,libraries47       ,,nature ,,and       
,,culture  ,,by  ,,harvey ,,rice        
,,second ,,edition  ,,boston #ahij      
,,lee ,,and ,,shepard ,,publishers #aj  
,,milk ,,st4 ,,next ,,the ,,old ,,south 
,,meeting ,,house  ,,charles ,t4        
,,dillingham ,,new ,,york #gah ,,and    
#gbj ,,broadway   ,copyright1 #ahhi1    
,,by ,,harvey ,,rice4  ,university      
,press3 ,,john ,,wilson ,,and ,,son1    
,,cambridge4     ,,note4   ,the first   
edition of ,nature and ,culture was     
published in #ahge4 ,the degree of favor
 with which the book was received has   
induced the author to publish a second  
edition1 in which he has made a few     
changes and additions of such a         
character as to render the work1 he     
trusts1 still worthier of acceptance4   
,,cleveland1 ,,ohio1 ,august #bj1 #ahhi4
     ,,contents4                        
,,page ,,nature ,,and ,,her ,,lessons   
#aa  ,,education ,,of ,,the ,,masses    
#ec  ,,woman ,,and ,,her ,,sphere       
#ic  ,,aim ,,high                       

#aci  ,,america ,,and ,,her ,,future    
#afc  ,,career ,,of ,,rev4 ,,joseph     
,,badger       #aig  ,,mission          
,,monument                   #bbe       
,,nature ,,and ,,her ,,lessons4         
,,nature ,,and ,,culture4     ,,nature  
,,and ,,her ,,lessons4   ,nature        
declares herself in her works4 ,what    
exists beyond her domain1 if anything1  
becomes necessarily a matter of faith or
 imagination2 and yet the origin of the 
material universe presents a problem    
which neither the vagaries of the       
ancients nor the speculations of the    
moderns have been able to solve in a    
satisfactory manner4  ,in modern methods
 of logic1 we reason from cause to      
effect1 from the known to the unknown2  
but in attempting to penetrate the      
region of the unknown1 we are often left
 without a reliable guide4 ,analogy may 
aid1 but cannot assure us4 ,the powers  
of the human mind1 if not infinite1 may 
admit of infinite culture4 ,what is     
supposed to be unknowable may therefore 

become known4 ,however this may be1     
there is no divine injunction which     
prescribes a limit to human             
possibilities4  ,whatever we may think  
or believe1 the volume of ,nature       
contains nothing but truth2 it is a     
divine record which is as inexhaustible 
in its wealth of knowledge as it is     
conclusive in its logic4 ,men of        
science1 in attempting to read this     
unerring record1 have advanced many     
plausible theories in relation to the   
processes by which the earth acquired   
its embodiment1 and took its place among
 the golden orbs of heaven4  ,there are 
reasons for believing that matter has   
always existed in some form or other1   
and that it is infinite in extent as    
well as in duration4 ,nor need we       
hesitate to infer1 from the knowledge we
 have of the various forms in which     
matter exists1 that what is true of the 
earth in its processes of development is
 equally true of every other planet4    
,whether the earth in its origin was a  

fragment thrown off from some exploded  
planet which had filled the measure of  
its destiny1 or whether it arose from   
the gradual accretion of elementary     
substances diffused in infinite space1  
are questions which cannot be           
satisfactorily answered4 ,either method 
is not only plausible1 but consistent   
with the known laws and operations of   
,nature4  ,it seems quite probable that 
those erratic bodies known as comets are
 but incipient planets1 which continue1 
as they revolve in their mystical       
flight1 to accumulate gaseous matter    
until they have acquired and condensed a
 sufficient amount to become orbs1 or   
worlds2 when1 by the influence of       
physical forces1 they take their places 
in some one or other of the existing    
planetary systems4 ,it is thus perhaps  
that the law of development constructs a
 world with as much ease as it          
constructs a grain of sand2 nor can we  
doubt that the processes of aggregation 
and dissolution are made reciprocal in  

their relations1 and perpetual in their 
action4  ,in a philosophical sense1 life
 and death are but conventional terms1  
meaning nothing more than a change of   
matter from one form of existence to    
another4 ,whatever changes may take     
place1 matter can neither be increased  
nor diminished4 ,infinite space1 being  
an immateriality1 could never have been 
created and cannot therefore be limited 
or annihilated4 ,in all probability it  
still is1 and always has been1 filled   
with the elements of matter1--too       
subtile1 perhaps1 to be perceived1 yet  
destined in the course of eternal ages  
to be wrought and re-wrought into       
infinite varieties of corporeal         
existences1 mineral1 vegetal1 and       
animal1 ever progressing from the       
imperfect to the perfect4 ,thus ,nature 
teaches us the lesson that in perfection
 dwells the central ,life1 the          
quickening power of the universe4  ,in  
accordance with this view1 we may regard
 every particle of matter in the        

universe as the germ of a world4 ,and   
yet what are called original elements   
may be such1 or may not4 ,supposed      
monads1 or simple unities1 if they exist
 at all1 may be capable of analysis by  
the application of physical agencies or 
forces as yet unknown to science4       
,though science has disclosed much that 
is wonderful in the mechanism of        
,nature1 there still lies before us an  
infinite unknown4 ,whether ultimately   
the human mind will become so enlarged  
and extended in its powers as to        
comprehend the infinite1 admits of no   
positive assurance2 yet in the          
unrevealed design of the great future1  
such may be the result4  ,it is only in 
modern times that science has taken the 
advanced step1 and led philosophy into  
the beautiful avenues of ,nature1 where1
 amid the infinite1 she gazes at the    
universe1 listens to the music of the   
spheres1 and beholds the golden wealth  
of the infinite displayed on every side4
 ,it is thus that philosophy has become 

inspired with a desire to account for   
everything1 and finds that ,nature has  
written her own history in the hills and
 in the rocks1 in the depths of the sea1
 and in the stars of heaven1 leaving    
nothing for man to do except to read the
 record1 and accept its truthful        
teachings4 ,in fact1 the material       
universe may be regarded as an outspoken
 revelation of the infinite4  ,the      
elementary substances which compose the 
earth and its atmosphere are essentially
 the same1 and are not numerous1 so far 
as ascertained4 ,the leading vital      
principle is oxygen1 which constitutes  
at least one half of all known matter4  
,the earth's crust is estimated to be   
about fifty miles thick4 ,this estimate 
is based on the fact that in penetrating
 the earth1 the heat uniformly increases
 at a rate which would fuse all mineral 
substances at that depth4  ,hence1 the  
interior of the earth is believed to be 
a region of molten substances1 fiery    
billows that roll impatient of          

restraint1 and escape here and there in 
the form of volcanic eruptions4         
,volcanoes are1 therefore1 but the      
outposts of gigantic central forces1 and
 earthquakes but the spasmodic trials of
 their strength4 ,it would seem1 go     
where we will1 that fiery billows       
literally roll beneath our feet4 ,what  
,nature's ultimate designs are1 it is   
impossible to predict4 ,but it is pretty
 certain that her internal fires are    
working out some mystical problem4 ,a   
scientific ,german has recently         
ascertained that the surface of the     
earth is gradually becoming hotter1 and 
that in five hundred millions of years  
it will attain to such a degree of heat 
as to destroy human life4 ,and yet there
 are other scientists equally wise1     
perhaps1 who assert that the earth's    
crust is gradually cooling and          
contracting1 and therefore radiating    
less heat1 the final result of which    
will be the destruction of all life and 
a return of the glacial period4         

