silent 
 tomb. What is known of those matrons who gave 
 character to Washington, Jefferson, Jackson, Clay, 
 Webster, and thousands of others, who arrived at 
 eminence, and blessed the world with their bright 
 
Literary Address. 139 
 
 examples and patriotic deeds ? She is the beauti- 
 ful flower of the national garden, that entices the 
 pretty butterflies to gather for a resting-place. 
 Education, the sun that unfolds the bud, gives it 
 strength and vigor; without it, like the rose-bud, 
 the beautiful treasures are all hidden. Woman, 
 an angel of mercy, moves from sick-chamber to 
 sick-chamber to comfort the diseased, and lends a 
 willing hand and heart to the needy. Education 
 teaches her to minister correctly, and suits the 
 medicine to the disease. She is the aurora — the 
 most beautiful of all the firmament — and lends a 
 light to the surrounding stars. Education lights 
 up the whole skies, and she receives enough to 
 make the others opaque, though bright, and lends 
 them light to travel their pathway. She, though 
 the greatest of nature's handiwork, is but a pigmy 
 in her natural state, when compared with her cul- 
 tivated condition — the contrast is so great that the 
 most powerful mind is lost in endless space in at- 
 tempting to calculate the distance between the 
 two. How powerful her mind ! how great her in- 
 fluence ! What a debt of gratitude the Egyptians 
 owed to Cleopatra, who swayed the scepter of 
 Egypt for many years ! Who can measure the 
 magnitude of Elizabeth's greatness, the virgin 
 queen of England, that planted the Protestant re- 
 ligion, and rocked it in its infant cradle ? What 
 does the Russian Empire owe to Catherine, who 
 
140 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 guided the brutal hand of Peter the Great, and 
 planted intelligence in Russia's broad plains ? Be- 
 hold the giant mind of Josephine, that counseled 
 and directed Napoleon in all his successful battles 
 as a pillar: when removed, the French Empire fell 
 and crushed Napoleon in its ruins ! But think of 
 Joan of Arc, who marched at the head of the 
 French army, inspired the desponding soldiery, 
 and freed France from the English yoke ! Only 
 turn to Queen Victoria, of England, and see what 
 a masterly influence she wields ! 
 
 The youthful mind having been rocked into boy- 
 hood by the mother, passes, with its early training 
 and inclinations, into the hands of the father, to 
 continue its progress in regular growth. What a 
 mystery ! But imagine the growth of an invisible 
 being! We can only present this to the natural 
 eye by visible illustrations. I would, were it in 
 my power on this occasion to present to you the 
 mind in visible form, that you might see its mirac- 
 ulous parts, the prime mover of the body, the 
 pilot that guides the vessel through the stormy 
 tides of life, that gives life to every form of hu- 
 manity — that undying life which, with perishable 
 organs, failing limbs, and fainting senses, erects 
 its perennial monuments, and climbs the hill of 
 science and immortality, which shall endure when 
 all earthly things have passed away. Indeed, 
 what pains are not spared to shelter, clothe, and 
 
Literary Address. 141 
 
 feed the body, to shield it from disease, and rear 
 it up in vigor ! How much more important that 
 the cares of the mind should be attended to, that 
 the individual may not pass through life without 
 any development of the great vital powers ; that 
 he should not, in the language of the Scriptures, 
 "Have eyes, but see not; have ears, but hear 
 not." The body of man is not starved except in 
 case of cruel necessity; on the contrary, it is 
 pampered by whatever it desires. The healthy 
 child is reared into the healthy man; its little 
 limbs will learn to stretch unfatigued over vast 
 mountains and expanded plains ; the arm that 
 could not cast a small pebble may learn to wield 
 the anvil-hammer of Vulcan, used in manufactur- 
 ing thunder-bolts for Jupiter ; while the invisible 
 man will remain unnourished and neglected to 
 dwindle into an insignificant pigmy. Intellects 
 that could mount the hill of science, ride the 
 mighty tides of knowledge, and shine as polished 
 jewels, lie covered with moss, hidden from the 
 external lights of the world. Capacities that 
 might have explored nature's deepest chasms, 
 mounted the starry heavens, surveyed the vast 
 planets, and traveled in discoveries till lost in in- 
 calculable distance, often pass through life clouded 
 in ignorance and superstition, unaware of the most 
 familiar truths. Thus stands the strong, athletic, 
 and vigorous body, breathing the pure air of 
 
142 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 heaven, well-proportioned in all its parts, but the 
 mind is choked and clogged till it becomes puny 
 and but an inactive dwarf. Could we but behold 
 it with our natural eye, it would excite within us 
 the deepest emotions of sympathy and pity. 
 Could we see and measure the vast difference be- 
 tween the cultivated and the uncultivated mind, 
 as the physical dwarf and giant, amazement would 
 shock our senses as the electric shock from a gal- 
 vanic battery, and we would cry, in poetical lan- 
 guage : 
 
 "Infernal world, and thou, profoundest hell, 
 Receive thy new possessor — one who brings 
 A mind not to be changed by place or time. 
 The mind is its own place, and in itself 
 Can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven." 
 
 The mind thirsts for knowledge as the body 
 for food, and the educator tenderly feeds it with 
 a mild and ministering hand. Education supplies 
 its wants, necessities, and desires, and gives it 
 strength, activity, and vigor — so food, care, and 
 attention do for the body. Then is not a solemn 
 duty, a tender and sacred trust, placed in every 
 man's hands, and all parents faithfully enjoined 
 to fulfill it? What, sir! feed a child's body, and 
 let his soul hunger? Pamper his limbs, and starve 
 his faculties ? Plant the earth with grain, cover 
 the hills and valleys with stock, pursue the wild 
 
Literary Address. 143 
 
 animal to his hiding-place, and drive the fish to 
 the waters of the expansive ocean, to supply the 
 wants of the body, which is of few days and full 
 of trouble, and let the pure spiritual essence with- 
 in, with all its glorious faculties and capacities for 
 improvement, languish, pine, and die? Build fac- 
 tories, erect colossal pyramids, unchain the im- 
 prisoned spirits of steam to plow the rivers, oceans, 
 and interior of the country with commerce, and 
 the vast machinery of the world, to weave gar- 
 ments for the body, and let the soul suffer in na- 
 kedness and cold ? Gather immense armies, explore 
 the shore of the ocean, line the face of the mighty 
 deep with fleets, and sweep over whole continents 
 to feed, nourish, and protect the physical man, and 
 permit the vital spark breathed into Adam to make 
 him a living soul, and intrusted to our care to fan 
 into a bright heavenly flame, to go out unnurtured, 
 untutored, and uncarecl for ? I know I stand be- 
 fore an intelligent audience, who can well weigh 
 the importance of an education, and who, I believe, 
 have, and will continue to exert, their influence to 
 promote and encourage knowledge continually. 
 We have brought before us its magnificent marks, 
 plainly presented to our view, as the marks of the 
 tornado sweeping every thing before it. Well 
 may the Indian inquire why the red man has 
 failed and the white man waxed strong ; why they 
 have dwindled down to a handful of men, and the 
 
144 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 white race have planted, nourished, and spread 
 their people over the five vast continents, when 
 their physical frame is more athletic and heartier 
 than the white man's. I know of no answer to 
 give to this question but the one suggested by my 
 course of reasoning: 
 
 "His soul proud science never taught to stray 
 Far as the solar walk or milky way." 
 
 His mind was untaught; he was ignorant of him- 
 self; he knew not the philosopher's golden rule, 
 "Know thyself;" hence, he constantly invaded 
 nature's law, impoverished and wrecked his body, 
 entailing evil to the third and fourth generation, 
 till the whole race float upon the bosom of time as 
 a heterogeneous mass of decaying matter. The 
 finger of God has written his destination upon 
 the walls of time, as visible to the learned world 
 as the Prophet Daniel wrote Belshazzar's ruin 
 upon the walls of Babylon; and time will soon 
 wind into existence a Cyrus that will plant the 
 ark of the covenant upon every foot of soil now 
 covered by the red man. God endowed man with 
 reason for noble and magnificent purposes, and if 
 he perverts its objects, his destiny will be written 
 in dark characters. Let us cherish those means 
 of improvement to which we owe our happier lot. 
 But survey the vast world, and at once we are 
 struck with the idea that education is the happiest 
 
Literary Address. 145 
 
 state of man, for the happiest and most prosperous 
 nations of the world are the best educated. Eng- 
 land, France, Spain, and Germany flourish above 
 all other nations in Europe in education; so they 
 stand head and shoulders above all the others in 
 fine arts, in commerce, in manufacturing, and all 
 the stabilities of life. It is said the sun never rises 
 or sets off English soil or ships ; her possessions 
 extend almost around the entire globe ; her in- 
 ventive genius is not excelled in the known world. 
 But turn to the continent of America, and we are 
 at once struck with the United States as the 
 grandest and most powerful nation on this side of 
 the ocean; so its people are the best educated. It 
 stands this side the waters as a great sun in the 
 heavens, lending its light to the planets around. 
 It is true this, like all other nations, has its con- 
 vulsions by the clashing of antagonistical opinions 
 and parties ; so the heavens have their shocks with 
 muttering thunder, raging winds, and vivid light- 
 nings ; so the earth has its shocks with volcanic 
 eruptions, filling the air with acres of land, tons 
 of water, and huge stone, overwhelming cities and 
 shaking the earth from center to circumference ! 
 All this is but the course of nature, burning up 
 the obnoxious gases in the air and center of the 
 earth, that the machinery may move regularly 
 again in a healthy state. So convulsions in society 
 may serve only to purify the political air, remove 
 7 
 
146' Scholastic Literature. 
 
 corruption, and put the machinery in regular mo- 
 tion a°ain. 
 
 All diseases have their remedy, and if man re- 
 mains ignorant of the remedy, it is his fault, and 
 he must suffer the consequence. It is true, God 
 has not placed the same number of talents in 
 every man's hands, but he only requires each to 
 use the talents placed there. The servant to 
 whom the Lord gave five talents doubled them, 
 and the one to whom he gave ten talents doubled 
 his; so he declared each to be good and faithful 
 servants, equally entitled to credit ; but the one 
 to whom he gave one talent buried it — God con- 
 demned him as unworthy, and cast him into outer 
 darkness. Therefore, he requires every man to 
 use the means placed in his power. He that 
 buries his mind in ignorance is burying his talents, 
 and is condemned as an unworthy servant; but 
 he that cultivates his mind, and increases its ca- 
 pacity for knowledge, is increasing his talents, 
 and will be received as God's faithful servant in 
 the end of time. 
 
 No wonder nations have such calamities to be- 
 fall them! They bury their talents in ignorance, 
 and God visits them with wars, famines, and pes- 
 tilence, drenching them in blood, and causing them 
 to wear the signals of death and extermination 
 deeply pictured in their miclsW-as the Jews, who 
 were scattered to the four corners of the earth, 
 
Literary Address. 147 
 
 never again to assume national form; and the In- 
 dians, whose numbers have dwindled to mere in- 
 significance. Ignorance generates these calam- 
 ities, and they become as clouds, shutting out the 
 light of heaven; hence, all become blind, and fall 
 into the ditch together. Had I the descriptive 
 powers to paint before you the dangers arising 
 from ignorance, you would tremble as Felix before 
 Paul when reasoning of the righteousness of God. 
 I would that I could send to the heart of every one 
 the soul-stirring notes of a Byron or Milton, that 
 they be aroused to a due sense of their duty on 
 this subject — that they no longer hoard up worldly 
 treasures, but grasp the helmet of literature, and 
 treasure heaven -born jewels. How happy the 
 world would glide ! What brotherly love would 
 prevail! What seas of joy would float, bearing 
 all on the tides of love ! I exclaim : 
 
 "These polished arts have humanized mankind — 
 Softened the rude, and calmed the boisterous mind. 
 Deign on the passing world to turn thine eyes, 
 And pause awhile from letters to be wise : 
 There mark what ills the scholar's life assail — 
 Toil, envy, want, the patron, and the jail. 
 See nations, slowly and meanly just, 
 To buried merit raiseth tardy lust." 
 
 Moral education, next and lastly, engages my 
 attention. Above all, this tends more to elevate 
 persons and nations. It is the basis of integrity, 
 
148 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 and groundwork of national durability. The 
 mind may be strong, vigorous, and learned in 
 many sciences, and yet deficient in this — as the 
 mind of Rousseau, Voltaire, Tom Paine, and many 
 others. This should be the great leading princi- 
 ple and uppermost design of all schools. It was 
 educating this principle that made Enoch walk 
 with God on earth three hundred years, and 
 caused him to be translated to heaven without 
 bearing the sting of death. Its education led 
 Noah to build the ark, and ride safely in it across 
 the mighty waters of the flood to the shores of 
 land again, without which the human race w T ould 
 have been blotted from existence, root and branch. 
 By its education Moses led the children of Israel 
 from Egyptian bondage to liberty in the promised 
 land. Buoyed up by this, and faith in God, Christ 
 withstood the withering blasts, invectives, and con- 
 demnations of the scribes and Pharisees, when 
 nailed on Calvary to the cross. It was this prin- 
 ciple that caused Paul to make Felix tremble on 
 his throne as he reasoned of the righteousness of 
 God, and to withstand the trials of a Roman 
 prison, unmoved in his attachment to a crucified 
 Saviour. By the education of this principle, 
 Martin Luther was aroused from his ignorant 
 slumbers, to stand, as the mighty pillars of Gi- 
 braltar, stemming the sweeping current of Roman 
 Catholic persecution. Moved by this principle, 
 
Literary Address. 149 
 
 the Puritans quit their native land in England, 
 leaving home, relations, friends, and all that was 
 near and dear to them, embarked upon ships, and 
 sailed across the perilous ocean to the rock of 
 Plymouth, to reside as neighbors of the savage 
 Indians and howling beasts of the American wil- 
 derness. It moves through the world as a peace- 
 maker, calming strife, chaining revengeful spirits, 
 and consoling the rough passions of man, that 
 would otherwise hurl nations into the clash of 
 arms, and line heaven with the dying cries of 
 mangled soldiers. In a word, it chains the world 
 together as one vast family, all meeting with 
 happy smiles, warm hearts, and tender feelings. 
 Without it, the world would be as provender, and 
 human beings foraging upon it, as the animal cre- 
 ation upon the growth of nature, venting their 
 spleen upon each other's flesh as demons; the 
 political heavens would rain torrents of blood; 
 the assassin's knife would be buried in human 
 flesh; the chains of government rent as ropes of 
 sand; factions spring up, as mushrooms, in a 
 single day; life, liberty, and property insecure; 
 the world, become intoxicated upon the blood of 
 revenge, reel and stagger as a drunken man, and 
 the heavens tremble, mourn, and bleed at every 
 pore for a lost race, as they wound their way 
 down the hill of Time, like Lucifer's band of lost 
 angels, to the gates of Pandemonium. 
 
150 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 To the moral world, woman wields an incalcula- 
 ble influence. To calculate this, is like attempting 
 to calculate the stars and planets of the heavens. 
 Discoveries have been made, till, with the aid of 
 the most powerful magnifying-glass, the mind is 
 lost in the enchanting charms of distance. Every 
 day gives us some new ideas of educated woman's 
 worth, and, should man live through eternity, he 
 will not have discovered them all. When edu- 
 cated morally, her charms upon the world are like 
 those of the sun upon the sunflower — they at- 
 tract the world toward her, in whatever part of 
 the circle of life she may be found. In the morn- 
 ing of life, all look toward her as the beautiful 
 flower of innocence, growing from the refreshing 
 dews of heaven ; in the meridian of life, all 
 look to her as exalted in the moral scale to the 
 summit of human attainment ; in the evening of 
 life, as she moves to her grave in the decline of 
 life, all look toward her as the great moral sun 
 passing from their sight; and when locked in the 
 silent tomb, the faces of all are turned downward, 
 as if searching for the lost light which once illu- 
 mined their pathway. How important to the 
 world that such light should shine continually! 
 
 The nations that do not encourage female edu- 
 cation might be likened to the five foolish virgins : 
 they have failed to supply their lamps with oil; 
 hence, their lights have gone out, and they are 
 
Literary Address. 151 
 
 cast into outer darkness, and when the bridegroom 
 comes, they are absent in search of oil; but too 
 late — their condemnation is already written upon 
 the records of Heaven. Those who encourage 
 female education might be likened to the five wise 
 virgins : they keep with them a bountiful supply 
 of oil, and their lamps are always trimmed and 
 burning, and when the bridegroom conies, they go 
 with him, as of his flock. In those nations dwell 
 the soldiers of Christ, who bear the ark of the 
 covenant in the battle-field of God. Here the 
 Bible lies upon the table of every family; peace, 
 happiness, and tranquillity dwell as national gods ; 
 the tides of morality move in every direction; 
 prosperity dwells in every chimney-corner; ad- 
 versity dwindles to insignificance, and the bounti- 
 ful fields of Nature teem with rich productions. 
 
 The firmness and moral intellect of Madame 
 Caberas, while a prisoner awaiting the order of 
 her execution, aroused the eloquence of Tallien, 
 beneath the powers of which the ruthless Robes- 
 pierre quailed and sank, and the Reign of Terror 
 ended in France. It was the educated mind of 
 Isabella, Queen of Spain, that enabled her to see 
 the reason of Columbus's plan to discover Amer- 
 ica; hence, she became the great first cause of the 
 discovery of America. Providence seems to have 
 intended woman as the master of whatever she 
 undertook, and it is as hard to mount the stars on 
 
152 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 a tread-wheel as to change her course. Then how 
 important for the world that her mind be properly 
 directed! If I designed conquering Satan and 
 all his followers, I would first give woman's mind 
 a moral inclination, were it in my power. Then 
 I might, Alexander-like, sweep down all opposi- 
 tion in this world, and weep because there were 
 not bridges to all other worlds to extend my 
 conquest. 
 
 A well-cultivated mind is a never-failing pass- 
 port to the best society. It always insures the 
 extension of friendship, when accompanied by 
 correctness of conduct and a virtuous deportment. 
 It prevents woman from becoming the dupe of 
 artifice, and expands the heart to all sympathetic 
 feelings for the distress of others. It holds up 
 to a distinct and scrutinizing search the character 
 of man, and enables woman to make a judicious 
 choice from a herd of coxcombs and fools, by 
 whom, if wealthy and beautiful, she may be pei- 
 secuted with addresses. It affords a never-failing 
 source of comfort in solitude, and finds a healing 
 balm for a wayward and unfortunate destiny, and 
 so well arranges her actions and feelings as never 
 to allow her to become the victim of a broken 
 heart. She sees objects as they really are, and 
 not as if clothed in an inflamed and disordered 
 fancy. She knows human nature is not perfect, 
 but regards it as a compound of weakness and 
 
Literary Address. 158 
 
 strength, virtue and vice, and wisdom and folly. 
 It was the cultivated mind of Miss Owenson that 
 attached Lord Morgan to her, and she became the 
 companion of his bosom. Mrs. Hamilton was the 
 admired of the world, and wrote much on female 
 education. She seems to bend the world at her 
 will, sways scepters, unflinchingly faces the with- 
 ering blasts of persecution, smiles upon death, 
 bathes the altars of God in the tears of penitence, 
 calms the tides of passion, breathes into society 
 the soul-stirring notes of love and affection, and 
 openly confesses her Saviour, though death may 
 gaze in her face. As the poet declares : 
 
 "Not she with traitorous kiss her Saviour stung, 
 Not she denied him with unholy tongue; 
 But she. when apostles shrank, could dangers brave; 
 Last at the cross, and first at the grave." 
 
 Moral education has shed its nourishment and 
 bountiful supplies upon the world, as the manna 
 that fell from the heavens to feed the children of 
 Israel in the wilderness. God tells us we shall 
 not live upon bread alone, but upon every word 
 that proceedeth out of his mouth. how sweet 
 the calm tidings of love and joy play from heaven 
 upon the hills of Sinai and Calvary ! How pleasant 
 and contented the righteous can repose through 
 the darkness of the night! Even the pillow upon 
 
 which the head reclines appears delightful. It is 
 
 7* 
 
154 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 this grand and noble principle that buried the 
 tomahawk, and planted the tree of peace upon its 
 grave; that has sheathed the sword, and hushed 
 the muttering cannon; that moves from post to 
 pillar as a ministering angel of peace. 
 
 Moral education not only means teaching by 
 precept, but also by example. Too often are we 
 willing to tell others how to do, but we do not do 
 that way ourselves. God tells us we must know 
 man's faith by his works. Hypocrites clamor 
 loudly in public places — they pray upon the 
 house-tops and corners of the streets, but never 
 retire to the closet; on the contrary, are profane 
 and cruel in the family circle and daily labors; 
 disguise themselves in the cloak of God, to cheat, 
 swindle, and defraud their neighbors; they lose 
 sight of the Golden Rule, and travel as the vile 
 reptile upon the ground, spitting their venom in 
 every direction. This class of persons are wholly 
 and totally destitute of moral education; for, as I 
 have before told you, moral education means draw- 
 ing out, developing, and increasing the moral facul- 
 ties. Hence, as these faculties are increased, the 
 whole inward and outward man is improved. 
 There is no such thing as galvanized morality. 
 Under its true head it admits of no deception; 
 for although man may defraud the world, he can- 
 not defraud God. The desire to defraud is the 
 want of moral training. God is omnipotent, om- 
 
Literary Address. 155 
 
 nipresent, and omniscient — Alpha and Omega — 
 one and the same — inseparable and unchangeable. 
 Not a sparrow falls to the ground — not a hair of 
 your head, but that he has numbered it. The 
 earth is his, and the fullness thereof. It is from 
 him we receive our life, the food that strengthens 
 our body, the pure air that we inhale into our 
 lungs, the refreshing draughts of cool water that 
 quench our thirst in midsummer, and, in a word, 
 our whole existence. How vain and foolish, then, 
 to suppose man could deceive the One who molded 
 him into existence ! It was David's moral train- 
 ing that gave him faith in God, and enabled him, 
 with his pebble and sling, to slaughter Goliath 
 and put the Philistines to flight; and Samsons 
 moral training gave him faith, which enabled him 
 to drag the pillars from the house, and slaughter 
 his thousands; Joshua's gave him faith, and en- 
 abled him to stop the sun and moon till he could 
 complete his victory; Washington's gave him 
 faith in his cause, and led him safely through the 
 Revolution. In fact, it is this training that gives 
 us all our faith in God; and Holy Writ tells us 
 faith removes mountains. It gave the angels faith 
 that sang together in praise of God, on the morn- 
 ing of the world's completion, and filled the whole 
 heavens with sweet melodies. It called the an- 
 gels from heaven to earth on the morning of 
 Christ's resurrection, and caused them to sing the 
 
156 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 sweet songs that melted the skies in harmonious 
 vibrations, as they passed from earth to heaven. 
 It enkindled in David the lovely poetical notes 
 that enriched the Bible with the Book of Psalms. 
 Ever since the creation of the world, evil and 
 good have been great contending powers; they 
 have met in every corner, upon every hill-top, and 
 in every valley. The struggle has been mighty 
 and powerful, and millions have fallen upon the 
 battle-field. The soldiers of good are commanded 
 by the teachers of morality; the soldiers of evil 
 by the devil and his cohorts. Although the few 
 have fought the many, God is at their head, and 
 they must prevail in the end, when joy will un- 
 furl its banners in the pure, celestial breeze, and 
 shouts of victory melt the heavens into songs of 
 peace, happiness, and love; and the soul — the un- 
 dying principle unchained from the physical man 
 — poetically expressed : 
 
 " The soul on earth is an immortal guest, 
 Compelled to starve at an unusual feast; 
 A spark which upward tends by Nature's voice — 
 A stream diverted from its natural source — 
 A drop dissevered from the boundless sea — 
 A moment parted from eternity — 
 A pilgrim panting for the rest to come — 
 An exile anxious for his native home." 
 
Literary Address. 157 
 
 LITERARY ADDRESS. 
 
 BY WILLIAM N. COWDEN. 
 
 Ladies and Gentlemen : — Before proceeding to 
 the discharge of the duty devolving upon me on 
 this occasion, I desire to tender to the principal and 
 students of this Institute my sincere thanks for 
 the honor done me in calling me from so many, 
 who are my superiors in scientific and literary 
 lore, to represent them and the cause for which 
 they work at this their first Annual Commencement. 
 We trust we may not disappoint your high hopes 
 in this our first educational address. It is with 
 considerable embarrassment that Ave attempt to 
 address you upon the theme that has called you 
 together on this occasion. In days gone by, other 
 tongues, more gifted and learned than my own, 
 have led you captive amid cooler shades of the 
 bowers of mind's pure thought than we can hope 
 to find; nevertheless, if you will give us your at- 
 tention, if we cannot lead you to the Pierian 
 spring, we hope to find some shaded nook in the 
 field of thought, whence issues a clear, crystal 
 
158 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 brook, the glassy surface of which we hope to 
 break by human thought. 
 
 In perambulating the field of thought upon this 
 subject, we assure you there is no danger of being 
 lost, for, if we can do no better, we have but to 
 return to the broad and well-beaten track, with its 
 blazing directories, called Physical, Mental, and 
 Moral, and conduct you through by their unerring 
 calls. Education, the theme of themes, the pal- 
 ladium of all thought, the sub-basis of all action, 
 the foundation-proposition of all happiness, with 
 its humanizing, civilizing, and Christianizing in- 
 fluences, is the all-absorbing and engrossing sub- 
 ject that on this occasion demands and commands 
 your attention. 
 
 Since man stooped to the vulture of sin, heark- 
 ened to the deceitful eloquence of satanic flat- 
 tery, and thoughtlessly, recklessly, and without a 
 single demur, touched the alluring but fatal fruit, 
 we have been doomed to come forth amid the 
 thorns and thistles of earth with mere instinctive 
 appetites, without a single desire to know our or- 
 igin, mission, or destiny. That which ameliorates 
 this passive condition, that which draws out the 
 human soul to a proper estimate of its own divine 
 origin and lofty purpose, and polishes it for a bliss- 
 ful destiny, is true education ; and, my friends, 
 all else is false education, all else is waging war 
 with the laws of mind. Some say education is 
 
Literary Address. 159 
 
 the improvement of the mind; but, my friends, 
 this definition is too vague to admit of a sensible 
 solution — too much depends upon what is meant 
 by mind and improvement. Such a theory makes 
 the mind a machine — a mere tool, to be used in 
 the daily avocations of life; and such a theory 
 would vary according to the purpose we wished 
 our education to serve. The clergyman, the physi- 
 cian, the farmer, the mechanic, and the lawyer, 
 would have each a theory of education, differing as 
 the purposes to which the machine was applied 
 differed. Others say education is the knowledge 
 of literature, science, and art. To impart this 
 knowledge is partly the office and purpose of edu- 
 cation ; but it is too limited a sphere, too circum- 
 scribed a mission, for the great work we are con- 
 templating and collating. What if you could 
 write and pronounce the word "soul" in every 
 language, ancient and modern, living and dead, 
 from the alphabet of Cadmus down to the Belles- 
 lettres of this age, and, at the same time, know 
 nothing of its divine origin, its undying attributes, 
 or eternal destiny — what if you could write, 
 speak, grammatize, rhetorize, transpose, and re- 
 transpose the sentence, "God is love," into every 
 language, from the Chaldaic hieroglyphic orig- 
 inals to the most modern tongues now spoken, 
 and yet know nothing of that great Source of love 
 — could not see it in every blossom that blooms, 
 
160 Scholastic Literature, 
 
 and feel it in every shower that falls-— what ad- 
 vantage would be your education? With a be- 
 nighted soul and desolate heart, you would wander 
 over earth, a literary fool. You had as well under- 
 take to describe a circle without a center, a rose- 
 bud without a petal, the pupil of the eye without 
 the eye, the finger without the hand, the hand 
 without the arm, the arm without the body, and 
 the body without the soul, as to define education 
 without recognizing the central truth we have as- 
 sumed. 
 
 Then let us invite you into the studio of the 
 grand Workman that is to polish a soul; let us 
 lead you into the precincts of means that are de- 
 signed for the wonderful work. The Great first 
 cause is the radiating center, and the Great last 
 end the periphery of all correct thought, all correct 
 education. Between these grand points can be 
 found the vital tenants and correct philosophy of 
 all true sciences, known or knowable, theoretical 
 or practical, discovered or discoverable. And 
 when we use the word "science," we intend its 
 broad and comprehensive meaning. Any thing 
 that is the subject of the thinking, reasoning, con- 
 templating, or discoursing of the human mind, 
 may be converted into a science; and a true 
 science is the correct exercise of the mind upon 
 any given subject, and they begin with the Great 
 first cause, and suggest the Great last end. Like 
 
Literary Address. 161 
 
 the grand ethereal rainbow that arches the universe, 
 there is not a shadow of night that darkens their 
 triumphal arch ; and as its gold and purple colors 
 blend and run together, so do all true sciences 
 blend their tenants. Their difference is in grada- 
 tion, and not in distinct, prominent lines of de- 
 markation. Take astronomy, that science which 
 takes the vast, innumerable worlds, and masses of 
 matter spread out through the immensity of space, 
 with the laws of their actions, for its treatise, and 
 attempt to teach or learn it without the assistance 
 of, or any reference to, geometry, geology, chemis- 
 try, trigonometry, mensuration, surveying, navi- 
 gation, or some other true science, and you will 
 find that you are attempting to teach or learn a 
 perfect abstraction, which no human mind can do. 
 Take metaphysics, that boldest and most inde- 
 pendent science, that refuses to be confined to the 
 material universe, but in its daring flight presumes 
 to speculate on time, space, and eternity — on mind, 
 spirit, and matter — on things celestial and things 
 terrestrial — and you will see that it is intimately 
 connected with all other true sciences. Take 
 geology, and you will find that you cannot pro- 
 ceed a step in the investigation of its fundamental 
 principles without the assistance of chemistry, 
 mineralogy, and zoology, and you cannot proceed 
 to a perfect knowledge without the assistance of 
 all other true sciences. So it is with all true 
 
162 Scholastic Literature, 
 
 sciences. They are so intimately connected that 
 no human mind, however gifted and learned, can 
 learn or demonstrate one without the assistance of 
 one or more of the others ; and when we say 
 " demonstrate," we do not use it in the sense in 
 which we use it when we speak of demonstrating 
 a problem in Euclid, or a proposition in Bourdon, 
 but in its broad and comprehensive sense, as ap- 
 plied to that scientific research which traces a 
 science from its cause to its final effect. We must 
 not only learn that the Great first cause is the ra- 
 diating center, and the Great last end the periphery 
 of all correct thought, and that all sciences, known 
 or knowable by finite minds, are linked together 
 by infinite tenets from that radiating center, but 
 we must also learn that those sciences, so linked, 
 make one vast universe, suggestive of that begin- 
 ning and that termination; we must learn that the 
 universe is a grand convocation and concentration 
 of means and ends tending to one glorious result 
 — the development and preparation of the human 
 soul for a blissful abode beyond the thunder's 
 home. 
 
 Young ladies, let us rob you of one of those 
 rose-buds that blush in so many hands to-day, and 
 see if, in that little heart-history that so softly 
 breathes tales of first love, from those little gems 
 from the garland of Cupid there cannot be learned 
 a lesson of science deep and wonderful — see if 
 
Literary Address. 163 
 
 we cannot glean from it a striking similitude of 
 the history and grand design of this vast universe 
 of means and ends. Each leaf, from the inmost 
 silken petal to that rough green perianth, you will 
 see, is perfectly fitted to each other. So perfect 
 is the arrangement that, when once they are dis- 
 located and disorganized, no human hand, no mat- 
 ter if it be guided by the genius of Raphael, can 
 perfectly rearrange them. Not only are they 
 fitted to each other, but they are so arranged for 
 the common purpose of protecting, developing, 
 and maturing its central stamina — that little vel- 
 vet gem that contains the germ of life that is to 
 live after its silken blossom has given back, in 
 ecstatic death, its pure, fresh, odorous life to the 
 elements from which it came. So with the uni- 
 verse : each element, each world, and each system 
 is so arranged with reference to each other, as to 
 make one perfect whole, moving in accord, with a 
 single purpose. The solar system, with its in- 
 numerable, sparkling worlds, that roll around the 
 sun, presents but a single idea of purpose in their 
 creation — that is, they were made for this earth. 
 Let vain transcendentalists and speculating skep- 
 tics demonstrate, with their fine-spun a priori rea- 
 soning, their fantastic theories of creation and de- 
 sign, and with their fruitful imagination people 
 each planet; but Heaven's first command, that 
 won a universe from a void and formless infinite, 
 
164 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 will forever canonize this elemental truth, while 
 lives in that immortal history of creation's morn, 
 that august scene, when "the earth was without 
 form and void, and darkness was upon the face 
 of the deep." When 
 
 "God said, ' Let there be light/ 
 Grim darkness felt his might, 
 
 And fled away ; 
 Then startled seas and mountains cold 
 Shone forth all bright in blue and gold, 
 
 And cried, "Tis day — 'tis day!' 
 1 Hail, holy light !' exclaimed 
 The thunderous cloud that flamed 
 
 O'er daisies white; 
 And lo ! the rose, in crimson dressed, 
 Leaned sweetly on the lily's breast, 
 
 And, blushing, murmured, ' Light !' " 
 
 Yea, not a day that comes and goes, nor a night 
 that wraps the world in grand and silent gloom, 
 but proves that the sun, moon, and stars, and the 
 ethereal blue through which they roll, were made 
 for earth. 
 
 It is also true, by God's creative law, that 
 earth, with its rock-ribbed mountains and everlast- 
 ing hills of granite, deep and dense ; with its 
 lofty ridges splintered by the storm, and deep 
 vales where affrighted shadows make their home; 
 with its joyous, gushing springs, that send their 
 waters rippling around the mountain's verdant 
 sides, and rivers that, in thundering torrents and 
 
Literary Address. 165 
 
 sweeping surges, rush to the ocean vast and 
 wide; the earth, with its winds that bend the 
 trembling grass, and start into life the ocean's 
 wave, and its clouds, that rise from the cavern's 
 depths and evaporating seas, floating spirit-like 
 over its mountains, hills, and dales; with its 
 hoarse, loud, and deep thunders, that resound 
 amid the storm, and its lightning, that tears and 
 furrows the mountain's tall pine ; with its glaciers 
 of ice, that give back to each glint of sunshine a 
 thousand hues, and its tempests, that stir the 
 ocean's depths profound; with its shoAvers of 
 rain, that swell the bubbling spring and cool the 
 burning plain, and its quakes, that shake the 
 mountain's firm base, and uproot the leviathan's 
 bed; — yea, this terrestrial sphere of God's uni- 
 verse, with its heart of fire, its sea of water, and 
 its vast, subtile, and profound aerial ocean, within 
 the circling tide of which is found the more ma- 
 terial parts, was created alone for its animal and 
 vegetable productions; and these exist, by God's 
 mysterious law, alone for man. Like the dove 
 that left the ark that had sheltered it amid the 
 deluge of earth, to serve man in a weary flight 
 o'er the watery waste, bringing him that olive- 
 branch — that token bright of land, and welcome 
 sign of a receding flood — does every animal that 
 swims in the sea, flies in the air, crawls or walks 
 on the earth, live to do its appointed part in the 
 
166 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 grand design of man's development. So with 
 earth's vegetable productions: not a thing that 
 grows, nor a blossom that blooms — from the tiny 
 moss that covers the earth with its downy bed, 
 and hides the icy snake as it passes to its covert 
 wold, to the tall pine that tempts the lightning's 
 stroke, and serves the eagle a lofty throne — but 
 gives its life to this grand design. Turn while 
 grim winter holds off his howling blasts and des- 
 olating storms ; turn ere summer's dissolving suns 
 dry up the verdure of the fields; turn while earth 
 wears her emerald robes, and the trees bear their 
 fullest foliage; while the wild-rose and sweet- 
 scented vine perfume the gentle zephyrs, and the 
 clover-blossoms enamel the meadows; while the 
 corn spreads its rich verdure over the newly- 
 plowed fields, and the earliest apples, streaked 
 with gold and rich vermilion, tempt the birds and 
 children; while the wheat and barley wave in 
 golden ripeness, and breezes kiss buds into bloom, 
 and the dew-drops rest on the newly-opened rose; 
 turn while the busy bee lingers in the "honey- 
 suckle glen," and gathers honey from the suckle, 
 and the "speckled trout chases the burnished min- 
 now in the clear mountain brook;" while the gay- 
 feathered songsters make the forest ring in glad- 
 ness with the warbling of their heart - throbbing 
 songs, and the cattle and sheep wade the waving 
 pastures, and crop the cool herbage; while the 
 
Literary Address. 167 
 
 light-bounding roe leads her timid, spotted fawn 
 to drink from rippling rivers in the cool shade of 
 the forest, and the lark woos the sky, and sings 
 its anthems to the rising sun; yea, turn while 
 earth wears her gayest dress, and tell whence and 
 why this busy life. My friends, it is a universe 
 at work for man ; 'tis the warm sunshine piercing 
 the cold sod, and warming into life the little gems 
 that were garnered there by Nature's mysterious 
 hand, and with its pencil-ray painting each blos- 
 som in its own peculiar hue; 'tis the sea sending 
 in clouds its waters to cool and moisten the vege- 
 tating earth; 'tis winds and showers awaking the 
 earth to a life full of transient beauty and bloom; 
 'tis the earth distilling from its moisture juices 
 for every vegetable that grows — those gold and 
 purple juices that gush so deliciously from the 
 orange and melon, and tinge the velvet cheek of 
 the peach; 'tis the song of the universe played 
 upon a harp, of which each leaf that trembles in 
 the wind, and each foam-footed rill that winds its 
 way through the tall, waving grass, is a string. 
 In triumphant tones this vast instrument is roll- 
 ing up, from each department and recess of earth, 
 a torrent of majestic sounds. 'Tis Nature's nim- 
 ble fingers frolicking over the strings of the harp 
 of the universe, from which is gushing and stream- 
 ing a shower of melodies and variable harmonies 
 that ripple, like laughter, in warbling cadences 
 
168 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 throughout the chambers of earth and heaven, 
 drawing out the echoing harmonies of the soul; 
 'tis Nature's benefit-exhibition for poor, fallen man. 
 Soon the scene will change. The harvest will 
 soon be here, and no sooner has Nature supplied 
 the wants of man, than the dissolving suns of 
 summer give back to contributing elements their 
 respective parts, showing that vegetation springs 
 and grows alone for man. But we cannot pursue 
 this idea farther. It is too vast and profound for 
 an address like this. If every mind that thinks 
 could drink from it a thousand years, it would be 
 unexhausted. It is as true and profound as in- 
 finity, and as inexhaustible as the great Fount of 
 all knowledge. Some speak of physical educa- 
 tion, which, in an abstract sense, is about as com- 
 prehensive as to speak of a mental-physical, a 
 full vacuum, or a liquid substance. It can be 
 fed, watered, and grown; it can be cultivated, but 
 not educated. Plume the mind with swift-winged 
 imagination, and travel back, o'er a century of 
 Time's mysterious course, to a little cottage in 
 the artillery-walks of the great metropolis of old 
 Britain, and there behold the illustrious Milton, 
 whose heart is touched with imperial fire: hear 
 him sing, in his celestial epic, the beauties and 
 glories of Creation; see his face upturned to the 
 resplendent light of heaven — see it glow with 
 divine afflatus, and yet see those sorrowful, sight- 
 
Literary Address. 169 
 
 less eyes turn vacantly in their sockets, and tell 
 me, What is physical education, when it cannot 
 smooth the flaw from out the eye of such a 
 genius ? Again, on the lightning of speedy 
 thought, turn to Beethoven: hear that stream 
 of melodies that flow from his fingers, as they 
 lightly glide over the keys of the piano; hear 
 that sweet cadence, that falls upon the ear like 
 the sigh of lovers stealing through the silken 
 leaves of roses; see with what amazing ingenuity 
 he throws out a shower of notes, that leap upon 
 the air like the voice of merriment, and fall upon 
 the ear in ravishing sweetness, only equaled by 
 the laughter of her whom we best love. Again, 
 hear those wild strains that startle the nerves, and 
 make the blood curdle, like a tornado sweeping 
 through the mountain's trembling forest, or a hur- 
 ricane on the deep sea. See how he seems 'to de- 
 light in the symphonies that flow from his gigantic 
 genius ! Speak to him in a voice of thunder, and 
 he heeds not your calling — he is deaf. Then tell 
 me, What is physical education, when it cannot 
 open the ear to the sound of such wonderful mel- 
 odies ? 
 
 My friends, true education is alone the victory 
 of Truth, in which Error, with her legions, gives 
 up the battle-field of the soul. Education is all 
 of life — it is life itself. To live is to think; all 
 else is death. But you ask, Where is the text- 
 8 
 
170 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 book of the education of which we speak? Where 
 is the true light of the science of man's being, 
 and what is to be? Here a sad spectacle meets 
 the sight of the student of truth. As many lights 
 blaze before him as there are stars in the sky; 
 as many systems are presented as there are peb- 
 bles on the sea-shore. One fourth of the human 
 family lift up the Koran of Mohammed, with its 
 spirit of sensuality, as the central sun of man's 
 universe, and true theory of the Great first cause. 
 Others hold out the flickering mirage of Deism to 
 allure the soul into the swamps of desolation and 
 ruin; while still others hold out the chanceful 
 theory of Atheism as the true science of man's 
 being, and what is to be. Mohammedanism, 
 Deism, and Atheism is each a central sun of a 
 thousand smaller lights, that are each held out as 
 thejight of man's true science. Notwithstanding 
 this, man has a true science, the light of which 
 pierces night and day, time and eternity — sepa- 
 rates darkness from light, and penetrates the dark 
 shadows of the grave. It is the science of a life 
 divine and everlasting. On the dial there are 
 many shadows, but all point to one sun. By 
 tracing those shadows, you may find the sun. 
 So there is but one true science of man, and it is 
 the science of sciences — the ontology and de- 
 ontology — the being, and what ought to be, of all 
 things. 'Tis the science of that 
 
Literary Address, 171 
 
 "Stupendous whole, 
 Whose body Nature is, and God the soul, 
 That changed, through all is yet in all the same, 
 Great in the earth as in the ethereal frame; 
 Warms in the sun, refreshes in the breeze, 
 Glows in the stars, and blossoms in the trees ; 
 Lives through all life, extends through all extent, 
 Spreads undivided, operates unspent; 
 Breathes in our soul, informs our mortal part, 
 As full, as perfect in a hair as heart, 
 As full, as perfect in vile man that mourns, 
 As the rapt seraph that adorns and burns." 
 
 The text-book of this science of sciences, need 
 I tell you, is the Book of books — the Bible. "Tis 
 the hope of man, individually and collectively, 
 theoretically and practically. No man, family, 
 tribe, nation, nor empire can survive the sweeping 
 surges of time that does not educate upon this 
 foundation. Then, if our views are correct, and 
 education is not alone the improvement of the 
 mind, but the developing, redeeming, and trans- 
 forming of the soul from an incomprehensible inac- 
 tivity to that sublime, seraphic excellency that is 
 to outshine the brightest star that ever blazed in 
 the temple of stars, and lighted up the blue ethe- 
 real dome of heaven, then, indeed, is it the all-ab- 
 sorbing and all-engrossing subject, and should be 
 the ruling object in life. If man's development 
 is the central idea of all created things, and the 
 great Architect of heaven and earth condescended 
 to create a universe of which each particle, from 
 
172 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 the smallest insect to the brightest world, was 
 made alone to elucidate the great problem of man's 
 being, and what ought to be, then how wonder- 
 fully sublime and exalted is the work of educa- 
 tion, that subdues every element in Nature, and 
 makes it subservient to man! and what an inex- 
 haustible blessing, if it tends to that elucidation 
 and amelioration ! If not, it is a curse. Man can 
 create nothing — can only apply the great redeem- 
 ing and transforming powers of that vast universe 
 of means and ends to the developing and perfect- 
 ing of his immortality. 
 
 "Man makes not — only finds 
 All earthly beauty ; catching a thread of sunshine 
 Here and there — some shining pebble in the path of duty — 
 Some echo of the songs that flood the air." 
 
 It is too much the wretched tendency of the 
 education of the present age to prepare alone for 
 this life — to crowd all efforts and all calculations 
 into the narrow space of this material and terres- 
 trial existence. Many suppose that education is 
 worth nothing that does not prepare us for a life 
 of the flesh ; that all that is necessary is, that we 
 know how to write and speak intelligibly, and 
 calculate the costs and profits in the daily avoca- 
 tions of life; that there is no necessity of exer- 
 cising the mind with any matter beyond this. 
 This they call a " practical education," and think 
 that all else are superfluity and folly. And this, 
 
Literary Address. 173 
 
 my friends, is the rock upon which the scholarship 
 of the age is about to be wrecked. Here is the 
 secret of the lamentable dearth of originality. 
 'Tis the spot in the sun of the intellectuality of 
 the nineteenth century. It is this theory that 
 teaches the student to be contented with a super- 
 ficial view, and an imperfect idea, of all things, 
 and causes him to shrink from the labor of inves- 
 tigation and study necessary to a proper education 
 of the mind, and it encourages the repugnance of 
 our nature to mental labor, feeds our sensuality, 
 and fills the great hive of life with stupid drones. 
 This theory of education has fostered a humbug- 
 gery in America that will be as hard to eradicate 
 from the literature and learning of her people as 
 it will be to blot out brigandage from Mexico, or 
 atheism from France. To-day, this humbuggery 
 penetrates and permeates every nook and corner 
 of American society, and has turned gifted schol- 
 ars into such literary characters as Josh Billings, 
 Artemus Ward, Bill Arp, Sut. Lovengood, and a 
 host of others, who, discovering the weakness of 
 the great American heart, made themselves Lilli- 
 puts to please it. 
 
 Surely the malediction of the gifted poet — 
 
 "111 fares the land, to hastening ills a prey, 
 Where wealth accumulates, and men decay " — 
 
 is upon the American people to-day. Men of 
 
174 Scholastic Literature, 
 
 learning and lofty ambition pass to that "bourn 
 whence no traveler returns/' "unwept, unhonored, 
 and unsung." 
 
 Within the last twelve months, three of the 
 brightest stars that ever blazed in the galaxy of 
 American scholarship have gone out, and scarcely 
 a ripple marked their departure — they scarcely re- 
 ceived respectable burial notices. Who in this 
 vast crowd can tell to whom I allude ? Yea, how 
 many in the broad land of America can tell 
 whether Alexander Campbell — that paragon 
 scholar whose erudition spread an intellectual glow 
 over all subjects that came within the range of 
 his mind's lofty thought, and whose scholarship, in 
 days gone by, received the highest encomiums from 
 both Europe and America — is living or dead? 
 How many know that the gifted tongue of that 
 oratorical genius, Meredith P. Gentry, the majestic 
 notes of which have so often resounded amid the 
 hills and valleys of our own beloved Tennessee 
 like the clear-ringing notes of an Alpine horn, that 
 come bounding on the morning's ambient air, over 
 mountains of ice and rivers of frozen glass, is 
 stilled by the cold touch of death? How many 
 have learned that Edward Everett, whose pure, 
 chaste writings did so much to elevate American 
 literature, and the loss of whom should have made 
 a nation weep, now sleeps beneath the sod? I 
 dare say there are but few. But who throughout 
 
Literary Address. 175 
 
 this broad land has not heard of the death of that 
 great American joker, Artemus Ward ? For him 
 the crape and willow of mourning droop above the 
 door of every cot and palace throughout the land. 
 And why? Because journals of all characters 
 have for months vied with each other in bright 
 eulogiums for their lost hero, and the representa- 
 tive man of the fanaticism that has seized the 
 American heart. 
 
 It is not my purpose to tear away the white 
 folds of the shroud and expose the deformities of 
 the bubble of life that has already burst on the 
 shores of an endless eternity, farther than to deal 
 a blow at that incubus that is crushing out the 
 educational interest of the country. This comes 
 of educating alone for a life of the flesh. 
 
 Then heavenward lift the spire of thought, and 
 spurn the grosser things of earth, remembering, 
 "He builds too low who builds beneath the sky." 
 
 Here, as far as the theme is concerned, we might 
 close our address; but we desire to make a few 
 specific remarks, and we are done. 
 
 To fathers and mothers who hear us we desire 
 to say : To you is committed the greatest respon- 
 sibility of life — the education of your children. 
 If you would have them living, acting, thinking 
 men and women, never again speak to them of a 
 practical education. If you would have them 
 honorable and honored among men, if you would 
 
176 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 have them reflect a bright luster back upon your 
 head, educate them upon the foundation we have 
 this day given you. Remember, it is with yon, 
 whether your child fills the sublime destiny in- 
 tended by its heavenly Father. Remember, that 
 it is in youth the man is made. 
 
 " "lis the heart of a boy, 
 With its indistinct, passionate prescience of joy ! 
 The unproved desire — the unaimed aspiration — 
 The deep, conscious life, that forestalls consummation ; 
 With ever a flitting delight — one arm's length 
 In advance of th' august inward impulse. The strength 
 Of the spirit which troubles the seed in the sand 
 With the birth of the palm-tree ! Let ages expand 
 The glorious creature ! The ages lie shut 
 (Safe, see !) in the seed, at Time's signal to put 
 Forth their beauty and power, leaf by leaf, layer on layer, 
 Till the palm strikes the sun, and stands broad in blue air. 
 So the palm in the palm-seed ! so, slowly — so, wrought 
 Year by year unperceived, hope on hope, thought by 
 
 thought, 
 Trace the growth of the man from its germ in the boy." 
 
 Remember that — 
 
 "While the leaf's in the bud, while the stem's in the green, 
 A light bird bends the branch, a light breeze breaks the 
 
 bough, 
 Which, if spared by the light breeze, the light bird, may 
 
 grow 
 To baffle the tempest, and rock the high nest, 
 And take both the bird and the breeze to its breast. 
 
Literary Address, 177 
 
 Shall we save a whole forest in sparing one seed? 
 
 Save the man in the boy? in the thought save the deed? 
 
 Let the whirlwind uproot the grown tree, if it can ! 
 
 Save the seed from the north wind. So let the grown man 
 
 Face out fate. Spare the man-seed in youth." 
 
 Yes, it is the province of parents to protect this 
 "man-seed," "this unarmed aspiration," in youth, 
 from the whirlwinds of passion, and develop the 
 mind of the man by garnered thoughts on thoughts, 
 hopes on hopes, until it comprehends the myste- 
 ries of its own ontology and deontology. 
 
 To the students of this institution we have 
 this to say, that your deportment on this occasion 
 needs no compliment from us. It speaks a higher 
 encomium for the efforts of your teachers and 
 yourselves than the most gifted tongue could pro- 
 nounce. But do not conclude that you have 
 reached the goal of your ability or the extent of 
 your duty. Remember that your scholastic edu- 
 cation is a preparatory step to enable you to study 
 more efficiently in God's university. Remember 
 that you have but found the beginning corner in 
 the grand survey of everlasting wisdom. Learn, 
 and forever keep the lesson before you, that we 
 have this day attempted to impress, that life was 
 not given that we might eat, frolic, dance, and 
 die, but that we might reign and triumph in im- 
 mortal youth, bloom and fructify in a paradise of 
 perpetual spring beyond the stars. 
 8* 
 
178 Scholastic Literature, 
 
 Then let all learn to — 
 
 "Measure life by truth and goodness, 
 
 Not by passion, folly, fears ; 
 Measure life by deeds accomplished, 
 
 Not by idle, empty years. 
 He lives longest, (not in story,) 
 
 However young or old, 
 Who has massive deeds of glory 
 
 On his inmost being scrolled. 
 Measure life by spirit-measure, 
 
 Power of feeling, gift of thought, 
 Lifting heavenward all earth's treasure, 
 
 Outer into inner wrought, 
 Still transmuting all the grosser 
 
 Into life's sublimer traits, 
 While the soul is drawing closer 
 
 To the open golden gates." 
 
II. DEPARTMENT OF 1867-8. 
 
SCHOLASTIC LITERATURE. 
 
 KNOW THYSELF. 
 
 BY W. A. DARNALL. 
 
 Reader, it is not my intention, in this address, 
 to lead yon off upon the fancied wings of elo- 
 quence, or affect your minds by a display of rhe- 
 torical flights ; but merely to direct your minds to 
 a state of facts, and, by the way, to cast my 
 mite, however small it may be, into the treasury 
 of intellectual improvement. 
 
 Notwithstanding the theme is short, yet there 
 is concealed within it the whole of man's duties 
 as a transient being. Man is styled the noblest 
 work of his Creator; formed with an upright 
 stature, endowed with reason, and made the sole 
 ruler of all animal creation. When we consider 
 man as a physical being, his organization is a 
 most wonderful display of the power of the Deity. 
 The adaptation of his various members to the 
 wants and conveniences of his well-being strikes 
 
 (181) 
 
182 /Scholastic Literature. 
 
 the mind with profound admiration and astonish- 
 ment. The obedience of every nerve to the liv- 
 ing principles within, is a connecting link that has 
 baffled the skill and ingenuity of the anatomist 
 and physiologist. As to the knowledge we have 
 of our bodies, we know we are short-lived, short- 
 sighted, and poor, puny worms of the dust, like 
 the mushroom, which springs up at night, and its 
 prosperous career is blighted by a few scorching 
 and coruscating suns. Our duration is signifi- 
 cantly expressed by Job : " Man that is born of 
 woman is of few days, and full of trouble." 
 
 Then, in view of the brevity of life, what anx- 
 ious thoughts should engage our minds — what 
 industry should be practiced in attaining that 
 knowledge of ourselves which we should have! 
 It is almost impossible to solve the intellectual 
 powers of the mind. Behold the mighty genius 
 of a Franklin, in snatching the red lightning from 
 the heavens, and making it subserve the transmis- 
 sion of thought! As a result of his discovery, 
 the New World can transmit the news of the dav 
 to the Old World in the twinkling of an eye. 
 And we are enveloped in a mantle of wonder and 
 surprise when we reflect upon the great universal 
 law of gravitation, explained by Sir Isaac New- 
 ton. Yea, when we behold the broad canopy of 
 heaven, dotted with almost innumerable worlds 
 and shining orbs, we are led away in ecstasy and 
 
Know Thyself, 183 
 
 delight. And even the great mental powers of 
 man can, almost to a correctness, calculate the dis- 
 tances between orbs, stars, and worlds, thousands 
 of miles distant from our earth, and the relative 
 influences they have on each other. And we 
 turn our eyes back on this little speck of creation 
 on which we live, and we see that man's ventur- 
 ous and daring powers of mind have caused him 
 to penetrate even the darkest caverns of earth, 
 and tell definitely the very constituents of which 
 it is composed. But man, as a moral being, also 
 possesses wonderful abilities. Notwithstanding 
 his fall, his waywardness, his sinfulness, he has 
 never yet been so depraved but that there was 
 some faint, glimmering idea of a Supreme Being. 
 The worshiping of idols by heathen nations is, 
 we think, sufficient evidence on this subject. As 
 savage and barbarous as the North American In- 
 dians are regarded, they entertain some idea of 
 a Supreme Being, and, like the ancient Jews, offer 
 their first-fruits to the Superior One. They have 
 their green -corn dances as memorials of their 
 thankfulness to that Great Spirit whom they re- 
 gard as the Bestower of all blessings upon them 
 and their children. This is very nicely repre- 
 sented by the poet: 
 
 " Poor Indian, with untutored mind, 
 Sees God in the clouds, and hears him in the wind ; 
 
184 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 Whose proud soul was never taught to stray 
 
 Far out on the solar walks or milky way. 
 
 But yet simple nature to his hope has given, 
 
 Behind the cloud-topped hills, an humbler heaven — 
 
 A safer world, in depth of woods embraced, 
 
 A happier island in the watery waste ; 
 
 Where servants their masters no longer behold, 
 
 Where Christians do not thirst for gold ; 
 
 And think, if admitted to that equal sky, 
 
 Perchance their dog will bear them company." 
 
 There is respect shown to morality by the most 
 wretched and base of Adam's fallen race. The 
 moral man has an influence in the midst of society 
 in which he lives. Man, without the proper train- 
 ing of mind, becomes subject to his baser passions, 
 no better than the dumb brute that grazes in the 
 meadow; he drags out a life of ignominy and 
 shame, a drone in the community in which he 
 lives. But let a man, whose mind the genial rays 
 of science has penetrated, be sunk beneath the 
 healing streams that flow from the hill of science ; 
 let the gloomy clouds of ignorance be dispelled 
 from his benighted intellect; let the living princi- 
 ples of man rise and burst the chain that binds 
 him in total darkness, and partake of freedom, 
 and the mind can then soar aloft amid other worlds 
 and spheres — can mount the topmost round of 
 fame's eternal ladder, and there revel and bask 
 amid the never-failing pleasures that science gives, 
 and gaze upon the wonderful achievements of in- 
 
Know Thyself. 185 
 
 tellect, and cast an eye of disdain down upon the 
 former prison-house of ignorance, and invite others 
 to climb up the rugged ascent, and pluck the bright 
 laurels that lie around its ambrosial top. 
 
 The culture of the mind is the very extract or 
 essence of the soul. It is that mighty fountain 
 which must water every part of the social garden, 
 or its beauty withers and fades away. This is the 
 single avenue, straight and narrow at first, but 
 gradually widening, which all must travel who 
 would desire to arrive to usefulness and prosperity. 
 Its one single portal stands unbarred for the 
 mighty company of emulous youths, bustling along 
 in life's scenes. There is room for all; and when 
 they have entered in, a thousand doors fly open 
 before them, leading out to every hall of prosperity 
 and virtuous fame. It is, next to religion, the 
 source from which must flow out the issues of 
 peace to our firesides of activity, and enlightened 
 enterprise to our places of business. It is the 
 elemental fire which must lighten, warm, and cheer 
 us as men and as citizens. Quench the flames of 
 education, and though we should light up our 
 streets, like Milton's Pandemonium — 
 
 " With many a row 
 Of starry lamps and blazing cressets, fed 
 With naphtha and asphaltus, yielding light 
 As from a sky, till midnight 
 Outshone the noonday sun" — 
 
186 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 our feet would still stumble on the dark mountains 
 of ignorance, as black as death. 
 
 Education is the means of knowing ourselves. 
 When we feed that lamp, we perform our highest 
 social duty. If we quench it, "I know not where 
 that Promethean heat that can its light relume." 
 
What People go io Church for, 187 
 
 WHAT PEOPLE GO TO CHURCH FOR. 
 
 BY MITTIE EWING. 
 
 To undertake in one composition to give you the 
 multiplied reasons which prompt every individual 
 church-goer, would make it of such length that it 
 would weary you beyond measure. Why, it would 
 not only make too long a composition, but would 
 fill books ; so I will only undertake to give you 
 but a few cases. The promptings are so many, I 
 don't know with which to commence. I believe 
 there are many who go to church with pure mo- 
 tives, who feel somewhat as the Psalmist felt when 
 he uttered the words : " I had rather be a door- 
 keeper in the house of my God than to dwell in 
 the tents of wickedness ;" go in order that they 
 may worship the Divine Being, that there before 
 him they may confess their misgivings, and feel 
 that they have his smiles resting upon them. And 
 there may be a few who go to learn the way of 
 life ; but from my observation, I would think that 
 a large majority go to see and be seen. In proof, 
 you will not unfrequently see some who come to 
 
188 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 church very late, go forward and take the front 
 seats, (not in order to be near the preacher, but 
 that they may be seen walking the aisle.) Others 
 get there sooner, and they take the back seats, to 
 see. I believe the latter class to be worse than 
 the first — for this reason: they have more room 
 to talk, are not so much crow T ded by the first class 
 mentioned, (the good, for they you certainly will 
 see near the preacher — there is where they should 
 be.) Those who go to see (if you will but notice 
 them) are not so well-behaved in church as those 
 who go to be seen; for these, taking the front 
 seats, cannot engage in chit-chat, as those who sit 
 back. 
 
 Now, it is really amusing to see and hear those 
 who go to see. Sit near two young ladies of this 
 class, and you will hear and see much — something 
 like the following : "Just look over yonder! Did 
 you ever see such a bonnet in your life? Why, 
 ain't it the funniest thing you ever saw — got green 
 ribbon and pink flowers on it ! I do wonder who 
 fixed it up in that style ! Did you ever hear such 
 singing? How grating! La! hasn't Miss M. got 
 the prettiest hat you ever saw? I do wonder 
 where she got it ! I do expect it cost five dollars ! 
 me! it's so warm! Loan me your fan. That 
 preacher I believe will pray an hour ! I do get so 
 tired of such long prayers ! [I say, no wonder.] 
 See, yonder 's Mr. H. ! Isn't he a nice young 
 
What People go to Church for. 189 
 
 man? He dresses so nice and fine ! Look what 
 pretty soft hair! Had you heard that he is going 
 to see Miss C? I believe they will marry; she 
 loves him; and if they don't marry, it won't be 
 her fault! Dear me! how can I stand it to sit 
 here and listen to Mr. B.? he preaches so long, 
 and it is so uninteresting to me ! Wish he wouldn't 
 preach so long! Yonder is Mrs. S. ! Look how 
 gay she is! She must be certainly setting out 
 again ! Ain't it strange ? Why, la me ! her hus- 
 band hasn't been dead more than two, three, four, 
 five, or six months! Who ever heard of the like? 
 Were you at the party last night? we had 
 such a nice time! Mr. T. was there. He is so 
 nice! wonder he doesn't marry! I caught Mr.W. 
 for a beau! Ain't he a nice man? talks so affec- 
 tionately ! I am getting very tired ! Do wish he 
 would quit preaching and dismiss us! I think I 
 will catch Mr. 0. for gallant! Who came with 
 
 VOUi 
 
 Most of the young men, from appearance, go to 
 church for the same reasons that the young ladies 
 go. They most generally take the back seats, in 
 order that they may see — see all the girls who 
 may chance to come in. None can escape their 
 notice or remarks. I cannot give you a detail of 
 their much talk, even while services are going on, 
 for I think it good manners not to get near enough 
 to hear, lest they might think I was over-anxious 
 
190 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 to sit near them. One thing you will be certain 
 to notice : they soon get out of the house, in order 
 to see and make remarks about the ladies, etc. 
 Others go to talk about crops, politics, etc. So 
 you see there are various reasons why people go 
 to church. 
 
All is not Gold that Glitters. 191 
 
 ALL IS NOT GOLD THAT GLITTERS. 
 
 BY GEOKGIA COOK. 
 
 If we were to suppose for a moment that every 
 thing was real, there would not be those checkered 
 scenes in life that we actually behold. The world 
 has been a thousand times deceived by false ap- 
 pearances. The youthful aspirant seems to look 
 upon the bright side of the picture. The young 
 seem to think that, though the pathway of their 
 ancestors has been marked by changes and misfor- 
 tunes in life, yet the sun of peace and quietude 
 will spread his golden beams far and wide, and 
 dispel every rising gloom, and scatter every threat- 
 ening cloud from their pathway. But the same 
 thorny pathway stretches out before the young 
 that this way-w T orn traveler has passed over; and 
 although the young are often warned of the bar- 
 riers that lie in the road, yet, blinded by their 
 own self-sufficiency to stem the torrent, they rush 
 on, in many instances, into the vortex of ruin. 
 Such are the descriptions of life. Many are de- 
 ceived by plated galvanism. The outside presents 
 
192 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 the appearance of gold, but only surface deep ; it 
 bears the wear of time but a little while; its 
 golden surface will not stand the test ; the impure 
 metal will soon begin to show itself. Then we 
 should remember that all is not gold that glitters. 
 The human family are too easily imposed upon by 
 false appearances. The only sure test of things 
 is to try their real value, not estimated by ap- 
 pearances, but, indeed, the crucible must be used 
 to separate the dross from the pure metal; and we 
 generally estimate the value of any thing from the 
 demand for it, and the demand for it depends upon 
 the value of such things in the exchange it ac- 
 complishes for other things. 
 
 We think the caption of this essay is made ap- 
 plicable in the appearance of the people in the 
 world, as well as to the metals and other things. 
 Let us look over fashionable assemblies. Look, 
 yonder, at that young gentleman sitting erect, 
 with his gold-headed cane whirling in his fingers. 
 Just take a close look at his neatly-trimmed and 
 blackened mustache; look at his erect collar; 
 look at his dress from head to foot; look at his 
 black kid gloves and his cloth gaiters; look at his 
 jingling watch-chain. 0! is he not a nice fellow? 
 But look farther into his history. The merchants 
 and tailors are constantly dunning for pay for his 
 goods and their making. The hotel-keeper and 
 livery-stable man are constantly after him for bills 
 
All is not Gold that Glitters. 193 
 
 of board and buggy hire. Now his appearance is 
 glittering, but what does he do for a subsistence ? 
 He walks round the streets, salutes particularly 
 all of his own sort, lounging on the boxes at the 
 corners of the streets, puffs his costly cigars, and 
 just keeps the town, for which he gets no pay. 
 Beware, ye silly girls, of such a galvanized young 
 man as this ! He will pretend he loves you, but 
 he loves you because he thinks your parents have 
 lands, money, and other necessary things upon 
 which he could still protect his galvanism. Be- 
 ware, I repeat, of that young man who is not 
 employing his time in honest labor, or engaged in 
 storing his mind with knowledge ! He is like the 
 winged day-dream that floats in the morning 
 breezes, but soon is gone. The trials of life are 
 too hard for him to endure. Remember that all 
 is not gold that glitters. 
 9 
 
194 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 FASHIONABLE FOLLIES. 
 
 BY JOSIE McADAMS. 
 
 I hope you will not think me presumptuous for 
 mentioning a few of the abominable fashions of 
 the nineteenth century; and I regret very much 
 that the space allowed me is not of sufficient 
 length for me to mention some of the ladies' fol- 
 lies, as well as the gentlemen's ; but theirs being 
 so numerous, we will pass over them. First, we 
 would like to know of young Hopeful if he can 
 show any good reason for cultivating such a su- 
 perb mustache. We will admit that it makes you 
 look like a "Yankee;" but do you not resemble 
 the brute creation enough already? You look 
 surprisingly sweet immediately after having taken 
 a sup of milk — and so does "Tom," the cat, or 
 the little pig, which know no better. Next, we 
 would like to know if there is any good sense in 
 keeping your mouth always full of tobacco. Little 
 boys chew it because it looks "mannish," and you 
 cannot show as good a reason as the little boy. 
 You are not at ease without it, if you are an in- 
 
Fashionable Follies. 195 
 
 veterate chewer — and you are bound to become 
 one, if you chew much. Did you know you re- 
 minded one, oftentimes, of the cow chewing her 
 cud? Perhaps you borrowed the idea from her, 
 as man is constantly imitating something. Not 
 feeling at ease in company without your hobby, 
 you steal a chew, and either have to swallow the 
 juice, or spit it out. If you swallow it, it will 
 be detrimental to your health; and if you spit it 
 out, you will injure the fine carpet, or some piece 
 of furniture, and then the lady of the house feels 
 like ordering you off. You can quit the abomin- 
 able practice, if you will; and why not do so? 
 It is very fashionable — in fact, one can hardly re- 
 main in company unless he can round off his sen- 
 tences with an oath, for the sake of emphasis. 
 This is a very deplorable fault, and it is to be 
 hoped that, when young gentlemen reflect that no 
 one but lackeys and hostlers use such language, 
 they will quit. If you are going to be a gentle- 
 man, act like one; and if a hostler, adopt their 
 customs. 
 
 We would like to call your attention to another 
 defect — one which is destructive to morals. It 
 is too prevalent in our midst, and too common to 
 all fashionable young men. Would you like to 
 know this horrid monster — one which every hon- 
 est man should shun as he would a venomous rep- 
 tile ? It is gambling. It has been often said by 
 
196 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 novelists and sentimental people, (and there is 
 some truth in it,) that such and such men were 
 made gamblers by being "crossed in love," or 
 by making an unhappy marriage, and the poor 
 fellows seel? to forget their grief at the gambling- 
 table; and they go on sympathizing with the un- 
 fortunate, and reviling the cold-hearted woman for 
 treating them so badly, at such a length, that the 
 superficial portion of the world are ready to cry 
 out in one voice against the horrid crime the poor 
 woman has committed. Now, if novelists and 
 sentimental people would stop and think, their 
 common sense would easily show them their blind- 
 ness, and the unfortunate man's weakness. It 
 would tell them that, in this country, a woman 
 could not marry everybody, and that the laws of 
 the land guaranteed to her the privilege of marry- 
 ing whomsoever she chose — provided always that 
 the other party is willing. After having visited 
 her awhile, you fall in love with her, and because 
 she cannot fancy, and consequently cannot marry 
 you, you call her a false and hard-hearted coquette. 
 If she is truly a coquette, you should give thanks 
 to God for delivering you from such a creature, 
 and not go off and try to destroy yourself, and 
 other people, by drinking and gambling, for hav- 
 ing got rid of an evil. If you wish excitement, 
 -go into business, or go to killing rats — for killing 
 rats is a more praiseworthy and honorable em- 
 
Fashionable Follies. 197 
 
 ployment than gambling. Young gentlemen, you 
 should all be men of business, anyhow, for idle- 
 ness engenders misery and bad habits. You never 
 saw nor heard of a man making a stir in the world 
 who had idleness for his employment. You may 
 follow fashion as far as it is consistent with rea- 
 son, but no farther. Common sense bids you stop 
 at this point. 
 
198 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 WE ARE PASSING AWAY. 
 
 BY JULIA REED. 
 
 How true, how solemn and impressive is my 
 theme! The thought of it thrills the human 
 heart with mingled emotions of hope and sorrow. 
 Life is like a railroad train, which, after passing 
 the depots of its brief time, enters into the great 
 terminus of eternity. All earthly things must 
 change and pass away. The countless millions of 
 animal life, from man, the noblest, down to the 
 most insignificant insect, have comparatively but 
 a brief time upon earth. They disappear by that 
 inevitable law of passing away,- to give place, in 
 the order of Nature's laws, to a countless host of 
 successors, who, in their turn, likewise slide into 
 the undiscovered bosom of the past, soon to fade 
 from fond memory's view in the ever-reviving and 
 sure -returning vicissitudes of passing time, into 
 the great ocean of eternity. 
 