,geological science1 as well as         
revelation1 impresses us with the belief
 that in the beginning the earth was    
without form1 and void1--a chaos of     
atoms which were gathered1 comet-like1  
from infinite space1 and made to revolve
 in a globular mass by physical forces1 
until it became1 by the condensation of 
its vapory atmosphere1 submerged in a   
flood of dark and interminable waters4  
,in consequence of the action of the    
waters on mineral substances1 vast      
deposits of sediment accumulated1 which1
 with the aid of pressure and chemical  
heat1 gradually hardened into rocks1    
strata upon strata1 like solid masonry1 
and varying in thickness from the       
fraction of a mile to thirty miles or   
more4 ,nature seems to have adopted this
 method of construction as a            
prerequisite to the severance of the    
land from the waters4 ,in effecting this
 object1 the explosive forces1 long     
confined in the earth's interior1 are   
supposed to have burst asunder the walls

 of their prison-house1 suddenly        
upheaving continents and mountains from 
the depths of a dismal and shoreless    
ocean4 ,it was then that the dry land   
made its first appearance1 and was      
baptized in the pure sunlight of heaven4
  ,the virgin soil of the earth1 when   
thus exposed to the genial influence of 
the sun1 soon produced vegetal life1 and
 vegetal life animal life1--the one the 
food of the other4 ,thus ,nature ever   
provides for her guests in advance of   
their reception4 ,yet in her formative  
processes she makes haste slowly1 though
 she may sometimes leap to conclusions4 
,her work never ceases4 ,a million of   
years is to her as one day1 and one day 
as a million of years4 ,hence everything
 has its age1 and is lost in the ages4  
,of this fact we have reliable evidence 
in the strata of the rocks1 and in the  
limited field of our own observation4   
,there can be no doubt the earth has    
been many times baptized in fire and    
water1 and its crust broken into        

fragments and thrown into strange angles
 and relations4 ,these grand upheavals  
have occurred at dates vastly remote    
from each other1 and are recognized by  
science as great geological periods4    
,the ,ages of ,nature1 so far as relates
 to the earth1 may be classed briefly   
as3 the primary1 or reign of fishes2 the
 secondary1 or reign of reptiles2 the   
tertiary1 or reign of mammals2 and the  
modern1 or reign of man4 ,each of these 
ages constitutes a grand chapter in the 
earth's history1 which is easily read   
and understood by the masters of        
geological science4 ,the same agencies  
which were employed in constructing the 
earth's crust are still employed in     
reconstructing it4 ,in fact1 the work of
 creation is still going on as in the   
beginning1 if beginning there ever was  
in ,nature's material processes4 ,we see
 this illustrated in the changes which  
are produced on the earth's surface in  
our own time by the action of the rain1 
the wind1 the frost1 the flood1 the     

glacier1 the volcano1 and the           
earthquake4  ,it is by these agencies   
that the hills and the mountains are    
graded down1 and the detritus deposited 
in the valleys and in the sea2 thus are 
valleys enriched and broadened1 vast    
plains and deltas created1 and          
continents enlarged4 ,when the present  
hills and mountains have been reduced to
 plains1 and the fertility of the soil  
exhausted1 it is quite probable that    
another grand upheaval of the earth's   
foundations will occur1--the birth-power
 by which new hills and mountains are   
lifted up1 and continents changed to    
ocean-beds1 and ocean-beds to           
continents4 ,it is these mighty changes 
and exchanges that prepare the way1 and 
fit the earth for the production of     
higher orders of plants and animals1 and
 perhaps a higher order of man4  ,in the
 course of unknown ages1 ,nature has    
enriched and extended the valley of the 
,nile hundreds of miles into the sea1 by
 transporting thither the pulverized    

wealth of the ,abyssinian mountains4    
,thus fertilized1 ,egypt has for many   
thousands of years sustained a dense    
population4 ,very justly has she been   
called not only the cradle of mankind1  
but the granary of the world4 ,in like  
manner1 the ,ganges transports from the 
interior of ,india a sufficient amount  
of sediment annually to cover a township
 five miles square to the depth of ten  
feet1 and by this means has extended the
 land hundreds of miles into the ocean4 
,the ,hoang-,ho1 a river of ,china1 by  
its deposits of alluvium in the sea has 
added an entire province to that        
country1 comprising an area of          
ninety-six thousand square miles4       
,indeed1 all rivers are tributaries to  
the sea1 and all seas tributaries to the
 rivers4 ,this exchange is effected     
mainly by the rains and the snows1 the  
exhalations and the waterspouts4 ,the   
clouds are but common carriers2 this    
commerce is therefore a matter of mutual
 interest1 and grows out of the positive

 necessities of sea and land4 ,though   
the elements appear to move in conflict1
 they really move in perfect harmony1   
and bring order out of seeming          
confusion4  ,in executing a gigantic    
work1 no river has excelled the         
,mississippi4 ,this ,father of ,waters  
has distinctly indicated in the record  
of his career the prehistorical age of  
the world1 and the equally prehistorical
 advent of man4 ,in his march to the sea
 he has left enduring landmarks1 and    
with his battle-axe notched centuries   
long lost in the mighty past4 ,the land 
which this majestic river has formed1 by
 depositing sediment in the ,gulf of    
,mexico1 comprises an area of thirty    
thousand square miles4 ,this deposit or 
delta has a depth exceeding one thousand
 feet2 and the period required for its  
accumulation has been estimated by ,mr4 
,lyell1 the renowned geologist1 at one  
hundred thousand years4  ,this estimate 
only embraces the deposits since the    
river ran in its present channel4 ,the  