 "Passing away" is indelibly written on every 
 tree, flower, and herb, and on the brow of every 
 
We are Passing Away, 199 
 
 human being. I have often contemplated the har- 
 mony and gradual change of the seasons. When 
 charmed with all the mantling verdure and floral 
 beauty of the spring and summer, my sensations 
 of pleasure are inoculated with emotions of pain 
 and sorrow at the thought of the inevitable truth 
 that in autumn and winter all these beautiful flow- 
 ers will have passed away, to give place to other 
 pains and pleasures connected with the grand and 
 melancholy scenes of winter. The birds have 
 hushed their songs, and all is silence; the flowers 
 have faded and passed away; and where are the 
 noble youths that, not many springs ago, were 
 making bright many a hearthstone — noble youths 
 who filled their father's heart with pride as he 
 thought of the coming years of their greatness 
 and usefulness — loving sons who made their fond 
 mother's eyes to glisten with delight as they 
 talked of the bright future that would crown the 
 fulfillment of the hopes they had pictured for 
 them in their years of infancy? Gone! They 
 have passed away — faded like the flowers of the 
 past spring, and their voices are hushed forever. 
 And where is that beautiful school-girl — one of 
 the fairest flowers of earth — who only a few 
 months ago brightened our school-room, and made 
 glad our hearts by her charming presence? We 
 meet, but we miss her. Her seat is vacant ; we 
 may linger to caress her, but she will meet us 
 
200 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 here no more. She has passed away — a lovely 
 flower, which budded on earth, and bloomed in 
 heaven. Where are our mothers who watched 
 over us from our infancy, whose memory we rev- 
 erently and fondly cherish, and who loved us with 
 that love which none but a mother can give? 
 Alas ! she is gone. And where are those fathers 
 whose locks were silvered with the frosts of many 
 winters, who counseled us in early childhood, pro- 
 vided for us when we could not provide for our- 
 selves, whose presence was ever welcome, and 
 who prayed for us around the family altar night 
 and morning? They, too, have passed away. 
 Where are those great men, Washington, Adams, 
 Jackson, Benton, Webster, Clay, and others? 
 They have passed away. The places that have 
 known them will know them no more forever. 
 Their places are vacated; the sod rests upon their 
 once active forms, now cold and lifeless as itself; 
 and we, the living, are filled with gloom and deso- 
 lation. 
 
 But the world rolls on; Nature does not lose 
 its charms; the sun rises with undiminished splen- 
 dor; the grass charms us w T ith its newly-born 
 freshness every spring, and the flowers do not 
 cease to fill the air with fragrance. And must all 
 these pass away? Yea, verily! And as we are 
 now, so once were our fathers, mothers, brothers, 
 and sisters; and as they are now, so we all soon 
 
We are Passing Away. 201 
 
 must be. I have often, during a clear and cloud- 
 less night, sat and gazed at the moon and the 
 starry heavenly host of the sky, as they shed 
 their pale and tranquil light on this earth of ours, 
 and asked myself the question, if all these hea- 
 venly bodies looked now as they did when God 
 rested from all his work, and "the morning stars 
 sang together, and the sons of God shouted for 
 joy;" when the "star of Bethlehem" guided the 
 wise men of the East to the obscure stable wherein 
 the infant Saviour lay ; or when Sennacherib, with 
 his Assyrian host, was smitten by the angel of 
 the Lord, whilst the moon and stars shone brightly 
 on blue Galilee. I suppose they look now as they 
 did, and have been witnesses of these and all 
 other earthly scenes that have passed away, and 
 gone into the great bottomless ocean of the hoary 
 past. But Holy Writ tells us that there will be 
 a time when all these heavenly bodies will pass 
 away as a scroll. When we look at the history 
 of the past, we discover that all the magnificent 
 works and arts of the ancients, their vast cities 
 and marble columns, have passed away, as well 
 as the nations of antiquity. We will soon join 
 this great family of the past. Our places will 
 be filled by the countless throngs that succeed us 
 on this earth, who, too, will pass away. So in 
 the w T orld, so in God's wise and unalterable law 
 of creation, of life and death, of change and time. 
 9* 
 
202 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 But he and his word are eternal, and will never 
 pass away. 
 
 Let me ask all of this intelligent audience to 
 go back in their memories to the happy days of 
 their infancy, and sum up every impressive scene, 
 every friend, each acquaintance and dear relative 
 they have loved, witnessed, and known up to this 
 goodly December evening in the year 1868. Let 
 your memories mount on the wings of thought, 
 and speed up the road of your lives in your recol- 
 lection, like the last - peals of thunder as its dying 
 echoes reverberate over the hills and valleys of 
 our native land. All have passed, like the sound 
 of music on the midnight air. And our friends 
 and relations have passed away — some to distant 
 lands, others beyond the grave. We imagine that 
 we see their familiar faces, and hear the accents 
 of their well-known voices, and are with them 
 again in the old familiar haunts, the dear old so- 
 cial circle, or around the family altar, laughing, 
 talking, and weeping over the past. how I do 
 love to meditate about them, until my wearied 
 brain enters the land of dreams — that spirit-land, 
 to us of the earth, that enables us to see, as it 
 were, eye to eye, those dear ones that have 
 passed away, and those in distant lands, that 
 with us are passing, passing away over the Sty- 
 gian sea of earth into the haven of infinite eter- 
 nity! Such thoughts and feelings are sacred, and 
 
We are Passing Away. 203 
 
 serve to smooth our rugged pathway to the tomb, 
 and to reconcile us to our unavoidable doom to 
 pass away. Let us, then, make life useful and 
 holy, so that, when we have passed away, we will 
 enter into a happy existence, immortal, unchange- 
 able, and eternal. 
 
204 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 A DREAM. 
 
 BY JENNIE LANE. 
 
 It was night; the sun had performed his round 
 in the heavens, and descended beyond the lakes 
 to sleep in his pavilion in the west; darkness had 
 drawn over the skies her sable mantle, and Na- 
 ture, weary from the toils of the day, was wrapt 
 in slumber. I, too, having finished the task as- 
 signed me, and laid aside the companion of my 
 toil, consigned myself to sleep, perchance to 
 dream. 
 
 A thousand years had passed, and I stood upon 
 the storm-beaten summit of a lofty mountain, be- 
 neath whose dizzy battlements once lived, flour- 
 ished, and fell this American Republic. The At- 
 lantic, as in former ages, still rolled its mountain 
 waves, and broke with ceaseless murmurings, as 
 they lashed the shores of the East; and the broad 
 Pacific heaved and swelled its restless billows, as 
 they thundered upon the borders of the West. 
 But where was the mighty nation that once re- 
 posed in peace and splendor between? Gone! 
 
A Dream. 205 
 
 gone ! like the waves of the ocean, which, having 
 lashed the shore and fallen back into the abyss of 
 time, had disappeared forever. I turned myself 
 to the North, once the mart of the world, whose 
 proud cities had basked in the sunlight, and whose 
 happy millions once diffused over the earth the 
 light of science and art. They had vanished, and 
 their tall spires lay prostrate and moldering in 
 the dust. I turned to the East, and where the 
 lofty Acropolis of the world once stood, and from 
 whose marble forums the stentorian voice of the 
 American senators once aroused the energies of 
 the nations, might be heard the shrill scream of 
 the vulture, mingled with the dismal hootings of 
 the lonely owl ; her massive domes had fallen, the 
 wild ivy clung to her stately pillars, and their 
 costly chapiters lay -shattering and moldering. I 
 turned to the South, and saw all as a wild ; the 
 cities of the Gulf had fallen, and the stealthy fox 
 roamed unmolested where once the pride of wealth 
 had dominion, and beauty and luxury mingled in 
 the cup of social joys; the graceful ships, once 
 freighted with the rich commerce of her- fields, lay 
 scattered upon the beach, and the rude huts of 
 the savages constructed from their ruins ; her 
 broad fields, from whose garnered treasures the 
 nations of the world were supplied with luxuries 
 of life, were desolated by the ravages of relentless 
 war, and the very earth blackened and seared by 
 
206 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 its withering "blast. I turned to the West, and 
 behold ! the cities of the plain had been engulfed 
 by an earthquake, her strong castles and temples 
 shaken to the earth, and the red lava from the 
 angry mountain had swept o'er her fertile valleys. 
 Where, I asked, is the Golden City? Where are 
 the rich ports of the West which had changed 
 poverty to wealth, and penury to plenitude of the 
 prince? Where are our navies that rode in majesty 
 the waves of every ocean, and displayed to every 
 nation the stars of our country on the banner of 
 the free? Where are our armies, whose triumph- 
 ant valor kept the nations in fear, and whose un- 
 tarnished shields guarded the homes of the brave ? 
 where is the American Republic — the sanctuary 
 of the oppressed, around whose sacred altars happy 
 millions bowed and prayed, whose living lyres sent 
 patriotic devotion to God? see, said I, yonder 
 is the American Eagle; she seems frightened at 
 the desolation around her; she no longer perches 
 upon our banner, but, with a frightful scream and 
 shattered wing, she seeks the ocean. Where are 
 the graves of our fathers — those mighty chieftains, 
 whose blood we fondly hoped had consecrated our 
 soil, and whose slumbering ashes would have 
 rendered our nation perpetual? Echo answers, 
 Where? Where are the tombs of Franklin, and 
 Jefferson, and of Washington — mausoleums of 
 the illustrious dead at whose shrine the nations 
 
A Bream. 207 
 
 worshiped? Echo answers, Where? Now this 
 is the end of all earthly greatness ; so all things 
 perish. Then of what value is our brief existence? 
 Man grows up like a gourd in the night ; in the 
 morning rejoices in his strength; at noon is cut 
 down, and enters into vast eternity, prepared or 
 unprepared. 
 
208 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 HUMAN LIFE A WARFARE. 
 
 BY H. W. RONE. 
 
 How sadly true, indeed, is human life a war- 
 fare ! To entertain such an idea, we are conscious, 
 is exceedingly averse and painful to the human 
 mind; and to many, perhaps, who would fain 
 fancy to themselves a brighter and more enchant- 
 ing picture of man's existence — to many, perhaps, 
 of the sons and daughters of pleasure, who would 
 fain bow in meek adoration at the shrine of their 
 devoted goddess — the truth of our proposition may 
 seem dark and incomprehensible. And is it pos- 
 sible that such is the existence of the noblest work 
 that ever came from the fingers of Omnipotence? 
 Is it possible that such is the existence of man, 
 for whom all else was created ? for whom earth, 
 beautified by hill and dale, was clothed in its car- 
 pet of green, and made to bloom with fragrant 
 flowers ? for whom was spread out the blue ceiling 
 above, bedecked with the twinkling jewels of 
 night ? for whom yon gigantic mountain lifts, in 
 grand sublimity, its lofty summit to the skies ? for 
 
Human Life a Warfare. 209 
 
 whom was intoned the cataract's thunder, and the 
 rippling streamlet made to flow? for whom the 
 beautifully-tinted rainbow encircles the brow of 
 the cloud ? for whom, in short, all that is lovely, 
 grand, awful, and sublime, was created — is it pos- 
 sible, we say, that such is the existence of man, 
 thus circumstanced ? In reply, we answer, Let 
 his history tell. Yes, since the earliest morn of 
 man's disobedience, since the eating by our first 
 parents of the forbidden fruit in the garden of 
 Paradise, and their consequent expulsion from the 
 beatitudes of those peaceful bowers, reality, stern 
 reality, ever impartial and unprejudiced, has writ- 
 ten, in unmistakable characters, upon every page 
 of man's historv, these words — "Human life's a 
 warfare." Had our original parents heeded the 
 sacred and involiate, the first and only law given 
 them by Heaven, by the great Lawgiver of the 
 universe, by Him who weighs the mountains in 
 scales, and holds the winds in his fists, then all 
 their posterity, as they, in their primeval bliss, 
 might have roamed in ease and quietude o'er the 
 Elysian plains of Paradise, culled the sweet flowers 
 of peace and happiness, and supped at the fount 
 of perfect felicity. But, strange to tell, man vio- 
 lated the injunction of his God, and thus brought 
 dowm upon himself and all his posterity the curse 
 of an offended Providence. And hence it is that 
 human life's a warfare ; hence it is that we all, 
 
210 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 of every name, sex, and character, have our diffi- 
 culties and sad disappointments to meet, our ene- 
 mies to contend against, and our battles to fight. 
 
 But the question naturally arises, how it is — 
 what renders man's existence a warfare? — who 
 and where are the foes against whom he is contend- 
 ing? 'Tis true, there are seen arrayed against 
 man no glittering cohorts of armed soldiery, no 
 hostile army, with its plumes and blood-stained 
 banners unfurled to the breeze ; 'tis true, in this 
 land of civil liberty and Christianity, the war- 
 whoop and din of contending armies fall not upon 
 the ear of man; yet in every nook, corner, and 
 by-path of man's great highway, there lies con- 
 cealed an enemy to man. And as we wend our 
 way up the enchanted hill of life, though all around 
 present an aspect of beauty, loveliness, and gran- 
 deur ; though the enchanted groves be filled with 
 the most delicious music, and every passing zephyr 
 wafts to our ears the sweetest notes warbled from 
 siren tongues ; yet in front, behind, and on either 
 side, are found the victims of man's countless and 
 relentless enemies. The world is man's enemy. 
 But, strange to tell, man's greatest enemies, like 
 the asp that lay coiled in Cleopatra's basket of 
 flowers, lie coiled in man's bosom — his most in- 
 veterate enemies. There lie concealed the enven- 
 omed black-mouthed serpents of envy, slander, 
 hatred, and reproach, ever and anon ready to mar 
 
Human Life a Warfare. 211 
 
 or utterly destroy man's peace and happiness. 
 And you, to whom life presents a more pleasing 
 aspect, may paint, if you please, in colors as bright 
 as language can, the innocence and pleasures of 
 youth ; you may talk of the rich in their palaces 
 of splendor, possessed of all that seems calculated 
 to make life joyous and happy, surrounded by all 
 the dainties, elegance, and luxuries of earth; you 
 may dwell at length on greatness, and grandeur, 
 and glory, both of the past and the present, and 
 yet, in the face of all this, our proposition is still 
 true. I care not by what name you may be called; 
 I care not even though ease and affluence, with 
 all their charms and fascinations, woo vou to their 
 embrace, and honor and distinction seat you upon 
 the pinnacle of fame — human life is still a war- 
 fare. 
 
 Tell me not, man of letters — you whose proudest 
 ambition is to occupy a seat in the temple of sci- 
 ence, amid the literati of your own age and gene- 
 ration, to entwine about your brow the wreath of 
 literary fame — that human life is no warfare. 
 True, the self-important genius, led astray by the 
 delusive phantom, that Heaven has endowed him 
 with a capacity far superior to the rest of Adam's 
 family, may think that he, without having any 
 difficulties to encounter, without having any al- 
 most impregnable barriers to surmount, shall gain 
 the eminence of his laudable ambition. But ah ! 
 
212 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 like the light skiff that skims smoothly and rap- 
 idly along for a time on the calm, unruffled bosom 
 of the mighty ocean, when the dark mists of 
 mathematical intricacy and mysterious lore begin 
 to gather around, the storms of difficulty begin to 
 howl, and the billows of disappointment rise in 
 daring magnitude, he is tossed about to and fro, 
 lashed by the waves of confusion, and submerged, 
 it may be, in inextricable despair of ever gaining 
 the haven of his fond anticipations. Tell me not, 
 aged sire — you upon whose brow are seen im- 
 pressed the foot-prints of time, and about whose 
 temples hang locks made white by care and anxiety 
 — that human life is no warfare. And to you, 
 fair lady — sad to tell — upon whose cheeks sits 
 blooming beauty, and — 
 
 " In the clear heaven of whose delightful eye 
 An angel guard of loves and graces lie" — 
 
 life is naught but a drama. Though peace, pleas- 
 ure, and happiness, fair goddesses, may ever sit 
 them by your side, though the dark clouds of ad- 
 versity may never intercept your prospect, yet the 
 great, dread, and relentless enemy of all mankind 
 will, sooner or later, bestride your pathway, and 
 with his pestilential hands blight and cause to 
 fade from off your cheek the flower that there now 
 blooms, and you be reckoned among his unnum- 
 bered victims. Go, if you please, and ask the 
 
Human Life a Warfare. 213 
 
 most learned, the most honored, and the most 
 opulent of earth, or even the humblest peasant 
 that roams the distant forest, if human life is not 
 a warfare ; and we are satisfied that they will all, 
 from sad experience, best monitor of life, answer 
 in the affirmative. And if for farther testimony 
 you seek, call upon the spirits of earth's departed 
 great, and ask them ; go to Mount Vernon, and 
 ask the consecrated dust that there lies buried be- 
 neath those sacred clods. And then, I fancy, in 
 recollection of the days that tried men's souls, of 
 the birthdays of independence and liberty to our 
 mighty nation, might be heard echoing from every 
 mountain and hill-top, from the frozen regions of 
 the North to Patagonia's barren plain, from the 
 rising to the setting sun, the response: "It is true/' 
 Invoke, if you please, the ashes of the late de- 
 parted and much-lamented sage of Ashland, and 
 ask them ; and could they but answer the inter- 
 rogatory, they would tell you, in strains of elo- 
 quence, such as were wont to characterize him 
 when living, that the envenomed arrows of envy, 
 slander, hatred, wild fanaticism, and demagogism 
 were constantly being hurled at him, endeavor- 
 ing — shame to tell! — to destroy the usefulness 
 of the champion of his country's liberty, the states- 
 man, and the orator. Call upon the martyrs of 
 Christianity, who long since, on the wings of faith, 
 have passed from earth to the land of promise, to 
 
214 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 the city of eternal repose, and ask them; and 
 could they but communicate with man, they would 
 tell you that when on earth they had not only to 
 endure the contempt, slander, and reproach heaped 
 upon them by Adam's long-lost family, but to battle 
 against the king, with all his fiendish host, of the 
 regions of endless misery. 
 
 But despair not at this sad picture of man's ex- 
 istence. Though countless and relentless be the 
 enemies of man, and ten thousand times ten thou- 
 sand their victims, yet myriads, with truth, vir- 
 tue, and caution for their pilots, have navigated in 
 safety the stream of time, bravely encountered and 
 gloriously triumphed over all their enemies. Go, 
 divine; case thyself in the mail of virtue under 
 the insignia of thy high commission; fight man- 
 fully thy part in this great warfare, and soon, ah ! 
 soon, the bright sun of the promised millennium 
 will roll on to his zenith, and with his glorious 
 beams disperse from earth the foul vapor of infi- 
 delity, atheism, and idolatry. Go, statesman; gird 
 on thy panoply of patriotism, and with thy coun- 
 try and thy country's good for thy motto, battle 
 bravely against the machinations of demagogues 
 civil feuds, and party factions ; and when the last 
 arrow in the quiver of slander and jealousy shall 
 have been hurled at thee, when you yourself shall 
 have bid adieu to time, your name, like those of 
 the immortal trio, shall live and bloom on every 
 
Human Life a Warfare. 215 
 
 page of your country's history, and be fresh in 
 the memory of all posterity. Go, man ; be true to 
 God, thy country, and thy duty to thyself; be 
 true, and though legion the whirlpool's eddies, and 
 frail and time-worn thy little bark, though human 
 life is a warfare, ah ! a warfare on the billows, you 
 shall gain in safety the haven of your fond antici- 
 pations, and at last be crowned with peace and 
 happiness, honor and distinction, wealth and in- 
 fluence. 
 
216 Scholastic Literature, 
 
 ANCIENT AND MODERN REPUBLICS. 
 
 BY S. T. COCHRAN. 
 
 It is idle to measure the United States as a na- 
 tion, or the Americans as a people, by drawing 
 parallels. The entire history of the world fur- 
 nishes no parallel, either to the republic or the peo- 
 ple ; so that all inferences drawn, and prophecies 
 made, on the strength of what nations and races 
 have done in past time, are lost illustrations when 
 applied to us. Every nation has its peculiarities, 
 every age its phases, and every people its distinct 
 manifestations. The nation is an image of the 
 people ; the people are a reflex of circumstances 
 and conditions, and the age is a cycle through 
 which nation and people pass. The attempt to 
 justify or condemn, by contrasting ancient with 
 modern nations, generally shows the imbecility of 
 those who search for analogies. The only analogy 
 that can be drawn between nations or races is, 
 that the one were either kingdoms, empires, hier- 
 archies, oligarchies, or republics, from their form 
 of government; and the other, either savage, bar- 
 
Ancient and Modern Republics. 217 
 
 barous, civilized, or enlightened. There is just 
 so much similarity, and no more. Scythia was a 
 kingdom, and so is England ; Greece was a repub- 
 lic, and so is the United States ; and there the 
 parallel ends. The old kingdoms and republics 
 founded their politics upon their peculiar positions, 
 according to the character and circumstances of 
 their people, and the new do the same. But how 
 different may be those positions, characters, and 
 circumstances! England is not like Spain, yet 
 both are kingdoms ; nor is our America of to- 
 day like the Rome and Greece of two thousand 
 years ago, though all republics. The warnings and 
 prophecies of those who divine the future from the 
 past are mere speculations. It is barely possible 
 to say that man is the same in all ages ; he is only 
 so in certain sympathies and wants. Men, in all 
 ages, and in all conditions, require air to breathe, 
 food and drink for their nourishment, and certain 
 protective raiment and shelter, and these not in the 
 same proportions, but according to climate and oc- 
 cupation. Whatever is higher than these instinc- 
 tive necessities, depends on the character of races, 
 and the age in which they live. 
 
 The United States have been compared to Greece 
 and Rome, and warnings have been founded on 
 the comparison. Where is the likeness, except in 
 the name Republic? Had Greece or Rome a free 
 people, educated, enlightened, and surrounded by 
 10 
 
218 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 institutions like ours ? had they commerce, agricul- 
 ture, arts, steamboats, ships, railroads, telegraphs, 
 and sciences like ours ? had they even navies and 
 armies like ours, and, what is more, soil, climate, 
 resources, and people dispositioned as in the great 
 Anglo-Saxon American Republic? Certainly not. 
 Therefore there is no parallel between them. 
 Ballot-boxes, common schools, the printing-press, 
 steam, electricity, and Christianity, make us one 
 thing; Greece and Rome, with their inheritance 
 and acquirements, were quite another. If we 
 push a conquest or enlarge the bounds of empire, 
 some political owl is ready to hoot in our ears : 
 "Remember the fate of the ancient republics." If 
 the darkness of their ages and the scantiness of 
 their genius belong to us, with the name Republic, 
 we might hear their warnings. But we only bear 
 the name; the old circumstances and conditions 
 are swept away — lost forever. Warnings are wor- 
 thy of our heed only when they are based on our 
 violation of true republican principles. Rome was 
 a military republic, born of force and magnified 
 by unscrupulous conquests. She held her empire 
 together, not by unity of language, not by com- 
 munity of interests and equality of enjoyment 
 among her captive nations, nor by a common gov- 
 ernment, but by the sword; and when the native 
 hand that held the sword grew weak, the empire 
 was broken and scattered. She had no art but the 
 
Ancient and Modern Republics. 219 
 
 tread of her legions to compass and annihilate dis- 
 tance ; no lightning-winged wires threading the 
 air from ocean to ocean, and under and through 
 the great deep, and no railroads making near neigh- 
 bors of men at the remotest distances — no, scarcely 
 a feature in common with our country had she and 
 her older sister, Greece. All empires and repub- 
 lics, it has been said, contain within themselves 
 the seeds of dissolution. We can hardly indulge 
 the fond hope that our American Republic will be 
 perpetuated. " Passing away" is written on all 
 things earthly. Greece and Rome fell from causes 
 peculiar to their age and country. They were cir- 
 cumscribed in territory. The United States have 
 the most productive and highly favored country in 
 the world, and are surrounded with all the advan- 
 tages of modern civilization, and have the lamp of 
 historical experience to guide their republican feet. 
 But should the day of our dissolution as a united 
 government come, it will no doubt be traced to 
 causes peculiar to our people — the age in which 
 they live — the vast extent of our territory, and 
 the ambition and diversity of interests and thought 
 that must necessarily arise, in the course of time, 
 from the Lakes to the Gulf, and from the Atlantic 
 to the Pacific. But we are immeasurably superior 
 to the ancient republics : more mind, more vitality, 
 more of every thing to make us beyond compari- 
 son; and we will go on changing and improving; 
 
220 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 knowing, by what has already occurred in Ameri- 
 can history, that our future destiny is to be grand 
 and glorious, in peace and war. That the mission 
 of the American Republic will redound to the 
 benefit of the civilized world, needs no prophecy 
 to foretell. May our country become a great 
 beacon-light to future ages, and to the people of 
 every clime and language, and every succeeding 
 age, an excellent pattern of that "righteousness 
 that exalteth a nation." 
 
Woman and Her Mission. 221 
 
 WOMAN AND HER MISSION. 
 
 BY PARRIE HIGHTOWER. 
 
 I appeak before you this evening, my lady 
 friends, not to flatter you with any pathetic ap- 
 peals of applause, but simply to present woman 
 in her true and majestic sphere; regarding woman 
 as the living vitality of humanity, for to her is 
 committed the training of the rising generation. 
 She is the scale of material nature in unison with 
 the spiritual, and is a spectacle alike interesting 
 to Creator and creature, to all intelligences of all 
 ranks and orders of beings, both terrestrial and 
 celestial. If the morning stars in concert sang, and 
 all the sons of God shouted for joy, when the 
 drama of creation culminated in the person of 
 Eve; can she, whose very name is life in its 
 first impersonation and full-orbed grandeur, ever 
 cease to be not only the dearest object of earthly 
 affection, but the most attractive ever seen, when 
 robed in all the graces and charms of our ran- 
 somed and beautiful humanity? I speak not of 
 her as she now is, in any of the diversified con- 
 
222 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 ditions of her being, superinduced by the enmity, 
 if not the envy, of a fallen seraph; but I speak 
 of her as she was, when she stood at the left side 
 of Adam, on the day of her espousal, in the 
 bridal robes of angelic purity and love. It was 
 then, in the ambrosial bowers of Eden's paradise, 
 she stood attired in charms of intellectual gran- 
 deur, moral beauty, and ecstatic bliss. But in an 
 evil hour she hearkened to the deceitful eloquence 
 of Satanic flattery, and touched the alluring fruit 
 of the one forbidden tree, "whose mortal taste 
 brought death into the world, and all our woe ;" 
 and she, having eaten, sat pensive and sad, and 
 stretched out her hand and gave to Adam, and he 
 did eat, being influenced by her charms. Being 
 overcome by her former loveliness, he was unwil- 
 ling for her to be driven from this earthly para- 
 dise, and himself left alone amidst its lonely bow- 
 ers, and he thus bid adieu to all his relationship 
 to his Creator, and since that time his race has 
 been a degenerating and dying spectacle to the 
 world. 
 
 And now, born, as we are, creatures of mere 
 instinctive appetites and passions, we are subject 
 to become an easy prey to the snares of the same 
 Satanic flattery. Our mother Earth furnishes its 
 thorns and thistles, calling forth the strength and 
 energy of our race to subdue them, and cultivate 
 the broad fields for a subsistence. Had it not 
 
Woman and Her Mission. 223 
 
 been for the kindness of God to us, we should 
 have known nothing of our origin — nothing in 
 regard to our duties to each other, and our most 
 important obligations to him. This is a solemn, 
 significant, soul-appalling fact, no matter how we 
 may interpret it. But for man's disobedience to 
 God's law, influenced as he was by woman, no 
 tear ever would have moistened the cheek of 
 beauty, no anxiety would have troubled the hu- 
 man breast, and no guilt would ever have clouded 
 the understanding or harrowed the soul of man. 
 It therefore became essential to our redemption 
 that some supernatural intervention should have 
 been originated and instituted, or else our escape 
 from this sad condition would have been, so far as 
 we are able to reason, utterly impossible. For 
 what was woman made ? You are no doubt ready 
 to answer: "She was created for a helpmeet for 
 man." Man was created in the image of God, 
 and woman in the image of man. Man was de- 
 signed to glorify God, and enjoy him forever in 
 the immediate presence of the heavenly host. 
 This stand-point is lofty, and commands a very 
 large horizon; but it is by no means a fictitious 
 position, nor an exaggerated importance assumed, 
 but is as solid as the rock of ages. There is a 
 great deal in names. Adam gave to woman the 
 name of Eve, which word, from the original, 
 means "life" — the most appropriate and felici- 
 
224 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 tous, also suggestive name, that could have been 
 given her. It is a most beautiful and holy name. 
 No monosyllable in the universe carries in it so 
 much signification, as connected with man's ter- 
 restrial happiness — no one that combines in it 
 such sacred relations to man as the word "life." 
 It includes in it, that which will bring to bear the 
 essentials of happiness on earth. Then she was 
 made bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh, and 
 they twain are one flesh. 
 
 I would remark, farther, that the state of so- 
 ciety is shown forth by the manner in which 
 woman is educated, regarded, and esteemed. In 
 uncivilized countries she is the slave of her hus- 
 band; yes, in many lands, heretofore, she has 
 been carried by her parents to the public market, 
 and sold to the highest bidder, for a companion 
 for man. Again, in other lands and countries, she 
 holds the scepter of power. Neither the first nor 
 the second position was the one originally de- 
 signed for her by her Creator. Being taken from 
 man's side, is significant of the idea that she is 
 neither to rule as the head, nor be trampled under 
 foot, but to be really a helpmeet for man, to bear 
 with him his toils and labors of life, and to share 
 with him its joys. In our own beloved land, 
 woman is esteemed and regarded as she should 
 be : here she enters not into the trouble and labor 
 of Church or State, but is ever ready to assist, by 
 
Woman and Her Mission. 225 
 
 her smiles, the carrying out of any great and 
 glorious objects. God, in nature, in providence, 
 in moral government, in redemption, presents to 
 the senses of man and to his reason nothing in 
 the abstract, but every thing in the concrete. 
 Every thing in nature exists in holy wedlock and 
 in family circles. 
 
 But I must say something in regard to her mis- 
 sion. I may say emphatically that her mission is 
 one of love and mercy. A well-cultivated and 
 educated mind in the angelic form of woman is 
 the greatest power to effect morality. It is true, 
 her mission is not to go as a messenger to foreign 
 courts, nor to carry the means of salvation to 
 heathen lands, only so far as she may become 
 a helpmeet in the labors of her husband; yet it is 
 hers ever to impress her graces upon the youthful 
 mind, and to stamp the true principles of states- 
 manship on the hearts of her sons. It is for her 
 to instill into the tender mind and imprint on the 
 fleshly tablets of the memory those eternal and 
 never-dying principles of the gospel of the Son 
 of God. Young ladies, your mission, therefore, 
 is one of great amplitude, and to be prepared for 
 it requires great and untiring energy. You should 
 never be satisfied in doing a part of your duty, 
 but your aim should be to do all of your duty. 
 Then you will be respected by the good and pious 
 of earth, and approved by the God who made you. 
 10* 
 
226 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 Then let your constant aim in life be to become 
 useful to yourselves, and benefactors to all with 
 whom you come in contact in the world; and 
 when your lives have been thus spent, your Hea- 
 venly Father will give you an abode in the man- 
 sions above, where your joys will be indescribable 
 and full of glory. 
 
Ruins. 227 
 
 RUINS. 
 
 BY ALICE DAVIDSON. 
 
 The ocean continues its course onward, still 
 onward. Neither have the wheels of time ceased 
 to roll silently; they continue their work of de- 
 struction, hurling headlong into decay cities, na- 
 tions, and empires. How pregnant with instruc- 
 tion are the wrecks and ruins of ancient times! 
 Must man not be convinced of the utter worth- 
 lessness of all human glory and ambition, whilst 
 viewing the remains of cities which once stood, in 
 point of power and grandeur, far above and be- 
 yond any thing recorded in history? He is a re- 
 flective being, and must inevitably pause, and ask 
 himself the question, Do I read my destiny in the 
 "ruins" of pristine cities which diversify the face 
 of the globe ? Is it true that I must bud from in- 
 fancy into manhood, and in this stage of life oc- 
 cupy the position of master, lord, and ruler of all 
 other created beings; then, from this pinnacle of 
 glory, fall and crumble into the dust from whence 
 I was formed? Alas ! echo too quickly answers, 
 
228 Scholastic Literature, 
 
 "Yes;" that you, among the rest, must sink into 
 the vortex of oblivion. Unroll the scrolls which 
 contain the records of past ages. We read of 
 cities, empires, nations, which have stood pre- 
 eminent in power and grandeur. These empires 
 and nations have been entirely obliterated, or live 
 only in the shadow of their glory. Though the 
 works of hundreds and even thousands of hands 
 have been, and are still, crumbling into decay, 
 portions of them are yet left, to exhibit to man 
 a type of himself. Desolation reigns supreme, 
 and the fragments of those once imperial cities 
 are crumbling beneath the hand of time. The 
 Pyramids are still standing; they seem to have 
 been hallowed by the hand of time, as lonely em- 
 blems of human ambition. But where are the 
 kings who planned their construction, and the 
 thousands of miserable slaves who put them into 
 execution? Alas! their bones are now bleaching 
 in the desert wastes of Egypt, with none to 
 breathe a last requiem, save the murmuring 
 waters of the Nile. Has the impartial monarch, 
 Time, ever held such indisputable sway? Go 
 seek an answer in the ruins of Athens and Baby- 
 lon. Athens now lies low in ruins. Though she 
 is silently slumbering in the dust, each fragment 
 addresses the traveler with eloquence which ex- 
 cels that of her boasted orators. She was once 
 the most brilliant luminary of the literary world. 
 
Ruins. 229 
 
 She seems to have been the birthplace of every 
 art. It was here that the temperature of the at- 
 mosphere was increased by the stirring eloquence 
 of Demosthenes. Two of her boasted sons issued 
 laws to the world. She has cradled poets. The 
 world-renowned Athens has been hallowed by the 
 presence of Greece's blind bard, who has so glori- 
 ously and sublimely sung of the beautiful but 
 fickle Helen, who was the cause of the siege and 
 capture of Troy. But alas ! poets, warriors, law- 
 givers, and philosophers, all have perished in the 
 long night of time, and now seem to be mingling 
 with the fragments of this once great and glorious 
 city. On the banks of the Euphrates is heard, 
 in low whisperings, the words, "Passed away;" 
 and on every object that greets the human eye, 
 "Ruins" is written. The hall in which Bel- 
 shazzar's guests once assembled is now a heap of 
 ruins, the home of scorpions, serpents, and other 
 venomous reptiles. Within the United States' 
 limits, a nation, which is rapidly passing away, 
 once held undisputed sway. Here the red man 
 roved supreme, master of the dense forest, broad 
 prairies, and lofty mountains w T hich lie between 
 the two vast bodies of water, the Atlantic and 
 Pacific. But how long were they to maintain 
 such undisputed authority? On the 11th of Oc- 
 tober, 1492, the untutored Indian observed in the 
 distance, on the turbid bosom of the deep-blue 
 
230 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 Atlantic, something which seemed to be propelled 
 by wings of celestial whiteness. But alas! in- 
 stead of its being a harbinger of good from the 
 starry sphere which o'ercanopied their heads, it 
 proved to be the first infringement upon their 
 rights. Yes, it was the frail bark which con- 
 tained fair Italia's navigator, the bold and brave 
 Christopher Columbus. In process of time, the 
 woodman's axe was heard resounding through the 
 dense forest; villages, churches, and cities rapidly 
 reared their heads in the plains and valleys where 
 once the red man freely roved; the various 
 streams are now whitened by the sails of com- 
 merce, whose placid bosoms in ages past remained 
 unrippled, save by the gliding of the Indian's 
 light canoe ; in the grove and forest, where now 
 our prominent orators are wont to thrill the heart- 
 strings of the populace, in ages past the Indian's 
 war-whoop rent the air. But the ruins of things 
 formed by terrestrial beings sink into utter insig- 
 nificance when compared with that of the mind 
 of man, the great architect of which is the im- 
 mortal God. 
 
The Sword. 231 
 
 THE SWORD. 
 
 BY ANN HOLDEN. 
 
 The truth of the assertion that "the pen is 
 mightier than the sword" may be seriously, and, I 
 think, successfully controverted. The history of 
 mankind shows that when the pen and all the 
 diplomacy of statesmanship have failed, the sword 
 has been resorted to, to cut the " Gordian knot" of 
 disputed questions and conflicting interests of in- 
 dividuals and nations. By the sword, I mean 
 force and the power of numbers, organized and 
 wielded to effect the object in view. The power 
 and logic of the pen thus yield to the mightier one 
 of the sword. The highest tribunal and arbiter 
 of human events, the " God of battles," is appealed 
 to, and the decision is final and inevitable. There 
 is no appeal then — the sword has triumphed, is 
 supreme victor. The pen is then used to write 
 terms of peace, and so arrange the policy and 
 laws of the States, dictated by the antecedent and 
 superior power, the sword. 
 
 Those who wield the sword successfully are 
 
232 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 also, generally, accomplished masters of the pen 
 and statesmanship, and by the use of the pen they 
 record the results and the changes among nations 
 effected by the means of the sword. 
 
 History shows us that all the great changes in 
 systems of government, all the revolutions against 
 tyrants, by which the citizens have been improved 
 and protected, have been wrung from the musty 
 tyranny of the pen by the power of the sword. 
 The armed barons of England compelled King 
 John to grant Magna Charta. The civil wars of 
 England wrung from the hands of kingly power 
 rights for the people, and free constitutional gov- 
 ernment for the citizens. In the time of our revo- 
 lution, the sword was resorted to, to achieve our 
 independence from British oppression. It com- 
 pelled England to grant it. The sword of Napoleon 
 Bonaparte broke up and cut to pieces the feudal 
 systems of Europe, unchained the minds of the 
 subjects of kings, and forced them to grant to the 
 people more rights and privileges, more freedom, 
 and all secured by written stipulations, caused by 
 the resistless power of the sword, wielded by men 
 who could fight and think for themselves. This 
 opened up a new era in the history of Europe, 
 and destroyed the tyranny and slavish custom of 
 ages of kingly despotism. When the storm is 
 raging, the thunder rolling, the keen forked light- 
 ning burns up the impure air that surrounds the 
 
The Sword. 233 
 
 earth; it consumes with a resistless power, and 
 makes our globe habitable and healthy. So the 
 sword uproots slavish minds of bigotry and imbecil- 
 ity enthroned in power, and the seas of blood that 
 flow purify and elevate statesmanship. It was 
 only by years of war that the doctrine of Martin 
 Luther and John Huss obtained a footing against 
 the Roman Catholic power at Rome. The sword 
 successfully defended Protestantism. All that is 
 excellent to a civil government and religious free- 
 dom have been won and secured by the sword, 
 amid the carnage and smoke of thousands of bat- 
 tle-lields. The right was not only asserted, but 
 successfully maintained by the sword. It seems 
 that mankind can best progress and improve by 
 the sad lesson of force. A war of elements is 
 necessary to purify the earth, and it seems that 
 war among men is a part of nature ; and although 
 the sword may cause much misery and desolation, 
 yet it is only through its agency that men's minds 
 are revolutionized to progress, and are induced to 
 forsake the dull past for the new, and grander, 
 and better thoughts of the future. 
 
 The sword cut the " Gordian knot" of the men- 
 tal chains, and gave to Liberty its first birthright, 
 and to minds a nearer and wider field to exercise 
 their pen. 
 
 Then the pen often causes war and bloodshed ; 
 the sword then settles the terms of peace. Then 
 
234 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 the pen again becomes mighty, until, by its im- 
 proper use, war is again produced. Then the 
 mightier power of the sword is called in to settle 
 the quarrel of the pen. 
 
The Works of Nature. 235 
 
 THE WORKS OF NATURE. 
 
 BY S. R. BRADSHAW. 
 
 The works of Nature afford interesting themes 
 for instruction and contemplation; they fill the 
 mind with admiration to behold the wonderful 
 and lively concert of their operations, and lead us 
 to adore that Being whose glory the heavens de- 
 clare, and whose handiwork the firmament show- 
 eth. We very frequently pass on, rather negli- 
 gently, not heeding the great works of Nature, or 
 we regard with almost entire indifference their 
 beauty, their loveliness, as well as their uses to 
 us. "Change" is written upon every thing hu- 
 man. Customs and laws of olden times give 
 place to other customs and laws, as the world ad- 
 vances in knowledge. But the grand system of 
 Nature's laws remains unmoved and unimpaired. 
 We see variety, indeed, but every thing is in obe- 
 dience to established laws. 
 
 At one time the elements may all be calm and 
 serene, with not a cloud in the blue ethereal void, 
 while the heavens shine, undimmed, with bril- 
 
236 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 liancy and glory. Again, the scene is changed in 
 a moment, and where order and quiet reigned, all 
 is disorder and confusion amid the war of ele- 
 ments. Now nothing is seen or heard but the 
 dark clouds rolling from west to east, accompanied 
 by the keen flashes of lightning, that play across 
 the heavens from pole to pole, while deep-toned 
 thunders roll, and winds howl to winds, as they 
 rush and sweep along the earth. All things seem 
 to threaten instant destruction to man. But this 
 dismal scene of disorder and confusion will soon 
 disappear, in the ordinary course of nature; then 
 the sky will appear as beautiful and as lovely as 
 if disorder had never reigned amid the heavens. 
 This is in obedience to the laws of Nature, which 
 must go on and be accomplished, otherwise the 
 world would speedily eventuate in ruin. And 
 here we have a proof of Nature's God in the 
 grand economy of this world's affairs, and the 
 power by which these things are regulated and 
 sustained throughout the universe. 
 
 Manifold, indeed, are the operations of Nature. 
 Although centuries have elapsed since their crea- 
 tion, they have never deviated from their steady 
 course in the onward progress of her works. The 
 seasons, with a variety of the^r blessings, regu- 
 larly return. Winter, spring, summer, and au- 
 tumn have ever visited us in due time. We have 
 been enabled to appreciate the loveliness of the 
 
The Works of Nature. 237 
 
 cheering, enlivening, and animating spring-time, 
 with its bland breezes and rich fragrance, decked 
 with flowers, and arrayed in living verdure. 
 how potent the charms of spring, so fit an emblem 
 of youth and vigor! Now the summer's genial 
 warmth and maturing influence are passing over 
 the world, and their foot-prints may be seen on 
 the face of Nature, ripening into maturity the 
 golden harvest. Autumn will succeed, and then 
 the howling blast and chilling frost will lay bare 
 the forest, and prepare the way for cold, cheerless 
 winter, amid which the songs of birds are hushed 
 in profound silence. Now all Nature seems en- 
 veloped in gloom and storm. 
 
 Thus, we see, the same seasons come and go, 
 adorning the earth in verdure, or stripping it of 
 its gay wardrobe; at one time adorning with 
 flowers and vines every valley, and every hill-top 
 and craggy mountain-brow, while the air is filled 
 with the richest perfume, and every zephyr is 
 loaded with the odors of beautiful spring; and 
 now the aerial warblers vocalize the hills and 
 plains with sweetest melody, and seem to time 
 their notes in unison with the spheres that roll, 
 in matchless beauty and majesty, through the vast 
 pavilion that overhangs our heads. 
 
 And again, all Nature is changed. Snow-capped 
 mountains, decked with icicles, that glisten and 
 sparkle in the sunlight of day like sparkling gems, 
 
238 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 now exhibit the beauty of foliage and flowers. 
 No voice is heard there save the dismal shriek of 
 the lonesome winter-bird, which is always omin- 
 ous of gathering and approaching storm. Who 
 can look out on the works of Nature, and say 
 there is nothing of interest in them? Who that 
 surveys the wonders of Nature can but be inter- 
 ested? Let him glance at the stupendous mass 
 of rocks suspended from the craggy brow of hea- 
 ven-piercing mountains, threatening, as it were, in- 
 stant destruction to all beneath ; yet from age to 
 age they retain their primitive position, unchanged 
 amid the revolutions that sweep in their train the 
 institutions and governments of man; they stand 
 impervious to the attack of time itself, while at 
 their base the ceaseless streams send onward to 
 the ocean their waters, and the gentle rill that is 
 gushing from its lofty eminence gurgles on with 
 its sparkling ripples. 
 
 Then, look again to the restless waters of old 
 Ocean, that have been ebbing and flowing, beating 
 and dashing her white billows against the beach 
 for six thousand years, and gaze on the vast ex- 
 panse of its mighty deep, and you are lost in the 
 bewildering mazes of the sublime. Turn, then, 
 your attention to that truly sublime and magnifi- 
 cent arch that opens out in the blue vault of hea- 
 ven, and you gaze far away into the mighty dis- 
 tance that sweeps almost beyond the dim vision 
 
The Works of Nature. 239 
 
 of mortals; comets, stars, and suns loom out in 
 matchless grandeur, till lost in man's limited 
 vision. Soar aloft on the eager wings of curios- 
 ity, till its weary pinions are lost; then bid im- 
 agination spread her wings of fancy, and travel 
 through the wide range of stars, suns, and sys- 
 tems, that move on as harmoniously as when the 
 sons of God shouted for joy, at the beginning of 
 time. 
 
 These are some of the works of Nature, upon 
 which the master-hand of perfection has performed 
 nothing that is worthless or without use to us, if 
 we rightly appreciate and correctly consider them. 
 The broad, placid lake, the rolling river, the ris- 
 ing moon, the setting sun, the fixed stars, heaven 
 and earth — yea, the universe, teem with interest 
 as lasting as time itself. But man, it is said, is 
 the last and the best of Nature's works ; all else 
 upon which the eye of man can rest is but matter, 
 inert, irrational, subject to decay; but man is a 
 compound being, soul and body, mind and matter 
 — one part of which he holds in common with the 
 gods, the other in common with the brutes. One 
 part must perish and pass away; the other must 
 live when suns and stars have ceased to shine. 
 
 How deeply, then, should we feel the impor- 
 tance of attending to that which is destined to 
 endure forever ! Let us, then, while we pay a 
 tribute of respect to the mighty mass of matter 
 
240 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 under our observation in every direction, resolve 
 to apply our hearts unto wisdom, and, in all of 
 our gettings, get wisdom and understanding — cul- 
 tivate, train, and educate our minds, that we may 
 be useful in our day and generation. 
 
Beaut?/ Without Paint. 241 
 
 BEAUTY WITHOUT PAINT. 
 
 BY FLORELLA WIGGS. 
 
 There is such a thing as beauty without paint, 
 but many young ladies will hold on with tenacity 
 and avidity to that with which they color their 
 faces — with the detestable preparation gotten up 
 to please their vanity, and lighten their purses. 
 A house or fence may appear to a better advan- 
 tage painted than not ; but I have to see my first 
 young lady that is lovelier for the daub of paint 
 on her cheeks. I want all young ladies to re- 
 member this. Don't use paint; don't try to give 
 a soft and delicate carnation hue to your cheeks 
 by adopting any such an illusion. Some wander- 
 ing poet said: 
 
 "This is high treason against all graces — 
 It is only savages that paint their faces." 
 
 If the poet is correct, what savages compose a 
 great portion of the good society — yea, even 
 females ! 
 
 Not many years ago, it was considered, in some 
 11 
 
242 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 places, quite offensive for a lady to thus artifi- 
 cially color her cheeks ; but the sight of unnatural 
 rosy cheeks now is quite common, and many real, 
 wise, clever young ladies are guilty of it. The 
 ruddy complexion which comes and goes (from 
 the apothecary to the dressing-room) is met every- 
 where — -at the church, at the social gathering, and 
 on the public street. Would such persons like to 
 be caught in the act of painting? No, indeed! 
 And yet, don't they know that the paint on their 
 cheeks tells what they have been doing? It is 
 enough that the form should owe its symmetry 
 to covered steel, much less that the face should 
 owe its beauty to "Laird's Bloom of Youth" and 
 pink. 
 
 But a word to the young men. I do not think 
 the ladies are by themselves, for I think a great 
 many of the young of the present age shine some- 
 times in borrowed plumes. If not, from whence 
 comes that glossy black mustache, and golden 
 ringlets, which by nature are of a flaming red? 
 And then, they have a way of coloring their faces 
 which I do not think half so becoming as the way 
 in which the ladies paint, for it not only affects 
 their faces, but their persons generally. Now, 
 young men, in seeking good looks, never mind 
 using paints, but color your hearts to the ruddiest 
 glow of honor and honesty; brighten your intel- 
 lects, and go it strong, by all means, on principles 
 
Beauty Without Paint. 243 
 
 of honor. An old writer has said that women, in 
 fishing for husbands, rely too much upon their 
 personal, instead of their mental charms; they 
 forget that an enticing bait is of little value with 
 a sensible fish, unless accompanied with a good 
 hook, a proper line, and a suitable landing-net. 
 
244 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 THE DESTINY OF THE AMERICAN 
 PEOPLE. 
 
 BY E. A. DAVIDSON. 
 
 The destiny of the American people is a theme 
 that should and does command, not only the at- 
 tention of Americans, but the eyes of the wise 
 and far-seeing of the habitable globe are fixed with 
 steady gaze and inquiring scrutiny as to our ulti- 
 mate destiny. 
 
 Since the dawn of creation, and man's fall in 
 the garden of Eden, and the rejection of his 
 Maker's government, he has ever been fabricating 
 one of his own construction, and, like every other 
 production of his puny, short arm, his constructed 
 governments have failed. Century after century 
 has rolled by, converting time into eternity, and 
 leaving the experience of one generation recorded 
 on the great tablet of remembrance for the benefit 
 of the next ; and even with this, we see that his 
 progress has been oscillating — first advancing and 
 then receding. Greece and Rome, at one time, 
 seemed to prove the grand problem that man's 
 
The Destiny of the American People. 245 
 
 wisdom could devise and arrange a stable form of 
 government that would endure for ages to come ; 
 but, alas ! how vain the delusion ! Soon they 
 crumbled in the crucible of time, and are erased 
 from the long, gilded scroll of fame and grandeur. 
 And where, I ask, are those of more modern ex- 
 istence? They have revealed to us, in unsealed 
 books, their beginning and their ending. They 
 have all faded into nothingness and insignificance, 
 save a very few of the more oppressive, whose 
 extreme tyranny alone gives them a lingering 
 quasi existence ; and we stand — if we do stand — 
 the only and the last evidence of a liberal and re- 
 publican government. Then, indeed, the inquiry 
 as to our probable destiny is one of paramount 
 importance. Shall we but repeat the failure of 
 those who have preceded us ? Shall we betray 
 ourselves into the follies of ruin and extermina- 
 tion ? Shall we be added to the long catalogue of 
 failures, and with them claim the inscription: 
 " They were, but are not"? Forbid it, Americans 
 — forbid it! May all the good and wise, and 
 Heaven itself, conspire to prevent it ; because with 
 the departure of the last fading ray of republican 
 government will go the exalted privilege of wor- 
 shiping the great God of the universe according 
 to the free dictates of the conscience, besides in- 
 numerable other privileges that tend to elevate us 
 in the scale of true worth and genuine greatness. 
 
246 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 Is it possible, my respected audience, that these 
 great blessings are at hazard? Is this glorious 
 government yet in the test scale ? Yes, indeed, it 
 is the question of the hour. 
 
 The civil strife and commotion of the past few 
 years have not been justly quieted, and still dark 
 clouds may be seen gathering and lowering around 
 the proud bird of liberty ; yet all hopeful minds 
 think they see the day-star of peace and order 
 gleaming through this dark and dismal gloom that 
 has so long surrounded us. Then, to-day, my 
 hoary-headed sires, your country calls on you, by 
 all you hold dear and sacred, to come to the de- 
 fense of right in the ripe strength of your declin- 
 ing years. It calls on you, mothers, wives, daugh- 
 ters, to lend your all-controlling influence to reerect 
 the altars of your country, around which have 
 burned with fervor such spirits as Washington, 
 Jefferson, Madison, and Jackson, whose time-hon- 
 ored ashes quietly repose in our soil, and await 
 the great day of rewards. 
 
Dignity 'of the Human Mind. 247 
 
 DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN MIND. 
 
 BY J. W. BARRON. 
 
 God, in the beginning, made man in his own 
 image, and endowed him with mind to be improved. 
 The dignity of man consists in elevation of his 
 mind. In proportion as this is improved, he rises 
 in the scale of being. Objects are dignified, either 
 from their intrinsic worth, or from their connection 
 with other objects. Through both these mediums 
 we may contemplate the dignity of the human 
 mind. The highest existence in the universe is 
 mind. The mortal world is beheld with admira- 
 tion. The heavens, and the earth, and the many 
 events which result from the Divine power and 
 government, are vast and wonderful, and frequent- 
 ly awful and solemn — in many instances, exquis- 
 itely beautiful, eminently sublime; but this out- 
 ward system is itself the product of mind, and 
 consequently inferior. All its harmony, beauty, 
 and grandeur are the fruits and manifestations of 
 thought. This is the supreme agency which gives 
 
248 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 being to all worlds — the unseen power which, at 
 first spread out the heavens as nothing, which still 
 bears up the pillars of the universe, and controls 
 the destiny of created beings. 
 
 The human mind is noble in itself, but it as- 
 sumes a more elevated rank from its internal re- 
 lation to the higher intelligences. It is the only 
 existence on earth that bears the likeness of its 
 Creator. It is true, the invisible Being is exhib- 
 ited in all the world by his works. His beauty is 
 seen in the verdure, the fruits, and the flowers 
 which adorn the surface of the earth. In all 
 signatures of order and design are seen the effects 
 of his unsearchable wisdom. All that is, first 
 shows forth the uncreated excellence of the Eter- 
 nal. In the spring, his life reanimates the world. 
 In all that is grand and sublime his awful majesty 
 is displayed. His way is in the whirlwind, and 
 the storm and the clouds are the dust at his feet. 
 How enchanted is the beauty, how exalted the 
 grandeur, even of material substance, when em- 
 ployed to exhibit the wisdom, the benevolence, 
 and the power of the Almighty! 
 
 But an incomparably higher degree of dignity 
 is conferred on the human mind. Other objects 
 of creation are only the works of Jehovah, while 
 this bears the bright impress of God himself. We 
 usually judge of the dignity of objects and char- 
 acters by the attention which is paid to them. 
 
Dignity of the Human Mind. 249 
 
 Should we see a stranger receiving tokens of re- 
 spect and friendship from the world, this simple 
 fact would be sufficient to raise him in our estima- 
 tion. 
 
 What, then, must be the character of the hu- 
 man mind which has received the most striking 
 marks of attention from the highest order of 
 beings ? Angels manifest a deep interest in the 
 development of his mind, and it is more than 
 probable that the great dignity of Nature's works 
 is to furnish a school of instruction to intel- 
 ligent beings ; the book of creation and provi- 
 dence is enriched and embellished by its Author 
 with whatever has a tendency to improve the 
 mind, please the imagination, and interest the 
 heart. 
 
 In this exhaustless fountain of knowledge the 
 intellectual and moral powers find their nutriment, 
 strength, and happiness. The contemplative mind 
 sees itself surrounded with sources of the highest 
 enjoyment. In every walk it can draw instruction 
 from Nature's pages, and in every solitude retire 
 within itself and feast upon its own resources. A 
 cultivated mind commands the respect and admira- 
 tion of the world. High intellectual endowments 
 have preserved from oblivion the names of ancient 
 sages, and will perpetuate the only true fame to 
 the end of time. 
 
 Men who retired from theaters of action cen- 
 11* 
 
250 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 turies ago have, by strength and vigor of thought, 
 procured a celebrity which has not only reached 
 the present age, but which will extend to rising 
 generations through centuries yet to come. 
 
Books. 251 
 
 BOOKS. 
 
 BY MARY WIGGS. 
 
 It is sometimes the case that reading entirely 
 molds the human character, and it is a universally 
 conceded fact that it gives tone to our ideas and 
 sentiments. The advantage of a judicious course 
 of reading cannot be overestimated. Through the 
 medium of books we become the pupils of the 
 philosophers of all ages, and masters of all the 
 arts and sciences. Through books we travel con- 
 tinents, traverse oceans, tread the burning sands 
 of deserts, and cut through the ice-bound seas and 
 eternal snows of the Arctic regions. Through the 
 same medium we become acquainted with the 
 history, laws, manners, and customs of all the na- 
 tions of the earth — with their lawgivers, prophets, 
 priests, and poets, and the leading and controlling 
 minds of each, and can determine from this knowl- 
 edge how far each age and nation has advanced in 
 knowledge, science, and civilization. From the 
 same exhaustless fountain we may draw pure 
 streams of knowledge in all of Nature's varied de- 
 
252 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 partments — the flowers of the garden rivaling in 
 beauty the hues of the rainbow, and in number 
 almost equaling the sands of the sea. Botany 
 hands us the key to its arrangement and classifi- 
 cation. Geology teaches us to find beauty and 
 instruction in the rugged rocks, the writing on 
 whose massive pages was done by the Almighty 
 himself, ages before man was created. Astronomy 
 unfolds to man its exhaustless stores of knowl- 
 edge and profitable instruction, by showing to us 
 the power, wisdom, and goodness of God in this 
 harmonious arrangement of suns, planets, and 
 satellites, all moving in regular and harmonious 
 order together, with the unnumbered comets flying 
 as messengers of light to the uttermost limits of 
 the system. 
 
 We can converse with the poets of all times, 
 those worshipers of Nature and her teachings, and 
 whose glowing thoughts enlighten and electrify the 
 soul. Whether it be the bold, sublime, and heroic 
 numbers of Homer or Virgil, or the more diversi- 
 fied and philosophical strains of a Shakspeare or a 
 Milton, or the still more sweet and touching notes 
 of a Cowper, a Kirke White, or a Burns, we are, 
 in every case, edified, improved, and delighted 
 with the acquaintance. 
 
 From books we may learn useful knowledge on 
 any and all subjects, and in all the departments 
 of life, from the particles which compose a dew- 
 
Books. 253 
 
 drop up to that subtile power which sustains the 
 principle of life — from the traditional history of 
 our native Indian tribes to the glowing pages of 
 the history of the land " where Csesar fought and 
 Virgil sung." 
 
 Let us, then, have more books and better ones 
 — the good, solid, and instructive ; not the light, 
 flimsy trash found in modern novels and romances, 
 which intoxicate the brain by the unnatural stimu- 
 lus, aod make the heart sick from excess of pas- 
 sion. It is said by moral philosophers (and I do 
 not doubt the fact) that the youth of the present 
 age, more especially the more gifted and better 
 classes, are doing themselves and society a great 
 wrong by thus abusing and perverting the great 
 powers of mind with which God has endowed 
 them. This insatiable thirst for novel-reading is 
 indulged in, by its devotees, with an excessive 
 avidity and devotion, and to a degree of excess, 
 equaled only by the inebriate's love of the intoxi- 
 cating bowl. The world is full of books, good, 
 valuable, and instructive. Why, then, should we 
 waste our time and abuse our minds with the 
 highly-wrought fictions and the sickly sentimental- 
 ism found in the popular novels of the day ? Let 
 us, then, turn our faces from them — avoid them as 
 we would known evils ; for books, when vicious 
 and corrupting, have the same influence on the 
 young that vicious and bad associates have. It is 
 
254 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 a moral duty which we owe to ourselves and our 
 Maker, to avoid them; and, above all, let us study- 
 well that book of God, the Bible, wherein we will 
 learn our duty to God, to man, and to ourselves. 
 
Work On. 255 
 
 WORK ON. 
 
 BY JENNIE REED. 
 
 There is a voice in the air which chides us for 
 delay. Nature is never idle. The whole creation 
 teems with action. Watch the planets as they 
 whirl on for ages in the orbits prescribed for them; 
 they know not the force of weariness, and delay 
 is an unknown term. The " crimson-tipped daisy/' 
 just putting forth in the merry spring-time, teaches 
 the same great lesson: "Bloom to-day, to-morrow 
 I die." One bids us toil constantly; the other 
 bids us be speedy. Nothing remains the same. 
 The air is constantly in motion, although it is often 
 imperceptible. Time is every moment flitting by 
 us, and recording on its pages the very action of 
 our lives. We are immortal beings, capable of 
 thought, taken in its deepest sense. Why should 
 we fold our hands, and listlessly glide down the 
 stream of existence, without causing one single 
 bubble of good, to ourselves or to others, to float 
 over its turbid surface? Why is life given to us? 
 Why have we souls and reasoning powers ? Surely 
 
256 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 man was not made in vain ! And shall man — the 
 noblest work of Him who made all things well — 
 be the veriest cipher in this beautiful creation? 
 Shall he, endowed with a soul, and heir to an im- 
 perishable crown of glory, make no effort to raise 
 his mind above the level of common pretensions ? 
 Shall one or two impediments cause him to turn 
 aside from the fount of knowledge, and bask in 
 smiles of sycophant pleasures ? A man is not a 
 man, in the true sense of the word, unless above 
 the paltry discouragements of common life. If one 
 path will not lead to the temple of science, another 
 will ; and he who girds on the armor of resolution, 
 and bravely battles with every difficulty which 
 presents itself, is the man that enrolls his name in 
 living letters, that coming generations will look up 
 to and imitate. Yes, prominent on the scroll of 
 true greatness is the name of him who yields not 
 to the impediments in his way! Time proves all 
 things : though the path may be thorny, the road 
 to science is open to those who will walk therein. 
 A single grain of sand per day will in time build 
 a mountain; and a single step onward, a single 
 good action performed each day, will in a lifetime 
 give to the world a man to be proud of. 
 
 Let no dark clouds of distrust hover over your 
 minds. Remember the watchword, "Work on!" 
 and though the blast of adversity may rock your 
 tiny bark, and the billows of trouble rise in strength 
 
Work On. 257 
 
 against you, remember there is, there never can be, 
 any true excellence without great exertion. To 
 some, the thoughts of a life of toil are any thing 
 but agreeable. They wish to excel, but they can- 
 not endure the means by which true excellence is 
 gained. Their minds have never been fully aroused 
 to the beauties of knowledge ; consequently they 
 remain as the man in the cellar, desirous of lisht, 
 yet too indolent to open the door. Could they be 
 great by merely wishing to be, a Washington and 
 a Napoleon would be to them as the pigmies to the 
 giants. In this world, where "matter of fact" is 
 the rule, the indolent find little consolation. In 
 many cases their ambition is too boundless to sub- 
 mit to the authority of reason. They would 
 
 " Sleep at night, and wake 
 To find themselves a king." 
 
 Ambition is a good servant, but a bad master ; and 
 when the feverish brain seeks greatness for the 
 praise alone, it will elude his grasp. Patience, ye 
 fickle-minded dreamers ! "Work on," and hope 
 for less. Make your aim a good one, and success 
 will smile on your labors. 
 
 One other thought, and I close. "Energy ensures 
 success." Without an attendance upon the duties 
 devolving upon us in the various pursuits of life, 
 we never can arrive at any marked degree of 
 eminence. Then I would say to all engaged in 
 
258 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 the good work of promoting the good of humanity, 
 "Work on." Though you may not see the imme- 
 diate result of your labors of love, yet generations 
 to come will feel the deep impress you leave on 
 the minds of the present generation. Then, I say 
 to my teachers, "Work on;" the good you are 
 doing will be felt in coming time. I say also to 
 the minister of the gospel, "Work on;" you are 
 to have souls for your hire. I say to you, my 
 kind school-mates, "Work on;" make your way up 
 the winding ascent to the temple of fame ! 
 
To-day. 259 
 
 TO-DAY. 
 
 BY ELLA W. PALMER. 
 
 Of all time, to us the most important! We 
 first see its approaching in the far-distant east, 
 clad in its robes of soft and gentle sunlight. The 
 bright visitant, " To-day," approaches. No sound 
 of its footsteps fall upon the listening ear, but its 
 transcendent glory illuminates the horizon with 
 untold splendor. Then we know that it is near. 
 We see it approaching by tender and more bril- 
 liant steps, casting its tender light through the 
 humblest cottage as well as the richest mansion — 
 forever generous, making no distinction of high or 
 low, rich or poor. Then the great and grand lu- 
 minary of the heavens makes his appearance, in 
 his grandeur and glory, and all darkness is chased 
 away; and now it is pouring upon us its rays of 
 noonday splendor, so bright that no eye but the 
 eagle's, in his lofty flight, can look upon it. Now 
 we have to-day in all its glory. How many hearts 
 are now rejoicing that it has come, to cheer them 
 up under the despondencies of yesterday! 
 
260 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 And does it find us strong to battle for the 
 right ? To-day is here. Are we ready to enter — 
 or rather, have we entered — the field to reap the 
 benefit of its presence? If so, let not the night 
 come, and find that we have accomplished but 
 little or nothing. Shall we let these golden mo- 
 ments of time, as they come to us from the benefi- 
 cent hands of God, our heavenly Parent, pass us 
 by, and be utterly lost? 
 
 To-clay ! Though small the word, yet how sub- 
 lime its signification — how small, yet how great! 
 To-day yonder sun sheds its light from pole to 
 pole — from the snow-capped mountains of the 
 North to the farthest sunny South, where the 
 fragrance of sweet flowers rises, the evergreen 
 blooms, and the musical choristers are ever pour- 
 ing forth their sweet sounds of music to cheer the 
 heart of man, and from the eastern horizon to the 
 wild western forest, where the Indian roams. To- 
 day ! I know it finds some weary hearts sad and 
 lonely, that but yesternight may have prayed 
 God that he might take them to himself — that 
 they might not see the sunlight of another day 
 until the resurrection morn ; then they will have 
 slept and been refreshed, and prepared for an 
 eternal to-day, when the great Sun of righteous- 
 ness will rise and shine in all his splendor and 
 glory; then there will be no more sad hearts, but 
 blessed sunshine, that rears so beautiful a foot- 
 
To-day. 261 
 
 stool for the feet of our Father in heaven. How 
 much of good these hands of ours can accomplish 
 ere to-day shall have passed us by forever! Yea, 
 how much of evil may we do! The field of labor 
 is w T ide ; the harvest-time will soon be here. To- 
 day, school-mates, we have a work to perform. 
 Our minds must be stored with useful knowledge, 
 or tares will spring up therein. And we have 
 but one to-day at a time to do this work in. We 
 have no promise of to-morrow. To-morrow's sun 
 may rise and shine, but not on us. Now that we 
 have the privileges of to-day, here in this school, 
 kind teachers to assist us up the ladder of knowl- 
 edge, and kind parents to help us (and there are 
 many of us, some just on the first round, some 
 farther up, but none of us have reached the top- 
 most round), and as time is precious, let us use 
 every to-day in such a manner as we shall have 
 gained something valuable to ourselves, and to be 
 made useful to others. 
 
 Dear friends, to-day you are here witnessing 
 the closing performances of our school. Does to- 
 day find you in the discharge of all your duty? 
 Here is much to be done, and the time is short. 
 But look around. There are many sad hearts in 
 your midst; there are many orphan children for 
 whom there is none to care ; they need to be edu- 
 cated, in order that they may be good and useful; 
 and as you receive all you have from the benefi- 
 
262 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 cent hand of God, and as he unlocks the store- 
 house of heaven, and supplies you with every 
 needed good, should you not unlock your hearts 
 and purses, and supply their every want? The 
 teachers cannot do all. They are ready and wil- 
 ling to do their part. How many sad hearts may 
 you to-day make glad! To-day there is much 
 that might be done. Many tears might be wiped 
 from sorrow's weeping eye, many oppressed hearts 
 might be made light and free. Who would not 
 to-day — not to-morrow — engage in such a work ? 
 
 " To-morrow — who says to-morrow still is mine, 
 As if his eyes could peer 
 Through the thick mists of future time, 
 And trace out life's career?" 
 
Mother, Home, and Heaven. 263 
 
 MOTHER, HOME, AND HEAVEN. 
 
 BY MAGGIE HUNTER. 
 
 There are not three words to be found, in any 
 language, that have more meaning connected with 
 them, or bring more consolation and joy to the 
 heart of man, than these; not on account of the 
 euphony of sound produced on the ear, but from 
 the soul - stirring emotions produced by them. 
 We will take them separately and connectively. 
 "Mother!" the name dear to all — the name 
 spoken by Christ when expiring on the cross — 
 she who is firmest and truest in love to man ! If 
 there be one earthly feeling free from selfishness, 
 or the impurities of human nature, it is a mother's 
 disinterested, chaste, unwearied love, which speaks 
 in its silent breathings of its celestial or heavenly 
 origin. The name of "mother" is childhood's 
 refuge, shield, and safeguard. 'Tis the first word 
 that falls from the prattling tongue, the first idea 
 that dawns upon reason. The mother watches 
 over helpless infancy with the benignity of a 
 guardian angel, and that love follows through 
 
264 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 every avenue of life. When the little boat is 
 launched upon the great sea of life, who gazes 
 with so much earnestness and solicitude, amidst 
 conflicting hopes and fears, as a mother? The 
 firmest, the fondest, and most durable tie in which 
 affection can bind the heart, is a mother's love. 
 'Tis not a momentary feeling of yesterday or to- 
 day, but is ever the same, and unchangeable; it is 
 independent and self-existent, enduring while life 
 animates the breast in which it is fostered; and if 
 there be anything connected with mortality which 
 continues beyond the grave, surely this noble, this 
 God-given passion will never perish. 'Tis a prin- 
 ciple that emanated from Heaven, implanted in 
 the breast of woman for the wisest and most glo- 
 rious purposes. While to her it is a most sacred 
 pleasure, 'tis a blessing to her offspring. 'Tis 
 not excited by beautiful form nor features, or de- 
 pending upon circumstances for permanency; but 
 when the welfare or happiness of that object is at 
 stake, it knows nothing of fear or weariness. Ab- 
 sence cannot lessen or diminish a mother's love, 
 neither can vice destroy it. While she gazes with 
 delight upon the noonday splendor of a life of 
 virtue, and looks upon virtue as man's true no- 
 bility, yet that love follows in the lowest depth 
 of degradation; and as the vine, with its caress- 
 ing tendrils, twines itself more and more closely 
 around the blasted oak, so a mother's love clings 
 
Mother, Home, and Heaven. 265 
 
 to her erring child. How few appreciate that 
 love, and meditate upon its depths, or seek to re- 
 pay it, until that mother sleeps within the narrow 
 limits of the tomb, and they are left to tread 
 life's thorny path, unshielded and unguarded by a 
 mother's counsels and her prayers ! 
 