bluffs along the river rise in many     
places two hundred and fifty feet1 and  
contain shells1 with the remains of the 
mastodon1 elephant1 tapir1 megalonyx1   
and other huge animals4 ,it is evident  
that these bluffs must have belonged to 
an ancient plain or valley long anterior
 to the present level4 ,in several      
sections of the valley as it now exists1
 excavations have been made deeper than 
the ,gulf of ,mexico1 and successive    
growths of cypress-timber found1 to the 
number of four or five distinct growths1
 the lowest lying at the depth of six   
hundred feet4 ,some of these trees are  
ten feet in diameter1 and have from five
 to six thousand annual rings of growth4
  ,as the valley of the river from age  
to age grew in elevation by deposits of 
sediment1 a new growth of cypress was   
produced1 and is now supervened by the  
live-oak plain1 so called1 which has had
 an existence1 as estimated by the      
annual rings of the oaks1 of fourteen   
thousand years4  ,in excavating for     

gas-works at ,new ,orleans1 a human     
skull was found beneath the roots of a  
cypress belonging to the fourth-forest  
level1 in a good state of preservation1 
while the other bones of the skeleton   
crumbled to dust on exposure to the air4
 ,the type of the cranium was that of   
the aboriginal ,american4 ,now1 if we   
take the period required to form the    
live-oak level1 and add it to the time  
required to produce the next three      
subterranean growths of cypress1 which  
overlie the fourth growth1 in which the 
cranium was found1 it clearly proves    
that the human race existed in the great
 valley of the ,mississippi more than   
fifty-seven thousand years ago4  ,not   
only in the valley of the ,mississippi  
have fossil remains of man and animals  
been discovered at depths and in        
formations that prove their remote      
antiquity1 but in many other parts of   
the world4 ,not many years ago1 a human 
skull was found in ,brazil1 embedded in 
a sandstone rock overgrown with lofty   

trees4 ,there is still preserved1 in the
 museum at ,quebec1 a human skull which 
was excavated from the solid schist-rock
 on which the citadel now stands4 ,human
 skeletons have also been found in the  
island of ,guadeloupe1 embedded in a    
rock said to be as hard as the finest   
statuary marble4 ,even so recently as   
the year #ahfh1 while sinking a well at 
the ,antelope station1 on the ,union    
,pacific ,railroad1 the workmen         
penetrated a rock six feet thick1 and at
 eighty feet below the rock discovered a
 human skeleton in such a state of      
preservation as to be readily recognized
 as such4  ,in another instance it is   
said that a human skull was discovered  
in ,calaveras ,county1 ,cal41 at the    
bottom of a shaft which had been sunk   
one hundred and thirty feet below the   
surface4 ,it was found deposited in a   
bed of gravel with other organic        
remains1 and beneath the eighth distinct
 geological layer of earth and gravel1  
where it must have lain1 according to   

the estimate of ,professor ,whitney1 the
 geologist1 for a period of at least one
 hundred thousand years4 ,this remote   
antiquity of man is also confirmed by   
discoveries in every part of the world  
of the fossil remains of domestic       
animals as well as of man1 including    
implements of human invention1 such as  
flint arrow-heads1 stone axes1          
war-weapons1 cooking-utensils1 in       
localities which preclude the idea of   
their belonging to an age that has a    
written history4  ,it is not unfrequent 
that fossil remains of human bones and  
of animals are found embedded in the    
coral-reef limestone of ,florida4 ,in   
fact1 says ,professor ,agassiz1 the     
whole peninsula of ,florida has been    
formed by successive growths of coral   
reefs and shells2 he estimates the      
formation of the southern half of the   
peninsula as occupying a period of one  
hundred and thirty-five thousand years4 
,the sea contains ingredients which feed
 innumerable animalcula1 especially the 

polypes1 or coral-builders1 which have  
the power of secreting calcareous       
matter4 ,these myriads of noiseless     
architects are ever busy in building for
 themselves fairy temples in the depths 
of the ocean1 of the most delicate and  
beautiful workmanship1 and in erecting  
pyramids and islands1 and in extending  
continents4  ,in the mean time there are
 other agencies of a very different     
character continually at work1 modifying
 the earth's surface1 and preparing it  
for sustaining a still higher order of  
vegetal and animal life4 ,as a result of
 these agencies1 especially the         
volcanic1 it often happens that serious 
calamities befall the human family4 ,in 
the course of a century1 not less than  
two thousand volcanic eruptions occur on
 the globe1 equal to twenty a year1 or  
one every eighteen days4 ,the whole     
number of volcanoes known to be active  
at the present time exceeds three       
hundred2 and doubtless many times that  
number have long since become extinct4  

,in ,europe1 ,asia1 ,africa1 and        
,america1 there are extensive tracts or 
belts of country which are volcanic in  
their character2 and especially is this 
true of the entire ,american-,pacific   
coast1 and the ocean-bed adjoining it4  
,often have long lines of this coast    
been elevated or depressed many feet1 as
 if the whole continent were afloat1 and
 tossing like a ship on a stormy sea4   
,neither in the past1 nor in the        
present1 has the earth seemed to rest on
 a sure foundation4 ,even in apparent   
security there is no positive safety4   
,nature must and will exercise her      
sterner as well as her milder powers4   
,in achieving gigantic works1 she       
employs gigantic powers4 ,her forces are
 her own2 and when she directs them to  
execute her mandates1 she is promptly   
obeyed4 ,she models and remodels the    
earth's exterior and interior at        
pleasure1 but never without a beneficent
 design4 ,earthquakes break up the      
earth's crust4 ,internal fires melt it4 

,exploding gases lift it4 ,gravitation  
moulds it4 ,the atmosphere cools it4    
,the sun and the rain clothe it with    
verdure2 and flowers crown it with      
beauty4 ,in this way the earth's surface
 seems to have been prepared for the    
advent of man1 and its interior supplied
 with coal-fields and reservoirs of oil 
and gas for his use4  ,though ,nature   
has made for man ample provision1 she   
requires him not only to help himself1  
but to take care of himself4 ,nor does  
she give him formal notice to keep out  
of harm's way when she wishes to break  
up the earth's crust and re-cast it1 but
 proceeds at once4 ,she may sink or     
elevate a continent at a blow1 or she   
may do it by slow degrees4  ,the        
earliest writers give us accounts of    
terrific earthquakes4 ,thucydides       
alludes to volcanic eruptions which     
occurred five hundred years before the  
,christian era4 ,in the vicinity of     
volcanic mountains1 it has happened that
 city after city1 in the course of ages1

 has been engulfed1 one upon another1 in
 molten lava1 or cinders1 leaving no    
record behind them of their unhappy     
fate4 ,herculaneum lies buried a hundred
 feet deep beneath the modern city of   
,portici2 and beneath ,herculaneum1 a   
city still more ancient has been        
discovered1 whose name and history are  
entirely unknown4 ,how many other cities
 lie buried at the foot of the old      
fire-crowned monarch of ,italy1 no one  
can tell2 but doubtless there are       
several of them4 ,what induced people to
 occupy a locality so perilous1 it is   
difficult to say1 unless it was the     
superior fertility of a volcanic soil4  
,no part of the world is exempt from    
sudden calamities of a similar          
character4 ,the earthquake experienced  
by the city of ,antioch in ,syria1 in   
the year #fbf1 destroyed two hundred and
 fifty thousand people4 ,the great      
eruption of ,mount ,etna1 in #affi1     
overflowed fourteen towns1 containing   
from three to four thousand inhabitants 

each4 ,the stream of lava which issued  
from the mountain was half a mile wide  
and forty feet deep1 and swept          
everything before it1 until lost in the 
sea4 ,the earthquake at ,lisbon1 in     
#agge1 killed sixty thousand persons in 
six minutes2 the shock was felt in      
,switzerland1 in ,scotland1 in          
,massachusetts1 and on the shore of     
,lake ,ontario4 ,in #aghc1 a large river
 in ,iceland was sunk into the earth by 
volcanic action1 and entirely           
obliterated4 ,in #agib1 an earthquake in
 the island of ,java sunk a tract of    
land fifteen miles long and six miles   
wide1 carrying down with it forty small 
villages4 ,in our own country and in our
 own neighborhood1 in #ahaa1 several    
islands in the ,mississippi ,river1 near
 ,new ,madrid1 were sunk by an          
earthquake1 and the course of the river 
driven back eighteen miles1 causing it  
to overflow the adjacent lands2 about   
half the county of ,new ,madrid1 as well
 as the village1 was submerged4 ,several

 new lakes were created1 one of which   
was sixty miles long and several miles  
wide4 ,the earth's surface rose in      
undulations like the billows of the sea1
 and with terrific utterances1 opened   
yawning chasms1 from which vast columns 
of sand and water1 and a substance      
resembling coke1 were thrown out4 ,the  
whole face of the country in that region
 was materially changed4 ,and1 what is a
 little singular1 one of the lakes thus 
created by the earthquake extended to   
the river at a point nearly opposite the
 famous ,island ,no4 #aj1 thus affording
 a natural canal by which the ,union    
forces in the late civil war approached 
and took the island4  ,it is not        
improbable that the entire chain of our 
great northwestern lakes1 from ,ontario 
to ,superior1 were created by the       
volcanic collapse of a mountain range   
that once occupied the same localities4 
,of this fact there are plausible1 if   
not irresistible1 evidences to be seen  
in the volcanic character of the rocks  

at various points along the entire      
coast4 ,nor can it be very well doubted 
that subsequent volcanic action has     
elevated much of the coast into several 
corresponding ridges1 from one to two   
miles apart1 which distinctly mark the  
successive boundaries of these inland   
seas4  ,nature removes mountains1 or    
creates them1 at pleasure4 ,she also    
makes and unmakes lakes and rivers1 to  
say nothing of oceans and continents4   
,in ,california1 and doubtless in other 
parts of the world1 there are as many   
dead as living rivers4 ,the miners of   
,california have already discovered the 
old channels of a dozen or more dead    
rivers1 as they call them1 encased and  
sealed up in the very heart of the      
mountain ranges1 and extending in some  
instances hundreds of miles in the      
general direction of the ranges1 and    
leaping from mountain to mountain at a  
common level or grade4 ,these ancient   
channels are filled with sand1 gravel1  
and small bowlders1 evidently worn and  

polished by long attrition4 ,some of the
 channels are a mile wide1 or more1 and 
from ten to one hundred feet deep4 ,in  
the angles or eddies1 the sands are     
found to be exceedingly rich in gold1   
sometimes yielding fifty dollars or more
 to the cubic yard4 ,it is estimated    
that over five hundred millions of      
dollars have already been taken from the
 sands of these dead rivers1 and that   
they are now yielding at least ten      
millions a year4 ,it is evident that    
these dead rivers must have been living 
rivers long before the volcanic era     
arrived1 which elevated the ancient     
valleys into mountain ranges1 and       
depressed the ancient mountain ranges   
into valleys4  ,in the ,south-,american 
earthquake of ,august1 #ahfh1 thirty    
thousand lives were lost1 several cities
 entirely obliterated1 and three hundred
 millions of dollars' worth of property 
destroyed4 ,a tidal wave1 more than     
forty feet deep1 swept over the land and
 deposited1 high and dry1 and beyond    

recovery1 several first-class ships2 the
 effect of this earthquake was felt     
along the coast for a distance of six to
 seven thousand miles4 ,in ,october of  
the same year1 the city of ,san         
,francisco was visited by an earthquake1
 which shattered many buildings1 and    
destroyed several lives4 ,it is supposed
 that this was but a prolongation of the
 ,south-,american earthquake4  ,in some 
parts of ,california and ,south         
,america1 thunder and lightning seldom  
occur1 while earthquakes are frequent2  
in regions like these1 earthquakes would
 seem to be a substitute for thunder and
 lightning4 ,in all probability both are
 but electrical phenomena1 differing    
only in the fact that the one is an     
earthquake1 the other a skyquake4 ,it is
 in plains and valleys that earthquakes 
prove the most destructive4 ,doubtless  
the solid material composing the        
mountain ranges affords a better        
conductor of electricity than the       
alluvial soil of the plains and the     

valleys2 hence1 while the one serves as 
a lightning-rod1 the other becomes the  
battleground of conflicting elements4   
,it may be that electrical forces are   
generated in the earth's interior1 as   
well as in the atmosphere1 and that the 
earthquake is but the shock produced by 
the restoration of an equilibrium4 ,the 
earth and the atmosphere are essentially
 the same in their elements1 and are    
ever contributing of their substance to 
the requisitions of each other4  ,when  
physical science shall be so far        
advanced as to explain the true causes  
of the earthquake1 if it does not make  
man master of the situation1 it will    
doubtless place in his hands the power  
of avoiding1 to some extent at least1   
the calamities which now so often befall
 life and property4  ,there can be no   
doubt that the earth is a physical      
necessity not yet fully developed2 only 
about one-fourth part of its surface is 
land1 the remainder water4 ,nearly three
 times more land lies north of the      

equator than south of it4 ,why this     
should be so1 is not quite clear4 ,in   
the course of the earth's future        
development1 however1 it is not         
improbable that additional continents   
and islands will appear1 and the waters 
subside into narrower and deeper        
channels1 thus giving to man1 and to    
land-life generally1 a wider domain4    
,and yet the present seas were not made 
in vain1 but have always abounded with  
plant-life and animal-life1 though of an
 inferior order as compared with        
land-life4 ,life in itself is infinite1 
and appears in infinite varieties both  
on land and in the sea4 ,whether man    
needs more land for his use and future  
development1 is difficult to say4 ,at   
any rate1 everything that exists has its
 mutual relations1 and adapts itself to 
the ultimate aim of ,nature1--the       
perfection of man4  ,in the ,western    
,hemisphere1 the mountains take the     
general direction of north and south2 in
 the ,eastern1 the general direction of 