 " What return, then, can I make ? 
 This fond heart, dear mother, take ; 
 Thine it is, in word and thought — 
 Thine by constant kindness bought.'* 
 
 Dear school-mates — you who may enjoy a 
 mother's love — learn to place a proper estimate 
 upon that love while you may. 
 
 It is the light of home — 
 
 " Home, where woman's voice flows forth in song, 
 And childhood's tale is told, 
 Or lips move tunefully along 
 Some glorious page of old." 
 
 What is home? where is it? 'Tis our place of 
 residence while sojourning here; 'tis that spot 
 most dear, most sacred of all others on earth to 
 man; home, where clusters the fondest recollec- 
 tion of memory; home, where the light of exist- 
 ence first flashed upon the spirit immortal, where 
 the heart's purest affections love to linger. Home 
 is not dear to the child alone, but to the aged and 
 infirm. Ask that old father of threescore and ten 
 12 
 
266 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 years what j)lace on earth he loves most ; he an- 
 swers, with a trembling voice : "Ah ! the fireside 
 of my dear old home is the place for me ! " Ask 
 the orphan, who has buried father and mother, 
 and is cast upon the charities of a cold-hearted 
 world, whose face bespeaks a sad heart and dis- 
 contented mind, "Why those looks of sadness?" 
 The answer is : " I have no spot in all the wide 
 world that I may claim as my home." Jhe trav- 
 eler who has long been absent, and is tossed 
 amidst the wide ocean waves, often turns his 
 thoughts, with longings and pleasing anticipations, 
 to the hour when he shall have reached the spot 
 most dear to memory. Wherever that place is 
 situated beneath the azure vault of heaven — if 
 amidst the cold, gleaming ice-fields of Greenland, 
 or beneath Italy's genial, cerulean sky — whether 
 a palace that the king might admire, or an humble 
 cottage, still there is no place like home. Pollok 
 describes his home as being the brightest spot on 
 earth. 
 
 Home, does man love thee? Yea, at the men- 
 tion of thy name the Roman soldier forgets his 
 country's limits, and the glory of her eagles. The 
 brave one, rushing proudly to the conflict, drops 
 the weapons of warfare, and stops to stir the 
 leaves of memory, and think on thee. The sailor- 
 boy starts from his dreams on the tremulous ocean 
 waves, ere the floating palace goes down amid the 
 
Mother ', Home, and Heaven. 267 
 
 fathomless coral waves. Home is the Eden of 
 earth. But what shall we say of heaven ? Where 
 is it, and what is it ? We must say, in the lan- 
 guage of the mother to the inquiring child: 
 
 " Eye hath not seen it, my gentle boy, 
 Ear hath not heard its deep sounds of joy. 
 Dreams nor imagination cannot picture a world so fair. 
 Death and sorrow can never, never enter there. 
 Time doth not breathe on its fadeless bloom, 
 Beyond the clouds and beyond the tomb." 
 
 Heaven is said to be both a place and a state. 
 'Tis said that the Jews considered the region of 
 the air, clouds, and winds, as the first heaven; 
 and the place which the heavenly bodies occupy 
 as the second; and where God, Christ, and holy 
 angels dwell, as the third and invisible heaven. 
 The language, " heaven of heavens," is to be 
 found in the Scriptures. It seems that the opin- 
 ion has always prevailed, and is also fully con- 
 firmed by the Scriptures, that there is a place in 
 the universe where God's presence is made mani- 
 fest in all his glory. It is represented as a "city 
 which hath foundations, whose maker and builder 
 is God." We read of its jasper walls, and the 
 streets that are paved with gold. Jerusalem and 
 Babylon sink into utter nothingness when com- 
 pared with this glorious city. 
 
 " We have heard of that sun-bright clime, 
 Undimmed by sorrow, and unhurt by time, 
 
268 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 Where age hath no power o'er the fadeless frame, 
 Where the eye is fire and the heart is flame. 
 A thousand forms are hovering o'er 
 The dazzling wave and the golden shore." 
 
 *T is enough ! All that philosophy ever dreamed, 
 or poetry ever imagined, center here. When shall 
 I awake, to find mother and home in heaven? 
 
How Powerful is Sympathy! 269 
 
 HOW POWERFUL IS SYMPATHY! 
 
 BY JOSIE DARNALL. 
 
 God implanted in the human breast this noble 
 principle for beneficent purposes. Not a sigh is 
 heard, not a tear is shed, not a groan felt, except 
 for some noble purpose. We shall only notice the 
 exhibition of sympathy as connected with the hu- 
 man family. To enable us to ascertain how pow- 
 erful any emotion is, we often have to notice in 
 detail its effects, and therefore we call your atten- 
 tion to this subject under this head. 
 
 Let us recur to scenes that occurred only a 
 few years ago, when we saw friends parting with 
 friends, leaving the land of their birth, and start- 
 ing to the far West, seeking a new home in the 
 midst of the western wilds. See the newly-mar- 
 ried taking the parting hand with parents, broth- 
 ers, and sisters; see their streaming eyes, see the 
 quivering lips, as they utter the final word, "Fare- 
 well;" feel the parental grasp of the hand of that 
 gray-headed father and mother, bent over under 
 the load of declining years. They part, but only 
 
270 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 temporarily; they are Christians, and hope, through 
 the mercies of a kind Providence, to meet in that 
 "city that hath foundations, whose builder and 
 maker is God." 
 
 Agaiu, another scene of sympathy seems to 
 crowd itself on our minds — we mean some of the 
 occasions that were witnessed during the terrible 
 struggle through which our country has lately 
 passed. We have seen as brave young men as 
 ever were enrolled among the Spartan band, bid 
 adieu for the last time, to make their homes in the 
 tented field, to drive back an invading foe, and to 
 defend the rights that our revolutionary fathers 
 bequeathed to us. As they started, hear the 
 heaving sighs, and see the trickling tears falling 
 from the eyes of all, both old and young; and 
 after the appointed day of battle comes, and we 
 hear the distant roaring of the cannon — as on the 
 fatal day of Murfreesboro, where many of our 
 friends fell, to rise no more till the last day — 
 then what deep mourning was experienced by 
 many mothers for their suffering sons ! Our feel- 
 ings dictate to us to leave these terrific and war- 
 like scenes. 
 
 Once more turn your attention, for a few mo- 
 ments, to the sympathy manifested by the mother 
 leaning over a sick or dying child. See her 
 around its bedside, with the midnight lamp, when 
 all but her are sleeping, watching its quivering 
 
How Powerful is Sympathy! 271 
 
 lips, observing its dancing eyes under the writh- 
 ings of pain ; see her wipe from its fevered brow 
 the dampened moisture; note well how often she 
 utters the sympathetic words, "God bless your 
 little soul ! " making, at the same time, kisses on 
 its darling cheek. Finally, death ensues; the 
 spirit is borne by angels to a world of bliss, and 
 yet the mother lingers around the cold clay until 
 it is placed in mother earth. But cheer up, 
 broken-hearted mother ! the separation is only for 
 a few days; time's withering blasts will soon cut 
 you down, and your freed spirit will join with 
 kindred spirits on high, and in the resurrection 
 those bodies, sown in corruption, will be raised 
 incorruptible. 
 
 There is only one other feeling of sympathy 
 that we think will excel this just described, and 
 that is God's sympathy for fallen man. The 
 blessed Bible teaches us that God so loved the 
 world that he gave up his only Son to die, that 
 whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but 
 might have everlasting life. 
 
 In conclusion, let us, my dear school-mates, 
 drop a tear of sympathy, as we part asunder to- 
 night. The strong chain of sympathy has bound 
 us together for five months. Let us each remem- 
 ber that one bright link from our chain of affec- 
 tion has been snatched away; but her remem- 
 brance is ever present with us, and while she is 
 
272 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 not here to participate in these earthly exercises, 
 she shines in angelic majesty in the world of 
 glory. Let us all be guided by the sympathy 
 that filled the Saviour's breast, and, when we are 
 done with toils and troubles on earth, we will en- 
 joy heaven above. 
 
Tempus Perditam. 273 
 
 TEMPUS PERDITUM. 
 
 BY F. B. FISHER. 
 
 Cum Jehovah in magistatem ejus potestatis dis- 
 pulit rudem obscuritatem, et dixit creationem in 
 essentiam, turn tempus nascatur. Tempus proles 
 antiquse eternitatis, destinatum peregrinari donee 
 omnia creationa negotia liquefaciunt in rudem unde 
 orsa sunt et ille in lapsu seculorum adjungit denuo 
 alius antiquem parentem. Dies, menses, et anni 
 computant essentiam et quisque tulit ejus testorem 
 throno Dei adversus omnem rationalem et intelli- 
 gentem essentiam ut vivit et movet in spatio 
 terrse. Seepe horis balsaminse quietis cum blanda 
 memoria revocat transactum et spes tribuit futurum 
 cum multa lamia scena optamus rotas temporis 
 festinare eorum fugam et ferre aliquam nondum 
 natum felicitatem ut phantasma sola novabat. At 
 si homo delinquebat pendere sensum cuj usque 
 horse solum in opportunitatibus quietis cura et 
 anxietate, quid multo minus ille esset rationus ad 
 ilium Deum adquem mille anni vident ut dies et 
 dies ut mille anni? At heu! ab tumulis sepul- 
 12* 
 
274 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 crorum aetatorum audimus lamentabilem pulsum 
 profecti temporis ut volvit ad oceanum eternitatis 
 onerum cum minis ejus vastati itineris. Homo 
 volat ab tempore et tempus ab homine et statim 
 in molestatem repudium haec duplex fuga finat. 
 Et finita quid breva, quid similis somno nostrorum 
 mediorum noctorum somniorum, vix recordata cum 
 aurora excitat. Si figurates cineres profectorum 
 dixissent quas solemnes appellationes dixissent 
 ad nos proficere quidquam momentum ut id volat 
 et relinquere nullum indoctum. Varise quidem 
 sunt vise et causae quo essentia est redita nihilum 
 hie, tempore et eternitate cursus ut cognoscit 
 nullum longitudinum aut latitudinem, nullum 
 altitudinem aut profundum ad ejus durationem. 
 Id est moralem veritatem ut omnes homines qui 
 vivint sibi solis neglecti inopium aliorum et eorum 
 altitudines mandates ad eorum creatorem sunt 
 interfectores temporis et statent et steterint con- 
 vie ti ad altum forum coeli. Id cap ere t nullum 
 longum comitatum philosophi rationis, ducere, fac- 
 tum ut lamentum calamitatis quid orsum est per- 
 petuo ab quaque habitabile parte creationis debet 
 ejus causam ad multa vita consequentia in vitem 
 non indignitem ab valore temporis et veris venire. 
 Haec natalis sequalitas et negligentia tulerunt in 
 terra majoram sideratiorem imprecationem quam 
 ssevus turbo purgata pestilentia aut clamor cly- 
 pei et hastse in cruentum agrum Martis. Cura 
 
Time Destroyed. 275 
 
 et diligentia reparent injurias efFectas furioso com- 
 motione cseloruin ; niedicus vincet et sanaret san- 
 guinia vulnera laceri militis sed qui luat ad vitani 
 profusam aut quis revocat et vivat iterum dies 
 menses et annos, qui semel erant, sed sunt nunc 
 prateriti ad ilium locum quo eternitas incipit. 
 
 [Translation.] 
 
 TIME DESTROYED 
 
 BY H. W. RONE. 
 
 When Jehovah, in the majesty of his power, 
 dispelled chaotic gloom, and spoke creation into 
 existence, then Time was born — Time, the off- 
 spring of old Eternity, destined to voyage on 
 until all created material things dissolve again 
 into chaos, from whence they sprang, and he, in 
 the lapse of ages, joins anew his ancient parent. 
 Days, months, and years compute existence, and 
 each bears its record to the throne of God against 
 every rational and intelligent being that lives and 
 moves upon the face of the earth. Oft in the 
 hours of balmy ease, when sweet remembrance 
 recalls the past, and hope gilds the future with 
 
276 Scholastic Literature. ' 
 
 many a fairy scene, we wish the wings of time to 
 speed their flight, and bring some unborn bliss 
 that fancy only knew. But did man fail to weigh 
 the importance of each hour only in seasons of 
 repose from care and anxiety, how much less 
 would he be accountable to that God to whom a 
 thousand years seem as a day, and a day as a 
 thousand years! But hark! from the tombs of 
 buried ages we hear the doleful knell of depart- 
 ing Time, as he rolls on toward the ocean of eter- 
 nity, fraught with the ruins of his desolating 
 march. Man flies from time, and time from man, 
 and soon in sad divorce this double flight must 
 end; and, ended, how short — how like a dream 
 of midnight slumbers, scarcely remembered when 
 dawn awakes ! Could the moldering ashes of the 
 departed speak, what solemn appeals would they 
 address to us, to improve each moment as it flies, 
 and to leave none unimproved ! Various, indeed, 
 are the ways and means by which existence is 
 rendered a nullity here in time and eternity — a 
 course that knows no length or breadth, no height 
 or depth to its duration. It is a moral truth that 
 all men who live for themselves, disregarding the 
 wants and woes of others, and their high behest 
 for their Creator, are murderers of time, and must 
 and will stand convicted before the high court of 
 Heaven. It would take no long train of philo- 
 sophic reasoning to deduce the fact that the wail 
 
Time Destroyed. 277 
 
 of woe which arises from every habitable part of 
 creation owes its origin to the many vices and 
 crimes consequent upon a life unimproved by the 
 value of time and realities to come. This natural 
 indifference and unconcern have brought upon the 
 world a more blasting influence than the fierce 
 tornado, the sweeping pestilence, or the clash of 
 spear and shield upon the bloody field of Mars. 
 Care and industry may repair the injuries caused 
 by the wild commotion of heaven; the physician 
 may bind up and heal the bleeding wounds of the 
 mangled soldier; but who can atone for a life mis- 
 spent? or who can recall and live again days, 
 months, and years that once were, but are now 
 gone to where eternity begins? 
 
278 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 VALEDICTORY. 
 
 BY TALITHA J. McCORD. 
 
 I find that language is but a faint instrument 
 when we wish to give full expression to our 
 thoughts — that, plate over the phraseology as we 
 may, and smooth it into whatever shape we will, 
 it is still cold and lifeless ; and the tongue, no mat- 
 ter how solicitous for words, is but an empty 
 beggar when called upon for utterance. Pleasure 
 has an understanding, but no tongue. This truth 
 rises before me now, when my heart is an easy 
 captive to the softer emotions of my nature. The 
 parting hour has come. The chain of association 
 that bound us together must soon be broken. 
 The spirit that is entwined around our hearts, and 
 which springs so active — the love for education — 
 has for the past six months linked us together as 
 a band of brothers and sisters, and the day has 
 dawned that we must part, perhaps forever. No 
 longer can we amuse ourselves together in the 
 spring-time of life and childish happiness; no 
 longer can we hear the tap of the bell that invites 
 
Valedictory. 279 
 
 us to the pleasant halls of instruction. Other 
 societies, other scenes, and other duties, await us. 
 We must part ; but parting will only draw closer 
 the ties of affection that bind us together. The 
 noonday's sun and blush of evening, which have 
 so often smiled upon us and witnessed our social 
 conversation and joys, will still remind us of the 
 scenes that have passed. Yes, when you return 
 to your respective homes, you will feel the warm 
 welcome of a mother's lip, and hear the music of 
 a sister's rejoicing heart. The remembrance of 
 things which we forget will commingle thoughts 
 of associations with the happy themes of home 
 and loved ones. Yes, Fame, with a jeweled hand, 
 may wave us upward, and empty thrones may be 
 seen in our paths, and our names may be half cut 
 on the arch of honor, through which a stair of 
 stars may lead to immortality; still we will turn 
 and look back to the royal feeling of this hour, 
 and I believe it is worse than vanity for me to 
 attempt to more fully attract your attention, or 
 firmly fix your thoughts upon the uprising im- 
 pulse of this hour. My lips might utter words 
 full of sentiment, and be crimsoned with the life- 
 blood of feeling, but I would not anticipate a 
 single drop to reach your hearts. I will therefore 
 not dissolve the fascinations of the hour by an 
 apparition of words; bat, as a parting admoni- 
 tion, I will earnestly entreat you to cultivate the 
 
280 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 pure affections of the soul, that will elevate every 
 impulsive feeling and throb of the heart to that 
 standard which will be made the test to the privi- 
 lege of a blissful existence beyond the grave; for 
 I feel assured that if we have learned all that 
 can be learned, have mastered every language and 
 science, all will be vanity unless we have that 
 heavenly culture of the mind that approximates 
 to the goodness of the great first cause. With 
 this admonition, I bid you adieu. As teachers and 
 school-mates, you are endeared to me by strong 
 and lasting ties. As a representative of the fe- 
 male department of the school, permit me, re- 
 spected teachers, to return to you those heart-felt 
 thanks and gratitude you have so justly won by 
 your untiring energy and zealous interest in our 
 advancement and welfare; and to you, beloved 
 companions in the common cause of education, I 
 assure you I will ever hold sacred the recollec- 
 tions of our sweet intercourse, that closes with 
 the hour of separation that now approaches, and 
 I would fain prolong the utterance of that word, 
 "Farewell;" but even in its breathing a spirit 
 rises up, and, with its arms twined around the 
 neck of its future, prays that we may all meet 
 again; and to this prayer I say, "Amen, amen!" 
 
Valedictory. 281 
 
 VALEDICTORY. 
 
 BY R. B. MAXEY. 
 
 "All that's bright must fade, 
 
 The brightest still the fleetest ; 
 All that's sweet was made 
 But to be lost when sweetest." 
 
 Yes, the sweetest song must break in whispers 
 low; the fairest flowers must fade and die; the 
 brightest hue must have its waking dire; so now 
 we come to breathe that burning word, "Fare- 
 well," for Fate stays not the flashing courses, or 
 lulls to sleep the wild paeans of his laureled vic- 
 tories. Six long months, with their glories and 
 disappointments, their magic joys and hidden woes, 
 have died away 'mid the shadows of the past. 
 Laughing spring, decked with the dew-drops of 
 beauty, with its flowery meads and gurgling 
 streams, its sweet associations and delightful 
 scenes, have come and gone like some strong 
 dream of love, since we entered this school, which 
 now hastens to its termination. • 
 
 Though difficulties at times may have attended 
 
282 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 us, and success appeared dubious, yet we reck 
 not of this; for happiness, like a magic wreath, 
 has ever clustered around our youthful exertions, 
 and pleasures bright have danced in every somber 
 wave. Our intercourse has been sweet indeed, 
 and to our connection with the Lewisburg Insti- 
 tute we will ever recur with deepest emotions of 
 delight, and 'mid the wild "bivouac" of life, mem- 
 ory, fond and strange as the zephyr's song, shall 
 wander back to the loved associations, like flicker- 
 ing moonbeams o'er departed beauty, while strains 
 as sweet as the music of the spheres shall break 
 their long, deep sleep, and sweep, in wildest mel- 
 ody, the eternal caverns of the soul. 
 
 During the brief period we have been connected 
 with this school, our constant aim has been both 
 to obey our teachers and gain useful knowledge; 
 and with warm and impassionate hearts, whose 
 every pulse beats in unison for its welfare, we en- 
 tered the conflict to battle for knowledge. Like 
 the voice which thrilled the battle-gleaming hosts 
 of old, "Excelsior" has ever been our watchword, 
 and success, bright and glorious, the sacred Mecca 
 toward which we have ever bent our untiring en- 
 ergies. And well may we use diligence and en- 
 ergy; for although it is generally conceded that 
 education is of great value, I must say that many, 
 very many, though of mature years, are in their 
 childhood as to a real knowledge of its value. 
 
Valedictory. 283 
 
 Let us notice some of the blessings of educa- 
 tion. Education is a companion which no misfor- 
 tune can depress, no crime can destroy, no enemy 
 can alienate, no despotism enslave. At home a 
 friend; abroad an introduction; in solitude a so- 
 lace; in society an ornament. Yes, we might 
 refer to some of our Southern patriots and heroes, 
 and where are they — the noble Robert E. Lee, 
 Joseph E. Johnson, and others, whose names will 
 ever be cherished by those of the South who 
 were devoted to the cause of Southern rights and 
 liberty? Some may think that those men only 
 acquired character by their military achievements, 
 and were not known before the great revolution 
 which has passed over us. But not so. The for- 
 mer — Robert E. Lee — who now ; I believe, has 
 charge of the Washington College, Virginia, is a 
 man of highest learning and accomplishments. 
 His name is used now as an honor in almost all 
 the schools of any note South. Yes, though he 
 may be living obscure from all the public halls of 
 the Government, and though that sword which a 
 few years ago glittered in his hand, and seemed 
 to bespeak him champion of war, was wrenched 
 from his hand, yet he is not dispossessed of his 
 greatness; he still retains his noble intellect and 
 intelligence, which he at one time labored for, just 
 as we are laboring to acquire knowledge. I men- 
 tion these men, not through any sectional feeling, 
 
284 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 but that we, as students, may be encouraged. 
 Though we may be dispossessed of all else, still, 
 if we have an education, we yet have something 
 sufficient to make us happy and useful. 
 
 Young men of this Institute, to-day ends our 
 scholastic connection with this Institute, so far as 
 the present session is concerned. We are now 
 about to be dispersed, to mingle with our parents 
 and acquaintances in the different vicinities in 
 which we reside. We will necessarily be thrown 
 into various circles of society. Let us so act our 
 part in the great drama of life, that we can secure 
 the confidence of the good and pious. Each one 
 of us has a part to perform upon the great stage 
 of the world's theatrical movements, and our per- 
 sonal happiness, our individual promotion, depends 
 upon the manner in which we acquit ourselves. 
 Therefore, let our course be onward up the hill of 
 science; let us strive after excellency in every 
 thing in which we engage. My fellow-students, 
 let us not be contented to gather a few of the 
 scattered laurels that perchance may lie around 
 the base of the hill of science, but with rapid 
 strides scale its culminating summit, and pluck en 
 masse the wreath of laurels that hangs suspended 
 from its ambrosial tops. In our journey through 
 the world, we will find that life, at best, is a bil- 
 lowy tide, whose ebbing and flowing many times 
 bring destruction and devastation. So while our 
 
Valedictory. 285 
 
 life-boats are stemming the current, we may ex- 
 pect to meet with many seemingly insurmount- 
 able difficulties. We perhaps will sometimes im- 
 agine that our wavering bark will be submerged 
 in the towering waves of life's troubles ; and, on 
 the other hand, we doubtless will meet with many 
 pleasant scenes consequent to life, and often feast 
 ourselves upon earthly and unreal enjoyments. 
 But alas! these are fading treasures — like the 
 swift-shooting meteor, soon gone. Therefore, while 
 we are in the morning of life, let us strive to ac- 
 quire for ourselves something more lasting and 
 elevating to nature than mere sensual and present 
 happiness. Our happiness in this life and the life 
 to come is in a great measure placed in our own 
 hands. By our individual efforts we can gain the 
 affections of the pious, and, by submitting to the 
 requirements of Heaven, we can realize the ap- 
 probation of the Deity. 
 
 It is necessary, then, not only to cultivate our- 
 selves as earthly beings, or for usefulness on 
 earth, but to cultivate an acquaintance with our 
 spiritual wants and necessities. Companions in 
 school, let us not, in our separation from each 
 other and from the consecrated walls of our Insti- 
 tute, carry away with us feelings of anger or re- 
 venge housed up in our bosoms — feelings that 
 may have arisen up from the impulse of the mo- 
 ment. Let these feelings, if any there be, for- 
 
286 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 ever be effaced from our memory; bury tliem be- 
 neath the waves of oblivion; let them be num- 
 bered with the things that were. Young men, 
 there is a broad field out before us, in which we 
 may become useful and efficient members of so- 
 ciety, and exert an influence upon our associates 
 that will amply reward us for all our efforts. Let 
 us shrink not back because we are not the sons 
 of the opulent or wealthy fathers of the country. 
 It is not unfrequently the case that persons pov- 
 erty-stricken are only the better prepared to climb 
 the rugged hill of science than those more favor- 
 ably situated, in a pecuniary sense; such are more 
 apt to study their own interest, and act their parts 
 well. 
 
 Dear teachers, 
 
 "We ne'er can you repay 
 For your earnest toil, bestowed from day to day, 
 But within our inmost hearts shall burn 
 Gratitude in return." 
 
 Though all of you were strangers to me when we 
 met a few months ago, still the chain of affection 
 that binds my heart to you has grown so strong 
 that the pang of parting falls upon my soul with 
 bitter surges. May you all continue in the good 
 work in which you have been engaged; may suc- 
 cess crown your every endeavor to implant the 
 truths of virtue and science in the minds of many, 
 and may happiness strew your pathway with rar- 
 
Valedictory. 287 
 
 est flowers; the Lord be your companion through 
 life and death, and heaven, with its ineffable de- 
 lights, your abiding-place! 
 
 Dearly loved school-mates, with a heart o'er- 
 flowing with sorrow I now turn to bid you a long 
 " Farewell." To this event we have looked for- 
 ward with fondest hopes and brightest anticipa- 
 tions; but alas, how sad the realization! We 
 had not counted the strength of the links that 
 bind our hearts together. For months we have 
 been united as a band of loving associates. I 
 have mingled in your joys and shared your every 
 grief; where your eyes were dimmed with sor- 
 rows, mine were moistened with the dew of sym- 
 pathy ; when you smiled, my face assumed a joy- 
 ous expression. Side by side, within the walls 
 of the Lewisburg Institute, we have sought the 
 pearls of science. may you never let them 
 become tarnished by the rust of time, or soiled 
 by the dust of forgetfulness ; but may you perse- 
 vere in the field of education, and ornament your 
 mental caskets with many other precious jewels ! 
 If during our intercourse we have marred vour 
 happiness, we beg you pardon us; forgive the 
 error past, and ever cherish us in your memories. 
 
 " Forgive, forget, we are wisely told, 
 Is held a maxim, good and old ; 
 But half the maxim's better yet. 
 Then O 'forgive,' but don't 'forget.'" 
 
288 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 Ever remember it is educated mind, not matter, 
 that controls the world. While laboring to culti- 
 vate your minds, neglect not the cultivation of 
 your hearts ; so when Christ shall come to make 
 up his jewels, you may be transferred to Eden's 
 blissful shore, where sad partings are no more. 
 
Literary Address. 289 
 
 LITERARY ADDRESS. 
 
 BY T. F. LEWIS. 
 
 Before proceeding with the remarks I shall or 
 had designed to make, I must be permitted to 
 premise that, after somewhat an intellectual feast 
 to which we have been treated by the young 
 ladies and gentlemen during the exercises which 
 they have passed through, I think it exceedingly 
 questionable whether I shall be able to add any 
 thins; to what has been said or done that will in- 
 terest either them or the audience. But however 
 this may be, at the instance of the worthy Prin- 
 cipal and students of the Institute, I propose to 
 occupy a few moments of your time; and as a 
 basis for the remarks I shall make, I propose the 
 following subject: "The times, and the uses to 
 which they should be applied." I have not se- 
 lected this subject as the basis for a literary ad- 
 dress with a view to adhere to the text, but 
 rather — after the manner of Montaigne, the great- 
 est of all essayists — as the starting-point whence 
 
290 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 to proceed and elaborate some ideas thought to 
 be appropriate to the occasion. 
 
 The circumstances surrounding some of those, 
 at least, who fill the various vocations in life, 
 when they closed their scholastic course, are es- 
 sentially different from the circumstances which 
 surround those now in the colleges, institutes, and 
 schools of the country. Then peace, happiness, 
 and prosperity greeted the scholar at the door of 
 his "Alma Mater." Every profession, pursuit, 
 and vocation offered the most powerful stimulus 
 to ambition, energy, and enterprise. Industry 
 met its sure reward; labor yielded its abundant 
 harvest; and well-founded hope, sustained by pru- 
 dence and discretion, always ended in fruition. 
 The bustling city, teeming with its industrious 
 population, was radiant with the smile of content. 
 The husbandman drove his team afield, and went 
 singing to his daily toil, conscious that rich har- 
 vests would reward his industry. The mariner 
 spread his canvas on every sea, and fortune fol- 
 lowed in the wake of his vessel. Splendid cities 
 arose in the West, ere the track of the Indian had 
 been erased from the soil; while a beneficent and 
 generous government, proud of its past traditions, 
 its present power, and promises of future glory, 
 protected its citizens, stimulated ambition, fos- 
 tered genius, encouraged enterprise, and guaran- 
 teed to all its teeming millions every just right, 
 
Literary Address. 291 
 
 privilege, and immunity claimed or desired. But 
 in an evil hour the fountains of the great political 
 deep were broken up, and this fair land of promise 
 was deluged in fraternal blood; the myth Pan- 
 dora eventuated in reality, and when all the evils 
 were turned loose, not even hope remained to 
 cheer our unfortunate people, and sage and sophist 
 agreed that peace had taken her relentless flight. 
 
 Those who participated in this, the mightiest 
 of tragedies, are marked with the mark of Cain ; 
 so that whithersoever they may go up and down 
 the country once and now their own, may say 
 nor do any thing as they list; while tyrants, 
 trampling upon the graves of thousands — yea, 
 millions — and whose foul deeds smell to heaven, 
 disgrace the seats which patriots once so nobly 
 and so proudly honored. We are to-day strug- 
 gling and emerging from those scenes of the past; 
 and although we see and feel their effects, the fu- 
 ture is before us, with the hope that our country, 
 ourselves, and the rising generation, will yet be as 
 happy and as prosperous as in the better days of 
 the past. 
 
 Let us turn our attention from war and civil 
 strife to the cultivation of those virtues which 
 alone make a people great. In the religious, sci- 
 entific, literary, moral, and industrial pursuits 
 alone rest the future hopes of our country. By 
 giving all our energy to these, w T e may make our 
 
292 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 very misfortunes a stepping-stone to future great- 
 ness, as it is in the school of adversity that men 
 learn their longest lessons of wisdom. Adversity 
 purifies the mind, morals, and ambition; it tem- 
 pers patience, fortitude, and courage; and from it 
 have sprung, Pallus-like, full -panoplied for the 
 conflict, all the great men and women who have 
 been the benefactors of their race. All the great 
 men and things which Athens still lives to boast 
 germinated in the purer days of adversity; while 
 the pampered and voluptuous who wielded her 
 destinies in the hour of her apparent glory, sowed 
 the seeds which speedily accomplished her ruin. 
 Compare the deeds of our forefathers, who fought 
 for and knew the price of liberty, with those men 
 who live in the present generation, and we have 
 the evidence that we, too, may fall, as did the men 
 of Greece and Rome. And, young gentlemen and 
 ladies, while the pride and hope of those who have 
 arrived at middle age and passed beyond, and the 
 hopes of your generation, and those that may fol- 
 low, are vested in you, remember there is no ex- 
 cellence without labor, no proficiency without 
 study, no success without the proper means are 
 used to accomplish it. 
 
 Men and women are not born with matured in- 
 tellects, and memory well stored with all requisite 
 information; they do not spring, like Minerva 
 from the brain of Jove, full-fledged, and arrayed 
 
Literary Address. 293 
 
 for the great conflict of life; but the mind is a 
 blank — not even a character is legible upon its 
 smooth surface, and withal possessed of less in- 
 stinct than all the rest of the animal kingdom be- 
 sides. And thus it is, by wise provision of Deity, 
 left exclusively with each individual to work out 
 his own destiny — to cultivate, enlarge, beautify, 
 and adorn his own mind; and this will be exactly 
 in proportion to the amount of determination, en- 
 ergy, and industry brought into requisition; and 
 in the same proportion will be your power, influ- 
 ence, and usefulness, both to yourselves and to 
 your country. This labor must be, in the very 
 nature of things, mental, moral, and physical : 
 physical, so that the mental and moral may have 
 sufficient vitality to sustain them; moral, so that 
 the mental and physical may have an arbiter be* 
 tween them ; and mental, the presiding genius of 
 the whole. 
 
 Men in all the undertakings of life are success- 
 ful in proportion to the amount of labor they be- 
 stow upon themselves. We know of no exception 
 to the rule. The man who, from his infancy up, 
 devoted his whole energies to the development of 
 this threefold nature by working on the material 
 within himself, and making all the surroundings 
 tributary to his wants, never fails, never becomes 
 a burden to himself, or a stigma upon his race ; 
 but, on the contrary, is honored by his craft, re- 
 
294 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 spected by liis enemies, and is always a leader in 
 his pursuits, however great or however small they 
 may be. All the great men who have lived in 
 every ag§ of the world, as statesmen, soldiers, 
 philanthropists, historians, and poets, were men 
 of industrious and laborious habits; all the men 
 who have lived as reformers, moralists, and phi- 
 losophers, have marked their way through the 
 most insuperable difficulties. But while men of 
 labor have been the benefactors of their race, they 
 have lived in history, and have been deified by 
 posterity. Where are the countless millions of 
 whose names, deeds, and history we do not read? 
 The story may be epitomized in two words: 
 "Dead — forgotten." So literally, and we might 
 add, so awfully true is this, that error, vice, and 
 all species of crime and immorality, aided, abetted, 
 and sustained by their determined and laborious 
 votaries, have invaded the precincts of the last 
 virtue and morality, and overcome them, and 
 planted their hateful banner upon the proud walls 
 of truth and righteousness. 
 
 Of all this, Mohammedanism is an illustration 
 in religion; something connected with the history 
 of our country during the war of the past few 
 years, in politics; while it is demonstrated by in- 
 cidents in every-day life coming under the obser- 
 vation of every one. 
 
 But of all the acquisitions for which men labor 
 
Literary Address. 295 
 
 as primary objects, only one is worth the effort, 
 and that is knowledge. By this we intend a ge- 
 neric meaning, comprehending judgment, under- 
 standing, learning, and every thing by which the 
 minds of men make other minds, and all mutually 
 subservient to their wishes. Wealth takes to itself 
 the wings of the morning, and is gone forever; 
 the patriot's glory often becomes the traitor's 
 lamentation, and distinction generates into noto- 
 riety; but no adversity can drive from us the 
 genial influence of knowledge. It opens up a 
 brilliant future for the youth, illuminates the path 
 of mankind, cheers up decrepit old age, and robs 
 death of half its terrors. Whatsoever things are 
 beautiful, whatsoever things are grand, whatso- 
 ever things are sublime, are found locked up in 
 the walls of her sacred temple. 
 
 To the acquisition of this, then, young ladies 
 and gentlemen, all the energy and resources of 
 your nature should be employed, and to the ac- 
 complishment of this end often your resolution to 
 labor has been formed. There is no one thing of 
 so much practical importance, either in school or 
 out of it. By this we mean to so study any and 
 every thing you undertake, that you may thor- 
 oughly comprehend it, so that what you study 
 becomes so thoroughly digested and matured that, 
 instead of being information, it becomes estab- 
 lished knowledge, indifferent where the ideas come 
 
296 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 from, while it is part and parcel of our own mind 
 or intellect. 
 
 Any thing which is retained in the mind by a 
 mere tenacity of the memory — as the recollection 
 of a number of figures, without knowing circum- 
 stantially the uses to which they should be or 
 were applied — is a mere appendage of and burden 
 to the mind, of which it had best be rid. But 
 those ideas which have been gleaned from others, 
 and have been so thoroughly analyzed and ma- 
 tured that they become identified with our own 
 ideas, enlarge and expand the mind, and enable 
 us to acquire a knowledge of other things with 
 great facility, and use them with greater advan- 
 tage. And, after reflection, I am led to conclude 
 that in this one idea exists the great stumbling- 
 block in the way of an overwhelming majority of 
 those literary, professional, and scientific gentle- 
 men who have so signally failed in their aims, 
 ambitions, and hopes. 
 
 This idea I will illustrate by referring to the 
 fact that in the colleges, institutes, and schools of 
 the country, we frequently find students studying 
 the dead languages, the higher branches of mathe- 
 matics and moral sciences, who were profoundly 
 ignorant of the elementary principles -of our Eng- 
 lish education; or figuring away in geometry and 
 astronomy, when they could not calculate the in- 
 terest on a promissory note with partial payments, 
 
Literary Address. 297 
 
 or give you the contents of a bond; elaborating 
 the abstruse theories of Upham, when they can- 
 not tell the latitude of Washington City, or the 
 longitude of their own home ; and reading Homer 
 and Tacitus, when they cannot analyze a simple 
 sentence in the English language; and in six 
 months after they have received their diplomas, 
 cannot repeat the Greek alphabet, or tell you 
 whether it w T as of the country that Yirgil spoke 
 when he wrote his beautiful Bucolics. Men some- 
 times practice law, physic, and politics, teach 
 their brethren the mysteries of Deity from the 
 pulpit, who had not taken their first lessons in 
 syntax, and did not know the difference between 
 a substantive and an adverb. 
 
 This idea may be farther illustrated by refer- 
 ring to another familiar and oft-repeated occasion 
 — that of young graduates at College who, after 
 having passed in this way through the prescribed 
 course, are so much fuller of their own conceit 
 than the lessons they have learned, and imagine 
 themselves fully competent to manage the most 
 complicated business transactions of life, and that 
 it is not necessary for them to study any more. 
 May not such young men be regarded as having 
 already failed? 
 
 "When these things occur in our midst, what can 
 we expect but failure and disappointment? The 
 only safe rule is, never to pass on until you have 
 13* 
 
298 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 carefully surveyed the ground you occupy. And 
 should these remarks be applicable to any present, 
 let them heed the warning, for truth will overtake 
 them under far more embarrassing circumstances. 
 
 But while there is no excellence without labor, 
 and while inaccuracy in learning is a serious ob- 
 stacle in the way of success, there is still another 
 adage equally axiomatic — that "labor conquers 
 all things ;" that is, by an arduous and continuous 
 application, the greatest and most serious difficul- 
 ties can and will be overcome. And it not un- 
 frequently happens that those things which seem 
 to be insuperable, when properly met and leisurely 
 investigated, are not only easily overcome, but 
 are made the door to some of the noblest treas- 
 ures of the mind. 
 
 To a mind sufficiently improved with the power 
 and prestige of the human intellect, difficulties are 
 but a stimulant to mental energy, zeal, and re- 
 sources. Indeed, to so great an extent is this an 
 attribute of the mind, that the converse of the 
 proposition is true — that is, a mind so unconscious 
 of the efficacy of labor, and its own inherent 
 weakness, as not to anticipate difficulties, or, an- 
 ticipating them, expect to overcome them with- 
 out effort, is always stationary — is an incubus 
 upon itself, and those who would make progress 
 around it. And we may set it down as a truism 
 in all the pursuits of life, that that which costs 
 
Literary Address. 299 
 
 us the greatest amount of labor, anxiety, and 
 trouble, profits us most. Cicero says : "Labor 
 omnia vincet et labor ipse est voluptas." And 
 how beautiful and eloquent is the remark, when 
 properly understood, and applied to the every-day 
 transactions of life! Man is a creature of habit, 
 and if his habits are those of industry and close 
 application to business, he will best subserve the 
 end for which he was created, and that a life of 
 labor and toil will be the source of infinitely more 
 pleasure and satisfaction to himself than idleness ; 
 for while labor is the concurrent testimony of all 
 reflecting minds, the prolific fountain whence flow 
 all happiness, pleasure, and usefulness, persistence 
 in idleness is the reverse; it always begets pov- 
 erty, contempt, infamy, disgrace, and oblivion. 
 He who boasts of his life of idleness, or ease and 
 luxuries, makes haste to his own depreciation or 
 downfall. 
 
 It has ever been a disputed point as to what 
 was the source of the greatest amount of evil. 
 Some argue intemperance, some gaming, some pro- 
 fanity. Our ministers, moralists, and philoso- 
 phers declaim with eloquence, and indignation, 
 and with a zeal worthy of the theme, against 
 those evils; they are, indeed, alarming vices, and 
 when we see the monuments of ruin left along 
 their track, we are forcibly reminded of some 
 great convulsion of Nature, or the ravages of the 
 
300 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 great scourge of God in his mercy through the 
 plains of Italy; but these great and crying evils 
 are not original curses, but are themselves only 
 effects. It is not intemperance, nor blasphemy, 
 nor neighborhood small-talk, that demoralizes com- 
 munities, and frightens peace, morality, and virtue 
 from the land; but idleness, a want of occupation, 
 a lazy indifference for ourselves and those around 
 us. 
 
 And now, in conclusion, my young friends, you 
 who are struggling to climb the rugged hill of 
 science, take heed to the warning, that there is 
 no success in any undertaking in life without en- 
 ergy and application. The poet has beautifully 
 said : 
 
 "Culture's hand 
 Has scattered verdure o'er the land, 
 And smiles and fragrance rules serene, 
 While barren wilds usurped the scene. 
 And such is man — a soil which breeds 
 Our sweetest flowers or vilest weeds : 
 Flowers lovely as the morning light — 
 Weeds deadly as an aconite ; 
 Just as his heart and mind are trained to bear 
 The poisonous weeds or flowerets fair." 
 
Literary Address. SOI 
 
 LITERARY ADDRESS. 
 
 BY A. M. BURNEY, A.M. 
 
 In compliance with an invitation kindly ex- 
 tended to me by my esteemed friend, the worthy 
 Principal of your Institute, I appear before you 
 to-day to act some humble part in the highly in- 
 teresting exercises of the occasion; and as a 
 theme appropriate to the occasion, and as one kin- 
 dred to the great cause whose brilliant triumphs 
 we have witnessed to-day, I bring before you 
 "The Dignity of the Profession of Teaching, and 
 the Maintenance of Southern Literature." Not 
 that I have any egotistical vanity to gratify, or 
 pedantic pride of pedagogism to display, in ex- 
 tolling the vocation in which I am now and have 
 been engaged ; for I assure you that, if there has 
 ever been a time in my history when I would in- 
 dulge in such fancies, it has ceased to exist. Nor 
 is it because I think the profession in need of any 
 eulogium or commendation at my hands; for it 
 has sufficiently pleaded its own cause, and most 
 eloquently vindicated its triumphs, before every 
 
302 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 intelligent tribunal in every age, land, and clime 
 in which the empire of mind has held its majestic 
 sway. 
 
 And to-day we behold the broad galaxy of our 
 time-honored profession — rising in the East, " the 
 source of light," and extending to the zenith and 
 West — beset with shining orbs, stars of the first 
 magnitude, the greatest lights and most illustrious 
 characters that ever graced *the pages of history, 
 or adorned the ranks of any profession. The 
 names of Plato, Socrates, Gamaliel, Bacon, Locke, 
 and Newton, and a host of other illustrious wor- 
 thies, conspire to render the profession of teach- 
 ing emphatically the most dignified calling and — 
 though I come up here, it may be among "law- 
 yers and doctors," to say it — the highest human 
 avocation on earth. Surely, then, the profession 
 that can justly boast of such illustrious patrons 
 as these, calls not for a eulogy from my poor 
 ability, nor demands a vindication at my hands. 
 But I present the subject, on this occasion, be- 
 cause I verily believe the necessities of these 
 times demand it; because I believe the youth of 
 our day do not appreciate the merits of this high 
 calling, which has rendered forever immortal the 
 names of many of our predecessors. To bring 
 back, in contemplation, anew the dignity of so 
 noble an avocation, and to stimulate the youth of 
 our day to espouse the royal road to true emi- 
 
Literary Address. 303 
 
 nence, is my purpose in introducing the subject 
 on this occasion. 
 
 To you, then, young ladies and young gentle- 
 men of Lewisburg and vicinity, is my mission di- 
 rected to-day. The status of these venerable, 
 gray-haired ones who surround you, eager to wit- 
 ness your success, is forever fixed; their destiny 
 is unalterably sealed. No more will it be theirs 
 to retrace the former footsteps of life, to remold 
 anew their aspirations, or recast their destinies to 
 meet the imposing drama of the future. As they 
 are before us to-day, pressing the busy throng of 
 life, so they must stand at the general assizes — 
 the grand finale of all terrestrial scenes. To ad- 
 dress my theme, therefore, to them would be su- 
 perfluous; but to you, young ladies and young 
 gentlemen, who are just entering upon the thresh- 
 old of busy life, upon whom the weighty affairs 
 of Church and State must soon devolve, and to 
 whom the great volume of Nature is a sealed 
 book just beginning to unfold its untold realities 
 — it is to you that I w T ould hold up the dignity 
 of this time-honored avocation, and bid you, in 
 view of the dread realities of the future, not to 
 slight the appeal. 
 
 I cannot overestimate the importance of my 
 theme, or feel indifferent to the magnitude of my 
 task. It is no less than an appeal to the noble 
 and high-minded youths, sons of sires the most 
 
304 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 magnanimous and high-toned that ever peopled 
 any part of the habitable globe- — an ancestry 
 whose talents and ingenuity, all Southern, free 
 and liberal, framed, founded, and perpetuated, for 
 more than three-fourths of a century, the best 
 system of literary, political, and religious institu- 
 tions ever inaugurated among men. With such a 
 theme, before such an audience, it is impossible 
 not to feel an inspiration of my subject approxi- 
 mating to the great interest concerned. With so 
 illustrious and talented an ancestry, surrounded 
 by all the ease and affluence that true greatness 
 can produce, we, as a people, have lost that high 
 regard and noble veneration for the profession of 
 teaching which has immortalized its patrons in 
 every age of the world. 
 
 The dignity of any profession is estimated in 
 proportion to its general utility to mankind, and 
 the lofty character of the science to whose devel- 
 opment it is applied, together with the elevated 
 character of its patrons. The profession of medi- 
 cine is held in high esteem because of its general 
 utility to all classes of society, and the character 
 of the men who practice it for learning and re- 
 spectability. The profession of law ranks high 
 because of its imperative necessity in the general 
 conduct of human affairs, and the more than or- 
 dinary talent required to insure success in its 
 practice. The profession of teaching is dignified 
 
Literary Address. 305 
 
 because it is absolutely essential to the very ex- 
 istence of civilized and enlightened society — the 
 chief corner-stone of all other professions of re- 
 spectability among mankind. It is dignified be- 
 cause it dignifies the human race, elevates the 
 character of man, and crowns him lord of crea- 
 tion. It is magnanimous because it magnifies the 
 human mind — Heaven's richest boon to man — and 
 renders its possessor godlike, in the image of the 
 Creator. As the Bible is justly styled the Book 
 of books because it contains the essence of all 
 books, the epitome of art and science, so is teach- 
 ing emphatically the profession of professions. It 
 gives us the professors of all other professions, 
 and the most distinguished men of any profession 
 are the teachers of that profession. Who, to-day, 
 stand at the head of the science of medicine in 
 Tennessee? I answer that they are the teachers 
 of that science. Who are the ranking men in the 
 science of law in our State? I answer that they 
 are those men who have mastered the science suf- 
 ficiently well to teach it, and have made thus a 
 profession of it in leading others up its rugged 
 summits. Paul F. Eve, of Nashville, and Abra- 
 ham Caruthers, of Lebanon, are the master-spirits 
 of their respective professions in the State of Ten- 
 nessee ; and so of other teachers of other profes- 
 sions elsewhere. In the great field of literature, 
 those who have stood first in its ranks have hon- 
 
306 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 ored its calling with their services, and rendered 
 alike their lives and deeds a precious legacy to 
 their successors in all time to come. And to-day 
 we, whose trust it is to hold up the dignity of 
 this time-honored calling, recur with no ordinary 
 pride to the host of immortal names that illumi- 
 nate the horizon of teaching. And, first, to Py- 
 thagoras, that great apostle of learning and dis- 
 tinguished teacher, who encompassed land and sea 
 in search of knowledge, and achieved unprece- 
 dented success in geometry, which to-day encircles 
 his name with a halo of undying fame; to Soc- 
 rates and Plato, those great literary prodigies of 
 their day and teachers of philosophy, who forsook 
 the dazzling splendors of courts and palaces, and 
 repaired to their favorite grove of Academos, 
 and there assembled around them the aspiring 
 youth of their age, and taught them, spell-bound, 
 the sublime principles of their far-famed philoso- 
 phy; to Gamaliel, for thirty-two years master of 
 the Jewish synagogue, at whose feet bent the 
 greatest of apostles, the chosen oracle of God to 
 the Gentiles, and caught words of wisdom, as did 
 the Israelites from the lips of Isaiah, when bap- 
 tized by the fire of inspiration; to Sir Isaac New- 
 ton, the great Christian philosopher and teacher 
 of science, whose gigantic intellect fathomed the 
 abstruse mysteries of science, and taught the world 
 the transcendent beauties of God's first creation, 
 
Literary Address. 307 
 
 with little less magic than was displayed in the 
 beginning by that eternal fiat which uttered its 
 existence; to Benjamin Franklin, around whose 
 brow Fame has woven her wreath as a statesman, 
 and cast a halo of glory as a philosopher, yet we 
 claim him as a teacher who reduced to practice 
 some of the noblest precepts, theories, and maxims 
 of science the world ever knew; to Noah Web- 
 ster, the great teacher of teachers, who stood fifty 
 years at the fountain-head of American literature, 
 and furnished fifteen millions of people with more 
 than half a million volumes of his literary produc- 
 tions, who hung entranced upon the wisdom of 
 his teachings, as did the Jews upon the edicts of 
 their commissioned lawgiver; to the godlike Dick, 
 whose heaven-soaring intellect, baptized by the 
 inspiration of astronomy — sublimest of sciences — 
 traversed the regions of space, and peopled the 
 skies with w r orlds, and systems of worlds, beyond 
 the ken of mortal gaze — this great man was not 
 only a teacher of the sublime science of astronomy, 
 and mapped the heavens in simplicity to the 
 school -boy, but he was a daily teacher of the 
 little helpless orphans of his native village; to 
 Sir Humphrey Davy, the great light and life of 
 chemistry, whose brilliant achievements in that 
 abstruse science mark him as one of the most il- 
 lustrious patrons of the profession; to Louis Phil- 
 ippe, the exiled French king, who, driven by po- 
 
308 Scholastic Literature, 
 
 litical persecution, fled from the royal throne of 
 France, and sought an asylum in America, where 
 he maintained his acquired dignity by the no less 
 honorable position of professor in our schools and 
 colleges, which he filled with credit to himself and 
 honor to the calling, thus making for himself a 
 name, not only among kings and princes, but 
 among the illustrious ones of the earth. Nor is 
 this the only instance of men of authority in high 
 places abandoning their positions for the still more 
 dignified calling of teaching. And in this connec- 
 tion, it is with no ordinary pride that we recur, 
 lastly, to the crowning climax of this literary pyra- 
 mid which we have erected here to-day — to that 
 peerless name in the present history of our coun- 
 try's noblemen. That name is Robert E. Lee, the 
 honored President of Washington College, Vir- 
 ginia, which singularly blends in hallowed associ- 
 ation the names of two of the greatest men the 
 Old Dominion, or the world, ever produced — 
 George Washington and Robert E. Lee. The one, 
 in his day, stood "first in war, first in peace, and 
 first in the hearts of his countrymen;" the other 
 stands, in our day, the same — first in war, and 
 honored in peace by the highest avocation among 
 mankind; and although he is the hero of a lost 
 cause, yet he towers as one of the proudest monu- 
 ments of American character, genius, and intel- 
 lect, in the annals of our race. And amid the 
 
Literary Address. 309 
 
 tumult and wild ravings of fanaticism which have 
 aroused the hell-hounds of political discord, in 
 fierce revenge, to take his life, under the mockery 
 of treason, he stands vindicated from the foul as- 
 persion by a unanimous verdict of the civilized 
 world, conscious alike of having won the highest 
 military fame on earth, and of discharging the 
 highest duties of any human avocation among men. 
 And lest any should be misled by the pompous 
 success and dazzling display of Ulysses Grant, 
 his dominant foeman, a contrast between their 
 comparative merits may not be inappropriately 
 drawn just here. Robert E. Lee is an accom- 
 plished gentleman, a scholar, and a benefactor of 
 his race. Ulysses Grant is a mushroom character, 
 fostered in the hot-house of abolition — fanaticism 
 — as a mere tool in the hands of heartless dema- 
 gogues, distinguished only for military carnage, 
 partisan intrigues, and political duplicity. Robert 
 E. Lee is the acknowledged military chieftain of 
 the age, while Ulysses Grant has justly won the 
 title of Chief Butcher of the Slaughter-pen, as 
 the soil made rich in human gore on the hills of 
 Yicksburg, and the plains of Virginia, will abun- 
 dantly attest. The one is now the honored Presi- 
 dent of Washington College; and should the other, 
 to the shame of the American polity, be made 
 President of the United States, the contrast will 
 then be none the less striking. The one will then 
 
310 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 nobly tower above the other, and thus verify the 
 great diplomatic maxim that "it is better to do 
 right than to be a king " — a doctrine that I would 
 hold up to you, young men, as attested by the 
 united experience of mankind, and sanctioned by 
 the voice of revelation, and present these two 
 characters to illustrate its truth. The one I hold 
 up as a model type of a great man — great in de- 
 fiance to adversity ; the other, a mere adventitious 
 character, of Jonas Gourd-vine growth — a sad and 
 miserable failure. The position of the two men 
 has been similar, but their difference is great, and 
 that difference is the result of a cultivated intel- 
 lect. And I repeat it, that it is with no ordinary 
 pride of country that I refer to General Lee in 
 the catalogue of immortal names I have tried to 
 portray before you to-day; for in him, young men 
 of America, you behold a living witness of the 
 fact that the days of great men have not passed 
 away from us forever — that although the voice of 
 Clay, and Calhoun, and their like, is no longer 
 heard in the nation's Capitol, pleading for liberty 
 and the Constitution, yet he is a living monument 
 ■ — an unmistakable example that it is possible for 
 great men to rise up in degenerate times, and 
 under the yoke of political oppression. 
 
 But for respect to your patience, I might mul- 
 tiply this list almost indefinitely : I could point 
 you to Alexander P. Stewart, one of Tennessee's 
 
Literary Address. 311 
 
 most gifted sons, who was breveted Lieutenant- 
 General in the Confederate Army, and is now the 
 Professor of Mathematics in the Cumberland Uni- 
 versity; to Professor M. F. Maury, late of the 
 C. S. Navy, the ablest teacher of geography in 
 modern times, and who has subjected old Ocean's 
 steady main to science — science "whose everlast- 
 ing chain binds earth, ocean, and sky." But I 
 must desist. 
 
 Having, in a cursory glance, shown that great 
 teachers are great men, and that the greatest men 
 have been teachers, I turn now to the other side 
 of the picture, and with the great problem already 
 demonstrated, that this profession is the royal 
 road to eminence, I have but to repeat the corol- 
 lary and close the proposition — to wit, that it has 
 no representatives crowding the haunts of vice, 
 crime, and infamy. From a recent report of the 
 State Penitentiary, we find, out of three hundred 
 miserable convicts, there was not a single one from 
 the ranks of regular teachers, while there were 
 but three who were liberally educated, and only 
 one who had received a classical education; thus 
 showing clearly that the educated do not frequent 
 the hovels of crime, or walk the rounds of in- 
 famy. 
 
 Parents and guardians of Marshall county, were 
 I called upon to-day to issue a policy of insurance 
 for your children against these sinks of pollution, 
 
312 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 the Penitentiary and Work-house, I would give 
 them a chart for a thorough education. Were I 
 called upon to insure them a fortune in this life 
 only, I would advise the same kind of policy. 
 Wealth and fame take wings of their own crea- 
 tion, and fly away, leaving us the disappointed 
 candidates of misery. 
 
 But when madness "that ruled the hour," and 
 the national prejudices of the world, conspired to 
 rob General Lee of his sword and his fortune, he 
 had a legacy which the world neither gave nor 
 could take away. They could take from him the 
 Arlington Heights — that princely home of his 
 youth, and wrest from his hand the ablest sword 
 ever drawn in human combat; yet he had a culti- 
 vated intellect — a fortune that baffled their power 
 and mocked at their folly. Robbed of all else 
 but this, he stands the peer of mankind, envied 
 by the millionaires of earth. 
 
 Seeing that we are encompassed about with so 
 great a crowd of witnesses to testify to the dig- 
 nity of our calling, we come next to inquire, 
 Where are the young men to fill the places of 
 these renowned ones ? Go to your schools, your 
 colleges, and universities, and inquire. The an- 
 swer echoes, They are not there. There are few, 
 if any, young men in Marshall county preparing 
 to become teachers, and still fewer pursuing a reg- 
 ular classical course of education. As a witness 
 
Literary Address. 313 
 
 having cognizance of the case in litigation, and on 
 the witness-stand before you, bound by motives 
 as high as heaven and broad as earth, to speak the 
 truth, I declare to you I know not a single one in 
 the county. I appeal to my worthy colleagues 
 here, and throughout the country, to corroborate 
 this statement. If your worthy Principal here 
 were • removed from your midst by the hand of 
 death, where is the young man, a native of your 
 county, who could fill his place ? 
 
 I recur now with vivid recollections to those 
 who were school-mates of mine years ago. I 
 know of not a single one, out of sixty or seventy- 
 five young men, who is, or ever has been, a teacher 
 of any rank or respectability. They were, per- 
 haps, as worthy and talented young men as those 
 of any time or place; and I mention the fact only 
 to show the inevitable destination to which our 
 young men and young ladies are tending. Out 
 of fifteen hundred young men who have been stu- 
 dents of mine during my career as a teacher, and 
 whose names I can readily point to on the cata- 
 logue, I know of but one who is regularly engaged 
 in the profession as a teacher of rank and respect- 
 ability. They have made lawyers, doctors, and 
 preachers, and every thing else praiseworthy, but 
 they will not make teachers. Young men, why is 
 this? Have you lost all that godlike zeal, those 
 heaven-born aspirations bequeathed to you by a 
 14 
 
314 Scholastic Literature, 
 
 noble ancestry? If the departed spirits of those 
 immortal ones, whom we have tried to portray- 
 before you on this occasion, were permitted to 
 revisit the lovely land — this land of their nativity 
 — with what astonishment would they behold your 
 inactivity, your inertness, and want of apprecia- 
 tion of the glorious achievements which they have 
 transmitted to you! Would not their grieving 
 spirits, like that which disturbed the slumbers of 
 Belshazzar, write upon the walls of every school- 
 room in our land, in characters too plain to re- 
 quire an Elijah to read it, the literary "Miene, mene, 
 teJcel, upharsin" — the just condemnation of our 
 age, that we had been weighed in the balance of 
 literature, and found wanting? 
 
 Trustees, parents, and guardians of the schools 
 of the country, I now turn to you — to you, men 
 who build turnpikes, check the earth's surface 
 with railroads, and span seas with telegraphs — 
 and ask, Is it your fault that these young men 
 and young ladies will not be educated? Is it 
 your fault that they will not take a thorough 
 course of study, and make themselves the leading 
 spirits of the age in science and literature? If 
 so, great is your responsibility in time and eter- 
 nity. If I have overdrawn the picture, forgive 
 me; if not, then ask Heaven to forgive the great- 
 est neglect of your lives. Would you have your 
 children to be the great ones of the land, as others 
 
Literary Address. 315 
 
 have been before them? Educate them, and you 
 will accomplish your desire. You have not for- 
 gotten that it is the command of Heaven to "train 
 up a child in the way it should go, and when it is 
 old it will not depart from it." 
 
 Hamilcar, a distinguished Carthaginian noble- 
 man, took his son Hannibal, when a boy of thirteen, 
 and caused him to kneel at the altar of his country 
 and swear eternal enmity to the Roman name. To 
 the fulfillment of this solemn oath, Hannibal, the 
 greatest military chieftain of his age, devoted his 
 entire life; and the Roman people never had a 
 greater enemy, or one more to be feared, than they 
 found in this sworn Carthaginian youth. Are 
 your sons less capable of undertaking great enter- 
 prises, and of achieving great successes, than was 
 the barbarian youth ? How many young Hannibals 
 might be found here to-day, ready to be sworn upon 
 the altar of Southern literature, if we but had the 
 Hamilcar s to swear them ? 
 
 Young men, a word to you, and I am done : 
 
 " In the world's broad field of battle, 
 In the bivouac of life, 
 Be not like dumb, driven cattle — 
 Be a hero in the strife." 
 
 Then, I beseech you, by all that you are, or 
 ever expect to be, to bestir yourselves to the 
 magnitude of the crisis in which you are placed. 
 
316 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 It is yours to receive the literature of the fathers 
 — those who made your government free and its 
 citizens great ; it is yours to preserve it, improve 
 it, and transmit it unimpaired to generations after 
 you — that literature which gave to the American 
 army of '76 its commander-in-chief, the United 
 States their first president, and the world its only 
 Washington — that literature which gave the strug- 
 gling colonies the Declaration of Independence, 
 and perpetuated their government for eighty-four 
 years as the proudest human fabric ever known to 
 the world. And it was not until Northern litera- 
 ture and Northern ideas assumed its control that 
 this proud fabric began to decay. It is for you, 
 young men, to say whether the decay shall be 
 arrested, or result in its destruction. Already 
 have societies been formed in Massachusetts with 
 the avowed purpose, promulgated to the world, 
 that Southern literature must be supplanted by 
 " Northern ideas and Northern energy." Young 
 men, will you maintain the heritage, or ignomini- 
 ously surrender it ? Will you go on in pursuit of 
 the truant boy chastising the winged butterfly, and 
 make a surrender, more direful in its consequences 
 than that of Lee in Virginia, or Johnson in North 
 Carolina ? They surrendered, for a time, the only 
 hope of a free government, purchased by the blood 
 of the patriots of '76. If you surrender this glorious 
 heritage, you will give up, not only the hope of 
 
Literary Address. 317 
 
 free governments in all time to come, but the only 
 basis upon which they have been constructed — the 
 education of the masses. Theirs was a surrender 
 precipitated by a fatal necessity. Yours, if you 
 make it, is unnecessitated, for it is in your power 
 to avert the calamity. And remember, my dear 
 young friends, that no punishments of Heaven are 
 so severe as those for mercies abused, and no curses 
 so deep as those pronounced in the words, "Because 
 ye would not." 
 
 Ignorance is a crime when knowledge is in your 
 power. There is deep and damning guilt in heed- 
 less inattention, when truth and motives of impor- 
 tance claim your serious consideration. Will you 
 go on heedless in sport and pleasure, ride the rings 
 of fairs, and hurl the lance in the tournaments, 
 while the very heavens lower in blackness over 
 your heads ? If you are determined to remain in- 
 different to the crisis of the hour, and shamefully 
 surrender the legacy bequeathed to you, I have 
 but one request to make of you, and it is this — 
 that you do not perpetrate so shameful and humili- 
 ating a deed upon the soil on which Washington, 
 " Old Hickory," and the immortal Stonewall Jack- 
 son drew their battle-blades — for which the voice 
 of Clay and Calhoun made vocal the breezes of 
 heaven with accents of freedom; a soil recently 
 baptized with the blood of one hundred thousand 
 Southern soldiers — a soil in whose bosom repose 
 
318 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 the ashes of Pat Cleburne and Felix Zollicoffer ; 
 a land destined to be sung by some future bard 
 with more dazzling splendor than crowns the brow 
 of either Homer or Virgil. Do not make your- 
 selves the "hewers of wood and drawers of water" 
 in such a land as this ; but rather exile yourselves 
 to some far-off nook or corner — some dark, seques- 
 tered spot of earth. 
 
 " Where brooding darkness spreads her jealous wings, 
 Where the night-raven sings, 
 There, under ebon shades and low-browed rocks, 
 In dark Cimmerian darkness dwell." 
 
III. DEPARTMENT OF 1868-9. 
 
SCHOLASTIC LITERATURE. 
 
 THE INFLUENCE OF POETRY. 
 
 * 
 BY JAMES J. LONG. 
 
 The more the human mind contemplates the 
 subject of poetry, the more it is impressed with its 
 power and importance. It is a gift of Providence 
 to a few of the human race, to beautify nature, to 
 pave the way for virtue, and to overthrow vice and 
 immorality. Poetry may be considered as the 
 most useful of the fine arts, as it cultivates all, 
 while the others only exercise a part of the mental 
 machinery. 
 
 The fundamental principles of poetry consist, 
 not as the mere pretender thinks — in the production 
 of whose pen the world, at the present time, is 
 literally overflowing — in the exact measurement of 
 feet and harmony of sound, but true poetry may 
 be considered as beautiful ideas beautifully ex- 
 pressed. The poet has been justly styled a crea- 
 tor and a combiner, for he creates ideas, and skill- 
 14* (321) 
 
322 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 fully arranges them so as to make sweet harmony, 
 which makes all the tender chords of our nature 
 vibrate. The poet is not, however, deprived of 
 the privilege of relating facts in his own peculiar 
 way ; for would you follow the ancient Greeks and 
 Romans in their advancements in civilization, and 
 in their improvements in the arts and sciences, 
 turn to their poets; there you will find their ac- 
 quirements, in knowledge of every kind, traced in 
 a most beautiful style. 
 
 Every nation, since the creation, has had a style 
 peculiarly its ow T n. The untutored Indians that 
 once spread their wigwams in these grassy mead- 
 ows, delighted in the wild and heroic songs of war; 
 and their war-song grew louder and more fierce as 
 they danced around the war-pole, and related their 
 deeds of blood. The Goths and Vandals, too, de- 
 lighted in the wild and heroic songs of war. It 
 is the part of poetry to penetrate the uncertain 
 fields of the future with prophetic eye, or revel 
 amid the dark mazes of by-gone ages. The poet 
 loves to stretch before the mental eye all the 
 beauties and imagery of Nature ; he invites us to 
 look into the dim future, and watch the unfolding 
 of uncertain fate. 
 
 The poet sees and hears poetry in all nature- — 
 in ocean's sullen roar; in the wild, fierce storm; in 
 the murmuring brook ; in the gentle breezes ; in 
 Nature's feathered choristers ; in 
 
The Influence of Poetry. 323 
 
 " The heaven-embosomed sun ; the rainbows, 
 Where lucid forms disport the fancy eye ; 
 The vernal flower, mild, autumnal purpling glow, 
 The summer's thunder, and winter's snow." 
 
 i When the heart is chilled by the wintry blasts 
 of misfortune, and no solace is to be had from 
 social intercourse with our fellow-beings, nor from 
 mingling in pleasure's giddy rounds, then it is that 
 the troubled mind may forget, for a time, in follow- 
 ing some master-spirit of by-goiie ages through 
 the mazy labyrinths of thought, the terrible re- 
 ality which, like a simoom sweeping over some 
 flowery oasis, nips the first tender buds of hope. 
 And to the mental laborer, what is more exhilarat- 
 ing to his depressed spirits than with some favor- 
 ite bard to hold sweet communion with Nature 
 and Nature's God ? 
 
 Poetry has been denned by some writer to be 
 the language of the soul, which is the most appro- 
 priate definition that has been given ; for would 
 you know the character of a poet in the various 
 vicissitudes of life, you have a true index in his 
 writings. 
 
 Poetry seems often to be linked with talent 
 and true greatness, moving hand in hand with 
 them through the intricate mazes of life, cast- 
 ing a mantle of despondency over the too sensi- 
 tive spirit; and though hope's star occasionally 
 darts its flickering beams athwart their path, yet 
 
324 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 soon its light is obscured by the dark folds of 
 gloomy clouds ; and though favoring breezes may 
 sometimes disperse them, yet again they grow 
 darker and darker, until the silver lining seems 
 rent in twain, and their contents showered upon 
 the defenseless head. 
 
 The influence of poetry upon a nation's litera- 
 ture needs no demonstration; for what would* the 
 literature of Greece have been without a Homer, 
 that of Italy without a Virgil, a Horace, or a 
 Juvenal, England without a Shakspeare, a Milton, 
 or a Byron — yes, a Byron, whose writings, though 
 tending to demoralize, may, however, be consid- 
 ered as some of the first gems of literature? Let 
 us consider the influence of poetry over a nation's 
 morality. 
 
 Let us draw aside the veil of the past, and 
 let fancy rove back to the days of Homer — 
 that grand center and luminary around which all 
 other poets revolve, who sung of Achilles' wrath, 
 which hurled to Pluto's gloomy region the souls 
 of mighty chieftains untimely slain — and see what 
 was the condition of the Greeks. We find them 
 groping their way in anarchy and barbarism, with 
 but little, if any, knowledge of the true God. 
 Then it was as though 
 
 " The bright sun was extinguished, and the stars 
 Did wander darkly in the eternal space, 
 
The Influence of Poetry. 325 
 
 Rayless and pathless ; and the icy earth 
 Swung, blind and blackening, in moonless air." 
 
 But this transcendent genius, who looked from 
 his works as if he could sway a world at his will, 
 seeing the deplorable condition of his countrymen, 
 resolved, with the aid of Heaven, to enlighten 
 them upon that all -important subject — the ex- 
 istence of an overruling God. And descending 
 through the lapse of ages, let us contemplate a 
 Juvenal. This distinguished satirist flourished 
 when vice and immorality were held as household 
 gods by the degenerate Romans. Then it was 
 that the midnight assassin perpetrated deeds from 
 which virtue, modesty, and piety shrank abashed, 
 from viewing which the pale-faced moon and her 
 train of twinkling stars hid their faces behind 
 their cloudy drapery ; yes, it was then that the 
 strong exerted their power over the weak, and 
 ground them down into poverty and want, with- 
 out one feeling of remorse in their adamantine 
 souls. 
 
 But the shafts of unrestrained liberty were des- 
 tined to bring about an entire reformation, for they 
 were so directed to chastise vice as well as to 
 encourage it, and its first efforts made the most 
 powerful vices to tremble, and the masters of the 
 world to shake upon their thrones. 
 
 Then, since poetry has exerted so powerful an 
 
326 Scholastic Literature, 
 
 influence over the destinies of men, and even 
 nations, who is more worthy to be admitted to the 
 glory of the illustrious dead than the poet ? But 
 it is not so. The poet has been permitted to pass 
 down into the silent regions of the dead, almost 
 unhonored. 
 
The Useful and Beautiful. 327 
 
 THE USEFUL AND BEAUTIFUL. 
 
 BY VV. A. PROSSER. 
 
 Life is like a fountain by a thousand streams, 
 that perish if one he dried up. It is a silver 
 chord twisted together with a thousand strings, 
 that part asunder if one be broken. Yet the lute 
 of the soul, whose silken chords are entwined 
 with the living fibers of the heart, when swept by 
 the tenderest hand, gives forth a harmony more 
 beautiful than the lute of Orpheus, strung with 
 poets' sinews, and touched with a hand that could 
 quell all the savage passions of the human heart, 
 and lend forth its noblest powers to revelry — 
 
 " When brighter suns disperse serener light, 
 And milder morns emparadise the night." 
 
 Now, Fancy may plume her wings for the fairy 
 fields of light, and combine at a glance the utility 
 and beauty of yon bright ^panorama of glittering 
 worlds, at whose magnitude the soaring astron- 
 omer staggers, and exclaims: "They are but a 
 point in the diagram of the universe, but a line 
 in the geometry of Nature." 
 
328 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 What presents a more useful and beautiful ap- 
 pearance than the great king of day, as he quick- 
 ens the sleeping eye of Nature, animating the 
 heart of this stupendous universe? or the pale 
 queen of night, as she rides up in the heavens, 
 smiling down upon us from without the jasper 
 walls of the fair city, till the infinitude of the 
 golden tresses falls down the steeps of heaven, 
 and mingles with the sinking torch of Hesper, until 
 she hides her shining face in the westward-sloping 
 pathway of her silver sister-spheres ? There were 
 they set for holy dominion by Him who marked 
 for the sun his journey, and bade the moon know 
 her going down. They were built for their place 
 in the far-off sky. Approach them, and the beauty 
 of their aspect fades into blanched fearfulness : 
 their purple walls are rent into grizzly rocks; their 
 silver fret-works sadden into wasting snow ; the 
 storm-brands of ages are on their breast; the ashes 
 of their own ruin lie solemnly on their white rai- 
 ment. Let us turn there, and stand, in imagina- 
 tion, amid the sepulchers of earth's monuments of 
 human weakness, that have blackened and crum- 
 bled as the worm gnawed its way into the tomb, 
 amid the fierce storms that have swept over their 
 beautiful heads, and bowed them forever. The 
 tomb of Moses is unknown; but the traveler 
 slakes his thirst at the well of Jacob. The gor- 
 geous palace of the wisest of monarchs, with the 
 
The Useful and Beautiful. 329 
 
 cedar, gold, and ivory, and even the temple of 
 Jerusalem, hallowed by the visible glory of ihe 
 Deity himself, are gone; but Solomon's reservoirs 
 are as perfect as ever. The golden house of Nero 
 is a mass of ruins; but the Aqua Claudia still 
 pours into Rome its limpid stream. The Temple 
 of the Sun at Padmar, in the wilderness, has 
 fallen, but its fountains sparkle as freely in the 
 sun as when thousands of worshipers thronged its 
 lofty colonnades. 
 
 Thus we see that no work of beauty alone can 
 ever rise over the deep ocean of time; that the 
 Useful, combined with the Beautiful, can only 
 flash through the mist of antiquity. This com- 
 bination cultivates all others, and shines with un- 
 dying luster from generation to generation. This 
 earth is beautiful; yet not the silver clouds 
 stretched over the sun's couch, nor the burnished 
 waves of the ocean, nor the misty mountain's 
 height, upon whose top the azure vault of heaven 
 seems resting, can compare in usefulness with 
 that "house not made with hands," that "city 
 whose maker and builder is God." There waves 
 of glory roll in glittering billows, while the celes- 
 tial couriers hang with rapture upon the opening 
 vistas of that boundless realm of endless delight. 
 Everlasting ages circle the unmapped mysteries 
 of the future world, and overtop those star-worlds 
 kingdomed in immensity, and circle the eternal 
 
330 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 solitude of the life to come. Strange sight! Man, 
 a dweller on this dim speck called earth — this 
 atom of an atom — would still live forever ! What 
 a thought! Can the depths of all earth's boasted 
 wisdom evolve a grander one? Crowns, king- 
 doms, and systems shall sink in the Lethean waves 
 of oblivion, and pass away like a wild dream ; the 
 heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll, and 
 all their beauty pass away. With such thoughts, 
 man wonders at his own origin, and pants for the 
 stream of life, and turns aside to drop the veil of 
 mortality, and be clothed with spotless robes of 
 purity. 
 
Washington s and Clay 's Tombs. 331 
 
 WASHINGTON'S AND CLAY'S TOMBS. 
 
 BY T. J. FOWLER. 
 
 Above the bosom of the broad Potomac a hill 
 lifts its head on high, and throws its shadows on 
 the dancing wave. There, on that gentle decliv- 
 ity, is a vault, and there, fast moldering into dust, 
 is a noble and gallant heart, that once throbbed 
 with the purest patriotism, the highest, loftiest 
 courage. There withers the arm that struck down 
 the host of the enemy, and flung to the breeze the 
 banner of our freedom;- there the feet are at rest 
 that plunged through ice and snow, that trod the 
 burning sands; and the mind that conceived, and 
 the spirit that nourished, and the iron energy that 
 executed, and the bold and noble man whose form 
 contained all these, and to whom, under God, we 
 this day owe our greatness and glory — all are 
 buried there. 
 
 No unhallowed foot tramples upon that sacred 
 soil. The rude laugh is hushed; the fierce strife 
 restrained; and, with tearful eyes and uncovered 
 brows, generations have stood, and will stand, 
 
332 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 around and about the grave of Washington. And 
 why? Was it simply because he was a mighty 
 warrior ? So was Napoleon. Was it because he 
 struck boldly for his country's honor? So did 
 thousands besides him. It was these, but it was 
 more : it was because he added to his powerful 
 mind the pure and lofty principles of morality; 
 and around the rest by a heavenly faith, a con- 
 fiding hope, a holy life. 
 
 Never be ashamed, my young friends, of being 
 esteemed religious. If any mock you, if any ask 
 you what courageous, what noble mind has ever 
 embraced its holy teachings, point them to that 
 tomb beside yon bounding river, and answer: 
 "Washington." 
 
 Another name should here be mentioned — 
 Henry Clay. The tears are still in the eyes of 
 this nation, the heart of our country is still throb- 
 bing with unfeigned sorrow, at the loss of one 
 who was chief among the orators, the patriots, the 
 sages of America. Amid the pride of station, the 
 crowd of honors, the cheering uproar of applause, 
 surrounded by prosperity, by friends, by fame, 
 the still small voice of the messenger from heaven 
 whispered to his heart: "All this is not thy rest; 
 follow thou me." And he obeyed — first doubt- 
 fully, then willingly, and, at the close, gladly; 
 and so life sweetly and beautifully passed away, 
 leaving the-jjame of Henry Clay dear to us for 
 
Washington s and Clays Tombs, 333 
 
 his brave, and patriotic, and splendid achieve- 
 ments, but dearer to the Christian heart for the 
 humility, and faith, and hope which clustered 
 around life's closing scenes. View his splendid 
 monument near Lexington, standing tall and 
 piercing the skies, in full view of his beloved Ash- 
 land. This monument keeps alive the sacred re- 
 collections of Henry Clay's noble national ser- 
 vices, and the rising generation will delight to 
 gaze on his tomb, and read the worthy deeds of 
 his life, and to render the beloved Ashland more 
 endearing to the State of Kentucky. Under the 
 providence of God, her State University is located 
 at his beautiful homestead, where every poor boy, 
 depending upon himself by the advantage of his 
 manual labor, can drink of the fount of knowl- 
 edge. This University comprises six Colleges, or- 
 ganized under the control of competent Trustees, 
 to fulfill the design of its noble founders. From 
 this institution from five hundred to seven hun- 
 dred students go forth annually to the world, 
 leavening the population with the fruits of science. 
 Then may we ever cherish the memory of such 
 men as Washington, Clay, and Jackson, and a 
 host of others whose names stand illustrious on 
 history's page ! Mourn we bitterly our country's 
 loss! cherish we ever their glorious memories! 
 And believe not, my friends, that those are the 
 only examples I could bring. Ten thousand times 
 
334 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 ten thousand of bright and pure intellects of in- 
 domitable, fearless courage, have acknowledged 
 the same sway, have worshiped at the same shrine, 
 have gloried in this homage, and given their blood 
 as a cement to their faith. 
 
Women of the Present Day. 335 
 
 WOMEN OF THE PRESENT DAY. 
 
 BY JOSIE McADAMS. 
 
 Women nowadays are not, or do not, apply 
 themselves as they did in olden times. They are 
 delicate, and cannot (to hear them) do any thing 
 that requires half the labor that work accom- 
 plished by them of earlier years did. They seem 
 to be more timid now than then. I have often 
 heard old women talk of old days, comparing the 
 women of then and now. It used to be the cus- 
 tom of all, in olden times, to walk to church some 
 three or four miles. Now, women would stay at 
 home and fret all day, before they would walk so 
 far; their shoes would not last such a distance. 
 But could they not do like the women used to do 
 — wear coarse shoes until nearly at church, then 
 put on their Sunday go-to-meeting ones? "Well," 
 one would say, "we might have our beaux with 
 us." Well, send them along, to wait till you 
 change your shoes. But a lady must have a new 
 dress every month for church — that of the finest 
 material, too ; not, like those of our old grand- 
 
336 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 mothers, homespun. Why, yes, to be sure, in 
 olden times women were fine who had new home- 
 spun dresses, and very often bonnets of the same 
 material ; but compare the wardrobe of the women 
 of nowadays and other days. Now, they must 
 have a new hat or bonnet every spring and fall, in 
 small towns and in the country; but in large 
 cities fashion demands new ones every month, 
 while in olden times a bonnet was fashionable as 
 long as it lasted. Now, a young lady must have 
 dresses in abundance — the more dresses, the more 
 honorable. In olden times a dress would answer 
 for the purpose as long as it lasted. A young lady 
 must have all and every thing to make beautiful : 
 she must have the "magnolia bloom of youth," 
 paint lily-white, to hide all her external imperfec- 
 tions ; but in olden times she was made fair and 
 beautiful by labor of all kinds. Her bloom of 
 youth was composed of the essence of kindness 
 and good sense; her paint was composed of exer- 
 cise. Now every thing is considered. I know old 
 men who have fashionable daughters would prefer 
 a change, and to have the fashion of olden times 
 to come again. A young girl, in olden times, was 
 taught to read, write, and spell, while now they 
 must have a knowledge of all things — such as 
 music, dancing, and singing; she must have a 
 knowledge of all the different languages. 
 
 I do not think there was as much attention 
 
Women of the Present Day, 337 
 
 given to the young women of that age as there 
 should have been; but it does not require that 
 they should know every thing to fill their place. 
 She should have a good education — one with 
 which she could, if left alone, support herself, 
 and those thrown under her care. It does not 
 require that a lady must be sent to college to gain 
 knowledge, and become accomplished; for very 
 often it is the case that she returns home only a 
 little polished, and thinks that one head can con- 
 tain it all. She gives fashionable calls, attends 
 all the balls and parties, talks French, and is per- 
 fect in putting on airs. She also sleeps late; 
 never tries to be of any use whatever at home ; 
 she takes her naps during the day, reads a novel 
 story, and late in the day her ride must be taken. 
 Of what use is she to herself, or the world? 
 Now, the girl in olden times had no need of all 
 this flattering knowledge. She could read books 
 that were useful to her in the position she occu- 
 pied; she attended parties when necessary, but 
 with not so much formality ; she took her naps at 
 night, when all her day's work was over; took 
 her ride on business, such as going to market, or 
 watering the horses, or driving the cows to the 
 pasture. Now, you all know that she was useful 
 to "herself, and to those with whom she was con- 
 nected. 
 
 I have often noticed difference of treatment be- 
 15 
 
338 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 tween the fashionable girl of nowadays and the 
 poor girl who imitates good sense. Mark the 
 difference — they both come in the same circle : 
 one is trimmed fast, a perfect aristocrat; the 
 other a good girl, but not a fashionable girl. One 
 receives all compliments from those of high rank; 
 the other the kind sayings of the warm-hearted. 
 The fast girl has so many admirers; she is so 
 well accomplished, you hear her spoken of in all 
 crowds and social gatherings. It is often asked 
 of her, " Is she rich ?" as though riches were the 
 passport from earth to heaven. The unfashion- 
 able girl plods her way through the world, spoken 
 of in ways of those who love the ways of the 
 good. She is almost certain to be the happier of 
 the two, I think. If we would all try more to 
 imitate the fashions of the women of olden times 
 than those of the present age, we would be more 
 happy. 
 
 One great aim through life should be to be use- 
 ful to ourselves and an ornament to society. It 
 is not required that we must be fashionable or 
 rich, but that we should be kind, intelligent, lovely, 
 and useful to the world. 
 
Home. 339 
 
 HOME. 
 
 BY ITTIE SAWYERS. 
 
 There is probably no word in the English lan- 
 guage that has so much sweetness in it as the word 
 "Home" — that touches the tender chords of the 
 heart, and makes it vibrate as the sweet word, 
 "Home." No other word in all the books will 
 supply its place. Who would have any other? 
 It seems as if Providence has implanted within 
 us, not only a love and attachment for the name, 
 but a love and attachment for the place we call 
 home. Again, it seems that Deity has implanted 
 in every living creature a love of home, from the 
 little ant, that gathers its food in summer with so 
 much industry, and places it away so snugly in its 
 home for its winter supply. How wise the little 
 ant ! Though it may, through the day, wander 
 far from its little home in search of food, still it 
 remembers its dear little home. My young friends, 
 look to the ant, and learn lessons of industry and 
 wisdom — wisdom in laying up in store for the cold 
 winter days. 
 
340 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 All domestic animals seem to have a love for 
 their particular place, home. When the sun is 
 setting behind the western horizon, and the shades 
 of night begin to fall on them, they gather them- 
 selves to their particular home. None but the 
 wild beasts of prey go out from their homes 
 after the darkness of night comes on. From this 
 I think the young men in particular should learn 
 a very important lesson, and if there be older 
 men here, heads of families, who are accustomed 
 to seek their pleasure away from home, away from 
 the family circle, they too would do well to learn 
 a lesson, that only wild beasts of prey leave their 
 homes after night. They should remember that 
 while they are absent from the family circle, and 
 enjoying themselves ever so pleasantly, all is not 
 happiness at home. There are lonely and sad ones 
 there, as little as you may think of it. 
 
 The first home we have any account of was the 
 beautiful garden, Eden. In that home, prepared 
 for our first parents, all was beautiful, grand, and 
 lovely, from the tiny flower to the large, full-grown 
 tree, and trees of delicious fruit, and the little 
 gurgling, sparkling stream. Every thing conspired 
 to make that a lovely home. The sun, moon, and 
 stars looked down upon that lovely place with 
 delight. We have in this a very good pattern for 
 a home — one made by Deity himself. Erom this 
 all may draw a good and profitable lesson. But, 
 
Home. 341 
 
 alas, how soon was that beautiful home changed ! 
 Instead of the sweet little opening flower, there 
 grew the ugly brier to choke it out, and there were 
 bitterness and sorrows there, which marred the 
 peace of that once lovely home, and ever since as 
 was that home so are many now. Although there 
 may be, and is, much in the family circle at home 
 that is pleasant, and that affords the greatest 
 happiness, still there are often sadness, grief, and 
 sorrow there. In that lovely circle one is taken 
 sick — father, mother, brother, sister, a dear child ; 
 then there is sadness written on every brow. 
 Death throws around them his icy-cold arms; they 
 are gone. Then there are grief and sorrow there 
 which cannot be told. That loving circle is broken 
 up; there is a vacant seat in that once lovely 
 home. 
 
 The family circle is often broken by members 
 leaving for some other spot or place, which they 
 may call home. Sometimes a boy or girl turns 
 prodigal, and leaves the dear old home : again there 
 is sadness. As said before, how often is home 
 made sad ! All are ready to say, How dear are our 
 homes to us ! None are prepared to know the 
 worth of home until they are deprived of its 
 privileges and comforts ; though it may be but an 
 humble cot, still it is sweet, sweet home, how 
 dear! 
 
 There is a sad thought forces itself upon my 
 
342 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 mind, and it is this, that there are many who have 
 no place that they can call home. How heart- 
 rending it is to think of the many poor orphan chil- 
 dren, this cold wintry weather, while we are well 
 provided for, who have no pleasant and comfortable 
 places into which to gather themselves ; no soft, 
 downy bed on which to rest their aching heads ; 
 no table laden with God's rich blessings to satisfy 
 their gnawing hunger ; no warm fire around which 
 to gather to warm their cold and frozen limbs ! 
 Who does not feel for the poor orphan, homeless 
 one ? we should help them ! 
 
 After all, though we may have our pleasant 
 homes, and every thing about them that is calcu- 
 lated to make us happy, still the thought comes 
 stealing over our minds that we have no continu- 
 ing home here — that soon we must leave those 
 pleasant places, though they be ever so dear to us. 
 How important, then, that we have a title to a 
 home in that mansion far above the skies ! If we 
 are but good, the blessed book of inspiration tells 
 us that there are beautiful homes prepared beyond 
 the shores of Time for such. And that home is 
 beautiful beyond description. Its streets are of 
 pure gold; its walls are resplendent with beauty; 
 and through it runs the beautiful stream, clear as 
 crystal; and there will be no sickness there, no 
 death there, no tears of sorrow there, no more 
 separation in that beautiful and glorious home. 
 
The Honored Dead. 343 
 
 THE HONORED DEAD. 
 
 BY J. M. CUNNINGHAM. 
 
 Permit me, on this occasion, to ask the Southern 
 heart to stop its gay festivity for awhile, and ask 
 its sober second thought, its real feeling, toward 
 those who have yielded their lives upon the hon- 
 ored field of battle ; yes, lend an ear to my trem- 
 bling tongue, while I answer your inquiry as to 
 who they are. But before I proceed farther, I 
 hope there are none who will be so presumptuous 
 as to think I speak to-day with the view of casting 
 any reflection upon any one or any body politic. 
 My friends, that day is past ; the strife ended, the 
 banner is no longer wafted in the soft zephyrs of 
 heaven, and the honored dead sleep. Let them 
 quietly lie, for — 
 
 " How sleep the brave who sink to rest 
 By all their country's wishes blest !" 
 
 Shall they be forgotten? You, whose silvered 
 locks tell the tale of life, can answer this best; 
 
344 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 and you, whose cheeks and ruby lips tell the tale 
 of love, go strew your flowers over the cemeteries 
 in whose bosom now lie their fair forms, soon to 
 molder and return to mother earth; go moisten 
 the dust with the tears of love and gratitude ! 
 Yes, deck them, friends, lovers, foes. " Let pas- 
 sion end where graves begin." 
 
 They fell on the field of honor. They gave 
 their lives, their hearts, and their fair fame for the 
 cause of liberty, for the salvation of the land that 
 now covers their proud forms from the rays of 
 yonder scorching and desolating sun. 
 
 " Go, stranger, tell the Spartan here they lie, 
 Who to support their laws do boldly die." 
 
 Neptune shall sooner bury itself with its waters 
 than the memory of the trophies gained there; 
 and "Bunker Hill" shall perish sooner than the 
 glory of that great battle of Gettysburg shall be 
 forgotten ; Chickamauga and Shiloh will sooner 
 cease to be than the memory of those who fell on 
 those historic fields. Revolution may arise and 
 sweep over the earth, leveling the proud kingdoms 
 of the world in one universal wreck ; monumental 
 marble will decay and be no more ; the pole will 
 lose its magnetic attraction ; the fiery, forked light- 
 ning will shoot its angry blaze athwart the heavens, 
 and bid defiance to the will of man, sooner than 
 the glory of the man who falls upon the field of 
 
The Honored Dead. 345 
 
 honor. That glory is as fadeless as the sun, and 
 as eternal as mind itself. 
 
 Mount the wings of imagination and scan the 
 dark and buried past, and tell me if Leonidas did 
 not die in obedience to his country? Csesar 
 perched his eagle in the sunlight of heaven, and 
 fought for it, because it was the renown of his 
 country's glory. The Italian enters the bloody 
 contest for revenge. Socrates drank the poison 
 from the deadly hemlock, and at set of sun quietly 
 breathed the life of a martyr for truth. Alexan- 
 der drank the cup of Hercules, and with brain of 
 fire died, weeping for a field of greater carnage. 
 Napoleon, while the waves of the sea leaped and 
 laughed in their freedom, poured out his life in 
 vain sighs over the injustice of his murderous im- 
 prisonment. Yet more fearless far than those 
 heroes of the ensanguined fields, more fadeless 
 far than any laurels which ever twined the brow 
 of ancient chieftain, is the immortal Shamrock 
 which strangers' hands have placed upon those who 
 now sleep the sleep that knows no awakening, 
 under the pine and the myrtle of the genial sunny 
 South. 
 
 Glorious men ! your names will live while valor 
 is known and finds a home among the children of 
 the earth; your remains may lie exhumed, or 
 bleaching under the sun, far away from home and 
 your loved land; the stranger's eyes may weep 
 15* 
 
346 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 over your graves, and place the fragrant lilies 
 there, but your virtue and your deeds of daring 
 will live in the hearts of your Southern associates 
 while the stars shall promenade the skies. Sooner 
 shall the glittering little stars, that dance in the 
 heavens to the music of the spheres, when the 
 world is wrapt in silent gloom, cease their gambols, 
 and fall, like blasted figs, to darken forever in the 
 trackless void, than you shall perish and pass for- 
 ever away from the thoughts of men ! Your re- 
 sistless charges have immortalized the field of 
 honor; your bravery has wrung commendation 
 from the lips even of your enemies ; your devo- 
 tion to your country has been the admiration of 
 the world. In after ages, the voices from an hun- 
 dred fields of our glorious dead will ring in the 
 ear of tyrants, and cause them to tremble; for the 
 Nemesis will come and hurl them headlong from 
 places desecrated by their presence. 
 
 What a wild world of thought pours his legions 
 over the mind while we stand uncovered before 
 the honored but humble tomb of a Jackson, a 
 Polk, a Cleburne, a Rains, a Stewart, and a Pel- 
 ham! We might as well lay our hand upon our 
 heart and tell it, in tones of sadness, to stop its 
 throbbing, and hope the extention of life, as to 
 hope to drive from our bosoms the cherished mem- 
 ory of those great and good men who have died 
 on the fields of honor. 
 
The Honored Dead. 347 
 
 In searching the dusty tombs of centuries — 
 
 " Wherein the histories of men are writ, 
 We find sometimes a soul that seems to sit, 
 Like a serene indweller of the skies, 
 Above the heat, the passion, and the strife, 
 The pomp and pleasures of this lower life. 
 Yes, a being firm in war, 
 
 When justice is at stake, 
 Who'd lead the struggle far, 
 And die for virtue's sake." 
 
 Let us view with voiceless pride that peerless 
 chieftain of whom the nineteenth century has 
 cause to be proud, while his exhausted veterans 
 are sleeping under the cold and silent moon ; see 
 him watching their safety, hear his lips rend the 
 air of heaven with praise and adoration to Him 
 who rules yonder glittering orb ; and, lastly, see 
 his wounded, bleeding body borne from the field 
 of Chancellorsville, and tell me if fabled heroes, 
 Greek or Roman centurions of modern or ancient 
 times, have produced, ever, a superior. to our own 
 Stonewall Jackson. His name will ride triumph- 
 ant the tide of time, while those who couple with 
 it the vile name of traitor will be lost in the eter- 
 nal shades of oblivion. 
 
 And now, slumbering comrades, we sadly and 
 solemnly leave you in the grave of glorious 
 immortality, and hope to meet you in the broad, 
 broad hereafter ; for you fought for liberty, you fell 
 for your country, you died on the field of honor. 
 
348 Scholastic Literature, 
 
 ALL EARTHLY THINGS ARE TRAN- 
 SIENT. 
 
 BY MOLLIE CRUNK. 
 
 The theme which I have selected, and upon 
 which I have attempted to write, is truly worthy 
 the attention of us all. When we think for a mo- 
 ment how soon every thing which we hold dear to 
 ourselves shall have been swept from the face of 
 the earth, serious thoughts engage our attention, 
 and we are prone to inquire, Why should such 
 things happen at all ? In glancing at the history 
 of all nations, we are made acquainted with the 
 fact that no nation has ever existed for all time. 
 We have also arrived at the conclusion that such 
 things were intended from the creation of the 
 world, and God has reserved the control of all 
 nations to himself, that man may not forget the 
 great moral lesson of humility and dependence. 
 
 In glancing over the history of this continent, 
 we learn that it was originally inhabited by a race 
 of people who, in point of intelligence, were far 
 inferior to the present inhabitants of the country. 
 
All Earthly Things are Transient. 349 
 
 As a race, they have withered from the land. 
 Such will evidently be the condition of the human 
 race. In years to come, the familiar faces around 
 us will have been swept from the earth. While 
 we examine the world's books of history, let us 
 reflect what has become of the great nations whose 
 deeds are there recorded. The Assyrian Empire 
 is a howling wilderness, and the most diligent 
 search has failed to discover the foundation of the 
 walls of Babylon. Nowhere in the Persian do- 
 minions can be found any relics of Cyrus and his 
 splendid court, or Xerxes and his three millions 
 of soldiers. Go to the domain of the Mediter- 
 ranean Sea, which seems to have been the spot 
 selected by the Almighty as the scene of the 
 grandest achievements of the human race, and you 
 will find nothing but the ruins of empires and the 
 wrecks of greatness, from the Pillars of Hercules 
 to the threshold of Constantinople. We may ex- 
 pect the same to happen to our lovely country in 
 the course of time. We have no reason to believe 
 that we shall escape the universal doom which 
 seems to hang over the nations of the earth. 
 
 The wisest men have proclaimed that the things 
 which have been shall be, and a greater than 
 Solomon has pointed to the word " Decay," writ- 
 ten with the ringer of God on the door-posts of 
 the temple of earthly grandeur. When we look 
 around us, whether in the halls of mirth and 
 
350 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 gayety, or where the young, in all their simplicity, 
 meet, we are alike impressed with the belief that 
 youth and beauty must soon pass away. 
 
 In the next place, I cite you to the sturdy oak 
 of the forest. See its tall branches, see its wav- 
 ing foliage, see its wide-spreading shade. It has 
 been king of the forest for centuries, but change 
 is depicted in every leaf. " Passing away" is its 
 destiny as well as all other earthly things. Look 
 to the splendid cities built by men, with their tall 
 spires penetrating the ethereal blue. See their 
 wonderful dimensions, see their swinging gardens, 
 behold their aerial fish-ponds, behold their high 
 and broad walls around them ; but these, with all 
 their grandeur and sublimity, are also earthly and 
 transient, and old Time, with his withering blasts, 
 will soon level all to the ground, and their history 
 will only remain to tell that such magnificent 
 works once were. 
 
 Let us take a peep into our own destiny, and 
 w r e see that we too are transient creatures ; but 
 we, as beings, are different from all we have named. 
 We bear the impress of Divinity, and have been 
 created to live forever. what an astonishing 
 fact is this ! We pass away from the vision of 
 our companions, but we have a living principle in 
 our being that changes its residence for awhile. 
 Things have a tendency to return to their ow T n 
 original — the body to mother dust, and the spirit 
 
All Earthly Things are Transient. 351 
 
 to God who gave it. On earth, all is change, all 
 is transient ; in heaven alone perfection exists and 
 purity reigns. Man is transient, deceptive, dying, 
 and passing away; but God is immutable and 
 eternal, and will assimilate the good like unto him- 
 self, and cause that they may rejoice in heaven 
 for evermore. 
 
352 Scholastic Literature, 
 
 THE VOICE OF THE PAST. 
 
 BY B. W. DIXON. 
 
 From the deep, dark recesses of the past there 
 comes to the ear of philosophy and of religion a 
 voice of warning and of wisdom. It comes from 
 the plains of Chaldea; it rises from the vales of 
 Palestine ; it murmurs out from the tombs of the 
 Nile. It speaks to us of the great king who 
 once ruled over the land of the Nile. All w T ho 
 met him paid him reverence. Millions rose up at 
 his bidding, and came and went again at his com- 
 mand. In the pride of his heart, he built him a 
 city, from whose hundred gates there issued out 
 a hundred thousand warriors, all clad in armor, 
 ready to carry dominion, destruction, and death 
 wherever he listed. He erected a statue which, 
 by some curious mechanism, saluted with strange 
 music the rising sun. He called for his obeisant 
 slaves, and they went to the quarry of living 
 rock, and dug from the mountain-side the gigantic 
 block, and, by means unknown to modern times, 
 transported the huge masses to the plains, and 
 
The Voice of the Past. 353 
 
 there erected a pyramid, to serve as a place of 
 burial for his body, and to perpetuate his memo- 
 rable name. But of his hundred-gated city nothing 
 but ruins remains. His statue has fallen, and no 
 longer emits its tones of music. His pyramid 
 yet stands ; but of the body it was intended to 
 preserve, not a vestige, not a particle of dust re- 
 mains; while his name, his very name, is lost — 
 lost forever; nor will its echo ever again fall on 
 human ears. 
 
 There came another, and he ruled over the 
 plains of Chaldea. His dominion extended over 
 the Euphrates and Tigris, famed in song. By un- 
 hallowed yet successful war, he extended his 
 sway over the Jordan, whose limpid waters were 
 sacred to the chosen people of the Most High, and 
 over the sweet-gliding Kedron. At noonday he 
 walked out on his palace-roof, and looked over the 
 magnificent city he had built, and boasted that he 
 was greater than all kings, and even aspired to 
 equal the Most High. 
 
 Next came he of Persia's wide-extended realms. 
 In his arrogance, he scourged the sea for having 
 interfered with his plans. Along Thermopylae's 
 defiles he marched his countless hosts. A hun- 
 dred years passed, and his warriors were gone, 
 his obeisant followers gone — all gone; his king- 
 dom was subverted, and himself forgotten. 
 
 Then came another- — he of Macedon, preemi- 
 
354 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 nently called "the Great" — the self-styled son of 
 Ammon. On the utmost boundaries of the habit- 
 able globe the tramp of his fiery steed was heard. 
 From the jungle of the Indus, the tiger was 
 startled by the clattering of his hosts. When 
 he had conquered the world, he sat down on the 
 shores of the Indian Ocean, and wept that there 
 was not another world for him to conquer. But 
 where is he now? What remains of him but his 
 name? Who knows the place of his grave? Where 
 is his kingdom — his kingdom of universal do- 
 minion ? 
 
 Next came he of the sunny Tiber. Before him 
 the swift Parthian fled, and from his warlike 
 strokes the fierce Gaul recoiled. The Briton, 
 dwelling in the ultima thule of the ocean, trem- 
 bled at his name. To him the liberty -loving 
 people of Borne offered a crown, which he wisely 
 refused in name, yet received in fact. His em- 
 pire he bounded by the ocean, his fame by the 
 stars. The city where he dwelt men called the 
 Eternal. And what now remains of him, or of 
 the Eternal City of his honor? 
 
 There came another. From, the shores of the 
 frozen North he rushed down on the plains of 
 Italy. He boastfully declared that not a blade 
 of grass ever grew beneath where his horse had 
 trod. His legions of wild and savage barbarians 
 did his bidding in spoiling the earth, and sacking 
 
The Voice of the Past 355 
 
 its cities, and deluging its plains with blood. But 
 his horse's tramp has long since ceased to sound, 
 and the grass has grown green again. He him- 
 self lies, unknown and unhonored, beneath the 
 Busentian waters. His hosts have vanished like 
 a shadow, and the earth is at rest again. 
 
 Ages passed away, and there came another 
 still. From the Mediterranean isle he suddenly 
 blazed with dazzling brilliancy on the eyes of 
 men. The darkness of despotic power retired be- 
 fore him. At his approach the thrones of kings 
 tottered, and fell, and crumbled. Kings and queens 
 came down on the plain, and bowed the knee, and 
 kissed his hand. He stamped on the earth, and 
 there sprang up men armed to the teeth, ready to 
 do battle for him, either on the burning sands of 
 Egypt, or along the sunny plains of Italy, or amid 
 the unbounded forests of Russia. He brought 
 down the eagle of Austria, grappled with the bear 
 of Russia, and kept at bay the lion of England. 
 His power knew no resistance, his ambition no 
 bounds. The people flung their caps in the air, 
 and cried: "Long live Napoleon, Emperor of the 
 French ! " But over the spirit of his dream there 
 came a change. His star, which had shone re- 
 splendent on all the landscapes, was shorn of its 
 beams in the murky atmosphere of Waterloo. It 
 finally set, quenched forever of its fires, in the 
 Atlantic Ocean. Far away in the waste of waters, 
 
356 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 where gallant ships seldom sail, rises high toward 
 heaven a bleak and barren rock. Here were spent 
 the latter days of him, and here was made the 
 grave of him who made the earth tremble. 
 
 " The only, the perpetual dirge 
 
 That 's heard there is the sea-bird's cry ; 
 The mournful murmurs of the surge, 
 
 The cloud's deep voice, the wind's low sigh." 
 
Silent Cities. 357 
 
 SILENT CITIES. 
 
 BY ADDIE BIRMINGHAM. 
 
 While contemplating the ruins and devastations 
 of the most famous cities ever erected by the 
 hand of man, our minds are filled with indescrib- 
 able awe. Strange, indeed, that cities filled with 
 all the wealth and luxuries the world could pro- 
 duce, and surrounded by walls whose strength 
 seemed to bid defiance to time, should now lie 
 moldering in the dust! But such is the case. 
 Those splendid palaces, whose halls were the 
 scenes of festive magnificence, and thronged by 
 individuals whom Death has long since claimed as 
 his own, once the seat of luxury and vice, but 
 now abandoned to decay, serve as dens for wild 
 beasts. 
 
 Where now is ancient Nineveh? It was once 
 a great and beautiful city, but now it is a place of 
 desolation. No vestige of it remains ; no monu- 
 ment is left to mark the place where it once stood. 
 Where is old Babylon, which was far superior, 
 both in beauty and size, to Nineveh? It is cut 
 
o 
 
 58 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 down to the ground ; it is now a silent scene — a 
 sublime solitude. Where once stood the splendid 
 palaces of this city, whose walls resounded to 
 voices that have long since been stilled, are now 
 heaps of ruins ; and among them is heard the hoot 
 of the owl, the growl of the tiger, and the roar 
 of the lion. And where are the Jews, who hung 
 their harps on the willow- trees? They sleep in 
 the mausoleum of ages. The breezes waft sweet 
 music through the trees, and the river near Baby- 
 lon murmurs a dirge over its buried greatness; 
 yet the slumberers wake not, and the occupants 
 of the tomb heed it not. The highest mound 
 among the ruins, which has the appearance of a 
 high hill, was once the great Temple of Belus, 
 said to be the most elevated structure of man, 
 being higher than the greatest of the Egyptian 
 pyramids. The wonderful walls of Babylon, where 
 are they now? They are utterly broken down; 
 no trace of them can be found; and this, the 
 pride of the world, the glory of kingdoms — the 
 Golden City, as it was called — is no more. Nothing 
 but ruins remain to indicate that it was ever in- 
 habited. 
 
 Tyre is another famous city whose glory has 
 departed. It was renowned for luxury, wealth, 
 and commerce; but the Chaldeans waged war 
 against it, and leveled it to the dust. This once 
 proud city, the mistress of the sea, is now a place 
 
Silent Cities. 359 
 
 of gloom and solitude. Where are the. cities of 
 ancient Egypt — her Thebes and her Memphis? 
 They have long since slumbered in the dust; the 
 temples used as places of worship are now hid- 
 ing-places for serpents. Like other cities which 
 yielded to the crashing hand of Time, was Pal- 
 myra, Baalbec, and Jerusalem, which are now in 
 ruins. 
 
 Jerusalem, the city of God, has been hum- 
 bled to the ground; which serves to remind us 
 we are only reared to flourish awhile, and then 
 fade and pass away. Her temples are now filled 
 with wild beasts; the splendid palace of Solomon 
 has been searched for in vain, and the thousands 
 of worshipers who used to gather in the temple 
 have long since slept in the silent grave, and the 
 rank weeds wave over their crumbling bones. If 
 we could visit the place where stood the cities of 
 Sparta and Athens, we could there see the wreck 
 of former glory — the homes of philosophers, he- 
 roes, poets, and statesmen, who now sleep in the 
 solemn and sublime city of the dead. Where is 
 the proud city of Rome, which boasted of having 
 conquered the whole world? She has fallen, and 
 her history has been written in characters of 
 blood. 
 
 Melancholy, indeed, are the ruins of old Rome. 
 This immense city — the Queen of the Seven 
 Hills, the terror of nations — which had been en- 
 
360 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 riched by the spoil of the whole world, with all 
 her pomp and glory, has wasted away, until noth- 
 ing remains but fragments of its former magnifi- 
 cent edifices. 
 
The Self-conceited Student. 361 
 
 THE SELF-CONCEITED STUDENT. 
 
 BY J. C. TALLEY. 
 
 We are here before you, on this pleasant occa- 
 sion, to present a few thoughts concerning the 
 self-conceited student. Man, left to himself, is 
 vain. Evil imaginations seem to flow forth from 
 his vain mind as natural as sparks are to fly up- 
 ward. Yain and doting parents ever have an ex- 
 alted opinion of their children's talents. In their 
 lofty imaginations, they conceive them acting a 
 noble and laudable part in life's drama. They are 
 so vain as to imagine their little boy, playing by 
 their side, superior to all boys — smart enough for 
 a king; shrewd enough to make his Way through 
 this vain world; in a word, having a foundation 
 sufficient for building a magnificent edifice or 
 castle, thereby outstripping all who have gone be- 
 fore him. Deluded by such overwhelming fond- 
 ness, they are constantly flattering him, telling 
 him of a bright future and coming greatness. 
 
 Unfortunately, many a boy's hopes and expec- 
 tations are too much elated by such high-strung 
 16 
 
o 
 
 62 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 songs of flattery, and when he looks into his own 
 being as he really is, then it is he soon learns, to 
 his sorrow, that his talent has been overrated. 
 Such sweet-sounding eulogy from parents falls 
 sweetly upon the heart of the gay boy, though it 
 blights and withers his mind, renders him vain- 
 glorious and self-conceited, and causes him to enter 
 school with the deluded notion that it is almost 
 useless for him to apply himself very closely; 
 " For I am," he imagines, " destined, with or with- 
 out this, to become a great man." A few short 
 months, or years at most, are thought sufficient to 
 complete his school-boy education ; and as soon as 
 he has gathered a smattering knowledge of orthog- 
 raphy and syntax, etc., he is hurried off to col- 
 lege. He enters college full of joy and hope, 
 firmly believing that he is, erelong, destined to 
 have the green wreath of fame twined around his 
 brow. 
 
 But such bright hopes of earthly glory often 
 impede the progress of the student. He is now 
 in a new field. New associates and new things 
 present themselves to him; but the self-conceited 
 young man is vain enough to think himself the 
 brightest jewel of the age, and begins what the 
 more thoughtful would term arduous work, and at 
 the same time knowing that the ladder of Fame's 
 proud temple is to be ascended only step by step, 
 and that, too, by the assistance of those already 
 
The Self-conceited Student. 363 
 
 experienced in its narrow but delightful limits. 
 The self-conceited begins the culture of his mind, 
 honestly believing himself to be a natural genius. 
 He deems it unnecessary for him to plod over 
 books, and pay attention to the moral and intel- 
 lectual lectures assigned and made by professors. 
 "0 yes! my native talent itself is good enough 
 to pilot me safely into the haven of glory; and 
 hence, when I shall have arrived at the last point 
 to be gained by such formal exercises, I shall be 
 covered all over in glory — too proud for this cold, 
 ignorant world." In these hopeful dreams he fan- 
 cies himself rivaling the renown of Demosthenes, 
 (the great prince of orators,) winning the smile 
 of a Milton's muse, eclipsing a Bacon in profound 
 thought, and far surpassing a Newton or a Her- 
 schel in scientific investigations. 
 
 Can there be an associate found for this builder 
 of castles? Would not a Washington be con- 
 founded? Would not a Webster cover his face in 
 the mantle of shame, and cry : " Proud, but great 
 boy, there are no more laurels to be gained"? But 
 unfortunately for such a student, he never scales 
 the ladder of Fame's proud temple; never real- 
 izes his bright hopes and lofty expectations, which, 
 instead of being beneficial, prove to be detrimental; 
 for much self-conceit, and self-confidence in the 
 erroneous conviction that he is far superior to any 
 of his associates, makes him so bigoted as to place 
 
364 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 his knowledge upon an equal footing with his pro- 
 fessors', and to consider it in many instances a 
 little more correct, and better adapted to the times. 
 Did a youth ever entertain a more erroneous and 
 injurious opinion than this of himself? Can he 
 be more contemptible? for it is a just criterion of 
 insignificance and the humblest abilities. 
 
 What kind of opinion does such a student have 
 of his fellow-students? He looks upon them as 
 the mere shadows of scholars. He imagines his 
 mind and thoughts to tower as high above these 
 (his college compeers) as heaven is above earth, 
 or as the lofty oak is above the common brush- 
 wood. He considers it a tarnish to his dignity, a 
 stain to his scholarship, a humiliation to his mind, 
 even to glance at those perplexing problems of 
 science which for hours employ his class-mates in 
 deep study and contemplation. He regards their 
 intellects, compared with his, so dull and stupid, 
 that he can excel them by promenading the 
 streets, whining his cigar, and lingering about 
 places of pleasure. 
 
 Some of these young men think it not of much 
 consequence to have a diploma, or a merited rec- 
 ommendation, to leave college and places of high 
 learning before graduating, and cease to harass 
 their soft brain with the study of classic lore. 
 Others think it best to remain and to graduate; 
 not because of the benefit to be derived therefrom, 
 
The Self-conceited Student. 365 
 
 but because it is fashionable and sounds large, and 
 hereafter they shall have but little trouble to move 
 in any circle. After they shall have been in the 
 profession, and been dragged through the acad- 
 emies and colleges by their class-mates with badly- 
 recited lessons, they are nothing more nor less 
 than conceited blockheads. Who is to blame for 
 this blindness — for this failure? Is their adopted 
 college? are their associates ? are their professors 
 or teachers? No; the scenes around us respond 
 that it is neither. The cutting jokes of profes- 
 sors, the willing bands of class-mates, and the 
 most severe exactions of the strictest colleges or 
 academies, can do nothing — cannot drive self-con- 
 ceit from their narrow brains. Such remedies 
 have power; but they are powerless upon such, 
 which, when deeply rooted, has no cure, but is 
 ready to be cast out and trodden under foot of 
 men. It is a canker-worm which gnaws at the 
 brain until it consumes it, or leads the invalid to 
 the asylum of fools. 
 
 How does such a student pass away his time at 
 school? Why, in brushing his fine clothes, smooth- 
 ing his glossy hair, curling the down upon his 
 chin, and culling flowers to send to his sweet- 
 heart, who is insulted by his unwelcome emblems. 
 All this fills his soft brain, rather than engaging 
 himself in polishing his mind. He goes out into 
 the world, a hiss-word by all, notwithstanding he 
 
366 Scholastic Literature, 
 
 has roved over classic grounds, and leaned against 
 college walls. His friends doubtless expected 
 much of him; but alas! to their mortification, 
 they readily learn that his mind is sordid, and 
 that he has been a regular devotee to pleasure, 
 and a victim to bigotry; and at last his friends 
 are forced to point the finger of scorn, and ex- 
 claim : " There is creation's blot, creation's blank." 
 Then youths had better not entertain too high an 
 opinion of themselves. 
 
 "Created, half to rise, or half to fall; 
 Great lord of all things, yet a prey to all; 
 Sole judge of truth, in endless error hurled, 
 The glory, jest, and riddle of the world," 
 
"Life is What We Make It? 367 
 
 "LIFE IS WHAT WE MAKE IT." 
 
 BY MATTIE ELLIOTT. 
 
 Many sayings of the wise and the learned have 
 coursed their way into our moral and monitory ex- 
 istence which have been used, from time immemo- 
 rial, with fine effect upon our community ; maxims 
 of beauty and wisdom have been dropped down, 
 through the vicissitudes of time, by which we have 
 been edified and improved ; but, as a maxim, the 
 theme of my composition seems to be at the foun- 
 dation of all others. Lord Byron has said : 
 " Know thyself is worth whole pages of advice." 
 This, indeed, pictures the great wisdom of its 
 author, and is a wise inquisition that should be 
 heeded by all men ; but when we say, " Life is 
 what we make it," we bring down upon all man- 
 kind the terrible responsibility of their own ways 
 and doings. We truly call ourselves our own 
 moral agents. Then it is, if we occupy that low 
 and insignificant sphere in life — if we are strollers 
 from place to place, or droop about as useless vaga- 
 
368 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 bonds, skulking beneath the scorns and contempt 
 of those who have chosen a better lot, we must 
 remember that we made ourselves this unworthy 
 station ; but if we should choose to walk in the 
 paths of honor, and court the happy association 
 of the great, the wise, and the good, and should 
 we succeed in giving our lives to some noble pur- 
 pose, we may claim the honor of being what we 
 made ourselves. 
 
 Hundreds and thousands of beautiful examples 
 now stand on the pages of history, as a living 
 light to those who will walk by the lamp of ex- 
 perience, and to confirm the truth of our subject. 
 Benjamin Franklin, one of memory's great men, 
 was ever an unnatural lad, eating his baker's bread 
 on the street-corners ; but soon his great mind be- 
 gan to take hold of literature and science. His 
 fame began to spread, until his name had reverber- 
 ated throughout all the civilized world, and he 
 died beloved and cherished by all. His life was a 
 life devoted to his country ; his life was what he 
 made it. Washington, whose strong nerve wit- 
 nessed the frowning fields of courage, and won 
 universal independence, spent a life of devotion, 
 and spent it for the love of his country, for whom 
 the grateful will ever have a secret chamber in 
 their hearts. Washington made himself the be- 
 loved of all. So it is in this happy age of science 
 and literature. When the sciences dawned, these 
 
"Life is What We Make It." 369 
 
 great lights and the dark, dense mist of supersti- 
 tion and ignorance lifted their shadowy wings from 
 over the land and fled away, and the mighty power 
 of reason has filled the land with noble spirits. 
 Now it is we may joyfully say we are our own 
 agents. 'Tis true that many doleful hours may 
 come, despair overtake the soul ; hut the buoyant 
 heart may break the fetters, and outride the ad- 
 verse waves, and make a life great and useful. 
 Yet again, the sluggard may sleep on, and longer 
 sleep until the high-noon is past, and the eve of 
 life is come, and, miserable wretch, he must stand 
 upon the verge of time by tormented graves. He 
 has made himself what he is. And again, a man 
 has only to stretch forth his hand, and it is filled 
 with Heaven's choicest gifts ; he may step for- 
 ward in the paths of honor ; he may rejoice in the 
 associations of the great and good ; may make 
 life's paths flowery and easy, and glide sweetly 
 down the unruffled stream, and drop into death's 
 embrace with quiet conscience, that wafts the soul 
 away on angels' wings to the happy land. how 
 vastly important it is that all should heed the ad- 
 monition of this ennobling maxim : " Life is what 
 we make it." Let the youthful mind shrink to 
 behold corrupt humanity : they made themselves 
 thus. Let all know that there is, in the rich frui- 
 tion of Heaven, a store to fill the heart of all with 
 joy and comfort — to make our lives peaceful and 
 16* 
 
370 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 happy ; an arm of strength that will bear us be- 
 yond the Jordan to a blissful shore. 
 
 " 'T is well to let our motto be, 
 ' Choose the life so happy and free ; ' 
 Since we must be our agents here, 
 Let our God be our agent there. 
 
 "And as life is passing away, 
 Gather thou comfort's sweetest spray; 
 So while in life use the leaven, 
 Which secures us a place in heaven." 
 
Confederate Dead. 371 
 
 CONFEDERATE DEAD. 
 
 BY W. J. McCONNEL. 
 
 Whilst others have endeavored to interest you 
 with subjects that are rich and rare, permit me to 
 call your attention to this. Wherever lies a soldier's 
 corpse, there we would fain do honor. Nameless 
 may it be; unutterably precious; unmarked its 
 spot; the memory of its occupant is immortal. 
 Alas ! how numerous are those graves around every 
 Northern prison and Southern hospital; upon 
 every stricken battle-field ; upon the top of every 
 mountain, kissed by the last lingering ray of the 
 Southern sun, and in the depths of every lonely 
 valley ; by the side of the highways and byways ; 
 near the busy marts of engrossed men, or the bank 
 of the distant brook, whose babbling waters sing 
 sweetest music to their memory; in the dreary 
 pine forest, whose sobbing misery is never stilled; 
 under rushing waters of the great rivers, whose 
 bosoms, untouched by remembrance of their hid- 
 den dead, bear the commerce of States ; on the 
 shores of gulf and ocean, the ceaseless murmur of 
 
372 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 whose waves are fit requiems for the lives they 
 gave, lie these heroic men, who sealed their devo- 
 tion with their lives, and laid them upon the altar 
 before which they bowed, more consecrated than 
 any spot on earth, save that of Mount Calvary. 
 
 I am here to make no eulogy on the cause for 
 which they were martyrs, but to bring fresh 
 thoughts of the past — to weep, not to praise ; to 
 mourn, not to defend. They are our dead, loved 
 with a passionate idolatry, mourned with an un- 
 utterable agony ! Two hundred thousand of them ! 
 See the interminable army of the dead, as it 
 marches to that bourn whence no traveler ever 
 returns ! 
 
 The noble Zollicoffer, whose spirit went to God 
 from the mire of Mill Springs ; the lofty genius, 
 Sydney Johnson — grand old Roman — ay, grander 
 than a Roman; the Christian soldier, whose life 
 was the price of Chancellorsville ; the knightly 
 Stuart, whose plumed head bowed to no less an 
 enemy than death; the bishop -hero, Leonidas 
 Polk ; the gallant boy, Pelham ; our own great 
 Hanson; our loved cavalier, Morgan, with their 
 Kentucky and Tennessee comrades, so dear to our 
 hearts ; the courtly and chivalric Hill, who would 
 not live to see his country die — the glorious hosts 
 are worthy of such chieftains. 
 
 To the private soldier a fair word of praise is 
 clue; and though it is so seldom given, and so 
 
Confederate Dead. 373 
 
 rarely expected, that it may be considered out of 
 place, I cannot, in justice to myself, withhold the 
 opinion ever entertained, and so often expressed, 
 during our struggle for independence. 
 
 In the absence of instruction and discipline in 
 our armies, and of the confidence which long as- 
 sociations produced between veterans, we had, in 
 a great measure, to trust to the individuality and 
 self-reliance of the private soldier. Well has it 
 been said, The first monument which our Confed- 
 eracy raises, when our independence shall have 
 been won, should be a lofty shaft, pure and spot- 
 less, bearing this inscription : " To the unknown 
 and unrecorded dead." 
 
 To the privates and subalterns of that glorious 
 army we bow our heads in reverence, and we ought, 
 with God's blessing, to perpetuate the memory of 
 their lives and deeds, and beautify their graves 
 with rich testimonials of our affections. We honor 
 him who, unknown, and without hope of fame, 
 urged by pure patriotism, and supported by an 
 enthusiastic devotion to liberty and right, marched, 
 fought, and died for a country he loved, and a cause 
 he believed right. Ah ! in that long array, how 
 many who hear me have lost a brother ! You gave 
 to it a son ; you a husband ; you a father ; and 
 you one who had won the rich love of your pure 
 young heart, but death hath stolen him ere he 
 had crowned you with his name. 
 
374: Scholastic Literature. 
 
 As we have decorated those strangers' graves at 
 Franklin, Mount Olivet, and many other places, 
 perhaps those whose dead lie here will do similar 
 honor to Tennessee dead. Will she evermore turn 
 from those distant graves of her young sons, whose 
 deeds of heroism have woven around her brow a 
 chaplet of undying glory? Will she not some 
 day, when these sad times are passed, with loving 
 care, search for and gather up their bodies, and 
 enfold them with tearful reverence in her own 
 throbbing heart? Never was she loved as they 
 loved her ; never had she sons more deserving her 
 love ! Strangers' graves, said I ? I did say truly, 
 Are those who lie here, representing the ten Con- 
 federate States, strangers to us ? No, no, brothers; 
 nearer by a tie closer than blood ; dearer than com- 
 mon memories of childhood. 
 
 In the presence of fathers and mothers, perhaps, 
 who have lost sons, and many other sympathizing 
 persons whom I have the honor to address, and in 
 the sight of God, I feel that it would be sacrilege 
 to utter one word that is not in every sense true. 
 With this solemn thought pressing upon me, I be- 
 lieve I utter the sentiments of those who hear me 
 when I say that I trust the day may come when 
 such a peace will bless our land that all the living 
 will lovingly do honor to the dead. 
 
 ye gallant soldiers, who sleep beneath thy 
 banners bright, unsullied as the stars — 
 
Confederate Dead. 375 
 
 "What need of marble monuments to tell your deeds of 
 
 glory, 
 "When your graves have proudly told the story?" 
 
 We are all Americans. We are citizens of a 
 common country, in whose destinies are involved 
 those of the rising generation. Around us, on 
 nearly every side, lie buried the dead of all. On 
 that resurrection morning, all will rise, side by 
 side, to meet Him who died for all. Religion, 
 patriotism, the love w T e bear for our own friends, 
 alike appeal, with eloquent earnestness, for the re- 
 turn of the day of good feeling and brotherly love. 
 To the dead I have no enmity ; to the heroic dead 
 I have no feeling but of respect. I loved that 
 cause — I would have given my future prospects 
 for it. But I cannot fail to recognize that it, too, 
 is dead. Like the dead child, with bitter tears 
 and broken heart, I would mourn its loss, and 
 commit its future to the God who doeth all things 
 wisely and mercifully. Inscrutable may be His 
 providences; but, reverently bowing, all we can 
 do is to murmur through our tears, "Thy will be 
 done." 
 
376 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 FEMALE REPUTATION. 
 
 BY MATTIE E. DARNALL. 
 
 In the selection of a theme for my composition 
 for this occasion, I have ventured to offer a few 
 thoughts on the subject of female reputation; and 
 in the presentation of a few very brief sketches 
 that I may be able to offer, I trust that no one 
 present will consider me perfectly adequate to 
 such a task; for the theme itself is of such a 
 magnitude that the tongues of angels and the 
 pens of philosophers never could exhaust it. 
 
 Nothing is more valuable to a female than an 
 unsullied reputation. The painter may draw the 
 perfect image of the human body; the milliner 
 may adorn it with all the ingenuity at her com- 
 mand; but nothing is so endearing and so perma- 
 nent as reputation. Any one may lose all she 
 has acquired in the pecuniary department ; friends 
 may desert in time of need; the very last ray of 
 earthly hope may take its flight; but if female 
 reputation can be retained, all things else will 
 again turn out right. Though many persons are 
 
Female Reputation. 377 
 
 inclined to err from the path of rectitude, and 
 seem greatly delighted to revel in the paths of 
 vice and folly, yet the greatest of all treasures on 
 earth is a good name — more to be desired, says 
 the wise man Solomon, than great riches. By 
 constant adherence to the great moral pointers, 
 such as love for God and our fellow-creatures, the 
 cultivation of the moral sensibilities of the soul, 
 the suppression of all the evil propensities of a 
 well-cultivated conscience, young people may ob- 
 tain for themselves the favor and esteem of the 
 good and pious of the earth. They may endear 
 to them those whose assistance they may some- 
 time need in after-life. 
 
 Young people should consider themselves placed 
 in the center of a circle, and their constant effort 
 ought to be to render themselves acceptable to all 
 within their respective circumferences. The young 
 should be centripetal and centrifugal in their ef- 
 forts and aims: centripetal, in clustering around 
 them those graces of character that gather the 
 smiles, good wishes, and affections of all with 
 whom they may come in contact in the society of 
 respectable circles; and they should be centri- 
 fugal in their tendency to give off and diffuse 
 those cherished virtues that will render all happy 
 to whom they may be imparted, and thus young 
 people will be respected and esteemed by all the 
 good of earth. 
 
378 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 In the last place, my female associates, what is 
 woman without reputation ? Man may fall into 
 sin — he may disgrace himself in reveling, and 
 have for some time the odium of society resting 
 upon him ; yet he may turn from these errors, and 
 he may be forgiven, and restored to respectable 
 society again. But if poor, weak, and faltering 
 woman happen to make a mistake in deportment, 
 every tattler from Dan to Beersheba is sounding 
 the note in fullest strain. Yes, a blot once upon 
 her angelic reputation, and the die is cast ; her 
 race is run ; she sinks, without remedy, into eter- 
 nal oblivion; society receives her with a hiss; all 
 look upon her with ridicule and contempt; gene- 
 ration after generation passes off the stage of ac- 
 tion, yet her fault is still remembered. 
 
 Now, these things being true, how important 
 for the female to secure that reputation that will 
 honor her, and her posterity after her! The 
 female may possess millions of gold, and may 
 attempt to associate in the highest circle of culti- 
 vated society; but if only one little stain has 
 been attached to the escutcheon of her reputation, 
 she is ruined forever, and will only be considered 
 because of wealth. 
 
 In conclusion, then, I will say, the noblest at- 
 tainment for a woman is to obtain an unsullied 
 reputation; stand firm on the substantial basis 
 that goodness and kindness are the passports to 
 
Female Reputation. 379 
 
 reputation. And what shall I say more? Enough 
 has been said to convince any one that true great- 
 ness can only be attained by active goodness, and 
 that true goodness emanates from the fountain of 
 sublime perfection. 
 
380 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 MOBOCEACY. 
 
 BY W. M. DAVIS. 
 
 Good government, founded upon a free basis, 
 has called forth learned essays from the wisest 
 statesmen of the world, and for it the best blood 
 that ever flowed in human veins has been poured 
 out upon the sanguinary field of battle; and 
 throughout the broad land liberty has, upon the 
 fragments of fallen despotism, erected her altars, 
 and the best genius of the world now worships at 
 her feet. It was for this the Grecian patriots 
 fought ; it was for this, the noblest Roman died ; 
 it was for this the heroes of '76 lifted high the 
 torch of civil war, and by its light planted free- 
 dom's banner in every temple, from the lakes of 
 the North to the Montezumas of the South ; and 
 it was for this that the swords of the immortal 
 Lee, Jackson, Hill, and Longstreet, and their 
 legions in gray, flashed on the hills of Gettysburg, 
 and streamed back through the South, until re- 
 flected by the waters of the Rio Grande, in the 
 West ; it was for this become 
 
Mobocracy, 381 
 
 u The land with a grave in each spot, 
 With bodies in the grave that will ne'er be forgot." 
 
 Notwithstanding good government has cost the 
 best blood and treasure of the world, and has been 
 the anchor of civilization, and the hopes of good 
 men everywhere ; notwithstanding the only safe- 
 guard of legal liberty is in the impartial adminis- 
 tration of civil government, and a cheerful obedi- 
 ence thereto, yet there are those among us who 
 love chaotic confusion of misrule and mobocracy, 
 who hate all government save the command of 
 some popular chief, from the authority of their 
 teacher to that of their God. Would you know 
 them ? They are 
 
 " The brute crowd, whose envious zeal 
 Huzzas each turn of Fortune's wheel, 
 And loudest shouts when lowest lie 
 Exalted worth and stations high." 
 
 They are a scourge to the commonwealth, more to 
 be dreaded than pestilence or famine; a canker on 
 the body politic that is eating out the life of the 
 Republic. The same spirit that actuates the mob 
 in America has swelled the number of brigands 
 in Mexico, until twenty thousand regular troops 
 are employed and paid by the government to hunt 
 them down ; but such poor success has crowned 
 the effort that the bold marauders have engrafted 
 robbery in the morals of the people, and brigand- 
 
382 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 age has "become respectable, and robber bands have 
 grown to a power coextensive with the govern- 
 ment itself. What law-abiding people and peace- 
 loving citizens can to-day look American society 
 square in the face, and not tremble at its mobo- 
 cratic brigandage face ? That spirit has penetrated 
 and permeated every nook and corner of American 
 society, from the Church of Christ to the Union 
 Leagues of negro freedom. What is it that is 
 carried to a successful termination, no matter how 
 worthy the enterprise, or how laudable the effort, 
 but has to contend with the fierce resistance of 
 this many-headed monster ? Yea, in this land of 
 free institutions, where the beacon of liberty first 
 flashed from the cloud of war, and lit up the 
 temple of freedom — in this land of enterprising 
 hope, where industry has assured a success, and 
 talent a triumph, we are unable to pursue our 
 daily avocations in life without having to contend 
 with this cowardly brigandage; not the bold, dar- 
 ing knights of the carbine that give Mexico so 
 much trouble, but a banditti of the unsuccessful 
 of your own profession or business, who pursue 
 you in the dark, not with knife or gun, but with 
 that malignant hatred that turns pale and sickens 
 even if a friend prevail — 
 
 "Which merit and success pursue with hate, 
 And damns the worth it cannot imitate." 
 
Monocracy. 383 
 
 And take the gentlemen of the robe. They 
 keep a close watch on the successful, and under 
 the cover of politics, or religion, attempt to rob 
 them, not of their money, but — what is more valu- 
 able — their reputation. In their disappointed 
 sanctums they coin a vile slander, and the foul- 
 mouthed and hungry pack that yelp around gives 
 it currency. They " spot " men, as they call it ; 
 and, like their prototypes, the Mexican plagiarist, 
 always "spot" some one that is able to pay the 
 largest ransom; and as legions could not save the 
 one, neither could the other be saved if the venom 
 tongues of those whom ruin pleases could destroy. 
 
 Who before me has ever attained any thing like 
 a respectable position in his business or profession, 
 but has had to contend with these banditti of un- 
 worthy men of the same profession or business ? 
 But does this mobocratic spirit end here? No; 
 like corruption, it is a tree whose branches are of 
 an unmeasurable length — they spread everywhere; 
 and the dew that drops from them hath infected 
 some chairs and stools of authority. No voice 
 has sounded from the halls of our National Legis- 
 lature for the last eight years but the hideous 
 clamor of the political mob — the upheavings of 
 civil war thrust in power — and no measure adopt- 
 ed but what tends to secure that power over the 
 will of those who sent them there. The State 
 governments, in a greater or less degree, present 
 
384 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 the same melancholy spectacle. In the name of 
 loyalty to political party, men commit all manner 
 of crime; perjury is respectable, and robbery ex- 
 cusable, upon the ground that political ends de- 
 mand it. To-day but one voice comes from Ameri- 
 can society, and that is, "He should take who has 
 the authority, and he should keep who can." 
 
 Mobocracy is the disease of which this Repub- 
 lic must die. It has chilled the great heart of the 
 Government, and she is rapidly declining. All 
 history proclaims with a loud, unbroken voice, the 
 coming dissolution. What a melancholy thought 
 that this Republic, so young and so powerful, must 
 perish and pass away without the hope of resur- 
 rection ! The buds and flowers of earth fade leaf 
 by leaf, and are withered by the howling blasts 
 of winter ; but spring's pleasant, balmy winds and 
 rains renew their vigor, and they bud and bloom 
 again. At times, the black and portentous clouds 
 overspread the sky, and hide from earth the em- 
 blazonry of God ; but we know it cannot perish — 
 that it will shine again. Man himself lingers but 
 a moment around the dismal tomb, and life is re- 
 newed and becomes an endless splendor. Not so 
 with the corpse of a republic. Nowhere in the 
 dreary regions of the past has the angel's resur- 
 rection descended upon the tomb of a free com- 
 monwealth. No grip has been found powerful 
 enough to raise the corpse of a dead republic. 
 
Monocracy. 385 
 
 There is no power on earth sufficient to roll away 
 the stone from the sepulcher of freedom, or wrench 
 open the jaws of death, and release the victim of 
 despotism. Nowhere in the history of the world 
 is there an instance where the boon of liberty 
 was given a people, and they forfeited it, and 
 afterward regained the treasure. for a hand 
 to stay the fickle, frenzied, maddened rush of a 
 people from liberty to despotism ! for the power 
 to save a dying republic ! 
 17 
 
386 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 SCIENCE. 
 
 BY J. C. DARNALL. 
 
 Since man was first hurled from the Elysian 
 fields of blissful Paradise, driven from the pres- 
 ence of his God, and deprived of the holy foun- 
 tains and consecrated bowers of Eden, few things 
 have so elevated his soul, or shed so ameliorating 
 and heavenly an influence upon his benighted 
 mind, as science has. Science is that resplendent 
 sun of light, whose glory-wreathed beams far tran- 
 scend the height of that effulgent orb that governs 
 the solar world, and around which, in beauty and 
 order, suns and systems roll; it is that constella- 
 tion around whose burning axle a halo of glory 
 has ever shone, elevating the proud soul of man 
 to holier and loftier themes, and giving it juster 
 .conceptions of Nature and Nature's God. 
 
 When we remove the veil that intervenes be- 
 tween us and the past, look back through the 
 dim vista of ages gone by, scale the towering ac- 
 clivities of time to the twilight of science, and 
 take a panoramic view of things as they then 
 
Science. 387 
 
 were, a scene at once moving, pathetic, and sub- 
 lime arises to our astoundeH and awe -stricken 
 view. Then there was to be seen a world of sin- 
 contaminated beings, enshrouded in a veil of big- 
 otry and superstition, groveling in thick darkness, 
 bound by the iron scepter of despotism in chains 
 of slavery, perpetual and unremitted. But what 
 change has science wrought? what wonders has it 
 accomplished? It is that power beneath whose 
 influence thrones, dominions, princedoms, have 
 trembled, despots fallen, manacles broken, tyranny 
 almost died. Greece, unrivaled Greece, was the 
 first to burst the bonds of despotism, and open 
 her fertile breast for the reception of science, and 
 the cultivation of its immortal truths ; and thus it 
 was that Greece, like fair Cynthia, which nightly 
 spreads her glowing wings until she arises at full- 
 orbed splendor in the zenith of heaven, arose 
 from height to height, until she reached the acme 
 of splendor and renown, and became the queen- 
 mystery of antiquity — the mistress of the world 
 — the grand center around which nations and 
 kingdoms, as inferior satellites, moved — the center 
 of knowledge, whence emanated the light of the 
 world. Yea, that imperishable liberty, and those 
 undying maxims that she has transmitted to pos- 
 terity — those time -honored sages, philosophers, 
 and astronomers, who astounded the world with 
 their wisdom and discoveries — those soul-inspiring 
 
o 
 
 88 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 poets, who hold nations enraptured, charmed, and 
 delighted at their will — those sublime orators, 
 whose brows were decked with the highest honor 
 in the State, and who held the nations at their 
 command by the power of their eloquence, owe 
 their power, their excellence, to science, and it 
 alone ; for, long as the Grecian youths lent an at- 
 tentive ear to the Muses' harmonious strains of 
 the poet, decked with all the graces that the 
 Muses could bestow — so long as they venerated 
 the profound philosophers of their country, or 
 hung enraptured at the soul -inspiring eloquence 
 of her orators, the Goddess of Liberty sat perched 
 upon the pinnacle of Freedom's temple, and Greece 
 was the center of civilization. But when they 
 began to forsake the boundless fields of science, 
 her poets were forsaken by the Muse; the power 
 of the orator no longer possessed its magic charm ; 
 the Goddess of Liberty turned with disgust from 
 the scene, and proud, exalted Greece sank deep 
 in the kindred gloom of slavery and superstition. 
 And thus it was with imperial Rome, though 
 decked in the dazzling gems of dilapidated Greece. 
 So long as she worshiped at the shrine of science, 
 and honored the votaries of its immortal truths, 
 she shone forth in all the effulgence of her noon- 
 day splendor. On the summit of her unfurled 
 banners, that waved in triumph through the balmy 
 breezes of the Eastern world, sat the bold bird of 
 
Science. 389 
 
 liberty perched; and at the fervid wheels of her 
 victorious car kings and princes of a conquered 
 world were dragged within the adamantine walls 
 of her Forum, reverberating the sublimest tones 
 of melting eloquence that ever moved the human 
 soul. Muse- decked and honor- wreathed poets 
 bathed their plumage in the glittering light of the 
 stars, reveled in the Elysian fields of fancy, and 
 left an undying memorial of their glory that un- 
 born generations will view with wonder, astonish- 
 ment, and delight. 
 
 But it is to the cultivated mind of the nine- 
 teenth century that science opens wide its flood- 
 gates of never-ending charms. For man, the earth 
 teems with boundless fields of endless instruction 
 and delight, decked with variegated beauties that 
 hold enraptured his soul at every successive step 
 in life. Yes, to him the golden sun pours down 
 his glory- wreathed beams of light and life, laden 
 with the richest instruction that science teaches 
 of that governor and supporter of the solar sys- 
 tem; every ray is a dispatch from that solar orb, 
 speaking his distance, dimensions, his luminous 
 atmosphere, and of the mysterious and almost 
 godlike influence that it wields upon this earth 
 of ours. The twinkling stars that adorn the ceru- 
 lean vault of heaven's high dome remind him of 
 those immortal astronomers who, in bygone ages 
 of the world, gazed with so much delight on the 
 
390 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 ceaseless beauties of the same. The fiery-winged 
 comet, outstripping thought in its rapid course 
 through the star-paved pathway of heaven, brings 
 him intelligence of the distance she has penetrated 
 into the boundless regions of space; and the gentle 
 moon, when night with its sable wings has man- 
 tled earth in darkness, and the stars one by one 
 lighten up the tenebrous galaxy of the skies, 
 pours down her lovely beams of instruction in his 
 soul; her towering mountains, terrific volcanoes, 
 subterraneous vaults, and wide-spread plains, open 
 sources of instruction for the scientific mind of 
 which the ignorant never dreamed. 
 
 Yes, science gives to man the keys that unlock 
 the grandest treasures and mystery-woven reali- 
 ties of the universe — gives him permission to walk 
 the heights of glory where angels tread, and to 
 hear 
 
 " That undisturbed song of pure consent, 
 Aye sung around the sapphire-colored throne, 
 To Him that sits thereon ; 
 Where the bright seraphim, in burning row, 
 Their loud, uplifted angel-trumpets blow, 
 And the angelic host, in thousand choirs, 
 Touch their celestial harps of golden wires." 
 