east and west4 ,in the one hemisphere1  
the ranges essentially accord with the  
lines of longitude2 in the other1 with  
the lines of latitude4 ,these mountain  
ranges are but continental watersheds1  
from which flows the elemental wealth   
that enriches the plains and the        
valleys4 ,the rivers and their          
tributaries are the commercial agents4  
,the rain and the frost are the miners  
whose labors will never cease until the 
mountains are levelled4 ,the mountains  
also attract and guide the storms and   
modify their force1 condense the mists1 
the raindrop1 and the dewdrop1 and thus 
aid in refreshing the valleys in        
connection with the heat of the         
sunbeams4 ,in this way the seasons1 as  
well as the elements of the soil1 are so
 modified and vitalized as to give to   
man seedtime and harvest1 and needful   
food to every living and creeping thing4
  ,in addition to the world of life that
 is visible1 there is a world of life   
that is invisible1--a microscopic realm 

of animalcula1 which live and move and  
have their being in every element of    
life1 and in every life1 and yet are so 
minute as to be imperceptible to the    
naked eye4 ,these invisibles1 or        
infusoria1 abound everywhere and in     
everything4 ,they pervade the sea1 the  
land1 the air4 ,they swarm in every drop
 of water1 and revel in every morsel of 
food4 ,we can neither eat nor drink     
without infringing on their domain and  
consigning myriads of them1 perhaps1 to 
an unprovoked destruction4 ,they are    
almost as various in grade1 size1 and   
shape1 as they are numerous4 ,some are  
hideous1 while others are comely4 ,they 
feed on each other1 the superior on the 
inferior1 and are ever struggling for   
life and for the mastery4 ,they engage  
in the battle of life to sustain life1  
and hold to the doctrine that to the    
victors belong the spoils4 ,it is an    
ascertained fact that a speck of        
potato-rot1 the size of a pin-head1     
contains hundreds of these little       

ferocious animals1 fighting and         
devouring each other without mercy and  
without cessation4  ,what seems still   
more surprising is that they probably   
have a perfect organization1--heart1    
lungs1 stomach1 circulation of blood1   
and are endowed1 perhaps1 with all the  
five senses4 ,infinite numbers of them1 
it is supposed1 exist in so minute a    
form that no microscope1 however great  
its power1 can detect them4 ,nor need we
 doubt that even these living invisibles
 are beset with parasites vastly minuter
 than themselves1 which feed and breed  
on their surfaces4 ,in the very         
blood-circulation of the minutest1 it is
 not improbable that other infusoria1   
still more minute1 swim and prey upon   
each other4 ,the uses for which this    
invisible world of life were created1   
though doubtless for a wise purpose1    
cannot be comprehended4 ,yet it is      
evident that every living thing1 however
 minute1 has a destiny of some sort1    
ever progressing1 it may be1 from a     

lower to a higher sphere1--from the     
material to the spiritual1 from the     
finite to the infinite4        ,all are 
but parts of one stupendous whole1      
,whose body ,nature is1 and ,god the    
soul4   ,the atmosphere1 supposed to    
extend sixty miles in height1 surrounds 
the earth like an invisible ocean1 and  
gives to it almost entirely its         
life-material4 ,in fact1 the atmosphere 
is the great reservoir of the vital     
elements1 from which is derived the     
principal part1 if not all1 the         
material1 solid or liquid1 which enters 
into the composition of both plant and  
animal1 whether it be a blade of grass1 
a leaf1 or a tree2 an insect1 a fish1 or
 a man4 ,it is true1 however1 that      
animal-life is more directly the        
outgrowth of plant-life2 and yet the    
vital forces of both are derived from   
the air1 and return to the air by solar 
agencies4 ,it is quite certain that all 
matter1 as seen embodied in various     
forms1 consists entirely of certain     

gases condensed or solidified by        
chemical laws4 ,the atmosphere itself1  
and probably infinite space1 are filled 
with matter in the gaseous form1 or in  
some unknown form1 destined to be       
condensed1 dissolved1 and recondensed in
 a series of changes as continuous as   
the infinite ages4  ,in this sense1 not 
only the earth1 but every other planet1 
contains within itself the seeds of its 
own dissolution4 ,yet matter1 whatever  
its form1 is still indestructible1 and  
will forever retain its vital forces4   
,it would seem that life is the soul of 
matter1 and that electricity is the soul
 of life1--immaterial1 it may be1 and if
 so1 then immortal4 ,where the material 
ends1 or where the spiritual begins1 it 
is impossible to say4 ,we know that we  
are endowed with the five senses at     
birth4 ,we also know that they are the  
media through which we receive all the  
impressions and perceptions of our      
environment2 it is from their report    
that we learn what is agreeable or      

disagreeable to our physical needs4 ,we 
choose the agreeable1 and reject the    
disagreeable4 ,here reason begins1 and  
pronounces judgment4 ,memory records    
facts and conclusions4 ,the physical and
 the mental grow in strength from       
infancy to manhood2 they are a living   
unit4 ,the one is real1 and the other   
ideal4 ,of spirit or soul we know       
nothing1 nor can we prove their         
existence1 unless we accept the proofs  
as furnished by revelation4 ,it is      
certain1 however1 that our moral        
character survives us and continues to  
have an influence in the world for good 
or for evil according to the deeds done 
in the body4 ,this fact is something    
which we can comprehend as constituting 
the ideal of our spiritual existence4   
,nor need we doubt that in discharging  
our duties to our fellow-men1 we        
discharge our duties to ,god4           
,everywhere about us1 and especially in 
atmospheric phenomena1 we see an epitome
 of ,nature's processes and marvellous  

formative power4 ,not a snowflake falls 
to the ground that does not bring with  
it a crystallization of the most        
beautiful specimens of artistic         
embroidery1 far excelling the finest    
needle-work ever wrought by woman's     
hand4 ,the same is true of the silver   
frostwork traced on the window-pane by  
the delicate touch of invisible fingers4
 ,in truth1 every gem that glitters in  
the mine1 every flower of the field1 and
 every star in the sky1 is but a        
crystallized expression of the          
beautiful1 blended with a silent love   
that is pure and heartfelt1 as if akin  
to us4 ,in reality they are our kindred1
 and we are their kindred4  ,nature     
seems to delight in creating the        
wonderful as well as the beautiful1 and 
often combines both in the same         
exhibition4 ,hence she entertains us    
occasionally with a magnificent display 
of fireworks1 known as ,northern        
,lights2 or with an apparent shower of  
falling stars2 or with the sudden       