Words, though Sweet, Deceptive. 391 
 
 WORDS, THOUGH SWEET, DECEPTIVE. 
 
 BY JOSIE C. DOSS. 
 
 What a world of delightful thought and sensa- 
 tion is here opened to our view by this exquisite 
 and strange sentiment ! How mighty are sweet 
 words in subduing feelings and in arousing our 
 sensibilities ! How fresh are our recollections of 
 past words, when we remember past clays and 
 past scenes ! Those sweet words, spoken by some 
 kind friend, rush through the mind with majestic 
 eloquence, and they seem to revive every sensa- 
 tion of the past, and we seem to view the circum- 
 stances as though directly before us; but alas! 
 we have learned, with saddened hearts, that this 
 world, to a considerable degree at least, is very 
 deceptive. The young, in stepping upon the the- 
 atrical platform of life, are too apt to think that 
 every thing is just as it seems to be; but after 
 having acted a few experimental dramas, they 
 find that, though words may fall from the lips 
 sweetened with the nectar of the Muses, they 
 carry with them, in many instances, the poison of 
 
392 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 the asp and the sting of the serpent. It requires 
 an actual experience in life's trials to enable the 
 young to distinguish between sweet words and 
 deceptive; and many a youth, trusting to every 
 thing as it seems, is hurried down the declivity 
 of dissipation, and is plunged into the abyss of an 
 everlasting disgrace. 
 
 'Many persons have not given an attentive ear 
 to the counsels of the experienced and aged 
 people, but with blinded self-conceit have rushed 
 headlong into the whirlpool of ignominy. But 
 let us never forget the caption of our essay, that 
 "words, though sweet, may be deceptive." How 
 many a giddy-headed girl has listened to the fas- 
 cinating speeches of the dandy, as he would pour 
 forth his flattery in torrents of eloquence, with 
 the bewitching smile calmly reposing on his de- 
 ceptive brow! Yes, he would straighten every 
 nerve, rectify every dislocated wrinkle upon his 
 old, deceptive cheek, and counterfeit his cunning 
 eye, and soften the very tone of his stentorian 
 voice, while he would be whirling in his tender 
 hands the little rattan that father's money bought, 
 or is yet unpaid for. And I need here say no 
 more, for so many fops are now experimenting in 
 this line, that it is useless to give farther par- 
 ticulars. 
 
 But stop. I must not suppose that the young 
 men are the only actors upon this deceptive plat- 
 
Words, though Sweet, Deceptive. 393 
 
 form, for our young lady friends play a full share, 
 too; for in dramas the parts appear more accept- 
 able when they are carried on by mixture of 
 sexes. Will you go with me, in imagination, to 
 some of the fashionable picnics carried on in these 
 days, and view for a few moments a young lady 
 of fashion? She is just about from four feet six 
 inches to five feet in stature, symmetrical in pro- 
 portion by nature, but very much disproportioned 
 by art. She has come from the toilet-table and 
 band-box, all her paraphernalia properly adjusted, 
 with quivering curls about her snowy neck, and 
 with cheeks artificially reddened, and all other 
 adornments in their right place. See her ap- 
 proached by the plain and hard-handed farmer- 
 boy, and will you only behold the contempt- 
 uous whirl, and listen to the rattling -silk as she 
 spurns his unwelcome presence ! " Get out of my 
 presence, you common lad of industry! Let me 
 not be disgraced by being seen keeping company 
 with you in the clothes your mamma made you ! 
 Go home, sir, to your drudgery work ! You have 
 not been taught 'the fine arts;' you know nothing 
 about keeping company with ladies of modern re- 
 finement, and those, especially, understanding all 
 the European fashions — even the Grecian bend! 
 Go seek, sir, associations more in unison, more 
 congenial to your nature!" But just turn your 
 eyes for one moment, and you will notice the ap- 
 17* 
 
394 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 proach of that young doctor or that young lawyer, 
 or worse, that young man who just does nothing 
 at all, but keeps the town, plays checks, and 
 stands round to catch all the flying rumors about 
 the times. Now notice her, will you? She 
 squares herself with a graceful turn of her an- 
 gelic form. See those little sparkling eyes, how 
 they gaze ! watch those rosy-dewed lips, how ac- 
 centive every word falls ! how properly is every 
 verb emphasized! how impressive is every adjec- 
 tive! and how flushed is the painted cheek, as the 
 mustached suitor smilingly and very fascinatingly 
 whispers in her listening ear the words of flattery 
 and deceit, relating to her fairy triumphs of love- 
 tales, building air -castles of worldly aspiration, 
 and thus infusing into her deceptive imagination 
 the truth of our caption, that "words, though 
 sweet, may be deceptive." 
 
 Finally, all things earthly are deceptive; noth- 
 ing except divine words are free from its incubus. 
 Then, my class-mates, we should look well to the 
 appearances of things, for all things of human 
 origin are liable to deceive us. 
 
The Indians Wrongs. 395 
 
 THE INDIAN'S WRONGS. 
 
 BY W. I. SOWELL. 
 
 Living in an age in which the sun of science 
 sheds its brilliant rays upon the benighted facul- 
 ties of the American mind, thus causing them to 
 bud, blossom, and bear the rich fruits of knowl- 
 edge; in a land over which the eagle of liberty 
 soars with untiring wings, still unable to embrace 
 in its unwearied flight the boundaries of freedom's 
 home; united, too, by the ties of friendship and 
 common interest, we boast ourselves the favorites 
 of high Heaven ; and while we have reason to ad- 
 mire the bold and adventurous acts which charac- 
 terized our ancestors, and while we look back with 
 feelings of pride upon some of their noble deeds, 
 we cannot but feel pained at the remembrance of 
 the many wrongs which have been done to the In- 
 dian race. Dark, indeed, were the prospects of 
 our pilgrim fathers when they first landed on 
 Plymouth Hock, overshadowed as they were by 
 the threatening clouds of despair; having been 
 driven from their native land by religious dissen- 
 
396 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 sions, torn away from all the pleasing associations 
 of their youth; relying solely on the pole star of 
 hope, which seemed destined to go down in the 
 gloom of an eternal night. But as its last flicker- 
 ing rays were about expiring, fair Fortune smiled, 
 and the hand of friendship was extended, welcom- 
 ing them to a land designed to be the abode of 
 pure liberty and peace. 
 
 What feelings of gratitude, then, should have 
 animated each bosom, when thus kindly received 
 by the fearless sons of the forest, who, although 
 uncultivated, still possessed some traits of charac- 
 ter truly magnanimous! And how purely disin- 
 terested that generosity which prompted the noble 
 Indian to receive with hospitality the tempest- 
 tossed wanderers, without the least hope of re- 
 muneration! And while we are struck with sur- 
 prise and admiration at the exhibition of such 
 noble qualities in the untutored savage, the blush 
 of shame should mantle our cheeks when contem- 
 plating the return which was made him for disin- 
 terested kindness. 
 
 Although our forefathers came to America for 
 the glorious privilege of serving God according to 
 the dictates of their consciences, still it seems that 
 they were destitute of gratitude, which is one of 
 the noblest feelings that animate the bosom of 
 man; for instead of living in peace and amity 
 with the race to whom they were so deeply in- 
 
The Indians Wrongs. 397 
 
 dcbted, instead of instructing them in the arts 
 and sciences, instead of teaching them the sacred 
 truths embraced in the holy Scriptures, as they 
 "became powerful they deprived them of their 
 lands, usurped their rights, and thus manifested 
 the basest ingratitude. In the intoxicating plea- 
 sures of freedom they forgot the bitterness of op- 
 pression; and they did the same evil which had 
 driven them from their own beloved land, and 
 caused them to lay the foundation of this mighty 
 republic which acknowledges no superior, and 
 they were the first to kindle the sparks of liberty 
 which have been fanned into a flame, flooding, as 
 it were, the whole world with its radiant beams. 
 Still, how unfortunate that deeds of injustice and 
 inhumanity should cast a stain upon the history 
 of a country otherwise so glorious ! How unfor- 
 tunate that we have risen to our present exalted 
 position at the sacrifice of so noble and patriotic 
 a race as that of the Indians ! It is true, he is 
 represented as being most degraded in some of his 
 aspirations by many in America; but it is reason- 
 able to suppose that those who would deprive him 
 of his country would spurn to cast a stigma on 
 his character. If it were merely to vindicate 
 their base conduct, they would portray him in the 
 most unfavorable light; and as it is from the early 
 settlers we have derived most of our knowledge 
 of the aborigines of America, ungrounded preju- 
 
398 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 dice has been engendered in our minds, which is 
 confirmed by our observation of the remnant of 
 that once powerful race, who are not, like their 
 proud forefathers, courageous, enterprising, and 
 ambitious, but dispirited, degenerated, and brutal- 
 ized by contact with civilized men, whose vices 
 alone they seem to have imitated. Neither can 
 we obtain a correct knowledge of this remarkable 
 people from their history, which has been written 
 by poets and novelists, who, that they might give 
 free scope to their active imaginations, have rep- 
 resented them as romantic and sentimental. 
 
 Thus, between the harsh and distorted pictures 
 of defamers, and the prismatic delineations of 
 those who make fancy their guide, his real genius 
 has remained obscure; and while we behold some 
 traits of his character which indicate the prompt- 
 ing of an evil nature,, we behold other character- 
 istics which exhibit great nobleness of soul. If 
 he is cruel to his enemies, he is equally hospitable 
 to his friends; if he forgives not an injury, nei- 
 ther does he fail to reward a kindness; if his 
 hatred is lasting, his love is equally unchanging; 
 if he would undergo any danger to punish his ene- 
 mies, he would suffer any privation to serve his 
 friends. He exhibits the same stern, resolute, 
 and unbending nature, whether we view him as 
 he returns to his family and friends a quivered 
 chieftain, or laden with the thunders of the battle- 
 
The Indians Wrongs. 399 
 
 field. Although as a warrior he has been eclipsed 
 by brighter stars in glory's sky, still his reckless 
 daring and contempt of death should have ex- 
 torted admiration even from his foes ; for while 
 the white man rushes to glory or the grave at 
 the cannon's mouth, the Indian, with unconquered 
 heart, fearlessly contemplates the approach of the 
 grim monster, Death, while his last breath is ex- 
 pended, and then it is that he casts his fixed eyes 
 toward heaven, and is fully exultant in anticipa- 
 tion of its eternal joys. 
 
400 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 GOD AND NATURE. 
 
 BY G. W. COLLINS. 
 
 There is no theme in all the expanded area of 
 human thought more natural for the intellectual 
 mind to dwell upon than the one above men- 
 tioned. It has commanded the attention of the 
 most gifted minds that have adorned our common 
 humanity. It will ever be classed with those 
 that demand the scrutiny of the more educated 
 intellects. In looking up through Nature to Na- 
 ture's God, how wonderfully harmonious and beau- 
 tiful doth the face of the universe appear to our 
 view ! We behold the Deity enthroned in splen- 
 dor everywhere, and on all things alike. We see 
 his love smiling on the petals of flowers and the 
 wings of birds, as well as in the brightness of the 
 sky and deep azure of the ocean. We hear his 
 voice in the octaves of all our music, pealing in 
 the deep bass of our Sabbath organs, outpreach- 
 ing all our priests, and tolling the bell of thunder, 
 hung in clouds that float higher than the Andes. 
 
God and Nature. 401 
 
 He weaves the fibers of the oak; he twines the 
 gleaming threads of the rainbow; he vibrates the 
 pendulous sea-waves ; he calls to prayer from the 
 heart of the storm. But sweeter — sweeter far 
 than all these — he whispers infinite hope and life 
 everlasting! 
 
 All this follows from the admission of the im- 
 mediate and universal agency and providence of 
 God throughout all the realms of Nature. Despair 
 can fling no dark shadow on the soul in the pres- 
 ence of that sunshine which gilds all things. There 
 is no room for doubt when faith fills immensity. 
 Atoms and worlds alike become transfigured in 
 the new and cryptic light which beams out, as 
 from beneath a transparent veil, in objects the 
 most insignificant. Pale fear, appalled at his own 
 shadow, flies over the confines of creation, and 
 leaves all hearts alone with love and joy. We 
 know that we cannot be lost out of the bosom of 
 God, for the root of the soul is in God, and there- 
 fore cannot die. The iron chain of necessity re- 
 leases its coil around the world, and its clanking 
 links of dark, uncertain circumstance melt away 
 as receding mists in the presence of a sun shiv- 
 ered into spangles of glory. The tears of sorrow 
 on the faded cheek of the mourner turn into price- 
 less pearls, and prayer and praise breathe out 
 among blooming roses on white lips quivering 
 with agony. The old, familiar faces of the long, 
 
402 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 long ago — the loved, the lost — ah ! the long lost, 
 but never forgotten, are around us once more. 
 
 " Their smile in the starlight doth wander by ; 
 Their breath is near in the wind's low sigh." 
 
 The endless ages are crowded into a luminous 
 point. There is no past or future. The faith 
 that asserts God proclaims all things to the soul. 
 When we take into consideration the history of 
 mankind, this cannot be answered negatively. 
 Always, and everywhere, man has felt himself 
 drawn toward Deity. It is with the veneration 
 of God as with all the inborn intellectual powers 
 of man. No one invented the instinct of love for 
 children, of friendship, of conflict; no one in- 
 vented the faculties for music, painting, and 
 poetry. Before Numa, the Romans had a re- 
 ligion; before Moses, the Israelites worshiped 
 God. The existence of such a God, however, is 
 proved through the phrenological fact that man 
 possesses an innate faculty of divine veneration ; 
 for there must be a subject corresponding, or com- 
 plemental, to this faculty — a God, because it is 
 simply impossible that Nature should contradict 
 herself, at the same time affirming and denying a 
 subject. There is not, and cannot be, among all 
 the infinitely numerous natural phenomena, a soli- 
 tary example which would compel man to accuse 
 Nature of falsehood. We repose on the bosom 
 
God and Nature. 403 
 
 of our Father with a confidence that nothing can 
 shake. The impenetrable storms may hide every 
 shining star in heaven; the angry spirit of the 
 waters may shrink ; still the whole world is deaf. 
 What care I? Let the storm howl on — God 
 guides it; and on whatsoever shore the wreck is 
 thrown, he is sure to be there, with all my loves 
 and hopes around him; and wherever he is, there 
 is the open gate of heaven, for there is that ever- 
 lasting love which is heaven. 
 
404 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A FLIRT. 
 
 BY SALLIE HILL. 
 
 I was the only daughter of a distinguished mer- 
 chant, who was very wealthy. My mirror told 
 me that I was beautiful. When I was very small, 
 I often heard my parents and others say of me: 
 "What a beauty!" Of course this made me vain. 
 I was always putting on haughty airs, and con- 
 sulting my mirror to see how I could set off my 
 beauty to greater advantage. My parents neg- 
 lected nothing in my education that would render 
 me accomplished. They sent me to the best 
 schools the country could afford. I graduated 
 with the highest honors, and on my return home 
 was the belle of the season. I had many suitors, 
 many of whom were estimable men. I did noth- 
 ing but go to balls, parties, and other places of 
 amusement. I was a sad flirt! 
 
 Listen now to a recital of my folly, which I 
 afterward regretted to my great sorrow. There 
 was to be a large ball given in the city, and great 
 preparations were made for it. Invitations were 
 
Autobiography of a Flirt. 405 
 
 sent out to all parts of the country. The time at 
 length arrived, and my betrothed came to accom- 
 pany me. "0!" said I, "I'm engaged to go with 
 some one else to-night." I saw the grieved look 
 that he cast upon me, and almost repented of hav- 
 ing such a desperate game to play; but I was not 
 to be persuaded from my purpose, let the conse- 
 quences be what they might. I went, danced, 
 and flirted with every other gentleman there. He 
 was there also, but I saw there was a sadness 
 mingled with all his gayety. He once asked me 
 to dance the next set with him. I told him I 
 was engaged for every set. My heart told me 
 that I had sent a throb to the heart of one on 
 whom I might have willingly depended for all 
 future happiness; but this was not my aim. I 
 did not regard the love of any one, but only de- 
 sired to be loved and admired by all those whom 
 the world calls honored "big bugs," "high-flyers," 
 stylish young fops. Yes, this was my highest 
 ambition; but I was wretched. He left, and I 
 saw him no more that night. He well knew my 
 intentions, and grieved to know I was so false. 
 
 But alas ! just so with those whose aims and 
 desires are so unchristianlike. I never went into 
 society, declined seeing any company, gave up 
 going to balls and parties, and resigned myself 
 to melancholy and sad thoughts of the past — that 
 happy past! My friends tried to arouse me from 
 
406 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 my lethargy, but all their efforts were in vain. 
 My interrogations were such as these: "Why 
 should one be so desirous of gaining any one's 
 love, without love in return? Why did I so 
 treacherously decline those whose words and ac- 
 tions told me I was lovely and beautiful? Ah 
 yes! I might have acted more wisely; then I 
 might have been happier ! " But now I was in a 
 sad plight, similar to a young girl of w T hom I once 
 heard. She, too, was lovely and beautiful, and at 
 last became unhappy. Her father being interested 
 in the welfare of his daughter, asked her why it 
 was that she had so many honorable suitors, and 
 accepted none. She, with unusual calmness, told 
 him if he would go in the forest or grove and 
 bring her the straightest and most beautifully- 
 shaped twig that he could find, she would then 
 tell him the cause of her sorrow and condition. 
 Her father, anxious to know all, did as she bid 
 him. He walked the lonely grove, and at last 
 became weary, and brought her a very ugly twig. 
 She said to her father: "Why did you bring such 
 a twig, when there were many much more beau- 
 tiful?" Said he: "After I had gone through the 
 grove, I could not take the round again." "Just 
 so, father!" exclaimed the poor girl. "After I 
 had taken the lonely round, I could not then re- 
 turn." 
 
 So, my friends, you see the sad plight a poor 
 
Autobiography of a Flirt. 407 
 
 flirt can bring upon herself when having so many 
 suitors, and desiring more; she refuses one, and 
 awaits the proposal of another, and very often 
 another never comes, and then misery and unhap- 
 piness follow. 
 
408 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 COMMERCE. 
 
 BY W. P. BRENTS. 
 
 If the sublimity of a theme depends upon its 
 antiquity and universal applicability in every class 
 of human society, then indeed we have for your 
 consideration, on this occasion, the sublimest of 
 the sublime, in the subject of this address. Back 
 in the mysterious past, beyond the record, sacred 
 or profane, of human events, within the family 
 circle of him who stooped to touch the alluring 
 fruit of sin — yea, in the first want felt by fallen 
 humanity, that could not be supplied by individual 
 effort, is found the origin of this theme. 
 
 Profane history begins with the writings of 
 Homer, and in his Iliads the scion Muse sings of 
 commerce as a system ; and in the sacred book of 
 Job, the oldest record known, the gold of Ophir 
 and the Ethiopian topaz are maintained as articles 
 of commerce. Yea, commerce is as old as the 
 language of the human tongue, and its influence 
 has been felt by every family, tribe, nation, and 
 empire that has flourished, or perished, or still 
 
Commerce. 409 
 
 flourishes upon this, God's habitable globe. From 
 the hunters of the hills — who would loathe to ap- 
 propriate all that crowned a day's chase, if they 
 knew their neighbor, whose fire flickered o'er the 
 way, needed their over-stock, and would give in 
 return bows and arrows, or something else — to the 
 wealthiest cities, whose harbors hold their thou- 
 sands of merchantmen, loaded with the luxuries 
 of earth, all have alike felt that influence. 
 
 Nothing, in its practical operations, has ever 
 done so much to harmonize, civilize, and Chris- 
 tianize the human race as commerce. Go muse 
 amid the ruins of Alexandria, that city built by 
 the founder of the Macedonian Empire, midway 
 between the Mediterranean and Indian Seas, and 
 there ask, "Why built, how built, and why in 
 ruins ? " and history will answer, " Built there to 
 command the commerce of both seas ; built by the 
 genius and wealth that go hand in hand with com- 
 merce ; and in ruins because of the skill of a few 
 Portuguese navigators, who doubled the cape of 
 ctorms, and thereby opened up a better way from 
 Europe to the East Indies, cutting off the city of 
 Alexandria from the commerce of both empires, 
 and thereby sealing its doom." Turn to Tyre, and 
 ask for the secret of her ancient opulence and 
 splendor, and the rapt visions of Ezekiel. You 
 can find an answer. She was the merchant for 
 the people of many isles. " By thy great wisdom 
 18 
 
410 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 and by traffic hast thou increased thy riches," 
 saith Ezekiel. Turn to Carthage, once a trading 
 post for the Phoenicians on the coast of Africa, 
 and ask what magic influence swelled her inhabit- 
 ants, until the safety of the Roman Empire ad- 
 mitted of but one voice at her capitol, and that 
 was "Carthago, delenda est," and for many years 
 enabled her to brave the eagle, and bid defiance to 
 the marshaled legions of Rome ; and a voice re- 
 verberating, the years intervening, answers, "It 
 was commerce, 't was the .traffic of her people." 
 
 The world was making rapid progress in ancient 
 letters, civilization, liberty, and laws, until Rome 
 made war upon commerce. 'Twas there the bright 
 sun of civilization went down in the night of 
 ignorance and superstition, barbarity and gloom, 
 and all Southern Europe was devastated by fire 
 and sword, and deluged with blood; anarchy and 
 misrule, discord and strife, attained their dominion 
 over the world. In that dark period, in which 
 centuries were lost, there was but a single ray of 
 civilization, and that flickered along the coast of 
 the Adriatic, among a few trafficking tribes, whose 
 commercial interest made them respect each other's 
 liberty and laws, and from them it was that the 
 first faint beams, in gray streaks of meaning, 
 broke upon darkened Europe. 
 
 Through the wonderful influence of commerce, 
 we see Pisa, Venice, and Genoa springing up like 
 
Commerce. 411 
 
 magic cities, becoming to modern ages what Alex- 
 andria, Tyre, and Carthage were to the years num- 
 bered before the Christian era. Venice was the 
 proud mistress of the now spouseless Adriatic, 
 and the white sails of the commercial ships were 
 to be seen upon every sea, commanding the com- 
 merce of the world ; and thereby she became one 
 of the most powerful of the Italian Republics, 
 reaching a pitch of opulence and empire that com- 
 manded the admiration of the world. Genoa, 
 after making conquest of Pisa, became more 
 powerful and wealthy, if possible, than Venice, 
 and through her commerce she introduced Eastern 
 customs and tastes into Europe, and liberty spoke 
 in her walls, and law resumed its sway over the 
 land; and by her enterprise she discovered this 
 beautiful America of ours, and closed her magnifi- 
 cent career by ushering in the present era of light, 
 liberty, and truth. But the melancholy admonition 
 of the poet, that " trade's proud empire" hastes 
 to decay, was destined to be the fate of these 
 commercial emporiums, for they, like Alexandria, 
 are in ruins, because the Portuguese navigators 
 made another discovery of a new passage to the 
 East around the Cape of Good Hope, striking a 
 blow at the commercial interests of the Italian 
 Republic from which they have never recovered. 
 Commerce in this age, as in all times past, is 
 the handmaid of science and art, civilization and 
 
412 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 wealth. Turn to Great Britain, and tell me the 
 cause of her power, wealth, and learning. It can- 
 not be her soil, for that is as poor and bleak as the 
 sandy wastes of Arabia. It cannot be the manu- 
 factures alone, for without commerce she would 
 have no consumers of the products of her wonder- 
 ful genius. She is situated upon an island, and 
 her border is washed by the sea of her progress 
 in national glory and splendor. Withdraw the 
 influence of commerce, and London, Liverpool, 
 and Glasgow, like Alexandria, Carthage, and 
 Palmyra, would sink into ruins, and remain famous 
 in history alone. 
 
 But the most striking influence of the empire 
 of commerce is found in America, which we now 
 come to consider. It was not only the motive- 
 power of the daring genius which braved the seas 
 in the discovery, but it was the ostensible cause 
 that led to her rebellion against Great Britain, 
 which culminated in a glorious freedom, that has 
 ever blessed her people, secured by a new and 
 better compact, formed by independent sovereigns 
 in pursuance of the absolute requisitions of com- 
 merce. Bv the influence of commerce, America 
 has already built cities that rank with Alexandria, 
 Carthage, and Palmyra of antiquity, and rival the 
 Londons, Liverpools, and Glasgows of the present 
 day. Why has New York, at one end of the 
 avenue, and New Orleans at the other, taken such 
 
Commerce. 413 
 
 wonderful positions of influence in the Republic, 
 but for the centralization of all foreign trades in 
 their midst? Situated at the extremes of latitude, 
 they command the commerce of the Atlantic and 
 Pacific, and are the commercial emporiums of 
 America, and are destined to surpass any cities in 
 the history of the old world. To-day, the white 
 sails of American shipping are fanned by the winds 
 of every clime, and the waters of every navigable 
 stream under the canopy of heaven echo the voice 
 of her mariners. Her merchants have broken 
 down the walls of China, and introduced customs 
 of civilization in their midst never before known ; 
 and through the influence of commercial capital 
 over agricultural labor, the colonization of Coolies 
 from China upon the rich and fertile soil of the 
 South is seriously contemplated by the wisest 
 men of America. To-day, the once barbarous 
 Japanese rejoice in the civilization introduced to 
 them through American commerce. Yea, not a 
 nation under the sun, from the coast of Africa to 
 the coast of Brazil — from the antarctic circle of 
 the North to the antipodes of the South, but hail 
 the white wings with joy, and bask in the light 
 of civilization that has been diffused by American 
 commerce. And a prophetic voice tells me that 
 she has but begun her career as empire of the 
 seas. 
 
 Commerce, in times of war as in times of peace, 
 
414 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 is a ruling power in a government, and without it 
 no government can long sustain its nationality. 
 How sadly the South realized this fact during the 
 late civil war, let the worn and tattered blankets, 
 that served as winding-sheets for the dead bodies 
 of her fallen heroes, tell ! Through that deluge 
 of blood, commerce was the controlling power, 
 wielded against the fortunes of the South. If she 
 could have had free access to the trade and com- 
 merce of the world, to-day that beloved banner, 
 the stars and bars, for which so many of her 
 gallant sons laid down their lives, and for which 
 the best blood that ever flowed through human 
 veins was poured out in torrents, instead of trail- 
 ing in the dust at the conqueror's feet, would have 
 been waving in triumph over the lovely plains and 
 fertile fields of the South. The immensity of the 
 naval armament of the North enabled her to cut 
 off the commerce of the South, and thereby starve 
 her into subjection. The merchants and brokers 
 of the North were the bankers of the government, 
 and they with their liberal coffers and bales of 
 merchandize, and not the soldiers with muskets in 
 their hands, decimated the ranks of the Southern 
 army, and wore out the energy of her people. 
 
 But desolating and devastating as the war was, 
 under the guardianship of commerce some of the 
 highest results in the arts and sciences were at- 
 tained during its existence. Yea, there is no pro- 
 
Commerce. 415 
 
 found scientific result attained without commerce. 
 She brings her trophies from every clime, and lays 
 them at the feet of science, and enables the student 
 to study its principles and to know in America its 
 applicability in other climes. Commerce is the 
 parent of civilization, and with her cotton, silks, 
 and wines, has done more to make individuals and 
 nations respect each other than any other agency 
 known in the history of the human family. It is 
 the golden girdle of the globe, by which Provi- 
 dence has bound together his fractious and erring 
 children. She is the pioneer of Christianity, and 
 is found on the stormiest seas, seeking out the 
 wildest savages and trafficking with them, ere they 
 learn of their God or their souls ; and by her in- 
 fluence is daily adding more trophies to the Chris- 
 tian nations of the earth, and through the pecuni- 
 ary interests of men is working out the great 
 problem of man's ontology and deontology. 
 
416 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 SKEPTICISM. 
 
 BY WM. M. NIX. 
 
 Although man was created pure and holy, bear- 
 ing the impress of Divinity himself, endowed with 
 mental and moral faculties well calculated both 
 to promote his own happiness and to secure the 
 glory of divine law, he not only forfeited his 
 claim to that high estate which even angels might 
 envy, but entailed upon himself and his posterity 
 the curse of offended Deity. His transcendent 
 mind, which before on the wings of imagination 
 delighted to soar through fields of celestial light, 
 and to contemplate with admiring gaze the count- 
 less perfections and infinite wisdom of the mighty 
 Jehovah, now, curtained with darkness and veiled 
 with pollution, shrinks from the dazzling splendor 
 and spotless purity of that Being by whom suns 
 are balanced and numberless worlds sustained, as 
 the captive who has pined through lingering years 
 in midnight darkness shuns the blazing light of 
 noon. He no longer sees the beauty of holiness, 
 
Skepticism. 417 
 
 the attractions of virtue, or the loveliness of 
 truth; but cloaking his depravity under the veil 
 of ignorance, he endeavors to conceal his own im- 
 perfections, rejecting the pure light of inspiration, 
 which alone is sufficient to dispel the moral dark- 
 ness which envelops his benighted soul. 
 
 While searching after the cause of such strange 
 inconsistency in a being claiming reason as his 
 guide, we find that his preference for darkness to 
 light, for vice to virtue, prevents him from inves- 
 tigating those sublime truths embraced in the 
 sacred Scriptures; while the evil voice of the 
 tempter, calming his troubled conscience by prom- 
 ises of happiness the most delusive, presents to 
 his fevered imagination sin in its most deceptive, 
 yet in its most seductive form. Although it may 
 appear strange, w T hile the truth of revelation is so 
 plain, that the infatuated mind can be so easily 
 borne along upon the tide of error, yet when we 
 take into consideration the little regard which is 
 paid in our public schools to the study of the 
 sacred volume, the mystery is solved. We see, 
 even in our beloved land of civil and religious 
 liberty, whose churches are so many monuments 
 of the goodness and infinite mercy of the all-wise 
 Creator, the veil of ignorance intercepting the 
 moral vision of thousands. Even those who are 
 deemed learned, and who would consider it a re- 
 flection on their literary character to be unac- 
 18* 
 
418 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 quainted with the most visionary philosophy, 
 blush not at an ignorance of the sublime truths 
 of revelation. They have acquired all knowledge 
 except that which is worth obtaining, drank every 
 cup of joy except that which is unadulterated 
 with the bitter dregs of disappointment, and fos- 
 tered every hope except that of unending felicity. 
 Judging man by his conduct, and knowing him to 
 be a being of high hopes and lofty aspirations, in 
 whom are self-love and self-interest, we would 
 reasonably conclude that his happiness here was 
 unalloyed, that his joys were complete, and that 
 not a cloud arose to darken his pathway. 
 
 As the proud bark, now riding triumphantly 
 over the restless billows, yet destined to find a 
 resting-place in the bosom of the unfathomed 
 ocean, disdains the port, so he, whose life a mo- 
 ment may destroy, reveling in his strength and 
 exulting in his pride, rejects the bright rays of 
 hope divinely shed, turning to the treacherous 
 beam of earth-born light, which shines but to de- 
 lude, and dazzles to expire. The light of Nature, 
 which became insufficient to direct his erring foot- 
 steps, while it taught him that there was a su- 
 preme Being, gave him no distinct views as to his 
 character and attributes. Thus we see men in 
 those ages of moral darkness deifying sometimes 
 a virtue, but oftentimes a vice — sometimes a ben- 
 efactor, but more frequently a scourge of his race; 
 
Skepticism. 419 
 
 and even bowing in adoration before the brute, 
 and before idols of wood and stone; and who, 
 although thus morally depraved, have reached 
 heights which the human mind has never since 
 been able to attain, while numerous specimens of 
 their towering intellect have escaped the effacing 
 hand of time, and are still destined to descend to 
 future generations, as monuments of their high 
 mental attainments, not only exhibiting the won- 
 derful development of which the intellectual pow- 
 ers are susceptible, but also showing the inade- 
 quateness of the light of Nature, unaided, to teach 
 man his duty toward his Creator. 
 
 Thus, we see, the reason — the celestial lamp of 
 the skeptic — instead of illuminating the mind, 
 lures it farther from the star of faith, leaving it 
 subject to the most erroneous views and wildest 
 speculations. Although the idle theories of those 
 heathen philosophers may have led astray the ig- 
 norant, nevertheless they have been productive 
 of a salutary influence, by leading the mind to an 
 investigation of those arguments which have been 
 advanced in order to refute the principles and doc- 
 trines of the Bible. Thus, while their fallacy has 
 been detected, not only has the authenticity of 
 the Scriptures been made manifest, but new 
 truths have been unfolded, and new beauties dis- 
 closed on every page, still leaving ten thousand 
 excellences concealed, which are too lofty to be 
 
420 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 discerned by the earth-gazing eye of drowsy mor- 
 tals. Is it not the most conclusive argument that 
 could be adduced in favor of the Bible, that its 
 greatest opposers, who were men highly renowned 
 for their literature and distinguished for their tal- 
 ents, have never been able to present a single 
 statement which is the least plausible, a single 
 truth which is untinged with falsehood, or a single 
 objection which is unanswerable? Yet these men, 
 who have been unable to disguise falsehood so as 
 to bear the least semblance to truth, have, not- 
 withstanding, revolutionized the religious creeds 
 of whole empires, who, without searching after 
 the authenticity of their statements and the cor- 
 rectness of their principles, have adopted them 
 merely because they accorded with their own de- 
 praved views; thus exhibiting in a forcible man- 
 ner that principle, so inherent in man's nature, 
 which prompts him to receive truth with reluc- 
 tance, but to embrace falsehood with avidity. 
 When we reflect, too, how often even God's 
 chosen people, to whom he so miraculously mani- 
 fested himself, strayed from the paths of recti- 
 tude, are we not at once impressed with convic- 
 tions that natural religion alone is an insufficient 
 means of human reformation? Even now that 
 additional light has been afforded, through the 
 boundless mercy of a kind Providence, many, 
 shrouded in the darkness of their own souls, con- 
 
Skepticism. 421 
 
 tinue still in ignorance, doubting even the very 
 existence of a future state. 
 
 As there is but one step from the sublime to 
 the ridiculous, so there is but one step from in- 
 credulity to a belief of the greatest absurdities. 
 Thus men, in support of their false systems of 
 philosophy, receive that which is infinitely harder 
 to believe than the truth itself. Then are the 
 pleasures of earth so entirely captivating, are its 
 scenes so fair, or its skies so cloudless, that man 
 desires not in a fairer realm to dwell? or is it not 
 rather his own impurity that rivets to earth those 
 eyes which should have been directed, with fond, 
 confiding gaze, to that heaven which is unending 
 bliss, and to that God whose bright pavilion is 
 eternal glory? 
 
 Yet 'tis man's nature, when the bloom of youth 
 mantles his cheek, and hope beats high in his 
 bosom, exulting in his prime, to rush madly down 
 the river of life, neglectful of the past, and regard- 
 less of the future. But time, with effacing fingers, 
 fails not to stamp the traces of decay upon his 
 manly brow, to bend with age his proud form, and 
 to moderate his youthful passions. No longer, 
 then, does memory, removing the curtain of the 
 past, feast the imagination of the skeptic with the 
 bright images of pleasure, but by recalling them 
 only awakens the sad thought that they are gone 
 forever. Bright - eyed hope, which might have 
 
422 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 transported him far beyond the tomb, no longer 
 breathes upon him her genial and life -inspiring 
 breath; but soaring far above the pleasures of 
 earth with pinions free, disdains to cast a glance 
 of her heaven-directed eyes upon him who mocks 
 that faith which, penetrating the undefined future, 
 points to worlds of light where happiness reigns 
 supreme. Thus despair overwhelms him, when 
 hope could not save; darkness shrouds his mind, 
 which light could not illuminate ; and his troubled 
 spirit launches blindly forth upon the dreary ocean 
 of eternity. 
 
The Ideal and the Real. 423 
 
 THE IDEAL AND THE REAL. 
 
 BY CORNELIA McCRORY. 
 
 The ideal! What a glow of poetic feeling rises 
 within the heart — what forms of beauty glide be- 
 fore the imagination — what sounds of harmony 
 sweep over the soul, even while dwelling on the 
 word! All that is lovely. in nature, glorious in 
 art, holy and heavenly in action, seem to meet 
 here ; and the contemplation fills us with joy, be- 
 cause of the wondrous gift by which earth-born 
 man can break the bands that fetter him to sense, 
 and soar into the higher regions of perennial beau- 
 ty. Happy are they whom no rude hand with- 
 draws from these lovely heights — who can dream 
 out their dream without being awakened by the 
 grasp of stern reality! But where are those 
 happy ones? Echo answers, "Where?" The 
 conflict with the real is allotted to us all — truly 
 a sorrowful beginning; but we must picture it as 
 it is, not as we would like it to be. The bright 
 side cannot always positively illumine the pros- 
 pect, for dark clouds will occasionally flit across 
 
424 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 the azure vault of heaven, obscuring the meridian 
 brightness of the noonday sun. A life painted 
 all sunshine, from beginning to end, would be a 
 picture overdrawn. Who ever saw — -who ever 
 experienced such a life? Not you; not I; not 
 any one. But for some the sun shines more 
 brightly than for others; over some these dark 
 clouds of adversity forever seem hovering. 
 
 Yet even amid the darkest gloom of life an oc- 
 casional ray of light will gleam, to cheer and en- 
 liven the weary wanderer, provided he lose not 
 the anchor of hope, and drop into the deep, dark 
 gulf of despair. Some of you have, in your ear- 
 lier years, struggled along, as orphans do, living 
 from hand to mouth — sometimes finding a friend, 
 but oftener meeting with those in whom selfish- 
 ness has soured the milk of human kindness. 
 Had you not naturally possessed a warm and gen- 
 erous nature and a noble heart, you too might 
 have been soured by your contact with those 
 whom the world would have been better off with- 
 out — though, alas! I fear the world would be 
 sparsely inhabited, if all the selfish and dishonest 
 ones were taken from it. You, the hearer, and I, 
 the reader, might not be left among the worthy 
 ones ; but some would still undoubtedly be here, 
 and, if enough for companionship, might possibly 
 bring the world back to the primitive days of the 
 garden of Eden, before sin entered the world. 
 
The Ideal and {he Real. 425 
 
 "Who knows? But these chimerical reflections 
 amount to nothing; for, alas! as long as the world 
 exists, we must expect sin and misery to exist; 
 yet there are many woes incident to the human 
 race that are produced by causes which, to a great 
 extent, might be prevented or eradicated. 
 
 But it is not our intention to enter upon a dis- 
 sertation upon these causes and their prevention, 
 and so I hope you have not become soured by 
 your contact with the world. Plant a peach-ker- 
 nel in the rich soil of an Illinois prairie, and plant 
 one of the same kind on a bare ridge in the bleak 
 wilds of Western Virginia, and when they both 
 spring np and grow to maturity, the fruit of the 
 trees will be the same, though they do not bear 
 in equal abundance, or grow to the same size; 
 neither will the soil nor the climate change the 
 nature of that inherent peculiarity belonging to 
 the germ that finally produces a certain kind of 
 fruit. So it is with the human heart. Associa- 
 tions may more quickly develop and bring to view 
 good or bad qualities, but they will not alter the 
 natural disposition; for what is implanted there 
 by an all-wise Providence will remain unchanged, 
 though sometimes either good or bad qualities 
 may become latent or dormant, because the asso- 
 ciations are such that there is nothing to arouse 
 them into activity. 
 
 Pardon the digression. I will once more return 
 
426 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 to my subject, from which my hearers doubtless 
 think I have a natural inclination to wander. To 
 err is human : none of us are perfection, which, 
 no doubt, my hearers have already discovered. 
 Story-writers sometimes make their characters so, 
 but such characters are never found in real life. 
 Then let us remember that the ideal is like the 
 flitting cloud that appears brilliant for a moment, 
 but soon the stirring breezes dissipate it. The 
 real only is so unchangeable that nothing except 
 a miracle will alter its nature. Life is filled up 
 with both the ideal and the real, and the wise and 
 prudent alone can become proper judges between 
 them. Let us all, then, my school-mates, try to 
 place proper estimates upon objects, whether ideal 
 or real, as they pass before us. Let us strive to 
 escape the ideal, and let us become, both in our 
 words and deeds, persons of reality. We should 
 keep in remembrance the idea, that we can only 
 become respectable, great, and good, by exhibit- 
 ing in our lives matter-of-fact reality. This life is 
 both ideal and real : one is fleeting, the other per- 
 manent ; the one leads to vanity and bigotry, the 
 other to virtue and true respectability. So the 
 world goes, and so fade away all things created. 
 Time, with his sharp sickle of death, cuts down 
 and withers all that is ideal, and the real becomes 
 still more real, more permanent and lasting. 
 
Human Development. 427 
 
 HUMAN DEVELOPMENT. 
 
 BY WILLIAM TAYLOR. 
 
 Change, change, eternal change, is the order of 
 nature, and no man is ever twice alike. Every 
 thought, impulse, or emotion which passes through 
 his mind, be he asleep or awake, changes his ex- 
 pression, like the ever-recurring seasons of spring, 
 summer, autumn, and winter. This is experience, 
 without exception to any. It is only the mind or 
 spirit which changes not — which lives always, and 
 retains its own individual identity. If one con- 
 tinues to lie, steal, rob, or murder, he will soon 
 show it in his countenance ; and in time it will 
 enter deep into his very being, and engrave the 
 fact on his face and heart. So, if one lives a vir- 
 tuous, righteous, and godly life, performing acts of 
 love and Christian charity, acts approved by an 
 enlightened judgment, the same will be recorded 
 to his credit both on the human countenance and 
 in heaven. Progress and improvement should be 
 the motto of all human beings. It is one's privi- 
 lege and duty to grow better as he grows older, 
 
428 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 ripening into God's richest blessings, having ful- 
 filled all his requirements. 
 
 According to the natural processes of develop- 
 ment, the physical or material part is first to be 
 considered. Personal accountability comes later 
 to the individual — comes with years and knowl- 
 edge. Parents train the bodies, and instruct the 
 minds of their children. These grow up accord- 
 ingly, well-formed or ill-formed, and their course 
 through life is, in a great measure, thus predeter- 
 mined. If started right, if properly put on a good 
 footing, well equipped with chart, compass, and a 
 knowledge of our own capacity, what can we hope 
 to do, and what we cannot hope in regard to our 
 success, is well-nigh assured. In this case we 
 grow up into symmetrical and manly proportions. 
 If, however, the start be in the wrong direction, 
 and the preparation be altogether insufficient, a 
 person may be dwarfed in both body and mind. 
 A youth while growing in body should be educated 
 in the right use of all his faculties — the mechani- 
 cal, artistic, literary, social, intellectual, and re- 
 ligious. This is due him from his parents. If 
 educated on a phrenological basis, each and every 
 faculty would be properly called out, and the per- 
 son's power vastly increased. 
 
 To reform, improve, and elevate the race, is the 
 highest mission of man on earth. This is the sub- 
 ject of the Christian religion and of all philan- 
 
Human Development. 429 
 
 thropic endeavors; and a knowledge of man, 
 physical, mental, and spiritual, is among the means 
 by which it may be accomplished. A new gener- 
 ation, with better opportunities, increased faculties, 
 and a more intelligent class of minds to work on, 
 will rise up and succeed us. Every discovered 
 fact in science, every known principle in philoso- 
 phy, and every truth in revelation, will be cher- 
 ished and used for the good of mankind, and for 
 the glory of God. We may study the stars, rocks, 
 or flowers, elephants, monkeys, or men, and from 
 all learn something useful ; or we may close our 
 eyes, and sit in idleness, killing the valuable time 
 allotted to our use and intended for our growth. 
 He who loses valuable time, or who fails to grow 
 into the fullest manhood, may be likened to a plant 
 or a tree set in poor soil, which withers or becomes 
 stunted, and fails to attain the object and end of 
 its existence. 
 
 Students, it is yours to become something or 
 nothing — something more than an animal or less 
 than a man in the world. Are you in the way of 
 development and improvement ? Why not ? Are 
 you a cripple, or disabled? Are you poor, and 
 obliged to work most of the time ? God will bless 
 all your earnings to your use. Are you rich? 
 Go seek the needy, and put them in the way of 
 education, improvement, and development, and 
 get that rich reward promised to the charitable — 
 
430 Scholastic- Literature. 
 
 "It is more blessed to give than to receive." Are 
 you dissipating, or spending time and money in an 
 unsatisfying appetite? What are your habits? 
 Are they regular, and such as you can ask a bless- 
 ing on ? Or are you indulging in games of chance, 
 or perverted propensities ? Remember, it is the 
 right use of body and mind which is required for 
 man's best development and highest happiness. 
 These two paths of life are opened alike to all ; 
 one leads as surely to destruction and premature 
 death, as the other to health, intelligence, honor, 
 and heaven. 
 
All that's Bright Must Fade. 431 
 
 ALL THAT'S BRIGHT MUST FADE. 
 
 BY MARY HAWKINS. 
 
 With bright anticipations of the future, we joy- 
 ously launch our little bark upon the broad bosom 
 of the swift stream of Time. We merely begin 
 the journey of life, with no thought or anxious 
 care with any thing beyond the present. All is 
 bright now, but we know not how soon the fell 
 destroyer may throw a chilly blight over all our 
 budding hopes and cheering prospects, or crush all 
 our bright anticipations, and hasten us on to the 
 shades of oblivion, there to slumber alone and for- 
 gotten ; for all must alike share the quiet of the 
 tomb. Neither youth nor beauty can stay the 
 hand of death, but are often, like the sweet flower 
 of spring, blighted by the destroying blast, and 
 compelled to fade. But we still watch the ripples 
 of the waves, or listen to the murmurs of the 
 waters, as they go hurling by. We gather the 
 flowers as we pass to worship — yes, to adore their 
 brightness. Flowers are truly our emblems; they 
 speak to us in plaintive tones of fading brightness. 
 
432 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 Amid all this brightness, and all these beauties, 
 we think not of their decline. No other thought 
 than that of our little bark's welfare presents it- 
 self to our eyes. 
 
 But alas ! life is not all a gay and sunny dream, 
 a bow of promise on a golden beam. The placid 
 waters become troubled, and our pleasure is ruffled 
 by the storm of angry passion. Dark clouds of 
 disappointment gather around us. Our brightness 
 has fled. Even the rose-bud, in all its simplicity, 
 beauty, and loveliness, bursts forth in exquisite 
 splendor. The queen of flowers has forbid us the 
 pleasure of its brightness, but its fragrance still is 
 delightful. Alas! all that's bright must fade. 
 Who of us cannot, after an absence of a few 
 months or weeks from our homes, mark some fad- 
 ing beauty on our return ? The little brook, which 
 we loved so well, has dried up ; the flowers are 
 withered and fallen to the ground ; there repose 
 the remains of a babe on whom a parent's eyes 
 have gazed in fondness, over whose gentle form a 
 mother has bent and bathed with her sorrowing 
 tears, now dreaming of her maternal love, and 
 many scenes of happiness. But alas ! all that's 
 bright must fade, like the rose-bud in which the 
 canker-worm has fed, beneath the blighting hand 
 of death. The object of a mother's hope will 
 exchange the warm resting-place of affection for 
 the dark, cold chamber of the grave ! 
 
All that's Bright Must Fade. 433 
 
 So, from the beginning of life to the close, our 
 joys are all transitory. While in childhood, with 
 laughing eyes and a bright heart, we pursued the 
 gaudy-colored butterfly, and grasped it to examine 
 the beautiful colors, the velvet is brushed from its 
 wings; and here we are first made to mourn be- 
 cause such a thing as this must fade. But after 
 we grow older, and forget such trivial things as 
 these, we look forward with eager hopes, and place 
 our affections on things which we think will not 
 fade so soon. It is usual for us to cling to some- 
 thing, and of the many objects that surround us 
 upon which we place our affections, and on whom 
 we call as friends, and whose virtuous influences 
 make the attachments stronger, we think certainly 
 these are lasting. But friendship, like all other 
 objects, will soon fade. Then it is vain to place 
 our affections upon things of earth, for they are 
 all transitory, and we cannot be happy if we love 
 such things of so short duration. Solomon, in all 
 his wisdom and glory, was not happy, for he knew 
 that all his worldly power would soon fade. 
 19 
 
434 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 "REMEMBER ME." 
 
 BY OLLIE BILLS. 
 
 Of all the subjects that I can select, this one I 
 consider has a more lasting sentiment. Wherever 
 we go, or wherever we are, we see this little sen- 
 tence, " Remember me." Go to a grave-yard, and 
 there you will find it; go to some well-known 
 loved spot, and you will find this sweet and lasting 
 sentence written there, "Remember me." How 
 often do we hear its sweet and plaintive sound! 
 We hear it spoken by the lips of the dying mother; 
 after she has done her duty here on earth, tutor- 
 ing her little ones in the right, her last and sweetly 
 spoken words are, "Remember me." The dying 
 child pleads remembrance from the little band 
 which he has so often enjoyed. Where do we see 
 those words more often than on old school-books 
 of dear school-mates ? We turn the pages with 
 pleasure, and read and reread the small but sweet 
 sentences written here and there. What a soul- 
 stirring pleasure fills our hearts ! We sigh to 
 know that earthly things are frail. Yes, we, too, 
 
"Remember Me." 435 
 
 certainly think at times as though earth is our 
 everlasting home. 
 
 "Remember me !" What two words represent 
 more ? How much is felt when these sweet words 
 are spoken! They carry with them the thoughts 
 of other days, and give us a true recital of friends 
 forever gone. After death has snatched away 
 from us some dear one of earth, how sweet — how 
 melancholy sweet — to have these lastly spoken 
 words reverberating in our ears, " Remember me ! " 
 Often, after our daily round is completed, we sit 
 to meditate upon the thoughts of other days. We 
 call back scenes in which we were once actresses ; 
 but alas ! the band has been rent ; the loved ones 
 of earth have passed with their dying words en- 
 graven upon our hearts, "Remember me!" Who 
 could not, after such meditations, willingly consent 
 to abandon this old earth, and visit a land of 
 pleasure and bliss ? 
 
 We have often heard of the words issuing from 
 the lips of the departing soldier. He bids adieu 
 to the home of youth, where he has spent so 
 many hours of happiness. He turns and weeps 
 his departure. He feels as though his career on 
 earth had almost closed. He gives his parting 
 advice to the band that is now being broken ; he 
 leaves them with his kisses and tears imprinted 
 upon the cheeks, and the words "Remember me" 
 engraven on the tablets of their hearts. Alas ! 
 
436 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 he sighs to know that he is forced by duty to leave 
 his friends and companions. 
 
 The sailor, too, while plowing the deep, and 
 whirled to and fro by the fierce winds and howl- 
 ing storms around him, often prays aloud for 
 friends at home ; but in his last moments he casts 
 his eyes upward, and imploringly cries out, in 
 plaintive tones, in his distresses, " Lord, remem- 
 ber me!" Ah! he is swept away from us, remem- 
 bered only by friends and loved ones at home ; 
 but angels alone can tell of him in the far-off 
 land. 
 
 The Christian, while journeying through life, is 
 often thrown amid temptations and trials. His 
 strength is exhausted ; he resorts to all means by 
 which he may overcome his sorrow; but in his 
 agony he turns to Him in whom his trust is 
 placed, and cries out, believingly, " Lord, re- 
 member me!" 
 
 And lastly, my companions and school-mates, 
 as we separate to-day, let us remember that we 
 may never again be associates in this classic 
 circle; but if not, may we not indulge in the 
 thought that we will be remembered, and every 
 sounding tone of the old Institute bell may call 
 back to fresh recollection the many ties of friend- 
 ship that bound us together ? Every time we 
 think of the moral lessons given by our guardian 
 teachers, may we also remember our dependence 
 
"Remember Me." 437 
 
 upon Him whence all our blessings come, and may 
 we ever be mindful of the greatest of truths, that 
 God remembers those children who remember their 
 Creator in the days of their youth ! 
 
438 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 CARD-PLAYING. 
 
 BY J. Q. COCHRAN. 
 
 Among the many pastimes to which the young 
 resort for amusement, card-playing often fills a 
 prominent place. This is a general, and, in some 
 circles, a fashionable practice ; but it is objection- 
 able and injurious in all its influences, and in every 
 possible point of view. Nothing good or instruc- 
 tive, nothing elevating or commendable, in any 
 sense, can come from it. All its fruits must 
 necessarily be evil. It is a senseless occupation. 
 Nothing can be more unmeaning and fruitless, 
 among all the employments to which a rational 
 mind can devote its attention. It affords no use- 
 ful exercise of the intellect, no food for profitable 
 thoughts, no power to call into activity the higher 
 and better capacities. It is true, I suppose, there 
 is some degree of cunning and skill to be displayed 
 in managing the cards. But what high intellectual 
 or moral capacity is brought into exercise by a 
 game so trivial ? It excludes interesting and in- 
 structive interchanges of social sentiments on 
 topics of any degree of importance, and snbsti- 
 
Card-playing. 439 
 
 tutes talk of a frivolous and meaningless charac- 
 ter. To a spectator, the conversation at the card- 
 table is of the most uninteresting and childish 
 description. 
 
 There are, however, more serious objections 
 than these. Card-playing has a tendency of the 
 most dangerous description, especially to the 
 youthful. Let a young man become expert in 
 this game, and fond of engaging in it, and who 
 does not see he is liable to become the most mean 
 and despicable of all living creatures — a gambler? 
 Confident of his own skill as a card-player, how 
 long would he hesitate to engage in a game for a 
 small sum ? He has seen older ones playing, per- 
 haps his own parents, and he can discover no great 
 harm in doing the same thing, even if it is for a 
 stake of a few shillings. From playing for small 
 sums, the steps are very easy which lead to large 
 amounts,. and in due time the young man becomes 
 a gambler, from no other cause than that he ac- 
 quired a love for card-playing when he engaged in 
 it only as an amusement. Parents have a respon- 
 sibility resting on them, in this respect, of which 
 they should not lose sight. They cannot be sur- 
 prised that their children imitate their example. 
 With all the dangerous associations and tendencies 
 of card-playing, would they have their children 
 acquire a passion for it ? What wise parent can 
 make such a choice for his son ? Ah ! how many 
 
440 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 a young man has become a gamester, a black-leg, 
 an inmate of the prison-cell, because in the home 
 of his childhood he acquired a love for the card- 
 table ! He but imitated the example of parents 
 or friends, whose duty it was to set him a better 
 example, and was led to the path of ruin. If 
 from its influence, card-playing, even for amuse- 
 ment, is improper for gentlemen, I conceive it is 
 much more so for ladies. A young woman seems 
 entirely out of place at a card-table. The associ- 
 ations are so masculine ; they bring to mind so 
 much of the cut-and-shuffle trickery, vulgarity, 
 and profanity; so many of the words and phrases 
 of that purgatory-bound thing, hell — the gambling- 
 table — that for a lady to indulge in them, appears 
 entirely opposed to that modesty and refinement 
 which are so becoming the female character. I 
 trust all young ladies of discretion will shun the 
 card-table. I am confident every woman who 
 possesses a proper sense of the dignity and deli- 
 cacy which form the highest attractions of the 
 female character, will avoid a practice which is 
 made an instrument of the most despicable uses, 
 and to which the most vile and abandoned con- 
 stantly resort. 
 
 " Daughters of those who long ago 
 
 Dared the dark storm and angry sea, 
 And walked the desert way of woe, 
 And pain, and trouble, to be free — 
 
Card-playing. 441 
 
 " O be like them ! Like them endure, 
 And bow beneath affliction's rod ; 
 Like them be watchful, high, and pure; 
 In all things seek the smile of God." 
 
 19* 
 
442 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 OLD MISS FASHION. 
 
 BY MATTIE FOX. 
 
 Having had many curious thoughts about this 
 famous personage, "whom I deem to be the great- 
 est wonder of the age," I have chosen to make 
 her the theme of my composition. I almost im- 
 agine her fame extends from the Atlantic to the 
 Pacific, and from the cold, frozen regions of the 
 North to the burning sands of the South. She is 
 all the talk in the church, Sabbath-school, sitting- 
 room, and parlor. She no doubt received a fin- 
 ished education in some of the fanatic schools of 
 the North. Just go to church, and everybody 
 has got one of Miss Fashion's hats. My stars! 
 what! almost indescribable! Some white, black, 
 green, yellow, and all the colors of a rainbow, 
 and a hundred others; some round, triangular, 
 pentagons, hexagons, nonagons, high crowns and 
 low crowns, wide brims, narrow brims, and no 
 brims at all, crooked and turned in every conceiv- 
 able shape and form that old Miss Fashion could 
 imagine. Fashionable dresses! What curiously- 
 
Old Miss Fashion. 443 
 
 wrought and cut things they are! I should cer- 
 tainly conclude that she is one of the strangest 
 old creatures in the world, if she thinks that all 
 those ruffled and buffled, peaked and cornered 
 dress-patterns of hers are pretty; but I should 
 guess, from the signs of the times, that the old 
 lady is getting somewhat old and decrepit, and 
 bent under the frosts of many winters; and all 
 the young ladies are taking patterns after her, 
 for they have gradually grown into a kind of a 
 stooped-over walk, which they technically call the 
 "Grecian bend." As to what it took its name 
 from, I am unable to tell. I do not know whether 
 Grecian women walked that way or not; but there 
 is one thing I do know : I have often seen men 
 walk and ride rather in that manner when they 
 would get on what they would call "a bender." 
 
 Old Miss Fashion, I am persuaded to believe, 
 is one of those extrinsic old maids ; she has so 
 many particular fancies, and, indeed, she must 
 change her notions almost fifty times a day, or 
 else all the young ladies would not have a new 
 hat or a new dress every time they went to 
 preaching. Taste and style ! What a great quan- 
 tity of those articles she must always keep on 
 hand, for every thing she does is covered all over 
 with taste, and trimmed off nicely with style! 
 I earnestly believe that every thing she touches 
 is like the touch of Midas — it is immediately 
 
444 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 trimmed into taste and style; for here is rye- 
 straw, wheat-heads, shucks, chicken-feathers, all 
 come in and stuck in Miss Fashion's hats and 
 bonnets; and everybody is ready to say : "0 isn't 
 that taste?" and "0 isn't that style?" I am sure 
 the old lady is pretty rich by this time, for she 
 sells her taste and style at a monstrous big price. 
 I imagine she is one of the most amiable ladies in 
 the world ; everybody seems to think so much of 
 her, and especially the young ladies, for they talk 
 more about Lady Fashion than they do about 
 their beaux and sweethearts. 
 
 Now, there is one thing about the old lady that 
 I cannot understand, and that is, how she can 
 spare so much of her hair ! Certainly she must 
 have a wonderful big head, and one, too, that 
 grows all colors of hair; because they bring it on 
 here in great boxes, all plaited, crimped, curled, 
 and twisted into a thousand different shapes, and 
 every lady in the country has got a bunch of Miss 
 Fashion's hair! Dear me! what if the old lady 
 should happen to die? What would become of us 
 young school-girls? We would have no person in 
 the world to furnish us with these antic notions. 
 I am almost persuaded to believe that the world 
 would be ruined. They would be in just the 
 same condition the owl was when the eagle pro- 
 posed to carry him on his back in one of his 
 aerial flights, and the eagle's wing gave out, and 
 
Old Miss Fashion. 445 
 
 the owl soon came smashed to the ground. So it 
 would be if old Miss Fashion should happen to 
 die — everything would go "smash up." So I 
 heartily concur with the popular wish — a long 
 life to old Miss Fashion! 
 
446 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 WHAT WE HAVE NOT LEARNED. 
 
 BY MARY P. YOWELL. 
 
 Most of my school-mates have been showing 
 what advancements we have made, and I will tell 
 you of some of the things we have not learned, 
 so that our friends may change teachers if they 
 desire us to become wiser in the subjects men- 
 tioned. ■ 
 
 We have not learned by what principle of trans- 
 mutation persons become metamorphosed into "big 
 bugs," "whales," "lions," "sardines," "game chick- 
 ens," "Shanghais," "fast horses," "sneaking dogs," 
 or any other animals, other than that which our 
 Heavenly Father made them; neither have we 
 learned by what power a rich or intelligent per- 
 son becomes " some pumpkins," or, if they be the 
 honest "hewers of wood and drawers of water," 
 how they become "small potatoes." We have not 
 learned why the negroes, as a free people, become 
 the "colored people." Black is no more a color 
 than white, and the negroes no more the colored 
 people than the Caucasian race; yet this is a 
 
What We Have Not Learned. 447 
 
 senseless term, used by brainless politicians, whose 
 ignorance is commensurate with their meanness. 
 
 Some of us have made considerable advance- 
 ment in the use of our tongues, but we have not 
 yet learned how the same can be converted into 
 instruments with which to give other persons 
 "fits," or "old Jessie," nor how it is converted 
 into a fire-rake, with which to rake each other 
 "over the coals." "We have been taught to use it 
 for the more noble purpose of telling the truth, 
 and singing praises to Him who made us. We 
 have not learned how young gentlemen can "take 
 a smile," "take a horn," "eat square meals," or 
 "get on a bender." We understand there are cer- 
 tain places where they bend their elbows in tak- 
 ing a "drink of whisky," which makes them smile 
 at every one they meet, unless they are too hor- 
 ribly ugly to smile — then they frown. Neither 
 have we learned how ladies are of the "female 
 persuasion." We understand how they may be 
 of the Christian, Methodist, Presbyterian, or Ro- 
 man Catholic persuasion, but not of "female per- 
 suasion." Neither have we learned how to deter- 
 mine the number that were at church, when some 
 very minute person tells us there was " quite a 
 number" at church to-day; for one is as "quite a 
 number" as a thousand, and a thousand as one. 
 Neither have we learned "how to walk into the 
 fire" without getting burnt. We have not learned 
 
448 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 how a gentleman can "stand around the streets/' 
 as we have seen them stand on or about the 
 streets ; but we cannot understand how they can 
 "stand around the streets." Neither have we 
 learned what part is intended to be expressed by 
 the "balance of the crowd/' "balance of the 
 day;" we know what is the balance of an ac- 
 count. Neither have we learned by what au- 
 thority — unless Bill Arp's — "cuss" is used for 
 "curse," "plead" for "pleaded," "declension" for 
 "refusal," "wed" for "wedded," "dry up" for 
 "be silent," "pike" for "turnpike-road," "quit" 
 for "quitted." Neither have we learned how, 
 when one trades extensively, or does any other 
 large business, he "goes the whole hog," the "en- 
 tire animal," the "big figure," or "weeds a wide 
 row." Neither have we learned how, when any 
 person becomes ruined in any sense, he is a "gone 
 coon," "a goner," "played out," "gone up," a 
 "bursted machine," or a "wrecked craft." We 
 have not learned how one lawyer, doctor, or 
 preacher can be a "whole team," a "whole team 
 and a horse to spare," or a "whole team, a horse 
 extra, and a big dog under the wagon." Nei- 
 ther have we learned how, when two are married, 
 they are "hitched for life," unless they are con- 
 sidered brutes, and are to work as such. 
 
 These are a few of the cant phrases which have 
 made inroads upon the English language, and 
 
What We Have Not Learned. 449 
 
 which are daily used by those who pretend to 
 have learned considerable, and who, in all proba- 
 bility, smile at our imperfections; but we have 
 learned that scholars who have proper respect for 
 their education will not use them. 
 
450 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 TRUTH. 
 
 BY SALLIE C. COOK. 
 
 Tbuth is one of the brightest and purest of the 
 moral jewels of our nature. It is a virtue of the 
 greatest worth. It preserves an entire agreement 
 between our words, actions, and thoughts. It not 
 only illustrates, but adorns and dignifies. It is 
 valuable in every respect in which it may be con- 
 sidered. 
 
 The true man or woman, whose word may 
 always be relied upon, is deservedly esteemed by 
 all, and the weight of their opinion cannot but 
 ever exercise a high moral influence in every in- 
 telligent circle. Truth lies at the very foundation 
 of the really virtuous character ; it inspires great 
 confidence. An individual may be a perfect adept 
 in his business, though he may not possess a bril- 
 liant talent, and may be awkward in person and 
 unpolished in manners ; yet let it be known that 
 he is a truthful man, and he will obtain access to 
 the confidence of the community. But, on the other 
 
Truth. 451 
 
 hand, let an individual be handsome, attractive 
 in person, and accomplished in manners, and 
 very energetic and enterprising; but let it be 
 known, at the same time, that he is addicted to 
 falsehood, and it will create distrust and excite 
 the mind, and destroy his hopes and impair his 
 prospects. 
 
 Even in jests, truth should be adhered to ; but 
 alas! it is otherwise. How many persons indulge, 
 day after day, in this silly practice of uttering 
 falsehoods, half in jests and half in earnest, and 
 thus misleading many persons wrongfully ! Even 
 the wisest are sometimes liable to be deceived 
 by falsehood. The young in these days do not 
 attach such importance to truth and its influence 
 upon character as they should, but indulge too 
 much in all sorts of extravagant misrepresenta- 
 tion. 
 
 What does our Lord say of truth and its fruits? 
 Pie says : " Blessed is the man that is truthful and 
 upright in all his pursuits of life ; but cursed be 
 the false and untruthful man.' , How much more 
 reliable is the person whose purity of heart shines 
 forth in every word, like white pebbles in the bot- 
 torn of a crystal well! 
 
 Truth is the greatest jewel of the soul that 
 renders a person fearless of the frowns of the 
 world; therefore we should at all times speak the 
 truth ; for it is a treasure of value, that will con- 
 
452 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 duct in the path of goodness on earth, and at 
 death will be our guide to heaven. Truth forms 
 on earth the strongest union in society, and we 
 are certain it is acceptable in heaven. 
 
Words. 453 
 
 WORDS. 
 
 BY JOSEPH H. TALLEY. 
 
 Man, the noblest work of God, who was created 
 to perform a superior part in the great drama of 
 life, is distinguished from the rest of creation by 
 reason of his approaching perfection, and by 
 speech, the noblest gift of Nature, and the decisive 
 distinction between him and the knver order of 
 creation. Whether language be wholly of a Divine 
 or human origin, or the fruits of the efforts of 
 both combined, is a question about which sages 
 and philosophers of all ages have differed. Nor 
 do I attempt to dispel or cast aside the mysterious 
 veil which tends to bewilder the perceptions of 
 man in the mazes of error, and to present this 
 subject in a perspicuous form ; yet it must be ad- 
 mitted that the power of articulation is natural. 
 Thus the father of songs, in his epithets, has 
 justly called man the " divider of speech," in con- 
 tradistinction to animals, which utter continuous 
 inarticulate cries. 
 
 Archdeacon French, whose physiological reason- 
 
454 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 ing argued a ripe and good scholar, contends that 
 while language is in its infancy, it is the gift of a 
 beneficent Creator; that it has been so much im- 
 proved in the lapse of time, that it has lost much 
 of its original character. For evidence, we have 
 but to consider for a moment the various modula- 
 tions and variations of simple words. This is par- 
 ticularly true of all the classic languages of an- 
 tiquity. To this peculiar construction they owe 
 much of their beauty and flexibility, and were 
 admissible to be suited to the times and occasions 
 with all the music of language in its most refined 
 state, or at the critical hour, when impenetrable 
 gloom and despair veiled all anticipations of future 
 felicity. It is obvious to every reflecting mind 
 that the idea conveyed by words depends, in a 
 great measure, on the context. They borrow and 
 reflect the genial rays of knowledge, and assume 
 a thousand shades of meaning which so admirably 
 suits them to the various comforts of man. 
 
 The origin of language is a problem, the solution 
 of which bids defiance to the most learned ; yet, 
 notwithstanding the many mysteries connected 
 with it, it is the prerogative of man — that which 
 distinguishes him from the brutes that perish. It 
 is a blessing bestowed upon him of such paramount 
 importance, that he can never justly appreciate 
 its true character, or comprehend the innumerable 
 blessings that we receive from an inexhaustible 
 
Words. 455 
 
 fountain of wisdom, which not only prepares us to 
 live in this mundane sphere, but to enter the 
 celestial land, and to join the happy myriads of 
 the redeemed. Without its ceaseless rays we 
 would be doomed to perpetual darkness — nay, 
 never to realize the untold bliss that we receive, 
 while sipping from the cup of social communion 
 with our fellow-man. Without it, all attempts at 
 communication would be as abortive as that of the 
 builders of Babel after the confusion of tongues. 
 Without it, society could not exist ; all its joints 
 would be severed, and the mighty fabric, so vast 
 and complicated in its structure, would be annihi- 
 lated. 
 
 Nor would the evil stop here, but it would ex- 
 tend much farther. Individuals, forming the great 
 compact as one body, would be void of all means 
 of communicating their thoughts and designs, 
 which w r ould naturally lead to jealousy and sus- 
 picions, and the result would be the most disas- 
 trous state of things. Man, constituted as he is, 
 would never submit to a state of felicity separated 
 from the rest of mankind by some diversity of 
 language. While forced by Nature to inhabit the 
 same globe, and to receive the genial rays of the 
 same brilliant luminary, and actuated as he is by 
 the love of self-aggrandizement, he would wage 
 perpetual wars, which would result in the exter- 
 mination of races, together with all the detestable 
 
456 Scholastic Literature, 
 
 vices which human genius could invent. Language 
 is the cement of society; yet it is true that the 
 social compact lies much deeper within the nature 
 of man. "His inclination," says Calhoun, in a 
 disquisition on government, "irresistibly compels 
 him to commune with his own kind." 
 
 Society being once separated, perpetual inter- 
 course between its members is absolutely necessary 
 for its prosperity and perpetuity. Man was formed 
 for society. We infer this from the fact that the so- 
 cial state is necessary for the proper development 
 of his moral, mental, and physical power in his per- 
 fect state. But this social compact could not ex- 
 ist without words, which are signs or symbols of 
 our thoughts and wishes. This is the language of 
 Nature, as it is called, which consists in the cries 
 of anguish and distress; also the language of 
 signs; but in either case the vocabulary is quite 
 limited. Again, there is the power of sympathy 
 — one of the most mysterious laws of our nature. 
 Who has not experienced its mysterious powers, 
 while lending an attentive ear to the resistless 
 eloquence of some orator while pleading the cause 
 of his God or country — every feature expressive 
 of intense interest, and his eyes beaming with the 
 hidden fire of his soul, and his whole frame trem- 
 bling with excitement ? His cause is often gained 
 before he has time to give vent to his feelings. 
 Thus Roscius beheld the tears as they flowed 
 
Words. 457 
 
 down the fair maiden's cheek, which were moved 
 by his silent eloquence of feature and gesture. It 
 is to this that both the orator and actor must at- 
 tribute their successes. 
 
 But comparatively inferior is this or any other 
 mode of communication that we can conceive of, 
 when compared with the viva voce, with all its 
 compass and modulation. The difference is as 
 great as between a statue or painting, however ex- 
 quisite in color or finish, and a living and breath- 
 ing man. One of the ancient poets has said that 
 God, in his wisdom, separated the nations by the 
 intervening of the sea ; but the diversity of lan- 
 guage is an obstacle much more formidable — one, 
 in fact, that hitherto has proved insurmountable. 
 Man, prompted by avarice or curiosity, has long 
 since passed the boundary assigned by the poet ; 
 but the diversity of language still exists, dividing 
 nations into separate, and often into hostile, com- 
 munities, which otherwise, like kindred drops, 
 would have flown into one. 
 
 Words are characters of the first importance to 
 individuals constituted as we are, sustaining to 
 each other various relations, both social and do- 
 mestic, while we are battling with the many ene- 
 mies of our son Is. Nay, who can even form a 
 vain conception of the untold influence of a single 
 word, when spoken in due season, and in a proper 
 mode ? Its deep and fadeless influences are often 
 20 
 
458 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 stamped upon the tablets of the heart indelibly. 
 Yes, need we but turn our eyes upon the peaceful 
 and domestic circles, where harmony, like an 
 angel, sits enthroned in every heart, to witness its 
 power; and with w T hat lasting impressions the 
 kind admonitions of an affectionate mother finds a 
 thrice welcome reception in the bosom of her ten- 
 der offspring, while she is marking out the paths 
 which perhaps may direct their wandering steps 
 to fadeless glory, and forming characters which 
 will serve them as an anchor to guard against the 
 many errors and devices of man, while their frail 
 bark is drifting down the rugged stream of life 
 with the velocity of time ! Nay, those kind ad- 
 monitions will often return fresh, and with double 
 weight, with the memories of the past; while in 
 solitude do we call to memory the scenes that our 
 weeping eyes beheld, while silently gazing upon 
 the pale visage, and anxiously catching the last 
 sweet accents as they are borne away by the 
 gentle breeze of heaven, until they die away in 
 the murmurings of the distance, or in the midnight 
 visions, when all Nature is surrounded by the nat- 
 ural sables. Let us all keep in memory that this 
 is not true and applicable to those things that make 
 man noble and great alone, but also to all that 
 tend to degrade him. If, in the private circles, 
 words are such potent engines of good and evil, 
 what estimation shall we place upon the influence 
 
Words. 459 
 
 of the great congregations, or the high places of 
 nations, where statesmen and senators convene to 
 deliberate upon the public interests ? Here our 
 minds will spontaneously revert to the wise and 
 distinguished men of antiquity, whose words even 
 now awake within us sensations of sympathy which 
 we cannot resist, while they recount the many 
 wrongs that they received at the hand of some 
 cruel monarch ; or to the orator, whose eloquence 
 was so overpowering and resistless that the credu- 
 lous heathen thought that the gods had descended 
 to him in the likeness of man; or descend to a 
 more recent date, and observe the homage paid to 
 a Fox or Burke in the Old World; or our own 
 heaven-favored land, and we may trace its power 
 and might in Henry Clay and Calhoun. Calhoun 
 once being asked who, in his opinion, was the great 
 man, his response was: "The man that knows 
 how to speak the words that will save the country 
 in time of great peril, when the destinies of a na- 
 tion are suspended upon the decisions of an hour. 
 Such a man is worth more than all the people of 
 a generation." Who can comprehend the influence 
 of an Edwards, a Whitefield, or a Marion, who pos- 
 sessed the tongue of the learned, and knew how 
 to speak glad tidings ? How precious the words 
 they uttered ! or how joyous to the shepherds, as 
 they watched their little flocks, was the announce- 
 ment of "Peace on earth and good-will toward 
 
460 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 man!" — words that have been caught up and re- 
 peated by ten thousand tongues, until their joyous 
 accents have been wafted to all parts of the globe, 
 and to-day are reechoing from the sacred altar, to 
 soothe the restless spirits of dying mortals. 
 
Love. 461 
 
 LOYE. 
 
 BY S. R. COLLINS. 
 
 I propose, for a few brief moments, to call your 
 attention to this familiar theme. There is no one 
 in all the vast universe but what can give some- 
 thing worthy of its due importance. Spend not 
 thy time in useless regrets over what is past, for 
 it cannot avail thee. Weep not for those that have 
 passed from time to eternity, for all the tears thou 
 sheddest, though equal in quantity to those poured 
 forth by the nymph of olden times, could not re- 
 animate the lifeless corpse, or recall the fleeting 
 spirit ! But let me call your attention to that as- 
 piration that lies within the breast of every one — 
 which is love. The love of home is felt by every 
 patriot-warrior, or even the little infant has some- 
 thing within it, if it could but have the language 
 to express its love to the little prattling babes that 
 it is accustomed to smile upon. The brighest 
 leaves in our heavenly laurel-crown shall be the 
 memories of good deeds on earth, and the thoughts 
 of those we love so well. The brightest glory of 
 
462 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 the burning seraph will be increased and intensi- 
 fied by the addition of the holy loves of earth. 
 I might twine a lovely garland of these heaven- 
 born and returning flowers, fit for the brow of 
 holy fair ones, here through this sad vale of tears. 
 First, let love, such as the poet feels, which he 
 calls his own, and worships with his whole life 
 beside his daily altar, take its place high on the 
 flowery throne. Then mighty winds that separated 
 the seas from the dry land, when He created both, 
 swept at the same time over the fields of heaven, 
 and scattered its fair fruits and flowers wide over 
 our dreary world. One blessed mortal caught the 
 wandering harp-string, torn from the bright spirit's 
 hand by the rude wind, and with it awoke the 
 sublime strains of lofty song. Another, hearing 
 the rushing of the seraph's strain, henceforth lives, 
 with a heart of love burning, glowing, and bright- 
 ening evermore. Others heard, amidst the tem- 
 pest's roar, the clamor of many angels, arming for 
 the battle of the Lord, and straightway a nation 
 girded on its sword for deeds of valor and mighty 
 daring. One has one gift, another a different one 
 — all from Him, the lover of all good. 
 
 Should you, like the model orator of the sunny 
 South, love to stroll along some gurgling fountain 
 and draw from its limpid waters the shining fish ; 
 in that Hesperian land there are flowing streams 
 where bounds the wide-mouthed trout and swims 
 
Love. 463 
 
 the sable cat, and before these monarchs of the 
 pearly brook swims a glittering host of the scaly 
 tribe, which recede as they advance, like tiny stars 
 before the rising moon. What place is there that 
 we should love more than the thoughts and pleas- 
 ures of a sweet home ? Home, where, ah ! where 
 is the careless heart that has not known thy fas- 
 cinating influence, that ever sheds such a luster of 
 joy over the pathw T ay of life's rugged shores ? It 
 matters not what may be the proud station of 
 man — whether he be elevated to the loftiest pin- 
 nacle of earthly eminence, power, and grandeur, 
 or whether he take his stand among the more 
 humbled followers of human happiness — yet, ever 
 and anon, the dim retrospection of the past pre- 
 sents to his aspiring mind the many loved scenes 
 of his youthful home, and too painfully forces 
 upon him the sad conviction that these were the 
 golden moments of his life, soft as the memory of 
 buried love, pure as the prayers childhood wafts. 
 Home is the wish of the weary soldier ; and 
 tender visions, oft mingled with his troubled 
 dreams of tented fields, floating banners, and red- 
 dened battle's glittering array, come up before him. 
 The name of Sir Isaac Newton will ever be dear 
 to the hearts of the American people ; yes, that 
 man around whose fair brow hangs the wreath of 
 literary fame. Away in the vine-clad sunny 
 South, where the evergreen palm-tree waves its 
 
464 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 graceful plumage to every passing breeze, where 
 birds of golden wings and joyous songs flash and 
 flicker among gardens of gorgeous flowers, the lone 
 exile sits gazing on the wonders around him. 
 
The Affections. 465 
 
 THE AFFECTIONS. 
 
 BY T. S. ELLIOTTE. 
 
 how beautiful is the first rose of spring, the 
 first star of evening, the first golden tint of dawn 
 — yea, even the first written memorial of the being 
 we love ! But far more beautiful is the human 
 heart — that inner principle, that mysterious, Di- 
 vine essence, which, amid all the changes incident 
 to life, amid hopes and fears, amid prosperities 
 and adversities, sunshine and darkness, will never 
 forsake us, but ever find some object to which it 
 will attach itself, and with which it will hold 
 sweet communion. Not the golden gleam which 
 fell from the half-open gates of Paradise on the 
 drooping wing of some cherub, could thrill the 
 soul with more delightful sensations than the 
 powers of love! It Christianizes every feeling, 
 concentrates every wild and bewildering impulse 
 of the heart's love, holy and mysterious. Love 
 is the garland-spring of life, the poet of Nature. 
 It exists everywhere : it burns as brilliant on the 
 snow-clad mountains of Siberia as in the tropical 
 20* 
 
466 /Scholastic Literature. 
 
 bowers of the sunny South. Its song is heard in 
 the rude hut of the poor, as well as in the gor- 
 geous palace of the rich, and its light imparts a 
 brilliancy to the hearts of the virtuous wanderers 
 of earth. Love is the music and unseen spell that 
 soothes the wild and rugged tendencies of human 
 nature — that lingers around the sanctuary of the 
 fireside, and unites in closer union the affections 
 of society. Friends may forsake us; the riches 
 of this earth may soar away; but the hearts that 
 love will cling the closer. During the roaring 
 storm, and amid the wreck of the tempest, it will 
 serve as a beacon to light us on to love and hap- 
 piness. Wisely and beautifully has it been said 
 by the poet of old, that our affections are immor- 
 tal, and God himself is love; for it tempers the 
 weakest soul, gives strength to the feeble, teaches 
 the heart to believe, reason to trust in despite 
 of doubt, filling it with the richest of harmony. 
 It adds even to our affections the beautiful and 
 sublime, for never are our sensibilities so keenly 
 alive as when under its delightful influence. 
 
 Love is the soul of the universe: without it, 
 the world would be a desert — life would be en- 
 durance, not enjoyment. Hallowed by its inspira- 
 tion, devoted woman follows the object of her 
 adoration through all the gradations of crime and 
 woe; and when the heart-strings break, when life 
 takes its last lingering flight from earth, then love 
 
The Affections. 467 
 
 — pure, immortal love — soars upward, and joins 
 with the white-robed choir in an anthem of glory 
 to the great Redeemer of mankind, who first loved 
 us, and commanded us to love one another. How 
 beautiful, how ennobling is that affection which 
 dwells around our firesides and in our home cir- 
 cles, with smiles for the joyous, and tears for the 
 sad distrust and doubt darkening the brightness 
 of its purity! But kindness and filial affection 
 bloom there in all the freshness of an eternal 
 spring. It matters not if the world is cold, if we 
 can but turn to our own loved circle, and ask and 
 receive all that our hearts claim — a look of love, 
 a word of kindness, and a tear of sympathy — 
 that electric attraction that never falls in vain, 
 but waters and fertilizes the soil of the most 
 sterile heart, and causes it to flourish with the 
 beautiful flowers of gratitude and love. Who 
 would live without its holy influence, its eternal 
 sunshine ? Without it the fireside, that should be 
 paradise, is but a gathering-place of horrid looks 
 and still colder words; while with its influence all 
 is cheerfulness and bliss. 'Tis the word of the 
 enchanter, the spell of the fairy, and the sign of 
 the genii; yet poets have sung of the joys of 
 oblivion, and longed to bathe their weary pinions 
 in Lethe's turbid wave, unmindful that if grief 
 steps in the shadowed stream it must sink, bear- 
 ing on its dark bosom the joys, the loves of earth. 
 
468 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 Rather let us love, and drink the mingled cup; 
 the bitter dregs will better enable us to appre- 
 ciate the sweet. The world is full of love; the 
 air is living with its spirit, and the waves dance 
 to the music of its melodies, and sparkle in its 
 brightness. 
 
 "Sweet is the light of open day, 
 And sweet the rising sun, 
 When stars from yonder azure sky 
 Are fading one by one. 
 
 "But sweeter far than realms above, 
 Or than the starry showers, 
 Are hearts of tenderness and love, 
 That kindly throb with ours." 
 
Man's a Pendulum, Etc. 469 
 
 MAN'S A PENDULUM BETWIXT A SMILE 
 AND A TEAR. 
 
 BY WILLIAM C. ELLIOTTE. 
 
 Change hovers ever, with blighted wing, over 
 the beautiful, the grand, and the great. The 
 beautiful flower that blooms in the morning, and 
 opens its tender leaves to receive the gentle rays 
 of the rising sun, is withered before the western 
 shadows have lengthened over the mead; the ma- 
 jestic oak that has braved the wintry blast, and 
 around whose top the lightnings have played in 
 harmless fury for ages, is suddenly upturned by 
 the raging tornado; the grandest achievements of 
 art and genius, the most towering monumental 
 piles, most gorgeous palaces, and magnificent cit- 
 ies, that ever flattered the pride of a prince, or 
 pampered the folly of a monarch, now lie molder- 
 ing in the dust. Parthenon, with its beautiful 
 imagery, that almost trembled into life beneath 
 the touch of a Phidias, is now a heap of ruins. 
 
 Man, too, the chief of the terrestrial creation, 
 with all his boasted powers of mind, by which he 
 
470 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 has been able to seek out the deep things of God, 
 has felt the breath of this blighting spirit. Yea, 
 even the soul itself, the seat of affection, has con- 
 tributed to make him the special instrument of 
 its power. A being of impulse, he is elated to 
 the acme of felicity by the gale of prosperity, and 
 is sunk to the lowest depths of despair by the 
 breeze of adversity. Cast forth from a scene of 
 enchanting loveliness, to make his way through 
 storms and tempests, to become the grand artisan 
 of his own fortune, it is but reasonable to suppose 
 that he would be a child of sorrow, as well as 
 joy. It is ever so. From the time he, a tender 
 infant, begins to watch with anxious inquiry the 
 tear dancing in the eye of his fond mother, through 
 the sportive days of youth, the sober days of 
 manhood, down to the cold, damp tomb — like the 
 rose swinging to every passing zephyr, now smil- 
 ing, then sorrowing, he passes away. The youth- 
 ful aspirant, with brilliant hopes and burning am- 
 bition, listening to the siren notes of the angel 
 of distinction, as she sits enthroned upon her lofty 
 temple, with wreath in hand, ready to bind his 
 brow, may feel a thrill of joy at every step he 
 gains ; yet every leaf of that laurel may become 
 a fiery serpent that will sting his bosom with 
 deadly pangs. The statesman, with his heart 
 burning with patriotism, and his tongue sweetened 
 with eloquence, battling in his country's cause, 
 
Man's a Pendulum, Etc. 471 
 
 and vanquishing her enemies at every stroke of 
 his powerful arm, may rejoice in his triumph, and 
 exult in his strength; yet public opinion, with its 
 giant power, hurls him from his exalted position, 
 and may perhaps cast him, a wandering exile, on 
 some barren shore, or lead him with chains to pine 
 beneath the walls of a sickening dungeon. The 
 patriot, whose hearth has been desolated by the 
 hand of some foreign foe, may raise the shout of 
 joy at being able to level him at his feet; yet as 
 he lifts the bleeding victim from the earth to 
 plunge the glittering dagger to his heart, moved 
 by pity, he drops a tear over his gushing life- 
 blood. 
 
 Not only has the angel of joy been bathed in 
 tears at the altar of the social hearth, or grieved 
 over the loss of the strong man, but she has been 
 made to droop beneath the load of a nation's sor- 
 row. There was a time when the world was en- 
 veloped in a mantle of superstition and idolatry, 
 more impenetrable and destructive than Egyptian 
 darkness. Not one ray of light emanating from 
 the throne of God penetrated the dark depths of 
 man's soul. Nought but the cries of human vic- 
 tims, perishing on the sacrificial altar, sounding 
 through the gloom of some sacred grove, or the 
 clash of contending armies, fall upon the ear. In 
 this starless midnight of desolation, light sud- 
 denly burst upon the world. The Star of Bethle- 
 
472 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 hem, stepping forth from the depths of the firma- 
 ment, opened up the pathway to true happiness 
 and hope. The pure fountain of Christian benev- 
 olence and love had begun to send forth their 
 healthful streams for the healing of the nations. 
 But alas ! too soon. Papal despotism, like some 
 huge monster that haunts us in our daily medita- 
 tions and nightly dreams, dripping with Chris- 
 tians' gore and orphans' tears, raises its destroying 
 visage, blighting the tender buddings of Christian- 
 ity, and crushing beneath its unhallowed tread the 
 brightest flowers in the pathway of life. As the 
 hermit, his heart impressed with the foot-prints 
 of superstition, his nature corrupted by the un- 
 bridled license of Catholicism, bowed at the tomb 
 of our Saviour, and imprinted kisses upon the 
 cold stones, indignant at the pagan, he fostered in 
 his bosom a detestation against him whom he sent 
 forth with a voice that flew like the crash of thun- 
 der borne upon the wings of the lightning, till 
 Europe, like the sea convulsed by the storm, 
 startled the soul with its commotions. Now not 
 only the sturdy warrior girds on the heavy pan- 
 oply of war, but the tender mother, with the in- 
 fant of her bosom, joins in the general frenzy. 
 Ay, even beauty's fairest flowers rush into the 
 ranks of war, with the fleetness of an Achilles 
 and the valor of a Miltiades, though famine and 
 pestilence scatter their numbers, like leaves of the 
 
Man 's a Pendulum, Etc. 473 
 
 forest when summer is gone, and the wintry winds 
 have come. And the mother and the infant, strug- 
 gling in the embrace of death, while the groans 
 of the dying and the shrieks of the wounded 
 make the welkin ring, are undaunted. The mighty 
 hosts press on to the scene of anxiety, and when 
 the adorned Jerusalem ushers into view, with all 
 its thrilling associations, then reason leaves its 
 corrupted seat, and, like the Alpine avalanche, 
 they rush upon the devoted city of God, demol- 
 ishing its walls, and spreading far and wide the 
 marks of desolation and woe, till they have 
 drenched its streets with gore; nor does the 
 dripping sword find its way to the scabbard till it 
 has drunk the life-blood of the last infant clinging 
 to the icy bosom of the slaughtered mother. 
 
 Despond not, philanthropist — turn not, Chris- 
 tian, from this bloody page in the history of the 
 world ! It was but the opening of a theater where 
 man might exhibit the triumph of truth, and the 
 true dignity of his nature. That glorious theater 
 is here. When the last ray of hope was fast fad- 
 ing from the earth — yes, after the South grounded 
 her arms — a bright gleam of hope appeared in the 
 South. Here the traveler, weary of his wander- 
 ings, could find refuge from the storm that threat- 
 ened destruction to him. But vain are thy prat- 
 ings, siren tongue of hope ! Man is still a pen- 
 dulum 'twixt a smile and a tear! When the 
 
474 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 smoke wreathing above the forests of the Potomac 
 announced that the fires of persecution had been 
 kindled on our sacred shore — when the lion of 
 the North, raising his deadly roar in the lowlands 
 of Virginia, rolled like muttering thunder through 
 the land, and awakened the widow's wail and 
 orphan's cry, yet as they stood upon the ram- 
 parts of Virginia, their hearts swelling with grati- 
 tude, and raising the shout of victory, they were 
 at last compelled to submit to the yoke; and then 
 casting their eyes round upon their bleeding com- 
 panions, they would sink beneath the load of a 
 philanthropist's sorrow. But we rejoice when we 
 remember that their blood was the purchase of 
 the world. And still they shall continue to move 
 on in their course, like the current of the irresist- 
 ible river, bearing man to the goal of his career, 
 till the bursting echoes of a world renewed, rising 
 heavenward, shall proclaim that sighing and sor- 
 rowing are clone away. 
 
Women of the South. 475 
 
 WOMEN OF THE SOUTH. 
 
 BY ALICE HOPWOOD. 
 
 The women, throughout God's creation, are the 
 best part of his handiwork. Amongst saints and 
 savages we find them always arrayed on virtue's 
 side, ministering to the wants of suffering hu- 
 manity, and relieving the wants of the distressed. 
 No matter whether it be amid the burning sands 
 of Arabia or the Polar snows of Iceland, we find 
 woman the same kind, benevolent, and sympa- 
 thizing being, ever ready to soothe the brow of 
 care, and comfort the troubled mind. No man, in 
 trouble or distress, ever approached a true woman 
 without finding sympathy and relief, if in her 
 power to render it. The women in all ages have 
 shown those noble traits of patience, forbearance, 
 and virtue, akin to which our Saviour taught, and 
 which fallen humanity are forced to admire and 
 reverence. 
 
 There are in the Southern States thousands of 
 women who were born to fortune, and who from 
 their cradle were accustomed to wealth, luxury, 
 
476 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 and refinement. They lost their husbands, sons, 
 and brothers on many a blood-stained field of 
 battle, and had their fortunes stripped from them 
 by unbridled power, and themselves left, poor and 
 destitute, to the cold charities of an unfriendly 
 world.; but we have not heard that they turned 
 mendicants or paupers. We know many who have 
 become teachers, instructresses, and governesses, 
 boarding-house keepers, and workers in- every hon- 
 orable and laudable way, but not one who has 
 turned beggar. They have not made a capital of 
 their woes; but, like pure, true, noble, and brave 
 women — for such, I say, they are — they are labor- 
 ing faithfully and truly to support and educate 
 their fatherless children, their younger brothers 
 and sisters, and endeavoring to raise up for com- 
 ing time a race of true statesmen and heroes, who 
 shall not dishonor the memory of their fathers. 
 God will smile on such noble and heroic efforts. 
 The sons that these Spartan mothers are rearing 
 will yet add to their fathers' fame; and the daugh- 
 ters they are raising in the paths of purity, truth, 
 and gentleness, will give additional splendor to the 
 glories of the coronet which sparkles upon the 
 brows of Southern women. 
 
 The great hope and safeguard of a republic 
 is the influence of the true, pure, and religious 
 women; they have a restraining and an ennobling 
 influence over the rougher and more impetuous 
 
Women of the South. 477 
 
 nature of man, elevating him above the lower and 
 baser things of life, and enabling him to assume 
 the true stature and position of a man. These 
 noble women, with their heavenly influences, we 
 have in the South; they have been proved — al- 
 most going through the ordeal of fire — and have 
 stood the test unscathed and unsullied; and no 
 nation is in danger of its liberties being taken 
 from it whilst it can point to such noble mothers, 
 wives, and daughters as the South now possesses. 
 " Gentle woman, ever kind," the poet has sung ; 
 and it is as much of a truth now as then. With- 
 out this influence man would be a savage, and the 
 world would be an arena of strife and wickedness. 
 True religion and true liberty are nowhere found 
 where true, noble, and elevated women do not 
 dwell. The poet Campbell says of Adam: 
 
 "Still slowly passed the melancholy day, 
 And still the stranger knew not where to stay ; 
 The world was sad, the garden was a wild, 
 And man, the hermit, sighed till woman smiled." 
 
 Another poet sings as follows : 
 
 "When o'er man's dark'ning brow the storm 
 
 Is gathering, in its power and might, 
 The radiant beam of woman's form 
 
 Shines through the cloud, and all is light ; 
 When dire disease prepares her wrath, 
 
 To pour in terror from above, 
 How gleams upon his glowing path 
 
 The glowing light of woman's love!" 
 
478 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 The gentle and purifying influence of woman 
 falls on man as the light and pure snow-flake falls 
 upon the firm ground, softening and enriching the 
 coarser element it falls upon; so the noble women 
 of the South, imperceptibly, but most certainly, 
 wield this soft and mild influence on the men and 
 youth of the South, and will continue to do so 
 while she holds the high and ennobling attributes 
 which she now possesses. 
 
Disappointm ent. 479 
 
 DISAPPOINTMENT. 
 
 BY KITTIE HARRIS. 
 
 I have chosen a subject, at this time of writing, 
 that is worthy of the consideration of our best 
 and most learned scholars. I feel and know that 
 I am not capable of doing the subject justice. 
 However, I shall do the very best I can, as I have 
 always done on former occasions. 
 
 We are all subject to disappointment, both man 
 and the inferior animals. I care not how noble or 
 ignoble, how great or how small, they are all sub- 
 ject to disappointment. But I shall not attempt 
 to point out or trace up the disappointments which 
 attend the inferior animals, though they would 
 afford us some striking illustrations, and impart 
 to us great encouragement, as it did to Joseph 
 when he sat down under the old eagle tree, to 
 watch and bestow unavailing pity on the noble 
 bird. But I desire briefly and simply to notice 
 man in disappointments; though I would at first 
 call the attention and enlist the feelings of our 
 own dear sex, for woman's feelings, sooner ma- 
 
480 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 tured than man's, more early sink to decay. The 
 blight of one hope, the disappointment of one 
 vision of happiness, throws a chill over woman's 
 prophetic spirit, and wraps every thing in dreams 
 and in anticipated ruin. Man is a different being, 
 by his habits, his education, and his associations. 
 From disappointment he plunges into new plea- 
 sures ; from one lost object he rushes on to new 
 pursuits. Well would it be for woman if she 
 would leave the haunts of sadness, and move on 
 in the pursuit of real enjoyment! Well would it 
 be if the light laugh and careless brow of woman 
 were not roses over a sepulcher ! Many a bright 
 eye is dimmed, and many a fair brow clouded, 
 while the more rugged spirit of man passes the 
 fiery ordeal of suffering, with equal relish for a 
 second pursuit, and equal strength for a second 
 disappointment. Many a gay heart is broken, 
 and the young bosom rests in the silent tomb, or 
 seeks almost as lonely retirement; while the buoy- 
 ant spirit of man would trample down the thorny 
 troubles, and rove on among the buds and flowers 
 of happiness. 
 
 But to return more closely to my subject. Dis- 
 appointment is in itself bitter, but when the re- 
 membrance of past follies is added to the scenes 
 of present suffering, it fills up the cup of agony. 
 But the medicine, though bitter, is salutary, and 
 should be drunk without a murmur. If thou hast 
 
Disappointment. 481 
 
 lost the hope most dear to thy heart, seek not to 
 overpower the voice of conscience by the noise 
 of the world's folly, or to drown the memory of 
 thy disappointment in the tide of dissipation; but 
 ponder on the vanity of earthly pursuits, and it 
 may be that thy disappointments will lead thee 
 to "Him who chasteneth whom he loveth;" for 
 there is language in disappointment louder than 
 the thunders of heaven, for it speaks to the heart, 
 and not to the ear; and he who has lost his hopes 
 of happiness in this world should indeed feel that 
 happiness is to be obtained elsewhere, and that 
 his hopes should be placed beyond this vale of 
 tears, and on a more firm foundation than earth 
 can afford. 
 21 
 
482 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 SELF-RELIANCE. 
 
 BY J. O. FOWLEE. 
 
 It is made obligatory upon me, as one of the 
 students of this Institute, to stand before you and 
 offer a few remarks for your consideration ; and 
 as a base for what I shall say, the following sub- 
 ject is offered : " Self-reliance." 
 
 Men are not born, but are made. Genius, 
 worth, power of mind, are more made than born. 
 
 "Genius, born, may grovel in the dust; 
 Genius, made, may mount to the skies." 
 
 Our great and good men, that stand along the 
 paths of history as bright and shining lights, are 
 witnesses of these truths. They stand there as 
 everlasting pleaders for employment. Now, what 
 is true of men, in this respect, is equally true of 
 women. If employment is the instrumentality in 
 making men, it is equally so in making women. 
 There is something noble, grand, glorious in a 
 woman; she is the impersonation of spiritual 
 beauty. We know that a young man, thrown upon 
 
Self-reliance. 483 
 
 his own resources, is more likely to be a great and 
 good man than one cradled in the lap of luxuries 
 or fortune. Why is it ? Simply because he seeks 
 employment, and depends upon himself for what 
 he is to be and do. He leans not on another, and 
 hence grows strong by standing alone. A woman 
 can no more be a true woman, than a man can be 
 a true man, without employment and self-reliance. 
 We think every boy in the country should be 
 taught to make his own living, and every woman, 
 to some extent, domesticated, even if she is 
 wealthy. 
 
 Life is a struggle. Take a young man, place 
 him in the midst of a fortune, whose pecuniary 
 circumstances are such that he can keep his chil- 
 dren from mental or moral labor, so far as accu- 
 mulating a sustenance is concerned, and he grows 
 up dormant and ignorant of business facilities 
 necessary for life in the future. He possesses no 
 industry, no energy, enterprise, or any qualifica- 
 tions for business. We think that when parents 
 train their children up to expect ease of life, lux- 
 uries, etc., without knowing any thing of the labor 
 required to supply their wants and pleasures, they 
 are absolutely doing them injury — yea, even in- 
 justice. Young men more particularly, we think, 
 are apt to contract the habits of a spendthrift, and, 
 indeed, know nothing, except to spend money, 
 loiter about, and, painful to say, often become ad- 
 
484 Scholastic Liter attire. 
 
 dieted to habits that are ruinous to young men — 
 habits of dissipation, etc. 
 
 It is said by some of the wisest philosophers 
 that idleness is the supplement to crimes almost 
 innumerable — blasphemy, drunkenness, and dissi- 
 pation in general. If a young man who has been 
 properly instructed while in youth, when he be- 
 comes old enough to shift for himself, will always 
 bear in mind the evils that attend idleness and in- 
 difference, we think our country would be far more 
 prosperous : in place of poverty, wickedness, and 
 disquiet, all would be greeted by prosperity and 
 plenty. If young men, when they arrive at man- 
 hood, and are free under the law, would at once 
 place themselves upon their own resources, and 
 go forward, we think many would be successful, 
 who perhaps will signally fail in business, judging 
 from those who have failed. As we have already 
 said, those who have been depending upon others 
 for sustenence, from youth up to manhood, have 
 never acquired a knowledge how to transact busi- 
 ness, have never known what responsibility men 
 in business have resting upon them; and after 
 they embark in business, their interest depends 
 upon how much energy, judgment, economy, and 
 industry they use in their respective avocations. 
 We believe, farther, that men, when they settle in 
 business, should at all times depend, as much as 
 possible, upon their own resources. 
 
Self-reliance. 485 
 
 And now, my fellow-students, I think we would 
 all do well to consider the ideas I have been giv- 
 ing, not only after we shall have embarked into 
 business avocations of life, but now, while we are 
 engaged in the school-room. I think it too often 
 the case with us, as students in school, that we 
 rely upon each other for instruction, while we 
 should study out for ourselves each problem as 
 it is presented to us. Now we have closed the 
 present session, let us continue to study; let us 
 remember, after we have left our teachers, to rely 
 on our own minds for improvement, and continue 
 to study. 
 
486 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 MATRIMONY. 
 
 BY DORA SNELL. 
 
 Of all the states in the United States, this, the 
 married state, seems to me to be the most miserable 
 and wretched state to live in, especially for woman. 
 No doubt it is an advantage to men to get some 
 one to take care of them. This was why it was 
 said that man should not live alone ; and I reckon, 
 after all, it is well that woman was created, and 
 marriage was instituted ; for what would man be if 
 it were not for woman? and what are some of them, 
 at best, any way ? 
 
 We often see husbands finding fault with their 
 wives — they are so hard to please — nothing but an 
 expense; and it was woman that brought all the 
 woe and misery on mankind, by eating the forbid- 
 den fruit. Well, if Eve plucked the apple, did 
 not she give half of it to her husband ? and did 
 not he eat it and think it was very good? And no 
 doubt he wished he had got it first, so that he 
 could have eat it all by himself, and not thought 
 of his wife — just as the men do now, when they 
 
Matrimony. 487 
 
 get any thing good to eat : they help themselves, 
 and never think of their wives. 
 
 " But, O woman, in thine hours of ease, 
 Uncertain, coy, and hard to please, 
 When pain and anguish wring the brow, 
 A ministering angel art thou !" 
 
 It is said that marriage is a means of grace. 
 Well, I suppose any thing is a means of grace 
 that breaks down pride, and leads to repentance ; 
 and I'm sure marriage does this. The wife is 
 never appreciated and estimated by her husband 
 as she ought to be. This is one reason why I'm 
 an advocate for single life. I speak not from ex- 
 perience, but from observation ; for, dear me ! I 
 can see enough without wishing to experience this 
 life, and I am astonished that so many girls leap 
 so blindly from single blessedness to married 
 wretchedness. But so it is : girls will listen to 
 the flattery of men, while they make hymns to 
 their beauty, and call them almost divine. Yes, 
 they will listen to their promises, such as "Happi- 
 ness shall be yours, thy pathway shall be strewed 
 with flowers," until they are forced to believe. To 
 be sure, all is pleasant for awhile ; but, alas ! 
 thorns soon begin to grow instead of flowers, and 
 vinegar and sour buttermilk take the place of pies 
 and honey. The husband neglects his wife, ceases 
 to notice or care for her ; she reminds him of his 
 
488 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 voluntary promises to her before marriage, and he 
 will deny them, or pay no attention to them. 
 
 And now, girls, let me warn you in time. Lis- 
 ten not to the vows of men. 
 
 " You may write in the sand, when the tide is low ; 
 You may seek a place where the waters flow; 
 You may whisper a name, when the wind is heard, 
 And pause that the echo may catch the word. 
 If what you write in the sand should last, 
 If echo is heard 'mid the tempest's blast, 
 Till then I'd believe, and not till then, 
 That there is truth in the vows of men." 
 
 Some men say that a wife is the main thing; 
 and I reckon they are, for who is it that's 
 
 " Up early in the morning, just at the peep of day, 
 Getting the breakfast, straining the milk, and turning the 
 
 cows away ; 
 Sweeping the floor in the kitchen, making the beds up and 
 
 down stairs, 
 Washing the breakfast-dishes, and dusting the walls and 
 
 chairs?" 
 
 It's the wife, of course. But who is it that's 
 
 " Smoking away in bed, as though they never intended to 
 
 wake, 
 While breakfast is freezing on the table, and it is getting so 
 
 very late ? " 
 
 The husband, to be sure. Who is it that 
 
Matrimony. 489 
 
 " Brushes the crumbs from the table, and hunts the eggs at 
 
 the barn, 
 Cleans the turnips for dinner, and spins the stocking-yarn ; 
 Hangs out the clothes on the bushes below, 
 And ransacks every meadow where the strawberries grow ; 
 Starching the fixings for Sunday, churning the snowy 
 
 cream, 
 Einsing the pails and strainer down in the running stream ; 
 Feeding the geese and turkeys, making the cakes and pies, 
 Jogging the little one's cradle, and driving away the flies?" 
 
 Is it the husband? Not lie; but if he comes 
 home and sees the children are crying, supper is 
 not ready, and the wife is scolding a servant, he 
 is ready to fly in a passion, and blame her for all, 
 forgetting that she has been at home all day long, 
 vexed and tormented by squalling brats and im- 
 pudent servants, while he has been at town all day 
 reading the news. 
 
 There are so few husbands that are worthy of 
 a wife that it is best to have none at all. But 
 ah ! this married state — all who enter it mourn 
 their folly too late ! Now, young girls, is not this 
 enough to disgust you ? You'd better have a mill- 
 stone hung about your neck, and be cast into the 
 sea, than to put your head into the matrimonial 
 noose. I have said there are few husbands, and 
 but few, who are worthy of their wives. Very 
 often you see him at home, but there are no at- 
 tractions there for him. His thoughts do not cling 
 to home, but to some place of resort, where he 
 21* 
 
490 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 might be free from the tiresome task of nursing 
 the children, while his wife is blacking his boots, 
 sewing the buttons on his pants, darning his socks, 
 etc., etc. So I again repeat it, dear girls, you had 
 better have a millstone hanged to your neck, and 
 be thrown into the sea, than to put your head into 
 this halter. 
 
No More. 491 
 
 NO MORE. 
 
 BY G. W. NIX. 
 
 There is a thrilling pathos in the words, " No 
 more ! " They suggest to the reflecting mind a 
 thousand vivid recollections, many of which are 
 brightly illumined by the sunshine of happiness, 
 whilst others are heavily fraught with regrets 
 most painful, and sadly dimmed by darkest clouds 
 of sorrow. The mighty past comes rushing back 
 upon the mind, until it becomes half bewildered 
 with the remembrance of what is now no more, 
 and we almost feel that the business of the noise- 
 less embassadors of time is only to scatter wasted 
 flowers upon the grave of bliss, and to erect early 
 monuments to the memory of what once existed 
 to gladden our joyous hearts in this transitory 
 life. Time rolls on in its resistless course, bearing 
 with it the frail barks of those we love, the inno- 
 cent victims of its mad career, which are wildly 
 rocked and tossed upon its raging billows, like 
 floating wrecks on the heaving bosom of the 
 
492 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 mighty deluge. The grim death-angel has found 
 his way into our own happy home circle, and 
 there ruthlessly severed the golden cord which 
 had till then thrown round us its magic influence, 
 and bound together our loving, youthful hearts in 
 ties of love most sacred. 
 
 And now, when twilight approaches — the sea- 
 son that ever is sacred to song — we feel our sad 
 hearts throb with grief to know that the rich, 
 mellow tones of his melodious voice will never 
 again swell with rapture in our broken choir, till 
 we join him in that blissful choir of angels in 
 heaven, where we shall be reunited, and forever 
 sing anthems of praise which shall fill the gilded 
 courts of that world of light. Often, as we gaze 
 upon the beauties of the gentle moon — bright gem 
 of heaven's azure sea — we think, and sadden at 
 the thought, that it ne'er again will shine on that 
 manly form; that its soft rays will never more 
 illumine that classic brow, nor light up those dark, 
 earnest eyes, which were so truthfully typical of 
 the generous heart and noble soul that dwelt be- 
 neath them. Yes, alas ! one we loved has gone ! 
 We stand at the newly-made grave, over which 
 Nature has not yet spread its soft carpet, and 
 listen to the wind as it sweeps across the marble 
 columns that surround the narrow house of our 
 departed one, and whispers, in its low and solemn 
 accents, "No more!" Some fond hope, some long- 
 
No More. 493 
 
 cherished affection, is suddenly cut off by the 
 cruel, ruthless destroyer. A withering blight 
 comes upon it, and it fades slowly and sadly 
 away. Its grave is far down in the deepest re- 
 cesses of the heart, and grief sits watching at its 
 side, unexposed to the gaze of the cold, unsym- 
 pathizing world. Our sorrow is subdued, but 
 poignant; for there is no grief which is so bit- 
 terly felt as that which lies subdued under the 
 restraints of a determined will. 
 
 A mother gazes long and tenderly upon her 
 beautiful child, and as she listens, only as a mother 
 can listen, to its innocent prattle, she fondly pic- 
 tures to herself the unseen future in golden colors 
 too brilliant and beautiful for reality. A few 
 days glide quickly away, and the scene is changed. 
 Those once bright eyes are dim; those fair young 
 limbs are cold and stiff in death's embrace; that 
 innocent, prattling tongue, that never knew how 
 to speak an unkind word, is hushed forever — it 
 had scarcely learned to lisp the tender name of 
 "Mother," ere it was stricken down; and those 
 golden pictures of a dying mother's heart are 
 shrouded in the darkness of the tomb. 
 
 The old year is no more. We gaze long and 
 wistfully after it, as it quickly and silently glides 
 from us, and fades away in the mists of the past. 
 It has left some marks upon memory which time 
 can never efface ; but the great mass of the cares, 
 
494 Scholastic Literature, 
 
 the trials, and the pleasures, with which it came 
 laden, is borne away with it in its rapid flight; 
 and, like the cloud-shadows flying over the wav- 
 ing meadow and flowering landscape, no traces of 
 their existence are left behind. Uncontrollable 
 memory may sometimes steal away, and wander 
 back through the tangled vale of time to some 
 cherished spot where we were happy, and where 
 we rested awhile on the weary, and, to us, unde- 
 finable journey of life; and when she returns to 
 the heart from which she - thus unconsciouslv 
 steals away, she perchance may bring back with 
 her some of the withered flowers that we plucked 
 as we passed, and dropped as they withered. 
 They have long since lost their bright beauties 
 and rich fragrance, but their cruel thorns are the 
 last to perish. Perchance she may yet find one 
 fresh and blooming flower, which hope has con- 
 tinued to guard and cherish, and which, year after 
 year, has blossomed unseen and died unplucked, 
 and which, perhaps, will shed its last sweet fra- 
 grance upon this stealthy messenger of the heart, 
 as it pays its last transient visit. We say to the 
 flying, dying year : " Thou wilt soon be gone ! " 
 and ere the hollow echo of these mournful words 
 has died upon our lips, the old year is far away, 
 and almost lost in the immeasurable ocean of 
 eternity; and the coming year, like the succeed- 
 ing wave of the angry ocean, is washing away the 
 
No More, 495 
 
 last foot-prints its retreating brother has made 
 upon the sand of our changing existence. 
 
 Dear hearers, do you not love to think of the 
 past, although it is no more? Did you ever look 
 upon the dry and withered rose, and reflect what 
 a thing of matchless beauty it once was, and allow 
 your imagination to paint it once more in the soft, 
 delicate hues of unequaled splendor which the 
 hand of God gave it, when young and fresh with 
 the dew of heaven? Do you not love in the 
 stilly eve, in the holy hour of twilight, to forget 
 for a time all things that are, and giving wings to 
 your imagination, bid it float back through the 
 misty past, and quietly dwell among the shadows 
 of things — things that are no more? Can you 
 not see in each varied change the unchanging 
 wisdom of Divinity, whether he paints and then 
 withers the beautiful flower, or whether he creates 
 and sends a new world whirling through space, 
 and then removes another from the myriads that 
 sparkle and dance far off in the deep blue sky? 
 Can you not see that unchangeable wisdom in all 
 things — a wisdom that is now as it was in the 
 beginning, and will continue to live when time 
 itself shall be no more? 
 
 " ' No more !' A harp-string's deep and thrilling tone — 
 A last low summer breeze — a far-off swell — 
 
 A dying echo of rich music gone, 
 
 Breathe through these words, these murmurs, farewell!" 
 
496 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 valedictory: 
 
 BY BERNICE NEWSOM. 
 
 The very sound of the word "Valedictory" 
 shocks the sympathetic sensibilities of every 
 school-mate who has a particle of true and lasting 
 friendship or affection interwoven with the various 
 ambitions of the soul. We are at once reminded 
 of our past associations, and at the same moment 
 requested to lift the dark veil of the uncertain fu- 
 ture, and look forward to coming events, and the 
 many probable destinies that await us. A few 
 short weeks ago we left our homes, and with a 
 unity of purpose assembled in these halls. How 
 far we have succeeded in that purpose, may be 
 imagined by reflecting on our exercises before you, 
 and our kind instructors can give you a more cor- 
 rect idea than mere imagination ; but our useful- 
 ness alone will be the severe critic that will com- 
 pliment or reflect on us for the manner in which 
 we have spent our time in the school-room. 
 
 When the session began, each one seemed to be 
 determined to drink at the fountain of science, and 
 
Valedictory. 497 
 
 appropriate the elements of its waters, in such a 
 manner as that they could be drawn upon in time 
 of need. But in stepping forward in this bold 
 determination, we had gentle wooings that inclined 
 us to look back to the circle in which our affections 
 had been reared and cultivated. Each heart was 
 brimful of sympathetic reflections, associated with 
 the fond ties of home. No intermingling of 
 joys and sorrows at that time caused us to have 
 that affinity of souls that can be felt, but not ex- 
 pressed. But as we met daily in the halls of in- 
 struction, the warm rays of our hearts were ab- 
 sorbed and reflected, until we have been cemented 
 in unbroken links of love and friendship, which 
 have been solidified and strengthened by our being 
 so constantly together as to hear every heart-throb 
 of sorrow and every vibration of happiness. 
 
 But alas ! the golden bowl must be broken ! We 
 must separate ! Absence will put her conquering 
 finger heavily upon the chords of love and friend- 
 ship that exist between us. We will seldom feel 
 the warm welcome of friendship's kiss, or see the 
 peculiar glance of the eye that tells us that we 
 live in each other's hearts ; yet fond memory will 
 call up the past, and the remembrance of the few 
 brief months of our associations will stand out 
 upon life's waste as an oasis in the desert, rich 
 with the most beautiful verdure of spring. Yes, 
 if this brittle thread of life be lengthened out, 
 
498 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 when long years have flown, and our locks are 
 silvered with age, the remembrance of scenes here 
 enjoyed will cause an aged heart to beat with the 
 liveliest emotions of pleasure ; and it is this feel- 
 ing that sustains us to-day. How depressing in- 
 deed would be the thought of separation, if mem- 
 ory had no treasure upon which we could feed! 
 
 And now, my dear school-mates, the hour of 
 separation approaches, and the perpetual revolu- 
 tion of the wheels of time will soon approach the 
 moment when we must say " Good-bye ! " how 
 much latent feeling in the human heart is aroused 
 by a simple yet a feeling "Good-bye," and those 
 fearful misgivings that it may be a last " Good- 
 bye ! " And, my dear school-mates, when we shall 
 have separated, your names and faces, associated 
 with many acts of love and kindness, will cluster 
 around me in the lonely hours of meditation, as 
 unseen messengers of solace and comfort ; and in 
 return, I only ask that I may have a place in your 
 warm and generous hearts, if this should prove to 
 be a final separation. If the unrelenting demands 
 of death should forbid us meeting again in this 
 world, let us earnestly endeavor to prepare our- 
 selves for a meeting around the great white throne 
 of our heavenly Father, where our associations 
 will be perpetual and unceasing, where there will 
 be no scenes of parting or feelings of good-bye! 
 
 Beloved teachers, we are soon to take our leave 
 
Valedictory. 499 
 
 of you. It is a part of my painful duty to bid 
 you adieu. You are endeared to us by strong and 
 lasting ties, not only for your unremitting toil to 
 impart to us the knowledge you possess, but for 
 the flowers of love you have strewn along the irk- 
 some paths of study, and which have done much 
 to make it pleasant and fascinating. As a repre- 
 sentative of the young ladies, permit me to return 
 to you our heart-felt thanks for the kind manner 
 in which you have discharged your duties during 
 the session. 
 
 Citizens of Lewisburg, w r e return to you our 
 sincere thanks for the manner in which you have 
 treated us during our short stay with you. Some 
 of us came among you as strangers, and you re- 
 ceived us as friends ; and now, when we must 
 leave you, our lips fail to speak the emotions we 
 feel ; but rest assured, our sojourn with you will 
 linger on memory as long as memory itself shall 
 last. But time forbids the farther expression of 
 such sentiments. 
 
 "And with feelings like some low and mournful swell, 
 I bid a sad but kind. fare well." 
 
500 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 PAST AND PRESENT— VALEDICTORY. 
 
 BY L. B. COLLINS. 
 
 The subject now under consideration is fruitful 
 of thought, and well calculated to call forth the 
 intellectual energies of any one; and in contem- 
 plating it in its first light, it is natural for our 
 minds to take a retrospective view of the past, 
 and for a moment meditate upon the progress of 
 nations. 
 
 Upon the fairy and gilded wings of imagination 
 we transport ourselves back to the ages when 
 Greece and Rome flourished in peace and pros- 
 perity, and look upon them as almost immortal, 
 surrounded as they were by such mighty bulwarks 
 of freedom, which seemed impervious to any op- 
 position. They possessed men of genius, of tal- 
 ent, of noble feelings, and high spirit; their ad- 
 vantages in obtaining thorough education were 
 inferior to none the world ever knew; their ora- 
 tors and generals are surpassed by none in the 
 annals of the world; their .munitions and instru- 
 ments of battle are the best and most destructive 
 
Past and Present. 501 
 
 ever used; victories unnumbered are theirs, and 
 their emblems of liberty wave in triumph over 
 desolated nations; yet they have passed away, 
 and live only as an example to succeeding genera- 
 tions. Time, in his hurried march, has but glanced 
 at their imagined immortality, and the days of 
 their glory are as if they had never been. The 
 glory of their arms, the fame of their philosophy, 
 the eloquence of their orators, and the inspiration 
 of their poets are gone, glimmering through the 
 dreams of things that w T ere, as school-boys' tales, 
 the wonder of an hour. And what was the means 
 of their destruction? Was it not by their own 
 hands that they were hurled from the lofty pin- 
 nacle of liberty into the dark and miserable abyss 
 of slavery? We point you to history for the 
 reply. 
 
 But as we wish to be concise, we pass rapidly 
 on, being drifted along the relentless stream of 
 life, until we arrive at the prelude of our history. 
 In the earlier and better days of our government, 
 and down to the late unfortunate struggle, there 
 is much to heighten, please, and elevate the pride 
 of true Americans. But we have learned that 
 other mighty republics have fallen, and such may 
 be our destiny. We look back with pride to the 
 period when our noble ancestors unbarred the 
 dungeons of the slave, and dashed his fetters to 
 the earth, and the sword of Washington was un- 
 
502 Scholastic Literature, 
 
 sheathed to oppose our invading foe. It causes 
 in us feelings of pride and admiration, as we call 
 before our eyes the many noble characters to 
 whom our country gave birth, to whom our insti- 
 tutions gave education, and in whom our blessed 
 mothers instilled the noble principle of high-mind- 
 ed and virtuous manhood. Have we not upon the 
 pages of our history names whose glory will never 
 fade, so long as time lasts? Do we not possess 
 men of genius and talent, whose history will be 
 handed down to be read by people of every na- 
 tion and tongue? 
 
 But finally, our past, in comparison with the 
 present, may be likened to Niagara River. Far 
 up that majestic stream its waters are quiet and 
 still; little children bathe and play in their depths, 
 and parties of pleasure ride merrily and safely 
 upon their placid bosom; but there is a point in 
 its wild, mad rush, from which, once reached, 
 nothing alive has ever been rescued. The Amer- 
 ican people have been free, happy, and prosper- 
 ous; but turn a few more pages in the volume of 
 our history, and corruptions creep in, and am- 
 bitious leaders grasp eagerly at the proffered op- 
 portunity, and the furious desire for revolution 
 calls into action the irritable spirit of our country, 
 and we, like our predecessors, are involved in a 
 most cruel war. 
 
 As we have, in a very brief way, noticed the 
 
Past and Present. 503 
 
 foot-prints of time for ages past, we deem it but 
 due to observe for a moment the present condition 
 of our country. We not only behold, but feel 
 the awful effects of a devastating war. Old 
 chimneys and partially broken walls now stand 
 as smoked and bleared monuments of magnificent 
 edifices. Mighty and flourishing cities, having 
 been occupied as the seat of war, now lie molder- 
 ing heaps of ruins ; and, spread out as far as the 
 eye can penetrate, are devastated fields, where 
 once the plowshare gleamed in the sunbeams, and 
 the grazing herds fed unharmed in their quiet 
 shade. Almost every plain and valley has been 
 reddened with the blood of our brave soldiers, 
 and their bleaching bones lie scattered on many 
 hillsides. Our government once threw an arm of 
 protection around every citizen, from the least 
 to the greatest. But what a change has been 
 wrought ! Our literature, which was once adorned 
 with the genius of Irving, of Halleck, and of 
 other brilliant minds, has been prostituted to 
 serve the base purposes of clerical politicians and 
 sanctified infidels. We have been hurled into the 
 great channel of destruction, and are rapidly drift- 
 ing down the precipice, as did the nations of an- 
 tiquity. And no other nation under the vast 
 canopy of heaven has ever suffered so great a 
 downfall in so limited a period. Yes, our once 
 great and good government has departed, and the 
 
504 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 nation is clad in weeds of mourning over the 
 wounds and death-stabs of ten free and indepen- 
 dent States. The party in power has almost par- 
 alyzed our form of government. They have laid 
 their unhallowed hands upon that sacred instru- 
 ment, the Palladium of our liberties, and shred 
 by shred they have torn it to pieces. Our repub- 
 lic is weak. Some of its most illustrious heroes 
 are exiled from us, and others are deprived of 
 every vestige of freemen's privileges. And it is 
 to the rising generation that this degraded people 
 look for aid. Then we should strive, to the ut- 
 most of our abilities, to prepare ourselves for the 
 coming crisis, in order that we may have clear- 
 headed, God-fearing men at the head of our 
 affairs, and those that will stand firmly by the 
 right, and defend it to the last. Then, when our 
 country again launches forth upon the billows of 
 political commotion, we will majestically plow 
 through the waves of tempestuous strife, and an- 
 chor firmly upon the Constitution of '76. We, 
 the hope of our country, should not let the glo- 
 rious memories of the past struggle be hurled into 
 the realms of oblivion. 
 
 'Tis true the dead of our army have passed 
 away, but their memories shall gleam like the 
 studded milky way in the heavens, whose radiant 
 effulgence will lend its luster to light us on in the 
 pathway of freedom. I would by no means strive 
 
Past and Present. 505 
 
 to fan the flame of dissension, but I would say to 
 you with whom I have been associated as school- 
 mates : "Bend not your principles to the bayonet; 
 remember that submission to might is not surren- 
 der of right. It was merely the success of our 
 cause which was lost, not its right; for failure 
 can never make it wrong." Above the smoke, 
 and storm, and din of battle, unaffected by vic- 
 tory or defeat, calm and immovable Justice sits 
 on her eternal throne, and in her eyes right is 
 right forever, and wrong is eternally wrong. The 
 right of our cause fell not with our Capitol. It 
 exists to-day as clearly as it did when the first 
 boom of our guns sounded across the Carolina 
 waters, and the palmetto flag waved triumphantly 
 o'er Sumter. And on that gloomy April day, 
 when our gallant leader gave up his sword, as 
 bright and untarnished as when he first girded it 
 on, he yielded merely and only the policy of re- 
 sistance, not the principle which had lifted that 
 resistance into a right, and sanctified it as a duty. 
 And now Right stands amid our ruins, and point- 
 ing to the glory of our cause, and waiting in hope 
 for the terrible retribution of the future, lifts to- 
 ward the heavens the manacled hands, which 
 there at least have never pleaded in vain, and 
 solemnly protests against the oppression of vic- 
 torious Wrong. Then let us send forth the decree 
 that justice is to be done, though the heavens fall, 
 22 
 
506 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 and the knees of the political leader will smite 
 together like Belshazzar's did when he saw the 
 handwriting on the wall! Let us fearlessly de- 
 clare this as our motto, and those who have specu- 
 lated in human blood for years will be disrobed 
 of their ill-gotten gains, and their haughty pride 
 will be humbled. This, too, will sweep out at one 
 breath the tyrannical majority that now revel in 
 the ruin they have wrought. Then let us be up 
 and doing, procuring for ourselves education, and 
 preparing our shoulders for the wheel, to assist in 
 restoring our country to its pristine glory, and its 
 proper position in the ranks of nations. And the 
 many noble forms and intelligent countenances 
 here assembled for the purpose of encouraging 
 education should be to us an incentive to action. 
 
 Do you know what a thrill of joy it gives a 
 darling mother's heart, to witness by your exam- 
 ination that you have been striving to fit your- 
 selves for coming life ? How many of their hearts 
 have been made to leap with joy, as they have 
 witnessed such a decided improvement in the edu- 
 cation of their much-loved children! 
 
 My school-mates, this may be the last time we 
 all may be assembled under like circumstances as 
 to-day we stand allied. Times and scenes are 
 changing, and we too are affected by these sad 
 commotions. Perhaps there are some with us 
 now as students whose voices will no more be 
 
Past and Present. 507 
 
 heard in these pleasant shades. Yes, many may 
 never hear again the well-known sounds of that 
 old bell calling them to the study-room. Many 
 of the sparkling eyes now gazing upon these 
 scenes will soon be cold and lifeless. The erect 
 form will bow to the grim monster, and be borne 
 by friends to mingle with mother earth. My 
 dear companions, in traveling up the hill of science, 
 may we ever cherish in our memories the thought 
 of the many pleasant hours we have spent in our 
 connection with the Lewisburg Institute ! In the 
 language of the poet, 
 
 "Each fainter trace that memory holds 
 So darkly of departed years, 
 In one broad glance the soul beholds, 
 And all that was at once appears." 
 
 May we stamp upon the tablets of our hearts 
 the many moral lessons presented us while here ! 
 Let our aim in life be to live, to bless mankind by 
 our precepts and examples. Let us strive to 
 reach out our hand, and pluck fruit growing upon 
 the highest tree — upon the broad, ambrosial top 
 of Parnassus. 
 
 My school-mates, to-day we must separate. The 
 walks of life to us must be apart, and whither, 
 amid the various future, they shall lead, we know 
 not. Our companionship can never be forgotten, 
 while our discipline and acquisition of knowledge 
 
508 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 should fit us to fill with honor the responsible 
 positions to be held. My fair school-mates, may 
 every blessing of life be yours ! May brightest 
 pleasures ever crown your pathway! May sor- 
 row touch but gently your guileless hearts, while 
 garlands and wreaths of joy entwine your lovely 
 brows ! May the crown of honor be yours ! May 
 you never forget the lofty deeds of your ances- 
 tors ! May the inspirations gathered from off the 
 graves of our countrymen, fallen in a hundred bat- 
 tle-fields, ever swell your generous hearts ! May 
 your voices ever be heard in behalf of right, fear- 
 less of every foe, regardless of every danger! 
 May the words upon your tongues be as so many 
 swords in the hands of the sterner sex, drawn 
 and wielded upon the side of justice ! while 'mid 
 every contest of life, may your eyes be fixed on 
 the temple of God, whose brilliant portals and 
 splendid glories, gleaming in the sunlight of hea- 
 ven's joyous beams, ever welcome the brave and 
 daring to enter and dwell forever amid her splen- 
 did domes! 
 
 Our kind instructors, time in its rapid march 
 has brought us to the close of another session, 
 and the sad hour has arrived when we must bid 
 you farewell. This to you must be a solemn 
 word. So many — ah ! so many, have around 
 here pressed your hands for the last time, and 
 as this word fell from their lips, you watched 
 
Past and Present. 509 
 
 their forms passing from view, to be seen no more 
 by you in this world ! Your toils have been un- 
 ceasing, but your rewards will be great! Hun- 
 dreds, instructed by you, will ever remember the 
 words of wisdom that have fallen from your lips. 
 The wise counsels, urging the young on to glory 
 and greatness; the brilliant examples of the hon- 
 orable and noble cited by you to encourage us to 
 emulate their glorious deeds; the strong rebuke 
 you ever gave to vice; the stern support you al- 
 ways extended to virtue — all these shall accom- 
 pany us along the road of life, and be remembered 
 as long as life itself shall last. May Heaven's 
 smiles ever rest upon your noble lives, and you 
 and yours be blessed with all that makes life 
 happy here, and glorious hereafter ! 
 
 Now, ladies and gentlemen, I, as the organ and 
 representative of the male department of this In- 
 stitution, do tender you our most devoted thanks 
 for your kindness and hospitality shown us on 
 this eventful occasion. May life's pleasures attend 
 you! I now bid you all an affectionate farewell. 
 
510 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 LITERARY ADDRESS. 
 
 IMPORTANCE OF SOUTHERN LITERATURE 
 AND ENTERPRISE. 
 
 BY PRESIDENT C. R. DARNALL. 
 
 Society is ever presenting various changes in 
 literary, political, moral, and spiritual aspects. 
 We, as a Southern people, must establish our own 
 manufactories, our own literary establishments. 
 We have been relying long enough on the resources 
 of others. We have a most excellent country, 
 abounding in every thing necessary to make any 
 country great and prosperous, if those buried 
 materials can be brought to light, and made avail- 
 able in their various developments. We have the 
 best climate in the world, good soil, thousands of 
 hidden minerals, treasures inexhaustible ; we only 
 need the ingenuity and industry of man to render 
 them available and profitable. And as to the as- 
 pirations of mind, the South has exhibited the 
 ability and efficiency of her sons both in the 
 battle-field and in the national council; and now 
 what else is needed to make this Heaven-blessed 
 
Literary Address. 511 
 
 land just what it ought to be ? I answer : We 
 need schools built up in every neighborhood ; we 
 need railroads penetrating our forests; we need 
 all kinds of manufacturing business patronized; 
 Ave need every kind of home encouragement. 
 
 I do not want to exhibit selfishness, but we are 
 too much inclined, as a people, to patronize foreign 
 markets in our purchases, neglecting to aid, foster, 
 and encourage our own. Our home schools ought 
 to be cherished, our home printing-presses ought 
 to be employed, and the circulation of Southern 
 literature extended throughout the whole land. 
 In the South we have warm-hearted patriots ; we 
 have philanthropists; we have mechanics of all 
 kinds, who are willing to labor if they can meet 
 with sufficient encouragement. But all kinds of 
 Southern labor are often much discouraged by the 
 very men who profess to be good Southern people. 
 How is this done ? We answer : By aiding foreign 
 manufacturing establishments, in buying their 
 work, because it is offered a little cheaper than 
 that made by your neighbor mechanic. I would 
 just cite your attention to the thousands of 
 wagons, plows, cradle-frames, reaping-machines, 
 and even spade-handles and rakes, brought from a 
 distance, as though we had no timber nor laboring 
 men here. And heretofore it has been the case 
 that most of our teachers, and editors, etc., had 
 to come from afar, and no encouragement given to 
 
512 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 our home-raised and home-educated population. 
 But I am to-day glad to announce to you this im- 
 portation, to some degree, has ceased; and now, 
 amid our home sceneries, our home population 
 has the preference. I do not wish to be under- 
 stood as opposed to immigration, hut I want it 
 of the right kind. I want the population to 
 come to labor side by side with us, not to be our 
 leaders and task-masters in literary, political, or 
 religious enterprises ; I want them to feel identi- 
 fied with our Southern interests, both in capital 
 and talent. The great South is a producing sec- 
 tion, and also a consuming people, and we ought 
 to be a manufacturing people. Cotton, the great 
 king of commerce, is our staple production, and at 
 the present, the cotton that makes one yard of 
 calico, perhaps does not cost more than two or three 
 cents ; but we have to have it manufactured into 
 fabrics, and every hand through which it passes to 
 the factory and back to us has to have his living 
 profit, and we, the original producers and final 
 consumers, have to pay all this cost, and what we 
 sold for two or three cents, we purchase back at 
 some twelve or fifteen cents ; and so it is with 
 every thing else, if I had time on such an occasion 
 as this to elucidate and demonstrate the facts as 
 thev are. 
 
 Our Southern population desire the infusion into 
 their midst of every thing that is calculated in its 
 
Literary Address. 513 
 
 nature to ennoble, enervate, and ameliorate their 
 people. They feel the sting of having to yield to 
 the hand of tyranny, it is true; but still they are 
 magnanimous in soul and resolution, and are will- 
 ing to discharge their respective duties to all with 
 whom they may mingle, and whose aid and sym- 
 pathy they obtain. Our Southern people are 
 generous and liberal in their views in all respects. 
 They take things fair and easy, and are never try- 
 ing to impose their political or religious instruction 
 upon any people against their consent. They are 
 pleasant in their association with strangers, and 
 especially are they kind and magnanimous to those 
 who treat them with due respect. The people of 
 the South have lofty aspirations, and anxious de- 
 sires burning in their bosoms for the welfare of the 
 whole world ; and they have ever given aid, when 
 in their power, to relieve the distresses of the 
 poverty-stricken and abandoned of earth. Her 
 rich valleys and fertile plains have heretofore 
 borne productions that have been sent to remote 
 regions to alleviate suffering humanity. Her 
 colleges and institutions have been alike open for 
 rich and poor, offering educational facilities to all 
 ranks and classes of society. Her hospitals and 
 other charitable institutions have been open for the 
 reception of the poor as well as the rich. To make 
 the great South what she ought to be, we need an 
 influx of honest laboring men, with capital, to 
 22* 
 
514 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 assist us in putting into proper working order 
 machines and manufactories of all kinds, necessary 
 to work up the raw material in these States. We 
 do not need an influx of carpet-baggers, office- 
 seekers, religious or political suckers, and broken- 
 down political scalawags ; nor do we need in our 
 school-rooms, nor pulpits, those who are turned 
 out of home institutions afar, and who just come 
 here to rule us in politics or religion. 
 
 The people of the South have borne, during the 
 late Rebellion, more than can properly be conceived 
 in the mind. Their enemies have come, and, in 
 positive violation of the rules of honorable war- 
 fare, they have taken their honest earnings ; they 
 have entered the sacred precincts of the family 
 household and taken away the last morsel of food 
 from hungry children, and stripped their beds and 
 cupboards of all necessary household benefits, 
 often murdering, in a brutal manner, our innocent 
 people. But I must desist from such rehearsals ; 
 the very mention of such scenes cause the patriotic 
 blood in the true Southern heart to cease its flow- 
 ing for a time; yet, notwithstanding all these 
 abuses and grievances, the true Southrons are will- 
 ing to let "by-gones be by-gones," and they are 
 willing to meet on the common ground of Chris- 
 tianity and just principles of political rights, as 
 guaranteed to us by the founders of this great 
 Republic. Our people are willing to receive into 
 
Literary Address. 515 
 
 their midst an honest laboring class of population, 
 to stand side by side with us now in all our various 
 successes and depressions. 
 
 Then, my foreign friends, you who desire to 
 make your home in the floral South, come here 
 with proper conceptions of duty under the circum- 
 stances ; come, I say, with your talent and capital, 
 and assist us in repairing our waste places; help 
 us build up our once prosperous cities, but now in 
 ashes; help us build churches and colleges. Come 
 with such magnanimous views as these, and you 
 will receive a welcome reception. We will take 
 you by the hand in earnest, when we learn you 
 come to share with us our labors, as well as share 
 the spoils of triumph and office. Give us kind 
 assurances that you do not come to be our politi- 
 cal and religious task-masters. We have great 
 desire to see our mighty country prosper in every 
 department, and for this reason our magnanimous 
 South will be a quiet abode for the peace-loving 
 and labor-loving part of God's creation. 
 
 A few words to you, my patrons and students, 
 and I have done. My patrons, since my settle- 
 ment in your midst, you have ever given me your 
 unmistaken manifestation of approval in my ardu- 
 ous duties. Your constant aim has been to assist 
 me " to teach the young idea how to shoot." You 
 have always rendered me comfortable in your 
 presence. Your very attachment to our school 
 
516 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 has strengthened the chords that bind me to your 
 children. I shall never forget your manifested 
 zeal for my scholastic success, and I hope your 
 labors and efforts in my behalf have not been in 
 vain. On all occasions of the character now be- 
 fore us, you have always brought to this green- 
 sward, and under these cool shades, those refresh- 
 ments necessary to feed and stimulate the body. 
 All that has ever been necessary, on my part, 
 was simply to inform you of our desires in this 
 respect. 
 
 And one word only to my lady friends. Your 
 redolent faces, your sparkling eyes, your angelic 
 smiles, all cheer us up on such auspicious occa- 
 sions. You have ever been on the side of edu- 
 cation and virtue. The cause of education is one 
 which you love, and it has for one of its prime 
 objects the amelioration of your race. Woman 
 has ever shown herself the friend of down-trodden 
 humanity. The very gushings of her heart be- 
 speak for her that Christian condolence in accord- 
 ance with her very nature. It is yours to allevi- 
 ate the trials, lessen the woes of your race around 
 your home circle. It is true, it is not in your 
 sphere to attend our battle-fields amid the roar of 
 cannons and clash of arms, nor to raise your voices 
 in our State and national councils ; but a higher 
 duty is yours : to give caste to the pliant twig of 
 mind; to impress the infant heart with your 
 
Literary Address. 517 
 
 maternal kindness ; to stamp the eternal principles 
 of truth upon the tablets of childish memory; 
 yea, it is yours to give childhood the right start 
 in the right direction. It is your duty to impress 
 early the holy motives and heavenly teachings of 
 our blessed Redeemer on the youthful mind ; and 
 my last request to you, my lady friends, is, Let 
 not your work and labor of love be in vain. 
 
 Lastly, only a few words to you, my students. 
 Our associations here as teachers and students 
 have been pleasant and agreeable, and, I trust, 
 profitable to us all. You have ever manifested 
 your respect for those who taught you. You have 
 studied with commendable zeal. Your associations 
 with and toward each other have been of a kindly 
 tendency. I trust you have gathered information 
 here that will assist you to make your way through 
 the world a pleasant path, and I trust your efforts 
 to gain knowledge will tell of wonders in time to 
 come. And now you are about to part, let this 
 separation remind you of your final separation 
 from friends on earth, and my last admonition and 
 advice to you can be told in few, and I think in 
 very appropriate words : Do your whole duty to 
 your God, yourselves, and all mankind, and 
 heaven, with all its bright glories, will be your 
 eternal home. 
 
IV. MISCELLANY. 
 
SCHOLASTIC LITERATURE. 
 
 THE CHANGES OF TIME. 
 
 BY J. W. GANT. 
 
 It has been a custom, from time immemorial, 
 that teachers and students manifest an interest in 
 the cause in which they are engaged at the close 
 of a session of school. In compliance with this 
 time-honored custom, I come before you this even- 
 ing. 
 
 Time is divided into three periods — present, 
 past, and future. All the time that ever was, is, 
 or ever will be, belongs to these three periods. 
 Time is ever changing. The future becomes the 
 present, the present sinks into the past, the past 
 becomes more distant still. 
 
 Let us turn our attention briefly to the consider- 
 ation of the past. Ask of History the many and 
 mighty changes that she has chronicled. From 
 her ample pages much may be learned. The first 
 great change to which she invites our attention is 
 the downfall of man. Man was created holy and 
 
522 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 upright. As the inhabitant of a newly-created 
 world, he rejoiced. With delight he beheld the 
 stars in the morning of creation ; with admiration 
 he saw the sun in newness with grandeur rise ; 
 with amazement he surveyed the pale-face moon, 
 the luminary of night. His home was the most 
 delightful spot ever known to man. But in an 
 evil hour the tempter came. Man forfeited all 
 and lost all. A guard of angels was stationed 
 around the tree of life. The decree went forth — 
 " Dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return." 
 Thus the destiny of a world was changed. Two 
 thousand years pass away, the changes of which 
 for the present will not be noticed, and we behold 
 the windows of heaven opened, the earth is buried 
 in water; Noah, trusting in an omnipotent God, 
 defies the surging billows. Thus passed away the 
 antediluvian world, and God placed his bow in the 
 heavens as a token that he would never again de- 
 stroy the world by water. 
 