descent of an aerolite1 all ablaze1 as  
if dropped from the fiery forge of the  
sun2 or with a brilliant comet1 which   
with its long and glittering trail      
sweeps in ladylike style the star-dust  
from the pavement of the sky4 ,these    
singular occurrences1 though sometimes  
regarded as ominous1 are but a part of  
,nature's systematic operations4 ,they  
cannot with any foundation in truth be  
attributed to accident2 for it is       
impossible that accidents should happen 
in the workshops of ,nature1 or in the  
administration of her government4  ,how 
the various meteors are actually formed1
 or whence they come1 is a mystery which
 has induced much speculation among     
scientific men4 ,some say they are      
volcanic fragments thrown from the moon1
 or from some distant planet1 or perhaps
 from a crater of the sun2 while others1
 with more reason1 suppose that they are
 generated in space1 or in the earth's  
atmosphere1 and are nothing more than   
condensed gases which constitute the    

elements of solid matter1 and which     
become in some instances so hardened by 
chemical action as to assume the        
solidity of stone or iron4  ,and hence  
it often happens that the latter class  
of these erratic strangers fall from the
 sky to the earth with a terrific       
explosion4 ,in ancient times their      
appearance was regarded as portentous of
 national or individual calamities4 ,the
 ,chinese have records of meteoric      
showers1 and the fall of aerolites1     
which occurred more than six hundred and
 forty years before the ,christian era4 
,the ,greeks and ,romans observed and   
recorded similar phenomena4 ,between the
 years #ijc and #ahcc1 not less than    
nineteen periodical star-showers have   
been recorded4 ,the regular period of   
their occurrence is once in every       
thirty-three years1 or thereabout1 and  
usually about the middle of ,november4  
,but what are called sporadic meteors1  
or shooting-stars1 are of frequent      
occurrence1 and may be seen almost every

 evening in the year4  ,the most        
brilliant meteoric shower on record is  
that of #ahcc1 when meteors fell at the 
rate of two hundred and forty thousand  
per hour1 creating the impression that  
all the stars of heaven had been        
unsphered1 and were falling like a sheet
 of fire to the earth1 and threatening a
 universal conflagration4 ,occurring as 
it did at midnight1 and continuing for  
two or more hours1 thousands of people1 
who witnessed the scene with fear and   
trembling1 supposed the day of judgment 
had come4 ,in just thirty-three years   
after this1 ,nov4 #ad1 #ahff1 occurred  
another periodical shower of a similar  
character1 which1 though less brilliant1
 was seen on a more extended scale in   
,europe than in the ,united ,states4    
,why this apparent storm of fire should 
occur every thirty-three years1 is a    
mystery which science has not yet been  
able to explain4 ,it may be a part of   
the machinery of our planetary system1  
and is perhaps as regular in its        

revolutions as the planets2 or it may be
 a method of dissipating an             
over-accumulation in the earth's        
atmosphere1 or in infinite space1 of    
inflammable gaseous matter1 which thus  
ignites spontaneously1 and presents to  
the eye the appearance of burning sparks
 flying off1 as it were1 from the broad 
anvil and ponderous sledge employed in  
the great workshop of ,nature4 ,be this 
as it may1 meteoric showers1 so far as  
known1 have always proved harmless in   
their results4  ,but the aerolite       
assumes a more formidable character4 ,in
 outline it is a globular mass heated to
 intensity1 and in its approach comes   
with a hissing sound1 and usually       
explodes in the atmosphere or when it   
strikes the earth4 ,its fragments show  
that it is a solid body1 composed mostly
 of a ferruginous material4 ,the        
illumination it creates in its passage  
through the atmosphere is sometimes seen
 at the distance of five or six hundred 
miles4 ,erratic masses of this kind have

 been known to fall in all ages and in  
all countries1 and are of frequent      
occurrence4  ,so recent as the year     
#ahfg1 an aerolite of large dimensions  
fell in ,tennessee1 penetrating a       
hillside of rocky formation to the depth
 of twenty feet4 ,it was seen at a great
 distance1 and came hissing on its way  
like a planet on fire1 and when it      
struck the earth1 produced a shock like 
that of an earthquake4 ,so intensely    
heated was it1 that for three days after
 it fell it generated and sent up from  
the moist earth a dense column of steam1
 which rose and floated away like a     
cloud in the sky4 ,when excavated1 its  
mass was found to be composed           
principally of iron1 and measured seven 
feet from apex to base1 and ten feet in 
circumference4 ,fragments of it have    
been preserved1 and may be seen at      
,washington1 and in several collections 
of minerals belonging to scientific     
individuals4 ,but where did it come     
from8 ,did it come from the sun1 the    

moon1 the earth1 or from some exploded  
planet8 or was it generated in the      
atmosphere8 ,though the question has not
 been satisfactorily answered1 there are
 plausible reasons for believing that   
aerolites1 and meteors generally1 are   
the spontaneous production of           
atmospherical agencies4 ,physical forces
 are at work all over the earth1        
charging the atmosphere with the        
identical materials that compose the    
meteoric stone1 or aerolite4 ,volcanoes 
emit their gases1 and hurl with terrific
 force burning fragments of rock into   
the depths of the sky4 ,the tornado1 or 
land-spout1 takes up in its grasp sand1 
with other solid material1 and rotates  
it with such violence as to produce     
fusion of the mass1 giving it a globular
 form and hurling it to an invisible    
height1 and then leaving it to gravitate
 brilliantly and rapidly until it       
reaches the earth4 ,this theory is      
confirmed by many facts1 and especially 
by the occurrence of a land-spout near  

the village of ,ossonval in ,france1    
where1 on the #fth of ,july1 #ahbb1 some
 broken clouds1 coming from different   
directions1 and collecting over the     
sandy plain1 formed a single cloud1     
which covered the heavens1 when an      
elongated nether portion of it          
descended1 presenting its vortex        
downward1 and having its base in the    
cloud4 ,it then became violent in its   
revolutions1 and being driven by the    
wind1 overturned buildings1 uprooted    
trees1 twirling them in the air with    
liberal quantities of sand and water1   
which it had scooped up in its course1  
when from its centre1 amid sulphurous   
vapors1 globes of fire were seen to     
issue1 as if projected from an engine of
 terrific power1 attended with a sound  
like that of heavy cannon discharged in 
the distance4 ,throughout its entire    
course it left the fearful traces of its
 devastation4 ,the globes of fire which 
were projected from its centre1 it may  
well be supposed1 possessed all the     