 Partially leaving the sacred page, where are the 
 four great nations that aspired to universal do- 
 minion — Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome? 
 Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, as she has been 
 styled in history, surpassed all other kingdoms in 
 her day. The palace erected by Nebuchadnezzar 
 was said to have been six miles in circumference. 
 It was surrounded by three walls ; three brazen 
 .gates gave entrance to it from the city. It was 
 
The Changes of Time. 523 
 
 hung with beautiful statues of gold and silver. Its 
 hanging gardens were even reckoned by the Greeks 
 as one of the wonders of the world. An artificial 
 range of mountains was erected by the king to 
 meet the longing desires of his wife for the moun- 
 tain scenery of her own Ecbatana. Upon this 
 mountain range grew the loftiest trees, forming a 
 noble scenery. Water from the Euphrates was 
 drawn up by means of machinery to irrigate the 
 soil. Thus stood Babylon when her mighty king, 
 walking into his palace and viewing the greatness 
 of his possessions, said : " Is not this great Baby- 
 lon, which was built by my power and for my 
 majesty?" 
 
 But Babylon was not destined long to retain 
 that splendor to which she had reached. Her re- 
 maining history may be recorded in one brief sen- 
 tence : She was, but is no more. 
 
 Where is Persia? She, too, once was power- 
 ful. The governments of the Medes and Persians 
 were united under the same authority. Cyrus 
 was its founder. He has been regarded by Bollin, 
 and not without reason, as the wisest conqueror 
 and most accomplished sovereign that ever lived. 
 Darius rose and flourished ; Cambyses, in his turn, 
 made the earth tremble; Xerxes saw his day and 
 then passed away. But a mighty change came 
 over Persia, and she stands a relic of departed 
 glory. 
 
524 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 Greece comes next in order. No nation stands 
 higher upon the musty records of the past than 
 Greece ; no people has furnished history with so 
 many valuable monuments and illustrious exam- 
 ples. In whatever respect she is considered, 
 whether for the glory of her arms, the wisdom of 
 her laws, or the improvement of the arts and 
 sciences, she has been the school of mankind. 
 Behold Solon and Lycurgus as they stand at the 
 head of ancient lawgivers. Cast your minds back 
 upon Socrates as he instructs a little band of dis- 
 ciples at Athens. Look upon Alexander as he 
 weeps because there is not another nation to con- 
 quer. Consider Demosthenes as he goes to the 
 ocean and there declaims, that he may be the bet- 
 ter prepared to endure the noise and clamor of the 
 people. View him upon the stage as he moves a 
 world by his eloquence, and then listen to the 
 mournful strains of the bard as he sings : 
 
 " The isles of Greece, the isles of Greece, 
 Where Sappho lived and sung, 
 Where lived the arts of war and peace, 
 
 Where Delos rose and Phoebus sprung ; 
 Eternal summer gilds them yet, 
 But all except their sun is set." 
 
 Greece, with her mighty warriors, statesmen, 
 and poets, is numbered with things that were ; and 
 that small bit of island in the old world that bears 
 
The Changes of Time. 525 
 
 the name, only serves as a monument to mark one 
 of the greatest changes of the past. 
 
 Rome next demands our attention. There is 
 much in Roman history to admire. The patriot 
 cannot fail to admire the disinterested patriotism 
 of Cincinnatus, and that love of country that burnt 
 in the heart of Regulus. Who can fail to appreciate 
 the eloquence of Cicero, who won from the Roman 
 people the title of "father of his country/' and 
 from the world the prince of orators ? Mankind 
 must ever respect the mercy and generalship of 
 Caesar. Under his "generalship Rome was made 
 the mistress of the world. But at length came 
 the death of Caesar, the decline, and finally the 
 overthrow, of the Roman government ; and it can 
 only be said of Rome that her ruins mark her 
 resting-place. 
 
 These great changes of the past present one 
 continual scene of bloodshed, one continual scene 
 of rising kingdoms and falling thrones. When 
 properly considered, they teach us an important 
 lesson. They teach us that all the laws, institu- 
 tions, and governments of man are like their au- 
 thors — they bear the marks of ignorance upon 
 them. It is true that those who have preceded 
 us possessed virtues; but they possessed vices 
 also. While we should strive to emulate the one, 
 let us endeavor to shun the other. Let the scholar 
 avoid all the superstitious ideas of the ancients, 
 
526 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 but let him avail himself of all their wisdom. 
 Let the philanthropist know that while the Grecian 
 and Roman were willing to die for Greece and 
 Rome, that they were actuated by nothing but a 
 selfish patriotism ; while they loved their respect- 
 ive countries, they cared for nothing else. Their 
 ideas were as selfish as their imaginary gods at 
 whose shrine they bowed. Let us remember that 
 our love of mankind should not be hemmed in by 
 state nor national lines, but should embrace the 
 whole world. 
 
 We have no control over the past — it is an un- 
 changeable book; like any other, it is to be studied 
 that it may be learned. Let us learn from its 
 ample pages, and start anew on the road to honor 
 and usefumess, imbibing the sentiments of the 
 poet: 
 
 " Lives of great men all remind us 
 
 We can make our lives sublime, 
 And, departing, leave behind us 
 
 Foot-prints on the sands of time — 
 Foot-prints that perhaps another, 
 
 Sailing o'er life's solemn main, 
 A forlorn and shipwrecked brother, 
 
 Seeing, shall take heart again. 
 Let us, then, be up and doing, 
 
 With a heart for any fate ; 
 Still achieving, still pursuing, 
 
 Learn to labor and to wait." 
 
Temperance. 527 
 
 TEMPERANCE. 
 
 America is free! How that joyful sound once 
 thrilled the land! America is free! The last 
 link in the tyrant's chain is broken! No doubt 
 those brave old soldiers, who had so nobly fought 
 for freedom, wept for joy as they thought of the 
 happy fate of future generations, while they 
 thanked Heaven their labors had not been in 
 vain. 
 
 Yes, ours is a happy country. All that will, can 
 be free. But do we ever reflect that, in this land 
 of liberty, there are thousands bowing down to a 
 tyrant whose sway over his subjects is the most 
 unlimited, whose influence is the most demoral- 
 izing, and who, instead of honoring those who are 
 most devoted to him, sinks them into that low 
 abyss of misery from which few return? Not- 
 withstanding many are loyal to him to the last, 
 and die in his service, yet over no one's grave is 
 placed a splendid monument, to recount to admir- 
 ing eyes his heroic deeds. Ah! no: in some re- 
 mote corner his remains are buried, and he for- 
 gotten; or perhaps one sad mourner, whose fate 
 
528 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 with his for life was linked, may linger there to 
 bewail his unhappy fall. 
 
 This cruel tyrant, though, when seen in his 
 natural form, is hideous to behold, is nevertheless 
 capable of assuming almost the appearance of an 
 angel of light; visiting the social circle, he seems 
 to diffuse an unwonted cheerfulness on all around. 
 'Tis thus, by cunning and flattery, he draws to- 
 ward him these unhappy victims, who, when once 
 within his power, seldom extricate themselves 
 from his iron grasp. Our hearts bleed when we 
 see the young and gifted, who might be ornaments 
 to society, going on with their eyes closed to all 
 danger, and, like that gay young party who, heed- 
 less of the prayers and entreaties of their friends, 
 rush into the bosom of the mighty maelstrom, 
 callous to every warning word. 
 
 "My little son!" and that fond parent's heart 
 swells with emotion as he utters those endearing 
 words; " yes, he'll be a man — I'm sure he will. 
 See with what eagerness he pursues his studies, 
 while from day to day I can perceive his growing 
 intellect!" And now bright visions of the future 
 rise before that father's mind. He sees his boy 
 grown to manhood, loved and admired by all who 
 know him. The good and the wise ever welcome 
 him with smiles, as one whose merits they can 
 well appreciate. "He'll be my joy and comfort 
 through life, and smooth my pathway to the 
 
Temperance. 529 
 
 tomb!" And will those fond anticipations never 
 be realized? Will that loving father be doomed 
 to see his son, the idol of his soul, treading the 
 broad path to ruin, regardless of the prayers and 
 admonitions of his parents and friends ? But who 
 can depict the agony of that mother, who has 
 watched over him with so much anxious solici- 
 tude, as with stoical indifference he turns from 
 her tearful entreaties? No tender sentiment seems 
 to reach his heart of stone. If there be tears in 
 heaven, they must be shed over such a scene as 
 this. 
 
 I saw a fair young bride, with a glad, smiling 
 face, and as she leaned upon the strong arm of 
 him who had vowed to love and protect her 
 through life, she wore a look of happy content, 
 which seemed to say: "My life will be one of 
 light and sunshine!" As I gazed on her lovely 
 features, and caught the glances of her joy-beam- 
 ing eyes, Surely, thought I, her life will be one 
 bright summer day. "A change came o'er the 
 spirit of my dream." Weeping, solitary, and alone, 
 I saw that fair young bride. The light had flown 
 from her eyes, the smiles from her face, and the 
 world seemed a dreary place to her. Her morn- 
 ing sun had set at noon. I could not stay to 
 hear her tale of woe, but how chilling were these 
 words : "He upon whom I relied with so much love 
 
 and confidence has become a poor, abject, degraded 
 23 
 
530 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 drunkard ! " I turned away with a saddened heart. 
 How long, thought I, will it be ere the people be- 
 come awakened to their best interests ? Are there 
 not talent and goodness enough in this land to 
 drive this evil — intemperance — from its bounds ? 
 
 We are happy to see that many are now taking 
 a firm stand to combat this powerful enemy. Let 
 us continue with unwearied patience to persevere. 
 Heaven will smile upon our labor ; and should we 
 at last gain the victory, brighter crowns will be 
 ours than ever decked a monarch's brow. 
 
Pride. 531 
 
 PRIDE. 
 
 There is no affection of the human mind so 
 much blended in human nature, and wrought into 
 our very constitution, as pride. It appears under 
 multitudes of disguises, and breaks out in ten 
 thousand different symptoms. Every one feels it 
 in himself, and yet wonders to see it in his neigh- 
 bors. The same pride which makes a man haughty 
 and insulting toward his inferiors, forces him to 
 crouch seriously before his superiors. Nothing is 
 more manifest than that there is a certain equal- 
 ity to which all men have a natural right, unless 
 it be their meanness to give up. Man is a sinful, 
 an ignorant, and a miserable being; and these very 
 reasons why he should not be proud are, notwith- 
 standing, the reasons why he is so. Were not he 
 a sinful creature, he would not be subject to a 
 passion which rises from the deep depravity of 
 his nature; were he not an ignorant creature, he 
 would see that he has nothing to be proud of; 
 and were not the whole species miserable, he 
 would not have those wretched objects of com- 
 parison before his eyes which stimulate the occa- 
 
532 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 sion of his passion, and which make one man 
 value himself more than another. 
 
 Of all human actions, pride is least likely to 
 obtain its end; for, aiming at honor and reputa- 
 tion, it generally reaps contempt and derision. 
 Some people are all quality; you would think 
 they are made up of nothing but titles and nobili- 
 ties; the stamp of dignity defaces in them the 
 very character of humanity, and transports them 
 to such a degree of haughtiness that they reckon 
 it below them to exercise either good nature or 
 good manners. It is the insolence natural to 
 pride which prompts many of the wealthy to 
 affix, as much as in them lies, the standard and 
 character of a man by his wealth. Take away 
 from them their pride and boasting, and there will 
 be no difference between a poor and a rich man. 
 Pride and ill-nature will be hated, in spite of all 
 the wealth and pompous greatness in the world; 
 but civility and amiability are always acceptable 
 and safe. 
 
 To be proud of knowledge is to be blind in the 
 light; to be proud of good qualities is to poison 
 yourself with the antidote; to be proud of au- 
 thority and influence is to make your rise your 
 downfall. If a vain or proud man makes you 
 keep your distance, your comfort is, he keeps his 
 at the same time; and the best way to humble 
 the proud man is to take no notice of him. 
 
Virtue. 533 
 
 VIRTUE. 
 
 Amid all the excellent qualities that raise man 
 above the brute creation, none stand preeminent 
 to virtue. This principle assimilates him more 
 closely to the primeval perfections which he pos- 
 sessed while in terrestrial Eden, probably than 
 any thing else in the wide world. It raises him 
 higher in the scale of being, gives him loftier con- 
 ceptions of light and immortality beyond the 
 grave, than almost any thing else of which we can 
 conceive. Then it is in very deed the ground- 
 work upon which every youth of the rising gen- 
 eration should strive to build his character; and 
 having accomplished this, he can then stand, like 
 a ship cabled in a safe harbor, unmolested by the 
 storms of adversity and the scenes of discord. 
 To make a comparison, he will form a marble ad- 
 amant, at which the fiery darts of the Wicked 
 One may be hurled in vain; all the alluring scenes 
 of sin and vice will pass before his eyes like the 
 evanescent beam across the horizon when a tran- 
 sient meteor falls. Farther, there is more real 
 and genuine satisfaction in the practice of virtue 
 
534 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 than any other one thing. Wherever you see 
 men and women living virtuous, and trying to 
 obey the commands and dictates of the divine 
 law, you are sure to see happy and prosperous 
 people. Then is it not passingly strange to see 
 so many millions of the human family leaving the 
 golden fields and pleasant walks of virtue, and 
 straying off in the forbidden paths of sin and 
 guilt, and thereby bringing on themselves destruc- 
 tion and misery? All the woe and misery con- 
 comitant to our world are the effects of a non- 
 adherence to morality and virtue. Behold the 
 downward and distressing course of that man who 
 lays aside all principles of morality and virtue, 
 and goes headlong, like the wild beast, into all 
 the devices of which his evil heart can imagine! 
 Is his not a tiresome and distressing life, who is 
 daily maddened by the ingredients of the intoxi- 
 cating bowl? Are not the holiest aspirations and 
 fondest desires of his very soul blighted and cut 
 down in their bloom by the inebriation and sui- 
 cidal acts of his own hand? This is the effect of 
 immorality, or opposition to virtue. The effect is 
 very visible wherever it exists. When we visit 
 our courts and jails, we can there see the effect 
 of immorality; we there see the vile and rebel- 
 lious of our country brought before the bar of 
 justice for their wicked and perverse deeds. And 
 then to see our penitentiaries filled with convicts 
 
Virtue. 535 
 
 from various parts of the country is another strik- 
 ing illustration of immorality and vice. 
 
 Then, as these are the effects of immorality, 
 how all-important it is that the youth should be 
 taught to practice virtue in the early period of 
 his life, so as he may be enabled to shun all the 
 noxious and dreadful places to which sin and vice 
 will inevitably lead him! It is absolutely neces- 
 sary that we all should be instructed in the ways 
 of virtue, and taught to walk in the paths of 
 moral rectitude, which always lead to peace, hap- 
 piness, and quietude of life, and finally to heaven 
 and God. 
 
536 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 TRUE GREATNESS. 
 
 In looking over the history of the past, we find 
 on every page, marked in legible characters, traces 
 of the ever-onward march of true greatness. Dis- 
 guise it as we will, it is one of the most impor- 
 tant subjects that stand on the pages of history. 
 This theme seems to present itself in the negative 
 as well as positive consideration. First. It does 
 not consist in the amassment of the world's treas- 
 ure, nor in the empty sound of fame. Second. It 
 consists not in the beauty of the person, nor in 
 the decoration of this human coil. Third. It con- 
 sists not in the display of acquired abilities, nor 
 in the attainment of intelligence without purity of 
 heart, and integrity of purpose, in the prosecution 
 of good and praiseworthy enterprises. Fourth, 
 and finally. It does not consist in the high rank 
 that some may seem to occupy ; but then in what 
 does it consist? First. In an honest and upright 
 heart, one whose tablets have been written upon 
 by the angels of compassion. Second. It consists 
 in the exhibition of all the noble and generous 
 dispositions implanted in the human heart by our 
 
True Greatness. 537 
 
 Creator, and that, too, when mercy demands. 
 Third. True greatness presents all the noble at- 
 tainments in their most brilliant colors, and calls 
 into action all the genuine traits of morals. 
 Fourth. In a word, for a person to be truly great, 
 he must be the embodiment of the communicable 
 attributes of our Creator. Let us, in the language 
 of the poet, say, 
 
 " Let foolish men argue all they can, 
 Yet it is principle that makes the truly great man." 
 
 If true greatness be considered and acted upon, 
 as it ought to be, among the intelligent that 
 people our globe, injustice and opposition would 
 no longer walk triumphant through the world. 
 The world would be transformed into an abode 
 of honesty and peace, and Eden would again ap- 
 pear in all its beauty and delight. The eagle of 
 justice would take up her flight and fly to every 
 nook and corner of the inhabited earth. Then no 
 longer would you see the promising youth lay 
 down literature and cultivate a love for human 
 fame, and thereby be changed from the noblest 
 employment of man to that of selfishness and 
 misery to himself, and act a part in the great 
 drama of crushing the liberty of the world and 
 planting despotism in its stead. If people would 
 act upon the principles of true greatness as they 
 
 ought, if all persons who desire to place their 
 23* 
 
538 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 names upon the golden pages of history would re- 
 sort to honorable means to engrave them there, no 
 longer would you see the orator employing his 
 eloquence, causing his auditors to burn with rest- 
 less emulation at the names and deeds of military 
 chieftains and warriors, whose hands have been 
 stained in the blood that gushes from bleeding na- 
 tions ; but you would see him paint the principles 
 of true greatness in glowing eloquence, as bright 
 as the celestial orb of da}^, and every stripe of 
 despotism that has a place upon the flags of the 
 world be erased, and the proud banners of freedom 
 would be flung to the breeze. If we turn to con- 
 template the material world, we perceive that the 
 gigantic oak of the forest germinated from a little 
 acorn; the huge and towering rocks were formed 
 by the addition of particles, through the instru- 
 mentality of cohesive attraction. Thus we are 
 led to the conclusion that motion or progress is 
 stamped on all created things. Geological inves- 
 tigations, so far as they have been extended, prove 
 that the world was millions of ages forming before 
 it became a fit dwelling-place for man. What a 
 blessing it would have been if man, through his 
 earlier days, could only have seen the path that 
 would have directed him to usefulness and pros- 
 perity — yes, to eminence! How many whose 
 names might be green in the memory of the world, 
 when their bodies have been long in the dust, go 
 
True Greatness. 539 
 
 down to posterity unwept and unsung! Then look 
 upon their useful days as having been allotted ex- 
 pressely for sportive joys and mirthful pleasures. 
 The lad, as he trudges along his school -path, 
 seeks for objects to amuse himself; the chatterings 
 of the forest songsters furnish his ear with har- 
 monious sounds ; though his juvenile years soon 
 glide away, and all his boyish pleasures are aban- 
 doned, still strong memory shall write those youth- 
 ful scenes on his heart when he has grown old and 
 weary. 
 
 Then, my fellow-students, if we desire to be 
 truly great, we must let early piety be deeply im- 
 planted in our hearts ; for when we cast our eyes 
 around us, we can conceive of no greater man than 
 the pious and good man. A man may attain to a 
 high standard of military glory, yea, he may ac- 
 quire great celebrity in most any of the various 
 professions of the day, but none are so truly great 
 as the man whose devotional ambition is directed 
 into channels that tend to better the condition of 
 his fellow-man. Then let us stand to our duties 
 in reference to moral integrity, and when old age 
 comes upon us, we will have moral character to 
 rely upon, and we will have formed our reputation 
 upon the great principles of true greatness, and 
 although our bodies may go down to the vault of 
 the tomb, yet our names will be thought of and 
 forever remembered by rising generations of earth. 
 
540 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 THE AVENGER. 
 
 There needs no extended argument to prove 
 that deeds done in the flesh must needs be pun- 
 ished in the spirit during eternity. That hollow, 
 broken-hearted voice which escapes some midnight- 
 murdered Christian, has pierced the heavens, and 
 long after its echo has ceased upon the earth, 
 there conies a sound of woe which awakes the 
 slumbering spirit of justice, and a crime done, 
 when the house heard not the dying shriek, is fully 
 avenged. If justice and mercy, which are the 
 habitation of the eternal throne, had no other ad- 
 vocate on earth — if the sacred chronicles had been 
 forever silent, and no ray of moral light divine 
 had ever flashed across the gulf of endless night, 
 a casual survey of the annals of time must surely 
 convince man that injustice, fraud, murder, and 
 theft have no continual home beneath the vault 
 of the sky. In very truth, the man of blood has 
 only to turn his gaze upon the trembling, horror- 
 stricken soul within him, and learn therefrom a 
 lesson terrible in its certainty. " The way of the 
 transgressor is hard." Cain felt all the remorse 
 
The Avenger. 541 
 
 of hell in his heart when his brother's blood lifted 
 its pleading voice against him from the ground, 
 and well may he cry in anguish, of which only 
 the murderer can ever know, My punishment is 
 more than I can bear ; for the very innocence and 
 meekness of his brother's dying look becomes poi- 
 soned arrows to rankle forever in his miserable, 
 sin-cursed heart ; the very light of his Maker's 
 countenance becomes intolerable to his gaze, and 
 he cries aloud for help against the torturing furies 
 which are holding their saturnalia in his soul. 
 Roman emperors may feast and revel in the fierce- 
 ness of their impotent wrath, while the wild beasts 
 tear the hearts from their praying victims; but sure 
 as truth itself, there comes a day when the gnaw- 
 ing of worms at the heart's core proves to be these 
 bloody monsters; that justice, though often slow, 
 is ever sure. Brutus may warm his dagger in the 
 great heart of Caesar ; still, the avenger hovers 
 around his path, and whispers, in accents which 
 pierce to the heart: "We shall meet at Philippi." 
 Silently, surely, and unalterably comes the dart, 
 and the noble Brutus pays the penalty of the ides 
 of March. 
 
 You need not tell me of the pleasures of sin ; 
 tell me not that the paths of vice are wreathed 
 with flowers and robed in purple ; whisper not to 
 my mind that the avenger of innocence slumbers, 
 and that Cerberus no longer guards the gate, for 
 
542 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 the faithful annals of the past point me to the 
 tyrant's sword, hanging by a single hair above the 
 head of guilt; ay, more, I see that sword — two- 
 edged, and wielded by an arm of unseen power — 
 severing the gauzy veil which hangs over the 
 heart, and I hear the cry of mortal agony rise, 
 until the whole heart is faint. No ! no ! tell 
 me not that he who now lies beneath the over- 
 arching limbs of that giant oak, by the clear 
 waters of that little stream, the victim of a cold- 
 blooded, cowardly, murderous fiend, will not some 
 day be fully avenged, and that, too, in a way that 
 he w T ho fired the shot which stilled that noble hand 
 forever, will wildly wish that he had never been. 
 The Avenger is on his track; the index of the 
 dial of eternity is not more certain than that the 
 crashing bolt will fall, when the fullness of time 
 shall come. Swifter far than the Alpine avalanche, 
 fleeter than the deer upon the mountain, or the 
 lightning as it sweeps from the summer cloud, is 
 the Nemesis of destruction on the track of blood. 
 Nor need the thief and robber exult in their 
 short-lived day and unhallowed vocation. Plun- 
 der the helpless and insult the innocent, you may 
 for a time hold high carnival, and stalk in fine 
 linen, while the tears and entreaties of the good 
 and upright are lifted to you in vain supplications. 
 But there comes a day — ay, that day is now fast 
 bursting upon the sight — when such cursed worms 
 
The Avenger. 543 
 
 shall be crushed beneath the heel of honest men, 
 and their very memories forgotten among the liv- 
 ing. The day of wrath will certainly come to the 
 evil-doer. Well and truly did that man say who 
 wrote : " Let society exist forever, smitten by the 
 leprosy of hatred to God, and with utter selfish- 
 ness as its all-pervading and eternal purpose; 
 then, as sure as the law of righteousness exists, 
 on which rests the throne of God and the govern- 
 ment of the universe, a society so constituted 
 must work out for itself a hell of solitary and 
 bitter suffering, to which there is no limit, except 
 the capacity of a finite nature." 
 
 Let no living mortal solace himself with the re- 
 flection that his sin will not find him out. The 
 murderer can never sleep in peace, for his soul is 
 conscious of its guilt, and fain would hide in eter- 
 nal night, but even there it will find no rest. Let 
 the guilty suffer on, but let the innocent look, and 
 tremble, and fear to attempt the paths vice opens 
 up to his vision. Justice is fixed and forever cer- 
 tain, for her avenging angel is poised on steady 
 wing above the great throne in the clouds, and only 
 awaits the signal to dart away on her track of 
 blood. 
 
544 Scholastic Literature, 
 
 THE DEMANDS OF THE PRESENT AGE. 
 
 BY JAMES M. JORDAN. (1861.) 
 
 I have presented myself before you, this even- 
 ing, to endeavor to make you a very brief talk 
 on a subject that is worthy of the time, talent, 
 and energy of every individual who has ever been 
 so fortunate as to have lived under the stars and 
 stripes of an American banner; though I must 
 confess that I feel very much embarrassed to as- 
 sume the attitude I now do. 
 
 A question arises in my mind : Shall I, while 
 yet in the days of my youth, who have just en- 
 tered the vestibule, present myself before an aged 
 and experienced community, to become the ex- 
 pounder of the duties of this important age, and 
 in these perilous times? But when I contemplate 
 the grandeur and sublimity of my theme, a voice 
 seems to fall with deep and ponderous weight upon 
 my heart, that says: Come forth, ye small and 
 great, and contribute liberally of whatever might 
 you possess. This is a subject, a proper investi- 
 gation of which is enough to send a thrill to every 
 
The Demands of the Present Age. 545 
 
 soul, and cause every heart to throb with the deep- 
 est emotion. It is enough to call forth the might 
 and energy of all upon the important drama of 
 life, to assume a bold and steadfast attitude, to 
 ward off the evils of the day, and promote the 
 peace, harmony, and prosperity of our land and 
 country. And in order that we duly appreciate 
 the weight of our responsibilities, we must notice 
 at least a few sacrifices which have been made in 
 the setting forth of the inestimable privileges of 
 our land. We will notice, therefore, the firm, im- 
 movable rock upon which the hope and redemp- 
 tion of a lost and sinful world was reared. 
 
 Though I shall by no means assume the task 
 of displaying to your minds in true colors a pic- 
 ture of Christian martyrdom, and were I to make 
 such an attempt, language would fail, time and 
 opportunity would be wanting. But to make an 
 aggregate of this kind, we must paint on our minds 
 images of death — and that, too, of the most horrid 
 kind. We must behold the pure and undefiled 
 forms of Christianity gibbeted upon the rack of 
 death, reeking with innocent blood, and hearken to 
 the last appeals of a dying father, while the agony 
 of death is seated on his brow. We must hear 
 the soul - dissolving entreaties of that vigilant 
 mother whose bosom has protected us from ten 
 thousand snares, and generous brother whose ex- 
 amples were noble and wise — his counsels w 7 ere 
 
546 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 imparted to us freely and abundantly; that noble- 
 hearted and affectionate sister, whose willing hands 
 were ever ready to help, and whose gentle words, 
 like a healing balm to a wound, were ever em- 
 ployed to dispel the dark clouds of gloom and 
 despair, and restore peace and quietude to the 
 troubled in mind. And then, to complete all these 
 horrible pictures, we must feast our eyes upon 
 the bright form of Jesus Christ reared upon the 
 cross to breathe out his mortal life — the only 
 child of heaven — a bright star, plucked, as it 
 were, from the blue vault of heaven, and exhib- 
 ited to the gaze of the world upon a rude column, 
 adorned with the bloody and mangled bodies of 
 thieves, and surrounded by hellish fiends. 
 
 But, to be brief, I must hasten to scenes of a 
 more recent date — yes, to the ever -memorable 
 period of '76, the very name of which is enough 
 to cause every philanthropic heart to shudder, and 
 call for counsel to aid the dispatch of our impor- 
 tant duties, from the bourn of those philanthropic 
 spirits whose dear ashes lie in quiet repose in 
 the dust purchased by their own blood! Can 
 the most sublime imagination of fancy paint the 
 scene? What an awful sensation would be pro- 
 duced in every heart, could we but reduce it to a 
 reality, and see the thirteen feeble colonies of our 
 government suspended by a slender cord ; yea, 
 when her lamentable destinv was wafted on the 
 
The Demands of the Present Age. 547 
 
 breeze of a single breath; while dark clouds of 
 anarchy madly curled over her head, charged with 
 incessant showers of despotism, whose lightning 
 was the gleam of the dripping sword, whose thun- 
 der the dismal hiss of the cannon's boom, mingled 
 with the harsh mutters of the British lion; could 
 we but see the two powers drawn up in battle- 
 array, listen to the animating tones of martial 
 music, and behold them rush together, like two 
 maddened tempests that stir up the sea, overturn 
 cities, uproot forests, and carry general destruc- 
 tion in their mad career, then we could but draw 
 a faint idea of the cost of the blessings we enjoy. 
 Could we but stand aloof upon some high place 
 where we could overlook the landscape, and see 
 our towns and cities reduced to smoking ruins, and 
 hear the shrieks of orphans and widowed mothers 
 as they fall under the merciless tomahawk, then we 
 could form some conception of the adverseness of 
 the circumstances under which our ancestors had 
 to labor in rearing a stupendous fabric in which 
 we ought to reside in safety. This is but a very 
 brief survey of the pedestal upon which our glory 
 was reared — only a few causes, the prolific effects 
 of which we are the happy recipients. 
 
548 Scholastic Literature, 
 
 PATRICK HENRY. 
 
 Among the distinguished patriots of the Amer- 
 ican Revolution, the name of Patrick Henry will 
 never be forgotten, and never refused a tribute of 
 respect in the annals of History. He was in the 
 maturity of his powers when the Declaration of 
 Independence was made by the colonies, and he 
 had a full share of influence in bringing about 
 that momentous event. He was among the most 
 impassioned and effective of American orators, in 
 a time fruitful of great men. He held the high- 
 est posts of honor that Virginia (his native State) 
 could bestow upon him. He also held extremely 
 responsible positions in the colonies, and he ef- 
 fected all by the indomitable energy and manli- 
 ness of his own steadfastness and fixed purpose 
 of his own mind. 
 
 Patrick Henry was of Scotch descent, born 
 May 26, 1736, and at the time of the Declaration 
 of Independence he was about forty years old. 
 The subject of this sketch was, in his youth, dull 
 of apprehension, and he loved to fish and hunt in 
 preference to attending school, and most always 
 
Patrick Henry. 549 
 
 would engage in these amusements in solitude; 
 rather lie on the shore of the rippling stream, and 
 play with the fish in their shoaling gambols, than 
 to enjoy the mirthful sports of his companions ; 
 rather take his stand on some lonely peak of the 
 bleak mountain, to shoot the passing deer, than to 
 take the circuit with the sportive hunters. It is 
 true he loved sport, but he loved to have his fun 
 to himself. Patrick Henry in his early youth had 
 no great commanding traits pointing him out as 
 some great one. He was homely in features, gen- 
 erally awkward in appearance, and rather sloven 
 in his dress. But one great fact must not be for- 
 gotten here, and it is this : all minds do not de- 
 velop themselves in the same period of time; 
 While some minds are grasping after knowledge 
 in early years, and by and by lose their vigor and 
 soon wear down, others, not so promising at the 
 start, but finally, by continued perseverance, be- 
 come the beacon-lights of the age in which they 
 live. Such was Patrick Henry. In several of his 
 first undertakings he failed in business. Married 
 at eighteen, and just a little after he was twenty- 
 one, having failed in pecuniary matters, he took 
 up the study of law; but here he seemed to want 
 confidence in himself for awhile, but by and by he 
 became a perfect terror to his opponents at the 
 bar, although he had only read the law-books six 
 weeks before he was admitted to the bar. During 
 
550 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 the time he was studying the law, and for a period 
 of some three or four years after he was admitted 
 to practice, his family lived hard, and scarcely 
 had the absolute necessaries of life ; but, as in 
 the lives of many great men, his fortune now 
 takes a change. He triumphantly distinguished 
 himself as an orator in his speech in favor of the 
 tobacco planters against the clergy of the Estab- 
 lished Church, as then existing in the original col- 
 onies. There never was kept a record of this 
 famous speech, but it was heard by such a vast 
 assembly, and was so unanimously approbated, 
 that it became proverbial; for after this, any one 
 speaking oratorically, it was said: "He is almost 
 equal to Patrick when he spoke against the par- 
 sons." One other great effort made by this elo- 
 quent man was his stern opposition to the Stamp 
 Act, imposed on the colonies by the mother coun- 
 try. 
 
 Mr. Henry was by no means well-skilled in the 
 legal profession; but on all debates where plain 
 justice and equity were on his side, he never 
 failed of success. His stentorian voice, his mu- 
 sical accents, and peculiar emphasis, gained for 
 him great reputation in the legal profession. It 
 is said of the Judge, when presiding in the courts 
 where he pleaded, that whenever Patrick Henry 
 arose to speak, he would lay aside his pen or pen- 
 cil with which he had been taking notes, and give 
 
Patrick Henri/. 551 
 
 his whole attention to him. Patrick Henry was 
 more distinguished for his pleading in the criminal 
 courts than in civil cases. Often, when in the 
 defense of his client, he would so carry away his 
 hearers as to make them shed tears; he always 
 touched the sympathetic cord of their hearts. 
 
 Permit me now to call your attention briefly to 
 his career in the revolutionary struggle of 1774. 
 
 The Continental Congress met at Philadelphia, 
 and among the men sent by Virginia was George 
 Washington, and by his side was Patrick Henry. 
 When he once returned from Congress, he was 
 asked whom he thought the greatest man on the 
 floor. He said : " If you speak of eloquence, I say, 
 Mr. Hutledge, of South Carolina ; but if you speak 
 of solid judgment and sound information, I say, 
 Colonel Washington." Patrick Henry was the first 
 of men in those perilous times to advocate the 
 idea of American independence, and he offered 
 stronger resolutions than any others, tending to 
 this result. This man was a lover of liberty at 
 heart. The oppression of the mother country 
 finally became so heavy that it seems but one 
 sentiment pervaded the minds of the master-spirits 
 of the day, and that was : We must be free from 
 the galling yoke of our tyrannical mother. The 
 aggrievances had now become so intolerable that 
 Patrick Henry only uttered the feeling of the 
 colonies, when he exclaimed: "We must fight! 
 
552 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 I repeat it, sir, We must fight : an appeal to arms 
 and to the God of hosts is all that is left us." 
 And he it was who uttered the words : " Give me 
 liberty or give me death." These expressions of 
 Mr. Henry overcame all opposition to the resolu- 
 tions then pending, and a committee was appointed 
 forthwith, among whom were George Washington 
 and Richard Henry Lee, with kindred spirits, 
 wdiose blood run in unison. I might bring before 
 you many other excellent things brought about by 
 this wonderful man during the great struggle for 
 liberty, and also many of his valuable services to 
 his native State after the establishment of peace. 
 Old Virginia ! The birth-place of freedom ; the 
 cradle of Presidents; the battle field for indepen- 
 dence ; the graveyard of heroes; the soil drenched 
 with the blood of patriots. that thy name may 
 be ever cherished in the hearts of freemen as long 
 as time itself shall roll its ample rounds ! May 
 her sons never disgrace the unmarked tombs of 
 her fallen heroes ! May her fair daughters, the 
 progeny of the Rutledges, the Randolphs, the 
 Washingtons, the Lees, the Henrys, ever have 
 hearts disposed to s-trew flowers over the graves 
 of their loved ones, and cherish the fond hope that 
 they will be rewarded in the world to come for all 
 their toils and services for freedom's cause! 
 
Woman. 553 
 
 WOMAN. 
 
 Woman was made beautiful, and, consequently, 
 
 a great lover of beauty. She represents the two 
 
 prominent ideas of utility and beauty conjoined. 
 
 The law of her Creator, who ordered that she 
 
 should throw over the utilities of labor, and toils, 
 
 and pains of life, the ornament of beauty and the 
 
 blandishment of her smiles, is a standing proof of 
 
 His wisdom. After man was created, then was 
 
 woman created, and this last production of nature 
 
 was his most valuable work. Wisdom takes man 
 
 for her representative, but love and wisdom choose 
 
 woman for their sanctuary. The true woman is 
 
 ever careful to preserve her personal symmetry, 
 
 grace, and beauty. She will be true to taste, 
 
 neatness, and order. She shines most beautifully 
 
 from her spiritual nature. Could man procure 
 
 a relic of the olden prophets, he would preserve 
 
 it as he does his own heart, and almost consider 
 
 it a passport to heaven. But how little does he 
 
 cherish and protect the very abode, the home of 
 
 infinite love, the heart of woman ! for, alas, how 
 
 much this fair and beautiful sex, in some respects, 
 24 
 
554 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 is trodden down and trampled upon like some rank 
 weed! But beware, man! beware bow you 
 trample upon tbe rights of woman, for she has a 
 heart, not of stone, but something that will not 
 bear all the repulsions of man ! For who will take 
 sorrow, cruelty, and trouble more deeply than 
 woman? But she has a mild, forgiving nature, 
 that will forgive the most revengeful wrongs, and 
 will do any thing for the happiness of those around 
 her; and I am one among the many who are in 
 favor of woman's rights, for did you ever see a 
 female that was not ? If you did, it was one that 
 was undeserving of credit; for if she had the 
 power that man has, I think the whole community 
 would be benefited by it. Take intemperance 
 for example. Now, if woman stood on an equal 
 footing with man, intemperance would be abolished 
 a great deal more than it is. For who knows 
 better than the mother, wife, and children of an 
 intemperate man, the need of abolishing intem- 
 perance? Who know better than they the curse 
 of intoxicating drinks ? For it is they, alas ! that 
 have to suffer from drunkenness. And every per- 
 son is aware that no one has so much influence as 
 mothers have over their children ; and if the women 
 always had the management of their children, 
 there would not be as many intemperate men in 
 the world as there are; and this will prove that 
 woman ought to be on an equality with man. 
 
Woman. 555 
 
 Now a question for those who are not in favor of 
 woman's rights : Where was woman taken from ? 
 Was she taken from his feet? No. She was taken 
 from his side ; she was made to be his equal in 
 every thing. She was not made to be inferior or 
 superior to him; but she was made to stand side 
 by side with man. Let her share with him his 
 pleasures, and also let her share his sorrows. And 
 this is what a true woman will willingly do : she 
 will strive to make his home happy; she will 
 strive to do all in her power to make every thing 
 pleasant and agreeable to him; she will take his 
 hand and travel through life's journey with him, 
 cheering him, in time of despondency, with her 
 smiles and cheerful heart; she will watch over 
 him in sickness with the tenderest affection. The 
 virtuous woman regards all as innocent and friend- 
 ly, the whole world as a vast community of broth- 
 ers and sisters, where friendship, confidence, ten- 
 derness, affection, and virtue dwell, all made har- 
 monious by their indwelling spirits. The spirit 
 of unlimited confidence, together with the entire 
 circle of these graces, only live in her heart. 
 
556 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 HAPPINESS. 
 
 Real success in life is happiness, and the great 
 secret to happiness is content. It is the philoso- 
 pher's stone of existence, and should be sought 
 after as the alchemists of old searched after their 
 darling idol. True happiness is no El Dorado 
 never to he found, but is a sure empire, rich in all 
 that desire can want, or that the young student 
 could wish, and is attainable by all. It is the gush- 
 ing fountain, standing a little above the common 
 level, showering blessings on those gathering — the 
 rich, the poor, the high and low. Wisdom and 
 wealth, honor and fame, are but bubbles without it. 
 True, there are various dispositions: all tempera- 
 ments are not alike— some are more conducive to 
 happiness than others. But defects in nature can 
 be conquered, and by early training and proper effort 
 the whole character be changed. Let us view for a 
 time some persons as we have often seen them, 
 who are forever wearied at this, or fretted at that, 
 who, like a celebrated character, were ever grum- 
 bling out their "lone, lone" condition; who, ac- 
 cording to their own account, were the most miser- 
 
Happiness. 557 
 
 able beings in the world, and we are never disposed 
 to disagree with them. They were certainly mis- 
 erable, though without cause, other than them- 
 selves. They were unfortunate without well 
 knowing why, and are left without any excuse for 
 the malady. On the other hand, view that old 
 man, where life had been a checkered one, where 
 days had been darkened by clouds of adversity, 
 where lips had drunk deep of the cup of misfor- 
 tune and disappointment, yet he has made him- 
 self a happy man. He had taught himself to 
 battle with care and the ill-winds that blew, and 
 by perseverance had conquered. The struggle was 
 a severe one, the contest of the passions was a 
 strife of determined force, but that old man came 
 out conqueror, his white locks streaming back and 
 displaying victory in the mild benevolence, the 
 serene smile of happiness, and the gentle cheer- 
 fulness that beamed on his wrinkled visage. Glori- 
 ous old man! Hero to the last! He is seeking 
 a brighter and more pleasant home beyond the 
 skies. Well-merited, and without limitation, will 
 be the rich reward of his piety. 
 
 My schoolmates, let us be careful to improve 
 every golden opportunity, and train our disposition 
 to true happiness ; and as we behold that emblem- 
 atic flag, with the inscription of education, un- 
 furled to the gentle breeze, may we all act well 
 our part in youth, and thus be prepared for the 
 
558 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 destiny of mature life, and be sure we have true 
 happiness for our companion in life, and in the 
 words of the dramatist remember: " 'Tis better to 
 be lowly born, and range with humble livers in 
 content, than to be perked up in a glittering grief, 
 and wear a golden sorrow." 
 
Reputation. 559 
 
 REPUTATION. 
 
 Who shall estimate the cost of a priceless repu- 
 tation, that impress which gives the human dross 
 its currency, without which we stand despised, de- 
 based, depreciated? Who shall repair it injured ? 
 Who shall redeem it lost? well and truly 
 does the great philosopher of poetry esteem the 
 world's wealth as trash in the comparison ! With- 
 out it, gold has no value, birth no distinction, sta- 
 tion no dignity, beauty no charm, age no reverence ; 
 or should I not rather say, without it, every treas- 
 ure impoverishes, every grace deforms, every dig- 
 nity degrades, and all the arts, the decorations, and 
 accomplishments of life, stand like the beacon-blaze 
 upon a rock, warning the whole world that its ap- 
 proach is clanger, that its contact is death. The 
 wretch without it, is under eternal quarantine ; no 
 friend to greet, no home to harbor him. The voy- 
 age of his life becomes a joyless peril, and in the 
 midst of all ambition can achieve, or avarice amass, 
 or rapacity plunder, he tosses on the surge a buoy- 
 ant pestilence. 
 
 But let me not degrade into the selfishness of 
 
560 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 individual safety, or individual exposure, this uni- 
 versal principle ; it testifies to a higher, a more en- 
 nobling origin. It is this which consecrates the 
 humble circle of the heart; will at all times ex- 
 tend itself to the circumference of the horizon; 
 which nerves the arm of the patriot to save his 
 country; which lights the lamp of the philosopher 
 to amend man; which, if it does not inspire, will 
 yet invigorate the martyr to merit immortality; 
 which, when the world's agony is passed and the 
 glory of another is dawning, will prompt the 
 prophet, even in his chariot of fire and in his 
 vision of heaven, to bequeath to mankind the 
 mantle of his memory. .0 divine! delightful 
 legacy of a spotless reputation ! Rich is the in- 
 heritance it leaves, pious the example it testifies ; 
 pure, precious, and imperishable the hoj)e which it 
 inspires. Can you conceive a more atrocious in- 
 jury than to filch from its possessor this inesti- 
 mable benefit, to rob society of its charm, and soli- 
 tude of its solace? not only to outlaw life, but to 
 attain death, converting the very grave, the refuge 
 of the sufferer, into the gale of infamy and of 
 shame ? I conceive few crimes beyond it. He 
 who plunders my property takes from me that 
 which can be repaired by time ; but what period 
 can repair a ruined reputation? He who maims 
 my person affects that which medicine may rem- 
 edy; but what herb has sovereignty over the 
 
Reputation* 561 
 
 wound of slander ? He who ridicules my poverty 
 or reproaches my profession upbraids me with 
 that which industry may retrieve and integrity 
 may purify; but what riches shall redeem the 
 bankrupt fame? What power shall balance the 
 sullied snow of character? Can there be an injury 
 more deadly ? Can there be a crime more cruel ? 
 It is without remedy. It is without antidote. It 
 is without evasion. The reptile kind of calumny 
 is ever on the watch. From the fascination of its 
 eye no activity can escape ; from the venom of 
 its fang no sanity can recover. It has no enjoy- 
 ment but crime ; it has no prey but virtue ; it has 
 no interval from the restlessness of its malice save 
 when blasted with its victims ; it grovels to dis- 
 gorge them at the withered shrine, where envy 
 idolizes her own infirmities. 
 24* 
 
562 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 KINDNESS. 
 
 As the quiet streamlet that runs along the valley 
 nourishes a luxuriant vegetation, causing flowers 
 to bloom and birds to sing along its banks, so do 
 a kind look and a happy countenance spread peace 
 and joy all around. Kindness is an ennobling 
 sentiment. It sits upon the heart as dew upon 
 the flower. It is as a morning prayer, an evening 
 hymn, a dream of heaven. We look on this senti- 
 ment in a child as we look upon an orchard that 
 is. resplendent with early blossoms; nor do the 
 happy songs and rich odors of the one steal more 
 gratefully over our senses than do the hopes and 
 promises of the other. In the day-dawn of life, 
 joy sparkles in the young soul like dew-drops of 
 the morning. The earth is then belted with the 
 rainbow of promise, and all things are clothed in 
 the bright and illusive colors of a young and 
 luxuriant imagination. It is refreshing at such a 
 time to watch the budding of a generous spirit, 
 and we long to behold the maturity of such a 
 flower. 
 
Kindness. 563 
 
 " Fresh roses drip with sweetness there, 
 And May-day smiles around." 
 
 Kindness is the ornament of man, as it is the 
 chief glory of woman. It is, indeed, woman's 
 true prerogative, her scepter, and her crown ; it is 
 the sword with which she conquers and the charm 
 with which she captivates. What a bright halo 
 does history throw around woman in her recorded 
 deeds of kindness ! In the early history of Vir- 
 ginia, how like a fountain in a wilderness is the 
 story of Pocahontas saving the life of Captain 
 Smith! 
 
 If history tells us that woman has been in 
 the rude camp or bloody battle-field, her mission 
 in either place has been to soothe the troubled 
 heart or bind up the gushing bosom of some dying 
 friend, to alleviate the suffering or quench the 
 thirst of the dying soldier. But it was left to 
 the Christian religion to give beatitude to woman's 
 character. The highest tribute to her sympathy 
 and love, as well as the brightest examples of her 
 overflowing goodness of heart, are found on the 
 sacred pages. She washed the feet of the Re- 
 deemer with her tears and wiped them with her 
 hair. She was the last to linger around the cross 
 when he was crucified, and the first at his tomb 
 after he arose from the dead. She was the deep- 
 est mourner at his death, and the most assiduous 
 watcher at his grave. 
 
564 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 Young ladies, would you be admired and be- 
 loved ? Would you be an ornament to your sex 
 and a blessing to your race? Then you must 
 cultivate kindness as a heavenly virtue. 
 
Not Afraid to Die. 565 
 
 NOT AFRAID TO DIE. 
 
 There are some that are like what is fabled of 
 the swan. The ancients said that the swan never 
 sang in his life-time, but always sang just when 
 he died. Now there are many of God's despond- 
 ing children who seem to go all their life under a 
 cloud, but they get a swan's song before they die. 
 The river of their life comes running down, per- 
 haps black and miry with troubles, and when it 
 begins to touch the white foam of the sea, there 
 comes a little glistening in its waters. Though 
 we may have been very much dispirited by reason 
 of the burden of the way, when we get to the end 
 we shall have sweet songs. Are you afraid of 
 dying? never be afraid of that! Be afraid of 
 living. Living is the only thing which can do any 
 mischief : dying can never hurt a Christian. Afraid 
 of the grave! It is like the bath of Esther, in 
 which she lay for a time to purify herself with 
 spices, that she might be fit for her Lord. The 
 grave fits the body for heaven. There it lieth, and 
 corruption, earth, and worms do but refine and 
 purify our flesh. Be not afraid of dying; it does 
 
566 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 not take any time at all. All that death is, is 
 emancipation, deliverance, heaven s bliss to a child 
 of God. Never fear it ; it will be a singing time ! 
 You are afraid of dying, you say, because of the 
 pains of death. Nay, they are the pains of life 
 — of life struggling to linger. Death has no pain; 
 death itself is but one gentle sigh — the fetter is 
 broken and the spirit fled. The best moment of 
 a Christian's life is his last one, because it is the 
 one that is nearest heaven; and then it is that he 
 begins to strike the key-note of the song which 
 he shall sing to all eternity. 
 
Hope, an Encouragement. 567 
 
 HOPE, AN ENCOURAGEMENT. 
 
 Among the many qualities with which we are 
 endowed, there is none so lasting, none so pre- 
 cious, none so necessary to our very existence, as 
 that faculty of anticipation — of seeing, even in 
 the midst of adversity, the promise of a good 
 time coming, which we call hope. Without hope 
 we would indeed be miserable. This world is full 
 of disappointments, and our hearts (however buoy- 
 ant and elastic may be our individual tempera- 
 ment) could not fail to sink under its numerous 
 trials and afflictions, were it not for that blessed 
 angel, Hope — that rainbow in the heaven of this 
 life which gives to every cloud a silver lining, and 
 bids us remember that every blade of grass has 
 its own drop of dew, and each buoyant heart its 
 own despair, for those who despair can never suc- 
 ceed. 
 
 " O never sit we down, and say, 
 
 There's nothing left but sorrow ! 
 Keep heart ! Those who bear the cross to-day- 
 Shall wear the crown to-morrow." 
 
 In reading the history of nations, as well as of 
 
568 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 individuals, this fact forcibly strikes us — namely, 
 that those persons, and that people, have been 
 most fortunate and happy who have been blessed 
 with a buoyant and elastic temperament. Through- 
 out the life of every one of us, the influence of 
 hope upon our actions and our happiness depends 
 in a great degree on our individual character, and 
 it is in all instances marked and decided. Her 
 power may be .traced through all the stages of 
 our being — in the spring-time of life, when every 
 throb and impulse of our nature is fresh and un- 
 corrupted, and our joys have not been checked by 
 that hope deferred which maketh the heart sick ; 
 then it is that we most fully realize the bright- 
 ness of life. Take the man who is just entering 
 into the world of business, and behold how bril- 
 liant every thing seems to him by anticipation ! 
 Behold him as the successful merchant, whose 
 vessels float on every sea, and whose name is 
 known in every part of the mercantile world; 
 how strange, how imposing, the influence of hope 
 in his breast! Were he deprived of her offices 
 and her comforts, and left alone to brave the dan- 
 ger of the unsettled sea, and the daily wish of 
 those adventurous barges which bear his earthly 
 treasures across the trackless ocean, he might well 
 sink under his fearful load of anxiety. 
 
 And so it is all through our mortal life. Hope 
 is one constant comforter; dreary would life be 
 
Hope, an Encouragement. 569 
 
 without her influence. And what shall we say 
 of the end? — what of that dread period which 
 must one day come upon each one of us, when we 
 shall stand on the brink of the unexplored and 
 untried river which flows through the valley of 
 the shadow of death? who can estimate the 
 value of a reasonable religious hope? The con- 
 summation and crown of our mysterious and pro- 
 bationary existence will at last have come ; one 
 of the chief and highest characteristics of which 
 is, that it never wholly deserts us while life lasts, 
 even in the darkest and gloomiest hours of our 
 existence. Even though it should be to all ap- 
 pearances hoping against hope, yet the human 
 mind is unwilling to give up every thought and 
 expectation of better days, and it still lingers in 
 hope, though there may seem but little won for 
 aught else but despair; so it is the last, long- 
 lingering occupant of expectation, is loth to de- 
 sert those beings among whom her lot has been 
 cast; and from childhood to old age, from life to 
 death, our earliest and latest friend is Hope. 
 then let us indulge in a good hope ; let us guard 
 and cherish this crowning memory, this celestial 
 gift; let us ever hope on through disappointments, 
 through sorrow, through delay, through crushing 
 grief — hope from the cradle to the grave ; hope m 
 purest trust, in perfect faith, till faith and hope 
 are lost in sight ! 
 
570 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 ABRIDGMENT OF LABOR. 
 
 BY J. Mc . 
 
 That domestic labor might be reduced in several 
 respects, not only without injury to the welfare of 
 the family, but -with positive advantage, is a pal- 
 pable truth. Nor is any thing wanting to demon- 
 strate this fact but suitable enterprise and courage 
 on the part of those to whom the oversight of 
 these matters is committed. In this peculiar pro- 
 vince, ladies can introduce whatever changes they 
 please. I do not intend to say that reform here 
 will cost no effort, where luxury has corrupted the 
 habits of a people ; it is not a small task to re- 
 store a salutary simplicity. Pampered appetites 
 will not be easily denied, and she must be a hero- 
 ine indeed who can overcome all obstacles of the 
 kind. But if the efforts were general among the 
 sex ; if all women would unite in, and attempt to 
 make a reasonable abridgment of, domestic toils, 
 there cannot be the slightest doubt of their suc- 
 cess. It would be difficult to state every particu- 
 lar to which this reform might be extended. Dress, 
 
Abridgment of Labor. 571 
 
 furniture, and cookery are evidently open to im- 
 provement. Fewer garments might be worn, and 
 these, too, made, if it were necessary, in a less 
 complicated and expensive manner. At present, 
 little or no regard is paid to the time spent in 
 making garments, provided they are only gotten up 
 in the most approved style. Neither the first cost, 
 nor the durability, nor the utility of articles in 
 this line, is much regarded. Nor is the task of 
 cleaning and keeping in order suites of rooms and 
 superfluous furniture often considered. The great 
 absorbing object which justifies all expense, and 
 sets at naught all pains, is to appear in style. For 
 this alone education may be scrimped, morals 
 ruined, comforts banished, and healthy exercise 
 converted into hopeless drudgery. But more than 
 all others does the culinary department require to 
 be curtailed. Its demands exceed all measure; 
 they scarcely leave a shred of time for other du- 
 ties. We all know there are many things which 
 consume the time of housekeeping besides mere 
 cookery; but I also know that, as things are, the 
 latter comes in for a very large share of lady 
 efforts and strength. It is no light task to pre- 
 pare hot water, and make tea or coffee, twice or 
 three times a day; to heat one's self over the 
 fire, the stove, or the oven two or three times 
 a day, and to prepare several hot dishes for 
 every meal, and make ready the sauces, gravies, 
 
572 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 and other accompaniments for each meal. Nor is 
 it a small matter to wash a host of plates and 
 platters, and tea-cups, and coffee-bowls, and tum- 
 blers, and knives, and forks, and spoons, three or 
 four times a day. I verily believe it is the trim- 
 mings of our meals, the non-essentials rather than 
 the essentials, that consume the great bulk of the 
 time of females. Cooking there must indeed be 
 — baking, boiling, stewing, roasting; but these 
 processes need not be so conducted as to absorb 
 all our time. There is no more need of cooking 
 every thing new for each meal than there is of 
 washing clothes every day, not a whit; nor is 
 there any necessity for having half-a-dozen courses 
 of food at the same meal — one course is enough; 
 and one cooked dish is enough for prince or peas- 
 ant at one meal. The preparation of meat, and 
 potatoes, and turnips, and puddings, and pies, and 
 fruits, to succeed each other as so many different 
 courses, with accompaniments, pickles, sauces, and 
 gravies, to say nothing of any hot drinks to ac- 
 company them, is a species of tyranny, imposed 
 by fashion, to which no housekeeper ought ever to 
 be compelled to submit. It may be difficult for 
 her to change the current, but it is good for her 
 life, and the life of her husband and children, to 
 do so. I tremble when I think how woman's time, 
 one of the most precious gifts of God, is frittered 
 away in pampering the want and administering to 
 
Abridgment of Labor. 573 
 
 the pleasures of the mere physical nature of man. 
 She must toil twelve, fifteen, or eighteen hours a 
 day in attending to his apartments, his clothes, 
 his stomach, and wear herself out in this way, and 
 leave the marks of this wear and tear in the con- 
 stitution of her children, and to her daughter the 
 same legacy which she received from her mother 
 — the permission to wear herself out prematurely 
 in the same manner ; nay, she often gloried in it. 
 This is, in fact, the worst feature of slavery; it 
 obliterates the very relish of liberty, and makes 
 the slave endure the chains. Especially is this 
 so with the slavery of our lusts, and passions, and 
 properties, and appetites. Woman not only toils 
 on, the willing slave of an arbitrary fashion, that 
 demands of her to surrender her whole nature, 
 bodily, mentally, and morally, to the din of plates, 
 and pots, and kettles, but she is often proud of 
 them, and seeks her reputation in them. She 
 vainly seems to suppose that to prepare fashion- 
 able compounds in the most fashionable style, and 
 to set an immense variety of her fashionable com- 
 pounds on the same table, is to act up to the highest 
 dignity of her nature. I do not mean that she 
 ever asserts this in so many words, but she does in 
 her actions. 
 
574 Scholastic Literature, 
 
 CAPITAL PUNISHMENT. 
 
 BY J. M. Mc . 
 
 Capital punishment implies the infliction of the 
 penalty of death, in pursuance of law. The pun- 
 ishment of death is fearful and awful. It assumes 
 the responsibilities, not only of this world, but of 
 dreadful eternity. The ties of human sympathy, 
 and the obligations of religion, if duly regarded, 
 will at once prohibit capital punishment. If we 
 have no sympathy for a culprit, we should at 
 least grant him the right to retain his life till his 
 Maker requires it of him. Whosoever will not 
 grant this right, is himself guilty of rashness and 
 injustice. Man received life from his Maker, and 
 we can reasonably suppose that the latter will 
 take that life whenever the proper time arrives, 
 without the instrumentality of human laws. But 
 some punishment is necessary to prevent the in- 
 crease of crimes, and that punishment should be 
 resorted to which affects the temporal condition 
 of mankind. Man should be loth to commit an 
 act, the effect of which he is not certain. By 
 
Capital Punishment. 575 
 
 executing the punishment of death, the criminal 
 would be plunged into everlasting miseries ; whereas 
 if he is confined in prison for the term of life, he 
 has time and opportunity to reflect, to repent, and 
 to supplicate forgiveness, that he might be pre- 
 pared to meet his God in peace. If one soul, 
 rescued from the miseries of hell, causes as much 
 rejoicing in heaven as "ninety-nine just persons 
 who need no pardon," should not the judge trem- 
 ble while condemning a criminal to death, and 
 thereby depriving him of all hope of heaven? 
 
576 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 THE TWILIGHT OF THE HEART. 
 
 Yes ! the heart hath its twilight — a time when 
 the shadows fall, and the light is dim; a time 
 when retrospection is mournfully pleasant, and 
 tears, like evening dew-drops, gently distill. The 
 sunlight may be flashingly glorious, or quiet stars 
 be twinkling in the midnight sky; but the heart 
 can have its twilight alike in the morning's glow 
 or the midnight's gloom. Let the soul but be 
 hushed to silence, and memory and imagination's 
 busy train fixed on the past and its shadowy 
 vistas ; let forms once loved appear, and voices 
 long silent wake again echoes in the heart; let 
 the joys of life's sinless hours pass before us, re- 
 freshing the mind by the remembrance of their 
 purity and innocence; let all the aspirations of 
 hope, and the bright dreams of youthful ambition, 
 be recalled, and softened, and mellowed, by dis- 
 tance — they will seem brighter than aught the 
 future may promise ; and at such moments you 
 will feel that the shadows of the heart's twilight 
 have fallen upon your spirit. At such moments, 
 commune with thine own heart, and be still; let 
 
The Twilight of the Heart. 577 
 
 meditation ply her holy task, and thy reveries, in 
 the somber light in which thou art shrouded, may 
 awaken purer feelings and nobler resolves than 
 all pens save that of inspiration — than the lyre 
 of the poet, or the tongue of the eloquent orator. 
 Art thou a lover of wisdom ? Seek it, at such 
 moments, in the page which the past has written 
 on thy memory. There thou wilt find records 
 which none but thine own heart may know ; they 
 are springs at which others may strive to drink, 
 but in vain. Drink, then, capacious draughts, 
 and thou wilt confess, when thou attainest to self- 
 knowledge, that thou hast not drunk in vain. Wel- 
 come, then, thrice welcome, the hallowed twilight; 
 dearer thou art than the closing shades of sum- 
 mer's eve to wanderers under whispering boughs 
 near murmuring streams; for in thy dim, mys- 
 terious light we behold forms which meet but the 
 eye of the spirit, and with our own hearts we 
 become stransrelv familiar. Such seasons come to 
 all, but not to all do they bring the same blessed- 
 ness. From the mists of the solemn twilight 
 "angels may beckon, or demons frown;" to some 
 they may be the harbingers of nights of peace, 
 and mornings of sunlit glory; to others, of nights 
 of darkness, and mornings of storm. Art thou of 
 those to whom such seasons bring no joy — a joy 
 in which smiles and tears are strangely blended? 
 
 In the sparkle of the wine-cup, and the mazes of 
 25 
 
578 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 the dance, dost thou flee those hours of thought 
 which are wont to force themselves upon thee? 
 Do the phantoms of the past affright thee ? Dost 
 thou call oblivion thy friend, and eagerly seek for 
 forge tfulness ? Beware! thou art fleeing from 
 that which would befriend thee, and wasting mo- 
 ments infinitely more precious than the pearls dis- 
 solved in the goblet of the Egyptian queen. They 
 may tell of waywardness, and perchance of crime ; 
 but, like the whispers of angels, they would call 
 thee back from thy wanderings, and point to a 
 destiny in unison with thy noble nature and the 
 cravings of that spirit whose very desires prove 
 its immortality. But art thou of those whom vir- 
 tue blushes not to own? If so, thy heart's twi- 
 light is not a starless one. Thou shalt be re- 
 minded with the mist- robed forms which seem 
 gliding before thee, and thy tongue shall join in 
 the same anthem with the voices which seem fall- 
 ing on the spirit's ear. Lo ! even now the stars 
 come forth to the gaze of thy soul — stars brighter 
 than those which look down on earth ; they are 
 the stars of hope and promise which gem the 
 heaven of God's revelation; they tell of a land 
 of light, where the trees of life ever bloom, and 
 the flowers are unwithering — where the waters of 
 life's -river, flowing from beneath the throne, flash 
 brightly in the beams of an unsetting sun — where 
 twilight gives place to a ceaseless day. 
 
The Grave-yard. 579 
 
 THE GRAVE-YARD. 
 
 I have often thought that if there be a place 
 on earth that will call back bright scenes of the 
 past, and a remembrance of friends that my heart 
 used to cherish, it is a ramble to the grave-yard, 
 where rest the objects of my own soul. Yes, what 
 thoughts are aroused within the inner depths of 
 the heart, when standing around the grave of be- 
 loved friends ! 'T was here we paid the last tribute 
 of respect for them. We think of the happy mo- 
 ments that w T e have spent together with these, as 
 friends w T ho have left the walks of men. Per- 
 haps we may look upon the grave of a little 
 brother, or sister, and ask, -Can it be so, that that 
 little one that we have so often lulled to sleep by 
 our sweet lullabies, and watched over it while 
 sleeping, and saw those radiant smiles flow from 
 its dimpled cheek — (I have often heard it said 
 that when babes smiled, angels were talking to 
 them) — has passed from earth away to a world 
 unknown to us ? Can it be so, that those spark- 
 ling eyes, that once expressed so much innocence, 
 now lie closed forever? and can it be that that 
 
580 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 prattling tongue, that used to cheer the mother's 
 wear j hours, has ceased its prattling? Surely it 
 is so. But we should look to Heaven, in sweet 
 submission, and say : " The Lord gave, and the 
 Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of 
 the Lord." Who of us has not been robbed of a 
 kind friend ? I answer, that there has been no 
 one but what has placed beneath the cold sod of 
 the valley some treasure that will ever cause their 
 thoughts and desires to tend to the place where 
 rest their lovely bodies. But, alas ! my dear 
 school-mates, we all must die, sooner or later ; so 
 let us prepare our souls for their doom beyond 
 the grave. I will only ask of you that, when I 
 have bid adieu to all things earthly, will you, my 
 sister school-mates, ever drop a tear, or plant one 
 rose on my grave, as a token of love and friend- 
 ship. This is the boon I ask of you. Good-bye ! 
 
Astronomy. 581 
 
 ASTRONOMY. 
 
 BY W. E. CARRIGAN. 
 
 An Address, delivered before the Bedford County Teachers' Association, at 
 Thompson's Creek Academy, Sept. 7, 1869. 
 
 Me. Chairman, Ladies, and Gentlemen: — In 
 compliance with a time-honored usage, coeval with 
 the origin of this Association, I propose a brief 
 address for this occasion, on the important subject 
 of Astronomy. That it is all -important, those 
 who understand it will readily concede. That it 
 is a true science, that its principles are as deduc- 
 tive and conclusive as those of any other — mathe- 
 matics and the English language not excepted — 
 is controverted by none, save those who are so 
 unfortunate as not to have been favored with a 
 knowledge of it. Its origin antedates that of any 
 other science. It was diligently studied, and a 
 very correct theory established, about five hun- 
 dred years before the Christian era. Pythagoras, 
 a celebrated Grecian astronomer, taught this sci- 
 ence at Crotona, and exhibited more correct views 
 of the nature of celestial motions than were en- 
 tertained by any of his predecessors or contem- 
 
582 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 poraries. His views, however, were not generally 
 adopted, but lay neglected for nearly two thou- 
 sand years, when they were revived by Coper- 
 nicus of Prussia, and Galileo of Italy. It is the 
 system that is now adopted, and is known as the 
 Copernican system. It maintains that the appar- 
 ent diurnal revolution of the heavenly bodies from 
 east to west is owing to the real revolution of the 
 earth on its own axis from west to east in the 
 same time, and that the sun is the great center 
 around which the earth and all the planets re- 
 volve ; contrary to the opinion that the earth is 
 the center of motion, as is often maintained, even 
 in this enlightened age. But those minds which 
 forcibly divested themselves of all previously-im- 
 pressed notions and prepossessed ideas of the 
 modus operandi of the solar system, and have im- 
 partially, yet thoroughly, investigated the true 
 principles and theories, as furnished by the vari- 
 ous works extant on the subject, have found no 
 difficulty in adopting the above system, as being 
 true, rational, and conclusive. 
 
 I shall endeavor to give some idea of the na- 
 ture and construction of the solar system; and, 
 reasoning from analogy, as is plainly indicated and 
 exhibited in the natural world, it is clearly shown 
 and established that there are thousands — yea, 
 millions — of similar systems floating through the 
 immensity of space ; and from such reasoning we 
 
Astronomy. 583 
 
 begin to realize something of the grand principles 
 of astronomy. It teaches that all the fixed stars 
 that bedeck the skies are suns, having, like our 
 sun, numerous planets revolving around them. 
 The solar system, or that to which we belong, 
 has fifty-four planets inclusive — eight primary, 
 twenty secondary, and twenty-six asteroids ; and 
 the circular space which it occupies is three thou- 
 sand six hundred million of miles, and that which, 
 it controls is much greater. I will now notice the 
 primary planets. These have — or the most of 
 them have — attendants, or satellites, which re- 
 volve around them as they revolve around the 
 sun. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Sat- 
 urn, Uranus, and Neptune, are the primary plan- 
 ets. The number of satellites belonging to them 
 vary from one to eight; and their distances from 
 the sun — the great center — vary from thirty- 
 seven million to two billion eight hundred mil- 
 lion miles^ Mercury being the nearest, and Nep- 
 tune the farthest, from the sun. Mercury and 
 Venus are inferior planets, for they have their 
 orbits nearer the sun than the earth ; and the 
 others are denominated superior, from the fact 
 that their orbits are exterior to that of the earth. 
 Jupiter is distinguished from all the others by his 
 great magnitude. He is fourteen hundred times 
 as large as the earth, and accomplishes his diurnal 
 revolution in about ten hours. A place on the 
 
584 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 equator of Jupiter revolves about four hundred 
 and fifty miles in a minute, or about twenty-seven 
 times as fast as the earth. His belts and satel- 
 lites are among the greatest wonders belonging to 
 universal creation. Saturn, with his rings, cir- 
 cumvolving through the dim vista of pathless re- 
 gions, is too transcendent in grandeur and sublim- 
 ity for the mind to contemplate. The rings must 
 present a most magnificent spectacle from those 
 regions of the planet which lie on the illuminated 
 portions, appearing as vast arches spanning the 
 sky from horizon to horizon, and holding an invari- 
 able situation among the stars. The rings of Sat- 
 urn revolve as the planet revolves, and are found 
 to be, from calculation, about a hundred miles in 
 diameter, or thickness. The satellites of Uranus 
 are exceedingly minute, and are visible only to 
 the most powerful telescopes. The discovery of 
 Neptune is said to be the most remarkable astro- 
 nomical event that ever occurred in the research 
 of physical science. Its volume is nearly sixty 
 times that of the earth. We will notice the sun, 
 the masterpiece of the whole machinery, so to 
 speak. He presents to us a figure of a perfect 
 circle, and is distant from the earth nearly ninety- 
 five million of miles. For us to form some faint 
 conception of this vast distance, let us reflect that 
 a railway car, traveling at the rate of twenty miles 
 per hour, would require more than five hundred 
 
Astronomy. 585 
 
 years to reach the sun ; and to illustrate farther : 
 The moon being at a distance of two hundred and 
 forty thousand miles from the earth, were the 
 center made to coincide w T ith the center of the 
 earth, the sun would extend every w^ay from the 
 earth tw 7 ice as far as the moon. In proportion to 
 magnitude and density, the sun is three hundred 
 and fifty thousand times as in the earth; and 
 owing to this fact, and another equally as evident, 
 a body at the sun weighs about twenty-eight times 
 as much as at the earth. 
 