characteristics of veritable aerolites1 
and were thus manufactured by electrical
 heat and fusion out of the             
earth-material lifted from the plain4   
,not long since1 there fell near        
,romney1 ,ind41 an aerolite in a liquid1
 or molten state1 which flew into       
fragments the moment it struck the      
earth's surface4 ,the spot where it fell
 was deeply indented and scorched2 and  
the material of which it was composed   
was found scattered about in the        
vicinity1 having the appearance of      
cinders1 yet moulded into the form of   
small spherical bodies varying in size  
from a buckshot to that of a            
cannon-ball4 ,it is somewhat remarkable 
that in subjecting fractured portions of
 the cinders to intense heat1 no        
perceptible odor was emitted1 neither   
was the color nor weight changed4 ,the  
fact that these cinders descended in    
spherical bodies would seem to indicate 
that the parent mass approached the     
earth in a state of fusion1 projecting  

from its surface1 as it revolved1       
detached fragments1 which1 taking a     
rotatory impulse1 became its attendant  
satellites in accordance with planetary 
laws4  ,among many other aerolites that 
have fallen in different parts of our   
country1 one of considerable magnitude  
was seen to fall near ,concord1         
,muskingum ,county1 ,ohio1 on the #ast  
of ,may1 #ahfj2 it approached the earth 
with a brilliancy as vivid as the sun1  
and exploded when it struck4 ,several   
fragments of it were excavated while    
quite hot1 one of which1 weighing eleven
 pounds1 has been deposited in the      
,historical ,rooms at ,cleveland4 ,it is
 composed of ferruginous matter1 and    
seems almost as heavy as pure iron4  ,it
 is impossible for us to comprehend1    
from the standpoint we occupy in this   
life1 our real relations either to the  
past or to the present1 much less to the
 future4 ,earth has her manifold        
wonders1 yet they are but few when      
compared with the infinite wonders of   

the heavens4 ,vast as our solar system  
truly is1 it may still be regarded as   
but a chandelier suspended in the       
entrance-hall of ,nature's great temple4
 ,when we consider that infinite space  
has neither centre nor circumference1   
and that it is filled with stars1 and   
that every star is a world inhabited    
like our own1 and that there are still  
infinite numbers of stars whose light1  
though travelling at the rate of one    
hundred and eighty-five thousand miles a
 second ever since the dawn of creation1
 has not yet reached the earth1 we are  
lost1--lost in wonder and amazement1    
lost in thought1 still wanting a thought
 broad enough and strong enough to grasp
 the infinite4 ,who is there that would 
not1 if he could1 explore the untrodden 
yet brilliant domains of infinite       
space1--the garden of ,god1 ever        
blossoming with golden flowers1--and    
thus acquire for himself divine wisdom8 
,if we would become as gods1 and walk   
with ,god1 we must learn to partake the 

food1 and drink the beverage1 of the    
gods4  ,in physical science there is    
much that has a direct influence on the 
growth and vigor of moral science4 ,in  
fact1 ,nature does much more for the    
welfare and education of man than he    
does for himself4 ,the mountains elevate
 his thoughts1 and teach him moral      
sublimity4 ,the vast ocean1 apparently  
shoreless1 suggests to him the idea of  
eternity and a future life4 ,the        
earthquake1 the hurricane1 and the      
lightning inspire him with a belief in  
the existence of a supreme ,power1 a    
divine ,governor of the universe4 ,thus 
impressed with a sense of his own       
weakness and dependence1 man naturally  
implores protection1 and trusts in the  
beneficence and in the clemency of the  
great ,invisible4 ,hence his faith1 his 
hope1 his aspirations4 ,in this way was 
laid the primitive foundation of his    
creed and religious tendencies4 ,and yet
 his weakest passion would seem to be   
his strongest1--a desire not only to    

perpetuate himself beyond this life1 but
 to acquire superhuman power4 ,it is for
 this that he struggles1 erects altars1 
and solicits aid from visionary as well 
as from divine sources4  ,whether the   
perfection of mankind be the end and aim
 of ,nature1 need not be questioned4 ,it
 is evident that she regards man as a   
favorite1 and for this reason solicits  
him to accept the lessons of wisdom     
which are ever falling from her lips4   
,in the plenitude of her love she       
attempts to lead him upward into a      
broader and a holier sphere4 ,if man was
 able to trace his descent and ascertain
 his origin1 do you think he would find 
it in the ape1 as ,darwin affirms1 or in
 the dust of the earth8 ,revelation     
replies1 ,in the dust2 and a sound      
philosophy confirms the fact4  ,nature  
never stultifies herself1 nor does she  
develop a new species of animal or plant
 from an existing species1 but doubtless
 encourages natural selection in the    
line of each distinct species1 and by so

 doing promotes progress in her grand   
scheme of attaining perfection2 nor can 
it be doubted that from new conditions a
 new species may appear4 ,in fact1 every
 living thing is born of its appropriate
 conditions1 and will continue to       
propagate its kind so long as its       
appropriate conditions exist4 ,when     
conditions change1 results change4 ,in  
this way a new species of plant or      
animal may be1 and perhaps often is1    
generated4 ,the process is simply one of
 change in the relation of the requisite
 life-elements1--a process which results
 from the unceasing operation of a great
 natural law4 ,in ,nature there is      
nothing constant but change4  ,life1 in 
all its varieties1 whether vegetal or   
animal1 has a rudimental origin1        
traceable perhaps to a minute egg1 cell1
 or spore1 call it what you will1 from  
which is evolved in due time a perfect  
plant or animal4 ,but if asked whence is
 derived the egg1 cell1 or spore1 we can
 only reply that they have their origin 

in certain primitive life-elements1     
which are brought into contact in a way 
so subtile as to elude the              
investigations of science4 ,this        
life-law1 whatever it may be1 acts in   
reference to kind1 and produces its     
kind4 ,nearly all forms of life have    
resemblances2 and though we accept the  
doctrine of evolution1 it does not      
follow that man was developed from an   
ape1 or the bird from a flying-fish4    
,everything that lives1 whether plant or
 animal1 has its leading                
characteristics4 ,nearly all plants1 as 
well as animals1 evince a degree of     
intelligence in their choice of         
nutriment and in their methods of       
obtaining it4 ,some plants1 like        
animals1 shrink at the touch2 while     
others have the power of locomotion4    
,some seek the sunlight2 while others   
prefer the shade4 ,some imprison and    
appropriate insects as food2 while      
others extend themselves in this or that
 direction in search of favorite        