 I have been thus explicit on the distances and 
 dimensions of the solar system in order to impress 
 on the minds of those who seldom reflect on these 
 momentous magnitudes and distances, the omnis- 
 cience and omnipotence of God, the architect of 
 the universe, as displayed throughout all his works. 
 It is believed that every one should bring the sub- 
 ject of God's creation often before his reflection, 
 and endeavor to form some conception of its vast- 
 ness and requisite power to create such from 
 nothing. By the investigation of this science the 
 mind is led to contemplate the wondrous power 
 that hurled millions of w r orlds into existence, and 
 sent them into the midst of illimitable space, and 
 spoke order from chaos and confusion, and by it 
 intelligences are enabled to approximate to a nearer 
 and more extensive comprehension of His mar- 
 velous works. There are many other phenomena 
 25* 
 
586 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 connected with the subject, such as eclipses, con- 
 stellations, galaxy, or milky way, comets, and 
 double stars, which I will notice briefly. 
 
 Eclipses are produced by planets passing be- 
 tween the sun and other planets. Often, when the 
 moon comes between the earth and the sun, a beau- 
 tiful yet strange freak is observed in all the sur- 
 roundings. Constellations are groups of stars 
 which formed their positions and acquired names 
 deduced from the nearest figure they represent in 
 appearance. The largest constellations contain 
 many hundreds, and even thousands, of stars. 
 Those which we are accustomed to call the "seven 
 stars" are known in astronomy by the name of 
 Pleiades, though it has been said of very high 
 antiquity that only six are present. The Latin 
 poet declares : " Quea septem dici sex tamen esse 
 solent." But, by the aid of a telescope, fifty or 
 sixty stars, of considerable brightness, may be 
 seen in this group. And double stars are those 
 which appear single to the naked eye, but by the aid 
 of a large reflector they are seen very close together. 
 Sometimes three or four are thus observed in close 
 proximity, and are then termed triple, or multiple 
 stars. Temporary stars are those which have 
 made their appearance, and after an interval as 
 suddenly disappear and return no more. Variable 
 stars are those which undergo a periodical change 
 of brightness and splendor. Clusters of nebulae 
 
Astronomy. 587 
 
 are seen in large groups, which may be seen by 
 the naked eye or by the aid of the telescope, and 
 are perceived to consist of a great number of small 
 stars. Such are the Pleiades. Aries is the most 
 conspicuous cluster. The galaxy is supposed to 
 be a nebulae, of which our sun and its planets form 
 a conspicuous part; and why it appears so much 
 greater than other nebulse is only in consequence 
 of our situation with respect to it, and its greater 
 proximity to the solar system. 
 
 The next most remarkable inhabitants of the 
 ethereal regions are comets — "the wanderers of 
 the upper deep." The number belonging to the 
 system is said to be very great ; there have been 
 estimated as many as one hundred and eighty. 
 Some of these are remarkable for their brightness, 
 and splendor, and immense size. The periods of 
 comets making revolutions around the sun are 
 greatly various. Some complete their revolutions 
 in three and one-third years, while one in particu- 
 lar — that of 1811 — required a period of three 
 thousand three hundred and eighty-three years. 
 Halley's comet is three billion six hundred mil- 
 lion miles from the sun. When they vanish from 
 our view, it is said they often reach the orbit of 
 Jupiter, and successively traverse the orbits of 
 Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, reaching, their 
 aphelion six hundred million miles beyond the 
 present boundaries of the planetary system. Some 
 
588 Scholastic Literature, 
 
 are thought to recede to a greater distance than 
 this, and that of 1811, which is estimated to have 
 receded forty-five billion of miles; while some are 
 supposed to pass into hyperbolic orbits and never 
 return. Comets shine from reflected light of the 
 sun, and increase in apparent size as they approach 
 the sun, and extend in a direct line from it. They 
 are supposed to assume this form owing to the 
 great rapidity with which they travel through space. 
 
 " Meteoric showers" is a very remarkable phe- 
 nomenon in the natural world. It is established 
 that they consist of light, combustible matter, and 
 that they move with velocity. Some are of large 
 size, sometimes several thousand feet in diameter. 
 But when they enter the atmosphere, they rapidly 
 and powerfully condense the air before them, and 
 thus elicit the heat that sets them on fire. It is 
 believed that these take their origin from a nebu- 
 lous body with which the earth falls in, and near 
 or through the borders of which it passes, and 
 thus separates, or scatters, the substance; and 
 being attracted by the earth in its revolution, they 
 naturally descend toward the earth. 
 
 The principle of attraction of gravitation has 
 much to do in a clear conception of the science of 
 astronomy. Also the science of geometry is fun- 
 damental, and essential to comprehend how the 
 calculations of the relative distances of bodies, 
 situated in the ethereal regions, are effected. 
 
Astronomy. 589 
 
 I will now close this feeble effort concerning this 
 invaluable science by suggesting the propriety of 
 teachers adopting and encouraging the study of 
 this science more than is usually done in our 
 schools. In my judgment, none are superior to it 
 for purposes for which the sciences are generally 
 studied. If confined to the distinct idea of ex- 
 panding the powers of the mind, and disciplining 
 them in active thought and investigation, none can 
 excel it. Hence, I earnestly recommend it to the 
 consideration of teachers present. 
 
590 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 TRIALS OF THE STUDENT. 
 
 Indeed, my school-mates, we have undergone 
 many trials since here we met five months ago ; 
 for going to school is very confining ; but still we 
 have gained a knowledge of some of the great 
 principles that should be inculcated in the minds 
 and hearts of youths. While we have been here, 
 Ave have been under the ever-watchful eye of our 
 teacher, who lets nothing pass without perceiving 
 it. We have often thought that he surely had an 
 eye in the back of his head, for you are all aware 
 of the fact that students think themselves very sly 
 in their mischief, and always choose a time "to cut 
 up," as it is termed by scholars, when his eyes 
 were turned some other course, as we thought; 
 but we would go ahead in any mischief that would 
 cause a little laugh in school, unconscious of his 
 knowing any thing about it. But mind, in a day 
 or two he would begin to hint around, and then 
 watch the eyes of those engaged in the mischief: 
 they will begin to wink, and ask one another how 
 in the world he found it out : Do you think that 
 he saw us ? Surely he has an eye in the back of 
 
Trials of the Student. 591 
 
 his head, for I know lie was not looking this way. 
 But never mind, we will only wait till he goes to 
 his dinner; then we will have a nice time; then we 
 will get to speak to that black-eyed darling, or 
 dimple-cheeked Willie, whom we so dearly love ! 
 But keep watch, put out your pickets ; if you 
 do n't mind he will slip right upon you before you 
 have hardly caught the glimpse of that lovely eye ! 
 But watch ! he is coming ! Hoist the windows ! 
 boys, jump out of the window! merci- 
 ful me! what shall I do? he will put a mark of 
 misdemeanor against us for violation of the rules. 
 But what makes old folks so particular about their 
 girls, anyhow? I wonder if they never did the 
 like, if they never got the chance to speak to the 
 boys ! I would like to know how they ever got 
 married ! But never mind, we will fix the old lark 
 yet, if he does not watch very closely! There 
 are more ways to choke dogs than feeding them on 
 butter : we will send off and get a few quires of 
 paper, and then we will write to one another. 
 Well, we write, and in a few days he will call us 
 up and begin to lecture as usual, and give us some 
 very good advice. But listen now what he says: 
 " I have learned, through a reliable source, that 
 there has been a little too much letter-writing in 
 school, which I say must positively be stopped." 
 And so you see our correspondence is cut off again. 
 And now what must we do? I will just tell you, 
 
592 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 my school-mates, Let us obey the rules of the 
 school, and when we get through our education, 
 and get to be our own, we will then talk and write 
 just as much as we please. 
 
Parting Advice. 593 
 
 PARTING ADVICE. 
 
 BY S. F. DARNALL. 
 
 In presenting myself before this audience this 
 evening to deliver the Valedictory, to which posi- 
 tion I have been elected by the voices and parti- 
 alities of my school-mates in New Hope Academy, 
 I feel my incompetency to say all that some might 
 say on such an occasion; but I fully appreciate 
 my position, and shall try to reflect credit on those 
 who placed me here as their representative. 
 
 My school-mates, we have been assembled here 
 within these classic walls for the last five months, 
 striving to make some ascent up the craggy hill of 
 science. As to our advancement in this degree, 
 we leave for those to say who have witnessed 
 our examination. We are very sure that we have 
 derived some advantages in the way of wisdom 
 and knowledge, and can say that we have spent 
 some happy moments together, "me thinks the 
 happiest imaginable ;" yet we are fully aware that 
 a long pathway yet lies before us, yea, an immense 
 field for improvement. Notwithstanding this, we 
 
594 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 are not discouraged, for " I can" conquers, while " I 
 can't" never achieves a victory. It requires un- 
 tiring energy and an intellectual nerve, one that 
 never yields, to mount the pinnacles of fame, and 
 soar aloft to the worlds of grandeur and greatness. 
 While we have been here striving to gain knowl- 
 edge, our teacher has been encouraging us by his 
 kind instruction and prudent admonition, and often 
 we would come to the conclusion that learning was 
 a dangerous thing, and we would be on the point 
 to abandon school; but then, by proper stimula- 
 tion, we would make one more energetic effort, and 
 when we succeeded we would be again encouraged. 
 And thus we have been gathering stimulating re- 
 freshment from that ever-desirable fount — knowl- 
 edge ; and this evening our energies are more un- 
 tiring than when we began, for we have now been 
 permitted to have a foretaste of the refined spirits 
 that cluster around fame's highest pinnacle. We 
 confess this evening that we are not satisfied to 
 gather only a few of these rare delicacies, that fall 
 from the ambrosial top of the ladder of fame, but 
 feel determined to glean step by step, and gather 
 a full supply of those bright flowers that form a 
 wreath of greatness, in order to satiate our intel- 
 lectual thirsting by taking a full drink of the spring 
 of knowledge and wisdom that roll their placid 
 waters throughout the field of intellectual feast- 
 ings. My school-mates, we have spent many happy 
 
Parting Advice. 595 
 
 moments together around this lovely spot, but 
 time, yes, time, with his effacing fingers, has 
 whirled them into oblivion. time! why will 
 you snatch from our lips the cup of joy ? Why 
 dispel the sweet pleasures of life by the stern re- 
 alities of the world ? Why add more of our lives 
 to those moments that are gone, irrevocably gone? 
 But we will not appeal, for he is merciless — those 
 happy hours are numbered with things that were; 
 they are retained by fond memory's golden chain, 
 and will be for ages; they will come up in after 
 years, when we are, perhaps, in another land, to 
 cheer our lonely life as green spots in the wide 
 waste of human life. Would you, my dear com- 
 rades, have your name written among those that 
 are now inscribed on the highest key-stone of 
 fame? Would you have a name that will live 
 while your bodies are slumbering in the dark and 
 lowly tomb? Then let your motto be, " Onward 
 and upward." What though troubles and trials 
 assail you; though obstacles, mountain-high, im- 
 pede your progress, yet despair not. Go on, re- 
 membering that wisdom's ways are w T ays of pleas- 
 antness, and all her paths are paths of peace. 
 Look at those names engraven on the tablet of 
 immortality, and ask, How came they there? What 
 made them such shining lights in the galaxy of 
 glory ? Did they, when the dark and murky 
 clouds of adversity covered their path, grow faint- 
 
596 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 hearted and weary, and fall by the way-side ? or 
 did they, when the fiery blast of the deepest dark- 
 ness wafted their breezes around them, surrender to 
 its demand ? Not so ; " but like an eagle proudly 
 careering to his mountain home, they bade defiance 
 to the storm, and fearlessly ascended to fame's 
 proudest eyrie." Though they have bid adieu to 
 all things earthly, their spirits, in all their beauty 
 and sublimity, are still lingering with us yet; they 
 beckon to the timid ones, and say to the faint- 
 hearted, Turn neither to the right nor to the left. 
 You must, like us, attain these heights by life's 
 earnest toils and endeavors. So let us ever keep 
 our eyes steadily fixed upon those shining lights 
 which lead to honor and immortality ; and while 
 we are gaining fresh supplies from the earth, the 
 air, and sea, shall we not have that wisdom puri- 
 fied and made perfect by drinking deeply of the 
 crystal cup, filled by angels' hands from limpid 
 streams above? 
 
 My school-mates, we bid adieu this evening ; it 
 may be a last and final adieu ; it may be before 
 the rising or setting of another sun that some of 
 our little band may be confined to the narrow 
 vault of the tomb ; never more may we hear the 
 chiming of yonder bell — death may claim one of 
 the most loved as his victim. Let us part with 
 bright hopes, that if we meet no more on earth, 
 we may strike hands in heaven, that ever-blissful 
 
Parting Advice. 597 
 
 shore. If there have been any hard feelings any 
 way, bury them beneath the sands of oblivion, 
 where the surges of water may fill up imprints 
 made in the sand, but cannot erase thoughts traced 
 and engraven in the tablet of the mind. Mighty 
 rivers may flow between us, and lofty mountains 
 rise, and great lakes extend their watery domain, 
 and we may never have the pleasure of seeing one 
 another any more; but I wish you all that happi- 
 ness beyond the tomb which is deprived us here 
 below. My reveries by day and my dreams by 
 night will ever carry me back to the associations 
 of old New Hope. I will ever think of you, dear 
 school-mates, as friends true to my heart ; and to 
 you, our kind teacher, may Heaven's choicest bless- 
 ings rest on you! 
 
 " Teacher, dear, we '11 long remember 
 Truths your love would e'er impart, 
 And no more shall they unheeded 
 Fall upon a stony heart. 
 
 " Pray for us, your far-off pupils ; 
 
 Keep, O keep our memories bright ! 
 Welcome as the beams of morning ; 
 Welcome as the stars of night. 
 
 " May we tread the path of wisdom ; 
 May we gain fair learning's prize ; 
 May we meet, when life is ended, 
 In the home beyond the skies !" 
 
598 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 HOME HAS A CHARM. 
 
 How sweet, how cheering and animating are the 
 associations that cluster around the word home! 
 Happy childhood ! How it causes the tear to run 
 down the hardy sailor-boy's cheek when tempest- 
 tossed on the bounding billows, when surrounded 
 by strange faces and unfeeling hearts, where no 
 sound greets his ear save the dashing waves or the 
 roaring of the huge billows, whilst he knows not 
 what moment he may be hurried beneath the angry 
 waves ! Then it is he feels that home has a charm, 
 and hope, the cheering, animating spark, comforts 
 him in his grief, and soon his tears are dried up, 
 like the waters of the burning desert, and he lives 
 in anticipation of reaching his paternal home again, 
 to meet the embrace of his long - remembered 
 friends and much-cherished home ; and with those 
 bright anticipations he sinks beneath the waves to 
 rise no more. The youthful warrior, when he bids 
 adieu to his childhood home to seek distinction in 
 the battle-field, feels that his native home has a 
 charm no other can attain; and when in the field 
 of battle, surrounded by the bodies of thousands 
 
Home has a Charm. 599 
 
 of his fellow-men, striving in agony on the ground 
 to languish and die, his mind reverts to his happy 
 and peaceful home, where all is happiness; and 
 how he loves his cherished home, where there are 
 hearts to pity him and friends to sympathize with 
 him ! 
 
 In imagination he is in his lovely cottage, and 
 hears the rippling streams and murmuring water- ' 
 falls ; the soothing voice of his mother and the 
 merry laugh of sisters and brothers are all in his 
 imagination. Every valley and brook has a charm 
 to him. He lives over again his childhood hours, 
 when he sported and basked in dreams of future 
 bliss. thoughtless lad ! those happy days are 
 passed to return no more ; and thou art far away 
 from thy happy home and sunny skies to share the 
 fate of the warrior, with no kind sister near to ease 
 thy dying posture ; no affectionate mother to bind 
 up the bleeding wounds ; and as he wipes the cold 
 sweat from his sun-burnt brow, he feels that home 
 has a charm. The friendless orphan, deprived in 
 early life of kind parents, and cast upon the cold 
 charities of the world without a friendly home, 
 sighs when he thinks of the happy hours he spent 
 in his humble home, the pride and joy of an affec- 
 tionate mother's heart. Home has a charm for 
 every one. 
 
 " How sweet it is to sit beneath a fond father's smile, 
 With the care of a mother to soothe and beguile ! 
 
600 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 Let delight amid pleasure to roam ; 
 
 But give me, O give me, the pleasures of home ! " 
 
 The friendless outcast in this world, who toils 
 from the rising to the setting of the sun for his 
 daily food, as he returns from the field at the close 
 of day to the mansion of the rich man, on whom 
 he is dependent, feels that home would have a 
 charm, be it ever so humble. The school-girl, who 
 has long been separated from her kindred, in order 
 to lay up stores of knowledge, when the session 
 draws to a close, though she may be depressed in 
 spirits at the thoughts of parting with beloved 
 school-mates with whom she has associated for 
 many days, those with whom she has walked hand 
 in hand at noon; and yet when she thinks of re- 
 turning again to her native home, has every sad 
 thought banished from her mind, and she can bid 
 farewell to loved ones without a sigh; for home 
 has a charm for her, and the ties that bind her to 
 her home are stronger than any other. you who 
 have homes ! appreciate them as you ought, for it 
 is the dearest and sweetest spot on earth. Be it 
 ever so humble, there is no place like home, when 
 we are ever burdened with sorrow. And here it 
 is that we can find those who will rejoice with us 
 in prosperity, and weep with us in adversity. 
 Though joys may be found in other climes, though 
 the fields of other lands may be as green and the 
 skies as blue, though faces may be found as fair 
 
Home has a Charm. 601 
 
 and hearts as true, still, home has a charm for us 
 which can never be found elsewhere. Let others 
 seek joys in distant lands, but give me, give 
 me, the joys of home! Contented will I be there 
 with those that are dear to me for my associates. 
 
 "And when from the skies some kind angel shall come 
 To bear me from earth to a happier home, 
 To the home of my childhood shall my last look be given, 
 And seem, as it now does, the portrait of heaven." 
 26 
 
602 Scholastic Literature, 
 
 WE ARE TRAVELERS, AND GLEANING 
 BY THE WAYSIDE. 
 
 BY MOLLIE Y. GILL. 
 
 Life is a journey, the length of which no one 
 is able to tell, for longevity is a period not known 
 even to the wisest of men. To-day we see the 
 little gleaner gathering fruits, and preparing for a 
 long journey ; to-morrow his journey may close. 
 So we see that he who has scarcely learned how 
 or what to glean is as apt to reach the end of his 
 journey first as he who has gleaned abundant 
 stores. To some, the journey of life is pleasant ; 
 to others, rough and cloudy; but to no one is it an 
 unruffled sea of pleasure. 
 
 " We weep while joys and sorrows both are fading from our 
 views, 
 To find where'er sunbeams fall, shadows come too." 
 
 'Tis said that life is what we make it; if so, 
 our happiness depends upon what we glean by the 
 wayside of this journey ; and as there is much to 
 glean, as many tares as wheat, as many thorns and 
 thistles as flowers and fruit, as much sorrow as 
 
We are Travelers. 603 
 
 happiness, as much hatred as friendship and love, 
 as much deception as truth, we should be careful 
 to have the right kind of a guide, lest, at the close 
 of our journey, we groan beneath a load of sin and 
 sorrow. At the commencement of the journey of 
 life, our minds are as a piece of blank paper, upon 
 which something beneficial or ornamental may be 
 written, or scribbled over, with something that 
 will neither interest nor profit any one. The first 
 impressions made are parental affections, with 
 which, for a long time, all our little wounds are 
 healed. At this period the heart is tender, the 
 will more or less flexible, the spirit fresh and buoy- 
 ant; therefore a proper direction should be given 
 our thoughts, actions, and feelings, because man is 
 prone to err; and as first impressions are more 
 lasting, they should be those of truth and virtue. 
 As soon as reason begins to exert her powers, 
 thought, during our waking hours, becomes active 
 in every mind, without one moment's suspension 
 or pause. The current of ideas begins to flow, and 
 the wheel of the spiritual engine to circulate with 
 perpetual motion; then purity of thought and pur- 
 pose should be stamped upon our mind in its un- 
 sophisticated and formative period; and they can 
 never be entirely effaced by the contaminating con- 
 tact of vicious principles, or by the deleterious in- 
 fluences of demoralizing but popular examples, 
 associations, and pleasures. 
 
604* Scholastic Literature, 
 
 The first thing the gleaner endeavors to obtain 
 is happiness, that butterfly that roves from flower 
 to flower in the vast garden of existence, and 
 which is eagerly pursued by a vast multitude with 
 the vain hope of obtaining the prize; and after it 
 has continually eluded their grasp, experience 
 teaches them that permanent happiness is unknown 
 on earth. Many things are essential to happiness, 
 the greatest of which is a proper education ; there- 
 fore, to render the journey of life happy, we should 
 begin to glean knowledge so soon as the mind is 
 capable of receiving impressions. For knowledge 
 is valuable not only for the pleasure it imparts, but 
 for the permanent wealth it secures. It is gold 
 that perisheth not — earth's only lasting treasure, 
 and the only source from which any thing like 
 durable happiness is obtained. The advantages 
 to be obtained from the acquisition of knowledge 
 are many, and of incalculable importance. It 
 softens and refines our grosser feelings, and makes 
 us the pure beings we were ere we learned to sin, 
 or felt its fearful penalty. A well-cultivated and 
 refined mind is not the gleaning of a year, or a 
 few years, but many. We glean knowledge from 
 all we see; from the most humble to the most 
 exalted things of earth ; from the tiniest bubble 
 of the brook to the ocean s wave ; from the most 
 delicate flower to the stateliest tree; from the 
 smallest star that decks the brow of heaven, to 
 
We are Travelers. 605 
 
 the sun that proudly rules the host above. We 
 should not be content with gleaning a little knowl- 
 edge; we should not think that when we have 
 decked our brows with a few gems, we have 
 enough to light us to the end of our journey; one 
 more might enable us to see gems far more bril- 
 liant than those we possess, and another so en- 
 lighten us as to see, just beyond, broad and ex- 
 tensive fields, decked with gems of the richest 
 hue, at the sight of which the persevering gleaner 
 says : " I have not yet done. Brighter flowers 
 than these are yet for me to glean, without which 
 these I have will prove but useless weeds, and, 
 instead of emitting fragrance, will soon begin to 
 pierce me with their thorns." 
 
 If it were in our power to look over the world's 
 extended field, and see its various gleaners, what 
 objects would be presented to our view ! Here 
 w.e would see a bright-eyed child of truth glean- 
 ing wheat among the tares ; there the aged form 
 stooping beneath his load of sin and care; again, 
 with bleeding hands, we would see some plucking 
 still the thorny sheaves of sin. Some would be 
 gleaning gaudy flowers that bloom in the morn- 
 ing, wither at noonday, and in the evening fade 
 and die; and would be shunning the plain, un- 
 painted truths as worthless weeds by the way. 
 All would be endeavoring to glean happiness — 
 some by obtaining wealth, others by numberless 
 
606 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 friends, and those who had a proper guide by 
 gleaning things that were essential to happiness, 
 such as contentment, kindness, forgiveness, gener- 
 osity, amiableness, and various other graces and 
 virtues. With these essentials we can be happy, 
 but not without them; for how pleasant and de- 
 sirable even small acts of kindness render the 
 journey of life ! Every object is made light by 
 them, every tear of sorrow brushed away. When 
 the heart is sad, and despondency sits at the por- 
 tals of the soul, a trifling kindness drives despair 
 away, and makes the path cheerful and pleasant. 
 We should never refuse to give the gleaner kind- 
 ness ; it will cost us nothing, but will be invalu- 
 able to him, if he is sad and sorrowing. "It 
 raises from misery and degradation, and throws 
 around the soul those hallowed joys that were 
 lost in paradise." 
 
 Forgiveness is essential to happiness. It has 
 been truly said, that forgiveness is the odor which 
 a flower yields when trampled upon. Nor can 
 we be happy without contentment and amiable- 
 ness. Therefore, in order to render the journey 
 of life agreeable and pleasant, w T e should glean 
 these essentials first. We see some persons glean- 
 ing fame, and a name that, they smilingly say, 
 shall live when they are no more. To obtain 
 this they endure hunger and thirst, wade through 
 blood, and trample upon the wounded and dying. 
 
We are Travelers. 607 
 
 " But let Asia's murky mines unfold, 
 Let Europe's thronging millions tell, 
 The sweat and blood it costs 
 To wear a princely coronal." 
 
 But we need not go so far from home to learn 
 the price of fame, for many in our own loved land 
 have gleaned enough to know something of its 
 cost. We should not let ambition fire our souls, 
 or guide our footsteps; for it will point to rich- 
 hue d flowers that will pierce us with their thorns 
 ere we are able to pluck them. We should each 
 for each a beacon be, and let our guide of guides 
 be the light of the world — that star that points 
 to eternal happiness. We should not seek a com- 
 panion who will tell us that unmixed pleasure is 
 known on this mundane sphere. By seeking dili- 
 gently, we will find one, clad in robes of purity, 
 wandering through the by-paths of this unchari- 
 table world, giving words of kindness, and smiling 
 upon the wayward traveler. Her name is Re- 
 ligion. She not only points to unmixed pleasure, 
 but will, after your gleanings are over, and you 
 have reached the end of life's journey, lead you 
 to a haven of rest. That haven will be the port 
 of heaven. 
 
608 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM. 
 
 BY S. F. DARNALL. 
 
 The word electricity is derived from the Greek 
 word electron — amber. It was thus called, simply 
 from the fact that it was in the friction of this 
 substance that it was first observed. It is the 
 subtile agent called the electric fluid, usually ex- 
 cited by the friction of glass. Its phenomena are 
 such as attraction and repulsion, heat and light, 
 shocks of the animal system, and mechanical vio- 
 lence. Dr. Olmsted says it is the science which 
 unfolds the phenomena and laws of the electric 
 fluid. It is doubted by modern philosophers 
 whether it is a fluid, diffused through most bod- 
 ies, and remarkable for the rapidity of its motion. 
 It is one of the most active principles in nature. 
 Thales, one of the seven sages of Greece, who 
 flourished six hundred years before Christ, is said 
 to have discovered this existing fluid. It was 
 also mentioned by another Greek author, thirty- 
 two years before Christ ; yet the ancients appear 
 to have known nothing more than a few isolated 
 
Electricity and Magnetism. G09 
 
 facts connected with the subject, and, as a sci- 
 ence, it had no existence till the commencement 
 of the seventeenth century, when Dr. Gilbert ap- 
 plied the principles of philosophical investigation 
 to the observation of the ancients. 
 
 It may be generated by several distinct ways, 
 of which the one most commonly employed is 
 friction. For an instance, if a piece of sealing-wax 
 be rubbed with a silk cloth, and a pith-ball be 
 brought near, the ball will first be attracted and 
 then repelled; but if a glass rod be rubbed in 
 similar manner, and brought near the ball, it will 
 attract. It may be strikingly illustrated by a 
 very simple, yet amusing, experiment : by taking 
 a glass rod, and rubbing it with a dry woolen 
 cloth, and bringing it near a few fragments of 
 paper, they will be raised almost from the surface 
 on which they are placed. Again, it may be gen- 
 erated by chemical action. Take two metals, 
 such as zinc and copper, and place them in con- 
 tact with each other and an acid at the same time ; 
 the zinc will be dissolved by the acid, and rapid 
 currents are found continuously flowing. This is 
 called the galvanic battery — or rather, galvanic 
 electricity — from its discoverer, Galvani. Its 
 phenomena may be best exhibited by an electri- 
 cal machine, which consists of a plate of glass 
 revolving on an axis, and is subject to the fric- 
 tion of a rubber of silk thinly covered with a 
 26* 
 
610 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 composition of tin and mercury, and is insulated 
 by*a glass pillar communicating with a receiver 
 by a brass chain. Attached to the machine is a 
 metallic conductor, which is also insulated by a 
 glass pillar. When the machine is in operation, 
 vitreous electricity flows from the rubber and 
 glass, by means of points, to the prime conductor. 
 If the hand be placed upon the conductor, cur- 
 rents will pass in opposite directions ; the vitreous 
 passing into the body, while the resinous passes 
 down the chain; but if the hand be held a little 
 distance from it, a spark will dart through the 
 air, causing a pricking sensation, attended by a 
 slight report of heat and light. The sound is 
 produced by the collapse of the air as the fluid 
 passes through it, and the heat and light are sup- 
 posed to result from the sudden condensation of 
 the air. 
 
 Since electricity has unfolded to us the causes 
 of the greatest phenomena — such as lightning, 
 whirlwind, and others that frequently visit us 
 — it has hitherto added much to the importance 
 of science. It serves great uses in life, and has 
 been the means of restoring sensation to parts of 
 the body that had become paralytic. It has been 
 employed in some cases 'with highly beneficial 
 effects.- It has had such great power upon the 
 vital energies, that persons who have been de- 
 prived of life, either by accident or design, have 
 
Electricity and Magnetism, 611 
 
 been resuscitated by its agency. Its uses for 
 scientific purposes are beyond calculation, and its 
 phenomena are so various and extraordinary as to 
 render the study exceedingly interesting. 
 
 Magnetism may be considered as belonging to, 
 or included with, electricity. Their theories are 
 analogous to each other. It is the science that 
 treats of the laws, properties, and phenomena of 
 the magnetic fluid. Magnets are of two kinds — 
 natural and artificial. The natural is an iron ore, 
 found in great quantities in different parts of the 
 earth, which has the power of drawing to itself 
 small pieces of magnetic iron. It exerts this at- 
 tractive force just as well through wood, stone, or 
 any other material, as through the air. An arti- 
 ficial magnet is made by bringing a piece of iron 
 near a magnet, by which it receives magnetism. 
 It also has the power of attracting other pieces 
 with considerable force : it is only necessary for 
 each successive object to be smaller than the one 
 to which it is attached. This attractive power of 
 the magnet, or loadstone, appears to have been 
 known to the Greeks, Chinese, and other nations, 
 in remote antiquity. It is distinctly alluded to 
 by Homer and Aristotle. The magnet received 
 its name from Magnesia, a city in Asia, near which 
 it was found. Pliny speaks of a chain of iron 
 rings, suspended one from another, of which the 
 first was upheld by a loadstone. He also tells 
 
612 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 us that Ptolemy Philadelphia proposed to build a 
 temple, the ceiling of which was to be of load- 
 stone, that its attraction might hold up an iron 
 statue of his queen suspended in the air. Death 
 prevented him from carrying out his design. The 
 attractive power of the magnet is not equal in 
 all its parts, but strongest at its extremities. A 
 natural magnet, when small, will sustain many 
 times its weight of iron. Sir Isaac Newton is 
 said to have worn a piece of loadstone, in a ring, 
 that would weigh three grains, and would raise 
 seven hundred and fifty grains of iron. The 
 most powerful magnet known is capable of raising 
 three hundred and ten pounds. This is one of 
 its greatest uses ; by this it has lightened, to a 
 great extent, the labors of man. 
 
 Electricity and magnetism, taken together, form 
 a very interesting science. It is hoped that they 
 may be studied and well comprehended, that we 
 may more fully understand the laws i rA proper- 
 ties of bodies. 
 
Aim High. 613 
 
 AIM HIGH. 
 
 BY K. A. McCONNEL. 
 
 Life, a mere expanse of years, is like the great 
 Sahara swept by the fatal simoom — leaves nothing 
 but a sandy wreck behind. He who lives to eat, 
 to drink, a slave to fashion, with thought and feel- 
 ing expunged, is a mere automaton. 
 
 " Not enjoyment and not sorrow 
 Is our destined end and way ; 
 But to act, that each to-morrow 
 Finds us farther than to-day." 
 
 We are lodged upon this terrestrial ball by the 
 One who gave us being, and who causes all things 
 to move by his mysterious law ; where there is a 
 uniformity as regards the productions of nature, 
 and where man is endowed with a sufficiency of 
 intellect to enable him to become ruler over the 
 inferior order of creation, and, as a natural con- 
 sequence, the "architect of his own fortune." 
 Since it is thus, it behooves him to plod his course 
 through life ever upward to the accomplishment of 
 objects that will tend to elevate him, politically, 
 
614 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 morally, and intellectually. His aim should be 
 high, and he should soar aloft upon the pinions of 
 intellectual glory ; and as he stems his flight, should 
 strike with a gift of genius every favoring breeze, 
 and strive to rise higher and higher, until he shall 
 have reached that point of eminence where he 
 shall stand unawed before the powerful, a tower- 
 ing monument to his country, a distinction to his 
 race. 
 
 In order to accomplish this great end, there are 
 certain laws of nature with which he must comply, 
 which being immutable, when he commits himself 
 in the road to distinction and eminence, wave an 
 imperial scepter that forces his obedience, and 
 from which, however rigid in their demands, he 
 should never shrink, but strive onward, remember- 
 ing that this he would now form is the foundation 
 upon which he would build his future edifice, and 
 that those who have distinguished themselves have 
 had to encounter the self-same difficulties. He 
 should not repine at the very threshold, but aim 
 high and ever onward, with his motto, "What man 
 has done man can do," and give himself over to a 
 laudable ambition, that will guide his way through 
 the many trials and changes to which human life 
 is incident. The surest foundation, and indeed the 
 one most durable, is that which is gained from the 
 solution and demonstration of the many abstruse 
 doctrines of science, which strengthen the reason- 
 
Aim High. 615 
 
 ing powers, and prepare him for the different pur- 
 suits of life; an accomplishment which, when ac- 
 quired, is not subject to he swept away by the 
 stormy blast of adversity, but when the darkest 
 clouds of despair obscure his way, and pretended 
 friends may have forsaken him, it yet stands un- 
 shaken, bearing and defending the founder in tri- 
 umph, wafting him over every billowy wave of 
 life's stormy sea, and finally placing him in a 
 position, as regards his country and his race, of 
 almost unrivaled importance. Although the road 
 he is destined to travel, to gain an understanding 
 of the fine arts and sciences, and more especially 
 to a knowledge of himself and of his fellow-man, 
 is interspersed with numerous difficulties and ob- 
 scene features that tend greatly to his discourage- 
 ment; yet if he persevere, actuated by the inner 
 principles that constitute the rational man, his 
 march is onward, and as he draws near the ob- 
 stacles that appear to obstruct the way, they van- 
 ish, and leave his pathway smooth up the rugged 
 steep, until he shall have reached its summit, there 
 to repose in pleasure, indulging in his own intel- 
 lectual glory. These points of distinction have been 
 reached by our predecessors, and it is not mere 
 conjecture to assert that they may be attained by 
 us, since we are endowed with an intellect by no 
 means inferior, and have manv advantages which 
 they did not possess. 
 
616 /Scholastic Literature. 
 
 These considerations forbid that one should pass 
 his life in ignorance and obscurity. He should 
 not be satisfied to loiter around the base of the 
 hill of science, to gaze upon her beacon-lights that 
 radiate her summit, and suffer his abode to be 
 darkened by the confounding shadow that she 
 would naturally cast upon it; but should hoist his 
 banner, and direct his march to join her shining 
 constellation, there to rest from his weary journey, 
 gather garlands from her many bowers, " drink 
 deep of her crystal fountains;" and thus having 
 obtained "knowledge," which "is power," he is 
 prepared to join the hosts that are marching on to 
 fame. Setting out upon this ennobling journey, 
 to gain the applause and approbation of a world, 
 he should launch his bark upon the wave of popu- 
 lar sentiment, and place knowledge, her noble pilot, 
 to guide her off the many rocks and whirlpools 
 with which it is interspersed ; spread her sails to 
 the political breeze, and ride triumphantly over its 
 gigantic waves, until he shall have reached his im- 
 agined goal. Should his progress appear to be 
 slow, and his pathway invaded with obstacles of 
 insurmountable magnitude, he should yet remain 
 buoyant, never taking to himself a discouraging 
 thought because he is unable to grasp that to 
 which he would aspire by a single exertion: he 
 should remember that those who have communed 
 with the sun, moon, and stars, and beheld the en- 
 
Aim High. 617 
 
 chanted spheres falling at their feet, were once but 
 aspirants, and have gained their distinction by a 
 gradual but unyielding pace. When he seriously 
 meditates upon the objects and positions of life 
 which he fain would possess that yet elude his 
 grasp, there are many things that recur to his mind, 
 clothed in the raiment of indisputable truth, which 
 strengthen his energies, such as the life of man is 
 composed of scenes and changes; that in all his 
 callings but little is accomplished in a day; that 
 time must be added to time and exertion, that in 
 the end the accomplishment may be great. Also, 
 that the primary parts of every thing of which we 
 have any knowledge are small : as the greatest 
 fortune is a combination of small values, the 
 longest journey may be accomplished step by step; 
 that every living thing that moves or has its being 
 — the various forms of vegetation that germinate 
 upon the landscape, and indeed the earth itself, the 
 great field of labor — is formed of minute particles, 
 woven together by nature's mysterious law. These 
 considerations tend to invite his onward march to 
 the object he longs to reach, bidding him hold fast 
 to that which he already possesses, and strive to 
 increase it by a constant accumulation ; it admon- 
 ishes him never to surrender a position which he 
 has attained to grasp one inferior. In a word, it 
 calls upon him to "take no step backward." 
 It is an imperative duty upon man to form in 
 
618 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 his youthful days some conception of what his 
 future life shall be, and strive to prepare himself 
 in accordance therewith ; and the very nature of 
 things forbids that he should throw himself away, 
 join the rabble, or become a prodigal, since he is 
 created for more noble and glorious purposes. 
 Should he thus act, the object of his creation would 
 be defeated. The nature of things goes to show 
 that he is created for the purpose of propagating 
 the cause of and glorifying his Creator and Pre- 
 server ; elevating the condition of his fellow-man, 
 assisting him in the accomplishment of virtuous 
 practices and upright dealings ; and he should ever 
 make these his constant study. 
 
 " Let us, then, be up and doing, 
 With a heart for any fate ; 
 Still achieving, still pursuing, 
 Learn to labor and to wait." 
 
The Lamp of Virtue, Etc. 619 
 
 "THE LAMP OF VIRTUE IS THE TORCH 
 OF GLORY." 
 
 BY W, M. T. THOMPSON. 
 
 If there is one subject in the universe which in 
 preference to all others deserves our individual at- 
 tention and impartial investigation, as relating not 
 only to the present, but also to the future and 
 eternal welfare of mankind, it is virtuous conduct, 
 or one truth which demands universal credence, 
 and of which the men of all past ages seem to have 
 been utterly ignorant, it is that virtue is the torch 
 which lights up the pathway leading to true honor 
 and glory. History assures us that from the ear- 
 liest period of man's existence, among those na- 
 tions of the earth who have attained to any con- 
 siderable degree of civilization and enlightenment, 
 and especially wherever " the star of Liberty" has 
 appeared adorned with magnificent luster, and dis- 
 pelling from the minds of her devoted sons the 
 vice, superstition, ignorance, and degradation in 
 which they have been entrammeled by the shackles 
 of despotism, on many illustrious personages have 
 
620 Scholastic Literature, 
 
 played their part upon the stage of action, distin- 
 guished for their resolute zeal in behalf of virtue; 
 and although they have evinced, both by words 
 and actions, that they were actuated by noble and 
 generous motives, yet, instead of being honored 
 with the grateful acknowledgments and approba- 
 tion of all, and that renown which they justly 
 merited being awarded to them by a people for 
 whose temporal and spiritual welfare they have 
 endured a life of arduous toil and earnest solici- 
 tude, they have most generally incurred their in- 
 gratitude and envy, drawn upon themselves the 
 severest censure, been deprived of the legal rights 
 and immunities of citizenship, by banishment from 
 their native land, and been afflicted by the most 
 cruel tortures, and have even suffered death by the 
 hands of their own countrymen, on account of 
 some freak of fancy or unwarrantable presumption 
 of their persecutors, that their minds were fraught 
 with evil designs against them personally, or the 
 commonwealth. But however general this rule 
 may have been, that they who have manifested a 
 zealous regard for justice and virtue, at all times, 
 and under all circumstances in life, and have proved 
 themselves benefactors of mankind, have been per- 
 secuted and disgraced by banishment or imprison- 
 ment, by those whose prosperity they labored to 
 promote, and from whom they naturally expected 
 a more noble reward; and however degenerate 
 
The Lamp of Virtue, Etc. 621 
 
 and ungrateful our world has always been, yet 
 wherever, in any age, moral laws and virtuous 
 principles have gained the ascendency in the minds 
 of an intelligent and unprejudiced community over 
 those of vice and superstition, the greatest honor 
 and glory have been ascribed to those who have 
 spent their lives in promulgating and acting out 
 these ennobling and life-renovating maxims. " Man 
 is formed for action;" and for this purpose there 
 are interwoven in his constitution powers, princi- 
 ples, feelings, and affections, which have a refer- 
 ence to his improvement in virtue, and which ex- 
 cite him to promote the happiness of others. 
 These powers and active principles, like the in- 
 tellectual, are susceptible of vast improvement by 
 attention, by exercise, by trials and difficulties, 
 and by an expansion of the intellectual views. 
 Such are filial and fraternal affection, fortitude, 
 temperance, justice, gratitude, generosity, love of 
 friends and country, philanthropy, and universal 
 benevolence. 
 
 When we behold man animated by noble senti- 
 ments, exhibiting sublime virtue, and performing 
 illustrious actions, displaying generosity and be- 
 nevolence in seasons of calamity and tranquillity, 
 and fortitude in the midst of difficulties and dan- 
 gers; desiring riches only for the sake of distrib- 
 uting them among the needy; estimating places 
 of power and worldly honor only for the purpose 
 
622 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 of assisting in the suppression of vice, rewarding 
 virtue, and promoting the general interest of their 
 country; enduring poverty and distress with a 
 noble heroism, in order to benefit others; suffer- 
 ing injuries and affronts with patience and seren- 
 ity; stifling resentment, when they have it in 
 their power to inflict vengeance; showing kind- 
 ness and generosity toward enemies and slander- 
 ers; restraining irritable passions and licentious 
 desires in the midst of the strongest temptations; 
 submitting to pain and disgrace, in order to in- 
 crease the happiness of friends and relatives, and 
 to stimulate them to a just appreciation of vir- 
 tuous principles; "and sacrificing repose, honor, 
 w T ealth, and even life itself, for the good of their 
 country, or for advancing the best interest of the 
 human race;" when we behold men, I repeat, ex- 
 hibiting manly virtues, and maintaining philan- 
 thropic sentiments like these, we perceive features 
 of the human mind which mark its dignity and 
 grandeur, and which indicate that its possessor 
 has attained the highest degree of usefulness, and 
 is worthy of the most distinguished honors. 
 
 Many striking examples might be cited of men 
 who have, in ancient and modern times, exhibited 
 such dignified and inestimable virtues in their 
 daily deportment, which would demonstrate the 
 vigor, expansion, and sublimity of a mind free 
 from the contamination of vice, and devoted to 
 
The Lamp of Virtue, Etc. 623 
 
 the practice of moral excellences. Even in the 
 annals of the pagan world, we read of a Regulus 
 exposing himself to the most cruel torments, and 
 to death itself, rather than suffer his veracity to 
 be impeached, or his fidelity to his country to he 
 called in question; of a Phocion who exposed 
 himself to the fury of an enraged assembly by 
 publicly reproaching the vices and endeavoring to 
 promote the -best interests of his countrymen, 
 and gave it as his last command to his son, when 
 he was going to execution, " that he should forget 
 how ill the Athenians had treated his father;" 
 and of Damon and Pythias, who were knit to- 
 gether in the bonds of a friendship which all the 
 terrors of an ignominious death could not dis- 
 solve. But of all the characters of the heathen 
 world illustrious for virtue, Aristides appears to 
 stand in the foremost rank. "An extraordinary 
 greatness of soul," says Rollin, "made him su- 
 perior to every passion. Interest, pleasure, am- 
 bition, resentment, jealousy, were alike extin- 
 guished in him by the love of virtue and his 
 country. The merit of others, instead of offend- 
 ing him, became his own by the approbation he 
 gave it. He rendered the government of the 
 Athenians amiable to the allies by his mildness, 
 goodness, justice, and humanity. The disinter- 
 estedness he showed in the management of the 
 public treasury, and the love of poverty, which 
 
624 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 he carried almost to an excess, are virtues so far 
 superior to the general practice of our boasted 
 age of moral, political, and intellectual attain- 
 ments, that they scarcely seem credible to us. 
 His conduct and principles were always uniform, 
 steadfast in the pursuit of whatever he thought 
 just, and incapable of the least falsehood, or 
 shadow of flattery, disguise, or fraud, even in 
 jest. He had such a control over his passions 
 that he uniformly sacrificed his private interests 
 and his private resentments to the good of the 
 public ; " for which reason, though there were some 
 who envied his honorable position, and by artifice 
 procured his banishment for a while from Athens, 
 yet the sentiments and sympathies of the people 
 generally were manifestly in his behalf; and in 
 fine his equity and integrity gained for him the 
 glorious appellation of the just. He was con- 
 sidered worthy of imitation, and unfading honors 
 and lasting renown will ever be his due. 
 
 Such virtues reflect a dignity and grandeur on 
 every mind in which they reside, the attainment 
 of which clearly indicates that man is not the 
 creature of circumstances, but that he must be the 
 architect of his own fortune, and is capable of 
 rising superior to mere circumstances. Hence he 
 is instructed to seek and recognize, in every 
 condition in life, that happiness which is to be 
 found alone in the practice of virtue, in which 
 
The Lamp of Virtue, Etc. 625 
 
 consist the true moral obligations of man. The 
 noblest examples, however, of exalted virtue 
 are to be found among those who have en- 
 listed themselves in the cause of Christianity, in 
 every period of which era similar characters have 
 arisen to demonstrate the power of virtue and to 
 bless mankind. Our own age and country have 
 produced numerous philanthropic individuals who 
 have shone as lights in the moral world, and have 
 acted as benefactors to the human race. Who 
 that is in the least acquainted with the annals of 
 benevolence has a soul so destitute of the ordinary 
 sensibilities of man's nature as not to be aroused 
 by the pleasing emotions of gratitude and admira- 
 tion on hearing the names of illustrious personages 
 mentioned, such, for instance, as Alfred, Penn, 
 Bernard, Sharpe, and a host of others, "whose 
 exertions in the cause of liberty, in promoting the 
 education of the young, in alleviating the distresses 
 of the poor, in ameliorating the condition of the 
 prisoner, and in promulgating the innumerable laws 
 of moral rectitude," will be felt as blessings con- 
 ferred on mankind, and will doubtless be held in 
 lasting remembrance by a virtuous and grateful 
 posterity ? 
 
 But among all the philanthropic characters of 
 the past or present age, the labors of the late 
 William Howard stand preeminent. This dis- 
 tinguished individual, from a principle of pure be- 
 27 
 
626 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 nevolence, devoted the greater part of his life to 
 active beneficence and to the alleviation of human 
 wretchedness, in every country where he traveled, 
 diving into the depth of dungeons and exposing 
 himself to the infected atmosphere of hospitals 
 and jails, in order to improve the condition of the 
 unfortunate, and to allay the suffering of the 
 mournful prisoner. In prosecuting this labor of 
 love, he traveled three times through France, four 
 times through Germany, four times through Hol- 
 land, twice through Italy, and, moreover, through 
 all the other kingdoms and empires of Europe; 
 surveying the haunts of misery, and distributing 
 benefits to mankind wherever he appeared. Such 
 characters afford powerful demonstrations of the 
 sublimity of virtue, of the activity of the human 
 mind, and of its capacity for contributing to the 
 happiness of fellow-intelligences to an almost un- 
 limited extent. The minds of some of these 
 worthy individuals were inspired with such a noble 
 ardor in the cause of universal benevolence that 
 nothing but insurmountable physical obstructions 
 prevented them from making the tour of the world, 
 and imparting favors to men of all nations, kin- . 
 dreds, and tongues, for which reason every age 
 and every generation of men, rising superior to 
 the perverseness of envy, have bestowed upon 
 them that palm of merit which they still retain 
 unwithered, and seem likely to retain, "While 
 
The Lamp of Virtue, Etc. 627 
 
 streams shall flow, or lofty trees shall bloom;" 
 and their names, invested with the imperishable 
 mantle of honor, will descend to the latest genera- 
 tions, untarnished by the vile tongue of the slan- 
 derer or the reproaches of the vicious misanthro- 
 pist. The lap of liberty is the cradle of virtue. 
 We have already intimated that wherever a people 
 have drunk into the stream and tasted of the 
 sweets that flow from the perennial fount of liberty, 
 and the humane goddess — -justice — arrayed in the 
 gorgeous robes of innocence and simplicity, sways 
 unlimited dominion, while dispensing to her zeal- 
 ous devotees the freedom of thought, of speech, 
 and of the press, and extending to all who will 
 partake of her bounty a liberal and impartial hand, 
 laden with the rich treasures which she has in 
 store for the noble sons of liberty ; there virtue, 
 insinuating itself as it were into the minds and 
 affections of a true-loving community, and fortify- 
 ing them against the insidious attacks and de- 
 basing influences of vice, enlists its most efficient 
 advocates, and contributes its greatest benefits to 
 men. And there also we find the greatest number 
 of individuals whose names will ever be held 
 sacred, and whose illustrious deeds will be regis- 
 tered in the national archives or engraven upon 
 the tablets of memory, and reserved for the imita- 
 tion and esteem of subsequent generations. The 
 correctness of this assertion will be readily ad- 
 
628 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 mitted by every one who will carefully compare 
 the past histories of other countries with those of 
 the ancient republics of Greece and Rome, in 
 which the character and achievements of many 
 virtuous individuals are portrayed in the most 
 glowing colors. But where, either in ancient or 
 modern times, has there a nation existed who 
 could boast of a greater proportion of great and 
 good men than are to be found in the short history 
 of our own glorious republic ? We have not in 
 our allusions to illustrate characters referred to 
 those who are noted for their proficiency in mili- 
 tary prowess, or other heroic virtues, such, for in- 
 stance, as characterized the actions of Alexander 
 the Great, Csesar, or Napoleon Bonaparte, whose 
 chief delight it was to hasten their fellow-beings 
 to an untimely grave, to devastate whole empires, 
 and to overflow the world with oceans of human 
 blood; but rather to such as preferred the more 
 humane and noble virtues inculcated into their 
 minds by the principles of morality and justice, 
 by means of which alone they believed that enmity 
 and vice could be banished from the earth and the 
 whole world be bound together in one vast com- 
 munity of friends and brethren. Then, if we 
 would become great and useful, and exert a good 
 influence in the world, and would have our names 
 "with gems and golden luster rich emblazoned" 
 upon our nation's heart, or enrolled upon the pages 
 
The Lamp of Virtue, Etc. 629 
 
 of history, in order that nations yet unborn might 
 rise up and call us blessed, let the motto, " The 
 Lamp of Virtue is the Torch of Glory," be indeli- 
 bly impressed upon our minds, let it characterize 
 our every action ; and then at the hour of disso- 
 lution, when the soul is ready to take its flight 
 from this earth-born tenement to God who gave 
 it, and the body is shortly to be consigned to the 
 cold and silent tomb, we can look back with pleas- 
 ure upon a life well spent, and, in the language of 
 another, we will be enabled confidently to exclaim : 
 
 " Exegi monumentum aere perennius, 
 Regalique situ pyramidum altius ; 
 Quod non imber edax, non Aquilo impotens, 
 Possit diruere, aut innumerabilis, 
 Annorum series et fuga temporum." 
 
 ("I have erected a monument more lasting 
 than brass, and loftier than the regal site of the 
 pyramids ; which neither the bold shower nor the 
 impotent north wind shall be able to overthrow, 
 nor the innumerable series of years and the flight 
 of times.") 
 
630 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 ANNIVERSARY ADDRESS, 
 
 BY C. L. RANDOLPH, 
 
 Of Shelbyville, Term., delivered before the Lewisburg Institute, July 1, 1870. 
 
 Ladies and Gentlemen: — By the invitation of 
 the worthy Principal of this Institution, I am 
 here to-day to talk to you on subjects of educa- 
 tional character. And in making my appearance 
 before you to-day, I desire to discuss only such 
 questions as are of a practical nature. I have 
 lived too long, and had too much contact with the 
 living, stern realities of life, to consume your time 
 this evening in fancy sketches or rhetorical flour- 
 ishes. A few practical thoughts is all that will 
 be attempted. 
 
 I am glad to meet so many friends of educa- 
 tion once more, on an occasion like this. Al- 
 though not now engaged in teaching, I have not 
 yet forgotten the promptings of my first love. 
 Occasions like this are resting-places, oases, to 
 teachers, students, and the friends of education. 
 Seventeen years ago, in another portion of your 
 county, Prof. Darnall and myself became associ- 
 
Anniversary Address. 631 
 
 ated together— he the student, and I the teacher. 
 Since that time our relations have been the most 
 intimate. I have watched with no little interest 
 his career, as he has ascended, step by step, the 
 graded walks of a teacher's life, from his school- 
 boy days to the position he now holds, the hon- 
 ored head of your flourishing Institution. 
 
 If there are any fruits of my labor, through a 
 life of toil and struggle, that give me pleasure, 
 and make me feel that I have not lived in vain, 
 it is to know that those whom I have taught, and 
 for whom I have labored, are now instruments of 
 usefulness, and are filling with honor places of the 
 highest trust and responsibility. It is to the 
 teacher his ornament, his solace, his highest re- 
 ward. Well then may you perceive how fertile 
 of reminiscences of the past are occasions like 
 these. It calls up the scenes of our first meeting, 
 and the controlling incidents that strengthened 
 our hopes and pleasures, and directed the ener- 
 gies of youth. And time, although ever busy in 
 effacing the memories of the past, and making 
 dim the impressions of the good "long time ago," 
 offers no bar to-day, in feeling or fancy, to our 
 renewing those pleasant scenes, or kindling those 
 emotions that then filled the mind and glowed in 
 the heart. 
 
 Memory sweeps across the vale of eighteen 
 years, and displays the incidents of the interven- 
 
632 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 ing scenery. It lights with joy friendships long 
 since enjoyed, for a time broken, but ripened and 
 mellowed like the oldest wines of the cellar. It 
 rejoices in the fact that many brilliant examples 
 of head and heart have been sent forth to bless 
 the world. It lingers with melancholy interest 
 on the memory of our good and true, who now 
 sleep, some in distant graves, unmarked and un- 
 known, others in the quietude of the old family 
 grave-yard. It reminds us of many days similar 
 to this, when, after a year of earnest toil, teachers 
 and students, bound together by ties stronger than 
 mere friendship, with swelling hearts and watery 
 eyes, speak the unwelcome word, a Good-by!" 
 
 We are here to-day, not alone to speak of the 
 past, or congratulate you on your good fortune in 
 having in your midst an institution that so amply 
 meets the demands of this community, and of a 
 teacher so well qualified to direct your children 
 in the way of usefulness and honor. There are 
 many great practical questions that are full of in- 
 terest to you, as parents and teachers, that should 
 be well and thoroughly considered. How can I 
 best educate my child ? is an important question. 
 It involves no less than the destiny of the child. 
 How often do we read of daring criminals, whose 
 whole life has been steeped in crime the blackest 
 in the long catalogue, in full view of death and 
 eternity, confessing that their first impulse to a life 
 
Anniversary Address. 633 
 
 of shame came from the nursery and the school? 
 On the other hand, the annals of the good and 
 great of earth — those who have shone like stars 
 in the moral heavens, filling the world with joy, 
 gladness, and hope — teach that the seeds of use- 
 fulness and goodness were sown into their minds 
 in infancy, in the family circle, and from the lips 
 of pious instructors. Hence the old and trite 
 adage : 
 
 "'Tis education forms the common mind; 
 As the twig is bent, so the tree 's inclined." 
 
 I cannot forbear, in this connection, making a 
 quotation from the writings of Dr. Loudon. He 
 says: "Of about thirty boys, educated in con- 
 tempt of useful knowledge and occupation, who 
 spent their days in reading novels, the lives and 
 confessions of pirates, murderers, etc., and their 
 nights in the streets, dram-shops, gambling-saloons, 
 circus, and theater — of these boys, one had been 
 hung for murder, one for robbing the mail, and 
 three as pirates; fiye died in the penitentiary, 
 and seven lived and died useless vagabonds about 
 the streets; three were useful mechanics \ the fate 
 of the remainder is unknown. Of about forty 
 boys educated with me, by a really scientific 
 teacher, under the c old fogy ' system of restraint, 
 at the age of fifty-five one was a member of Con- 
 gress, one Judge of the Supreme Court, two 
 27* 
 
634 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 Judges of the Circuit Court, three physicians, 
 five lawyers, fourteen were dead, and the remain- 
 der were farmers and mechanics, and, so far as is 
 known, not one of them was ever called before 
 the bar of his country on a criminal charge. They 
 all had comfortable homes, except two or three, 
 and every one of them was passably respectable." 
 Such is the language of this distinguished man, 
 and such is the experience, more or less, of thou- 
 sands. 
 
 And this brings us again to the important ques- 
 tion, How shall I educate my child? It is first 
 important, however, to define another term. What 
 is education ? I know of no term so much abused 
 and misunderstood as this. Not only is it not 
 understood with the masses, but educators them- 
 selves frequently have notions at war with phi- 
 losophy and experience. 
 
 With many, education is a stuffing process. 
 From the time a child can walk, till it is dubbed 
 an A. B., it is stuffed and crammed with all the 
 "ologies" known from the clays of Zoroaster to 
 the present; all the "ics," "ides," and "ates" are 
 jammed into its voracious cranium; so that when 
 he graduates he returns home, like the frog in the 
 fable, imagining himself one of the wise and great 
 of earth. A little contact with life soon dissi- 
 pates these visionary notions, destroys his hopes, 
 and he sinks to obscurity and inactivity. With 
 
Anniversary Address. 635 
 
 another class, education is entirely a drawing-out 
 process; they look with disdain on the stuffing 
 process, and refuse to load the mind with foreign 
 matter. Their whole aim is to evoke the slum- 
 bering powers of the child; to set to work the 
 nicely adjusted mental machinery; to tune this 
 "harp of a thousand strings" in unison with the 
 laws of God and man. Both are right, and both 
 are wrong. They hold the extremes of the true 
 system. One overestimates the powers of Na- 
 ture; the other, the softening and refining influ- 
 ences of knowledge. 
 
 I cannot better illustrate my idea of what edu- 
 cation is, than by an example. Take, for instance, 
 a grain of corn. In this grain are all the ele- 
 ments of the future stalk and future crop. Under 
 circumstances, the life and the beneficial proper- 
 ties of this grain would lie dormant forever. In 
 the pyramids of Egypt, and the ruins of ancient 
 cities, grains of corn have lain for centuries with- 
 out the least change of form or development. 
 But suppose this grain planted in good soil. Soon, 
 by the application of heat, light, moisture, and 
 electricity, the germ is quickened into life, into a 
 growing, expanding state. The infant stalk ab- 
 sorbs from the earth, the air, and the rain, the 
 elements of its nourishment. All these principles 
 are assimilated, and while they are principles ab 
 extra, they cause a development and expansion 
 
636 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 db intra. Then comes the care and labor of the 
 husbandman — keeping the soil in proper condition, 
 and all poisonous weeds destroyed. Hence the 
 life-germ, touched and tendered by surrounding 
 forces, assimilating them to its own constitution, 
 added to the toil of the honest farmer, the new- 
 grown stalk, with its ear and blade, is completed. 
 The corn is now educated. 
 
 Now this process is very analogous to the edu- 
 cation of the infant. Within the infant is a most 
 wondrous complex organization — a material body, 
 an animal soul, and a godlike spirit. These are 
 again endowed with numerous faculties, each of 
 which is susceptible of wondrous development. 
 Let the infant, like the grain, be surrounded by 
 the proper circumstances ; let it draw its nourish- 
 ment from the earth, the air, and the heavens ; let 
 the native force and power of the heart assimilate 
 all these to its own nature, and let it have the 
 care of the wise instructor, and you have, as well 
 as I can express it, my idea of education. It 
 combines the two systems : it feeds while it ex- 
 pands ; it stimulates to activity by facts, elements, 
 and precepts, and directs the aspirations of youth 
 in the path of honor and true glory. The mind, 
 like the body, must have its food and its exercise; 
 one to support, the other to give tone, activity, 
 and power. 
 
 A system of education, whatever else it may 
 
Anniversary Address. 637 
 
 combine, must consist of these elements : while it 
 fills the mind with useful knowledge, it must ex- 
 pand and draw forth all the latent energies and 
 powers of the mental system. 
 
 But before the main question can be answered 
 satisfactorily, other necessary prerequisites must 
 be noticed. Before the parent or teacher can be 
 successful in training properly the child, his own 
 actions and movements must be urged on and 
 directed by the native enthusiasm of his own 
 heart. To illustrate : In organic bodies there is 
 a mysterious principle of life, which, working out- 
 ward from the center, builds up its own organiza- 
 tion according to a model inherent in itself — in 
 other words, the plant is but the development of 
 the life-principle within. So it is with the in- 
 structor. There must be in his own heart a life- 
 force — an inward, acting, unfolding principle. 
 
 There is another important prerequisite in order 
 to successful teaching. In the mind, and in the 
 heart of the educator, there must of necessity 
 exist the lean ideal of the character to be formed 
 from the material of the child. Many parents and 
 teachers struggle with the young for years, en- 
 deavoring to educate them, having no clear con- 
 ception of the model into which they are to cast 
 the mind and heart of the pupil. Aims they have, 
 indeed, various as the stars of heaven, and, like 
 them, not always visible. But the true educator 
 
638 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 should ever hold before his mind, distinctly marked, 
 the true type to which, as a standard, he should 
 elevate, as far as possible, the mind and heart of 
 his pupil. Ere the rough rock was hewn from the 
 mountain, or chisel touched the shapely marble, 
 the beautiful and divine ideal of Apollo existed in 
 the mind of Phidas. The Venus de Medici — the 
 peerless work of art and beauty, the admiration 
 of the world — is but a presentation in tangible 
 form of the ideal fancy of Creomones of Greece. 
 'Tis this genius that has given to Parrhasius, 
 Apelles, Angelo, and Raphael, a renown wide as 
 the world, and deep as the love of the true, the 
 beautiful, and the good. But not only must the 
 educator, whether parent or teacher, have clear 
 conceptions in their own minds of w T hat pupils 
 must be, and the steps by which it is to be at- 
 tained : they must feel the importance of their 
 w T ork. 
 
 When the friends of the great Zeuxis inquired 
 of him why he bestowed so much care and labor 
 on his productions, he replied : " I paint for eter- 
 nity." So are } 7 ou, my friends, painters for eter- 
 nity. The eternity for which Zeuxis painted is 
 long since passed away, buried in the wreck of 
 ages gone by. Not so the work of the educator. 
 He, in deed and in truth, paints for eternity. The 
 material on which he works is not the flimsy can- 
 vas of art, nor the marble of the mountains. His 
 
Anniversary Address, 639 
 
 ideals are not drawn from the deified forms of 
 heathen lands, nor the dull impulses of a blind 
 fatality. He works on materials of a higher 
 order — a godlike principle, destined to outlive the 
 stars, and flourish in immortal youth when the 
 worlds are no more. Guided by these great prin- 
 ciples, with a heart deeply impressed with the 
 permanency and the grandeur of the work before 
 him, the proper training of youth becomes simpli- 
 fied and unified. Every part and parcel of the 
 entire system becomes harmonized, and arrange 
 themselves around the ideal center as filings around 
 the magnet. As Raphael then would transfer to 
 the canvas the divine conceptions of his own im- 
 mortal genius, as Creomones and Angelo would 
 stamp their own immortality into the lifeless mar- 
 ble, so must the teacher transfuse his feelings, 
 emotions, his earnest hopes, and high aspirations 
 after the great and good, into the minds and hearts 
 of his pupils. His pupils must be to him his 
 Apollo, his Venus de Medici, his paintings for 
 time and for all eternity. Impressed with the 
 foregoing principles, prepared in mind and heart 
 with a pure ideal, and with the importance of the 
 work, the proper education of the child follows as 
 a natural sequence. 
 
 Primarily, the work is mostly mechanical. To 
 impress a few fundamental principles on the mind, 
 and train the child early to correct habits, submis- 
 
640 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 sion, and a desire for knowledge, is, perhaps, the 
 most that can be done in infantile years. But as 
 the child grows older, and his body and mind be- 
 comes stronger, the process must be varied essen- 
 tially. The mere memory of principles, however 
 important, and the impartation of knowledge, how- 
 ever pure and nourishing, must now give way to 
 a more severe process of discipline. The native 
 powers must now be invigorated, strengthened, and 
 expanded. This is the period of mental gymnas- 
 tics. The mental constitution, now in the forma- 
 tive state, pliable and plastic, is to be molded into 
 forms of beauty, power, and strength. Such 
 studies as are best calculated to fix the attention, 
 tax and develop the reflective and reasoning 
 powers, and give life and activity to the whole 
 mental machinery, must be used. 
 
 It is not here intended to dispense entirely with 
 those mere ornamental branches that give beauty 
 and polish to the mind, but that the main work of 
 the period should be to strengthen and develop. 
 Hence the error in almost all the female schools 
 of our State. This severe gymnastics of the mind 
 is neglected. That searching, fundamental course, 
 so essential to develop and burnish true intellect, 
 is ignored, and the grand tinselry of a vain display 
 of a few "ologies," and scrap-work, is the educa- 
 tional food frequently allotted to our daughters. 
 When will our people learn to give to their daugh- 
 
Anniversary Address, 641 
 
 ters the same training given to their sods ? When 
 will they learn that the mind of a girl is as im- 
 portant as a boy's, and that the education of our 
 females is as important an element in our pros- 
 perity and happiness as that of the males? 
 
 Fundamental, and underlying all other, is to 
 teach the young to think — so train and mold their 
 powers that to think, and think for themselves, 
 will be the fruits of their own mental action. All 
 true education begins and ends in thought; all 
 true greatness and permanent good is the result 
 of thought. If there is one word in the English 
 language that expresses the length and the breadth, 
 the height and the depth of education, it is thought. 
 Whoever can think, in the true sense, is educated. 
 He who cannot think, who cannot control and 
 concentrate the powers of his mind — it matter not 
 how many sciences he may have gone over, or 
 how many folios he may profess to have completed 
 — is not an educated man. 
 
 Remember, then, parents, while you are inter- 
 esting yourselves in exercising the memory of 
 your children, and manifesting a deep anxiety in 
 having them advance rapidly in arithmetic, gram- 
 mar, as well as the other branches in the curricu- 
 lum, that the power to think, and the practice of 
 thinking, must keep pace with the character and 
 quantity of the intellectual food supplied to the 
 mind. 
 
642 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 It has been said by a writer that " there is more 
 power in a single thought than in a drawn sword." 
 Again, it is said that " thoughts are the sons of 
 heaven, and that words are the daughters of earth." 
 Unite these in the bonds of a holy alliance, and 
 you have the secret of success — the full force and 
 power of true education. When we look upon the 
 face of society in all its departments, and examine 
 the character of the men and women that have 
 revolutionized and blessed the w T orld, we find 
 them invariably great thinkers. It was thought, 
 under God, that raised Luther from the seclusion 
 of a friar monk to the reformer of his age — that 
 infused life, activity, and power into the rotten 
 systems of the Catholic world. It was thought 
 that spread light in the regions of darkness, that 
 gave hope to the despondent, spiritual life to the 
 morally dead, and to the w r orld, the volume of 
 God's inspiration. It was sanctified thought that 
 blessed the world, through the genius and labors 
 of Zwingle, John Calvin, James Macknight, A. 
 Clarke, and John Wesley. It was thought, in her 
 higher manifestations, that awakened the action 
 and guided the great powers of Alex. Campbell, 
 that evoked from apathy the brightest intellects 
 of the western world. Thought has given us rail- 
 roads, steam-boats, printing-presses ; built our 
 towers, and filled with wisdom the temples of 
 justice. 
 
Anniversary Address. 643 
 
 And what is it that thought has not accom- 
 plished? Around you, above you, and beneath 
 you, everywhere, are the evidences of its power 
 and grandeur. By its magic touch, mountains 
 have been leveled, valleys bridged, the ocean 
 bound with chords of iron, and the "wilderness 
 made to blossom as the rose." Accepting these 
 statements as facts, how important it is that the 
 young be trained to think, that every lesson, every 
 duty required, should have especial reference to 
 cultivating this faculty ! 
 
 "As each life is so emphatically molded in the 
 form of thought, every germ of the youthful mind 
 should be pruned and trained with care. Thus a 
 weighty responsibility devolves upon the instruc- 
 tors. Many means may be employed in cultivat- 
 ing thought, and none should be neglected. They 
 may at first seem but the least awakenings — 
 mere thoughtlets, mosses, and unconspicuous blos- 
 soms ; yet each has its value. The pin, or the 
 pivot, is just as important, in its place, as the 
 great beam whose oscillations move mighty ma- 
 chinery; and when these buds shall be enveloped 
 by the golden light of science, they may swell, 
 expand, blossom, and yield abundant fruit. In 
 the schools of the present day, where the ten- 
 dency of efforts is to smooth the path of the 
 student, care should be taken that the voluminous 
 explanations do not supersede reasoning in the 
 
644 Scholastic Literature. 
 
 mind; for the education is advanced more by the 
 provocation of a single thought, than by hours of 
 elucidation without the corresponding reasoning. 
 To a want of this requisite may be attributed the 
 superficial education so frequently remarked, and 
 so much to be abhorred and dreaded. A glorious 
 inheritance have they who have this intellectual 
 wealth, and truly the pathway of life must be 
 desert and gloomy to those who find it not fringed 
 and carpeted with ideas, and bedecked with the 
 brilliant flowers of thought. The mind thus en- 
 dowed is a world of wealth in itself; may gaze 
 down through the vista of coming years, and be- 
 hold fond anticipations beaming across the ocean 
 of futurity, and luring him on to brighter fields 
 of glory and fruition." 
 
 THE END. 
 
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