companionship4 ,it is doubtless true    
that plants1 as well as animals1 however
 low their grade1 have sensation1       
perhaps consciousness1 and if so1 a ray 
of reason4 ,it would seem that mind is  
but an outgrowth of matter1 and that    
every living thing has a degree of      
intelligence4 ,indeed1 every particle of
 matter1 organic or inorganic1 has      
motive power1 and is therefore endowed  
with a living principle1 however        
sluggish or inert it may appear4 ,an    
intelligent vitality seems to pervade   
the entire material of the universe4    
,hence it has been said with some degree
 of plausibility that matter thinks4    
,however this may be1 it is certain that
 its motive power acts in reference to  
adapting means to ends1 and is therefore
 controlled by reason1--a reason that is
 infinitely superior to human reason4   
,in other words1 all matter is the      
subject of law4 ,the one is manifestly  
the condition of the other4 ,the law    
cannot exist without the matter1 nor can

 the matter exist without the law4 ,both
 are therefore co-existent1 and         
doubtless co-eternal4  ,nature is ever  
active in working wonders in the heavens
 and in the earth4 ,her domain includes 
both4 ,in the beam of every star she    
sends us a messenger revealing the fact 
that the stars are constructed of the   
same materials as the earth4 ,in like   
manner we have assurance that the same  
is true of the nebulous masses1 which   
seem to float1 like continents1 in      
infinite space1 awaiting the slow       
processes which are destined to mould   
them into golden orbs4 ,and thus from   
the depths of the infinite comes world  
after world1 system after system1 ever  
sweeping onward in the eternal dances of
 the sky1 until lost in the infinite4   
,and thus it is that the work of        
creation has neither beginning nor      
ending1 but is ever progressing in its  
subtile methods of combining1           
dissolving1 and recombining the entire  
matter of the universe4 ,everything1    

whether orb or atom1 moves in a circle1 
because there is a divinity that stirs  
within it4  ,philosophize as we may1 it 
is certain that we are surrounded by the
 infinite1 and are of the infinite4 ,all
 that is terrestrial in us1 all         
individualities1 are evanescent1 passing
 from one form into another4 ,nothing   
remains identical4 ,yet in her          
experiments1 ,nature never fails of     
success4 ,in dissolving pearls1 she     
creates others of higher value2 in      
extinguishing stars1 she lights up      
others of greater brilliancy and        
magnitude4 ,and yet nothing becomes     
extinct2 elements never die4 ,every     
plant and every animal is but the       
fruitage of the inherent life that      
pervades the material world4  ,in some  
form or other we always have existed and
 always will exist4 ,it has been well   
said that man in his nature is half dust
 and half deity4 ,his life does not     
begin with his birth1 nor does it end   
with his death2 he is immortal4 ,and so 

is everything1 whether animate or       
inanimate1 immortal4 ,even death        
survives itself4 ,nor is there a        
particle of matter in the universe that 
has not lived and breathed2 nor is there
 a drop of water in the ocean that has  
not slaked the thirst of some living    
thing4 ,every star that glitters in the 
fathomless depths of space swarms with  
life1 and every life achieves its aim4  
,in a word1 everything is infinite1 and 
subserves an infinite purpose4 ,we need 
neither go nor come to reach heaven4 ,it
 is here2 it is everywhere1--not a      
place1 but a state4 ,it is only the     
moral atmosphere of our social and      
individual life that requires           
purification1--a work that must begin in
 the head and in the heart in order to  
be effective4 ,when this purification   
has been achieved1 then with our        
earth-life will come moral elevation1   
and with moral elevation1 harmony with  
heaven4 ,the ,god of ,nature is the ,god
 in ,nature1 who not only reveals       

himself in her lessons1 but takes us by 
the hand1 and with the love and patience
 of a parent leads us onward and        
upward--        ,along the line of      
limitless desires4     ,,education ,,of 
,,the ,,masses4   ,it is the welfare of 
society1 rather than that of the        
individual1 which is sought to be       
promoted by a system of popular         
education4 ,every part of the social    
fabric should be fitted to its place1   
and go into place like the materials in 
,solomon's temple1 without the sound of 
the hammer2 yet a refined civilization  
cannot be attained without first        
securing a liberal mental culture of the
 masses4  ,nature1 as if inspired by a  
divine instinct1 is ever engaged in     
refining her materials4 ,the laws by    
which she works are as applicable to    
mind as to matter4 ,in man we see both  
mind and matter combined1--two natures1 
the intellectual and the physical4 ,but 
in order to learn what we are and what  
we should be1 we must first understand  

the relations in which we are placed4   
,in attempting to do this1 we must study
 man as well as ,nature1 and advance    
step by step1 if we would achieve the   
highest attainments of which we are     
capable4  ,he only is a man in the true 
sense whose mental1 moral1 and physical 
capacities have been fully developed4   
,to be twenty-one years of age and six  
feet high does not of itself constitute 
a man4 ,he must attain to something more
 than this1--he must have the head and  
the heart and the soul of a man4 ,he    
must appreciate the true character of   
his position1 and have the moral courage
 to discharge his duties1--in short1 he 
must live for others as well as for     
himself1 act from generous impulses1 and
 in all he does1 yield to the divinity  
that stirs within him1 if he would      
comprehend the import of his godlike    
destiny4  ,the highway to knowledge1    
though rugged1 is equally free and open 
to all4 ,whoever will1 may enter the    
temple of ,nature1 interrogate her face 

to face1 unlock her treasures1          
appropriate her wealth1 and subject her 
subtle agencies to human service4 ,this 
the nineteenth century has already done 
to a considerable extent4 ,thus far it  
has been a bold century1 and has taken  
many bold steps4 ,it has knocked holes  
through the blind walls of the last ten 
centuries1 and exposed to daylight the  
moles and the bats of antiquity2 and    
still it demands more light4 ,such is   
the spirit of the age1--a demand for    
naked truth in all its beautiful        
proportions4 ,never1 until this         
nineteenth century1 have the masses     
really discovered their mission1--the   
great fact that they were created to    
think as well as work1 and to govern as 
well as be governed4 ,and yet the world 
may be regarded as still in its infancy2
 nor has the human mind1 as compared    
with its possibilities1 emerged from its
 cradle1 or even thrown off its         
swaddling garments4  ,though capable of 
sublime achievements1 man at birth is   

not only one of the most helpless1 but  
one of the most ignorant1 specimens of  
animal existence4 ,it is said by        
physiologists that an infant can neither
 smile nor shed a tear until forty days 
old4 ,in his infancy the world to him is
 but a panorama of strange objects4 ,in 
due time1 however1 he discovers that he 
has everything to learn1 and needs to   
learn everything before he can          
comprehend himself or wield the power   
which ,heaven has assigned him4  ,the   
degree of culture required to render man
 what he should be--godlike in his      
character--admits of no compromise with 
ignorance1 superstition1 or             
sectarianism1 but on the contrary1      
involves the necessity of establishing  
and sustaining such an educational      
system as will be adapted to the needs  
of the masses1 and work in accordance   
with the laws of matter and of mind4    
,it is to the masses that our country   
must look for her best material1 and for
 her future intellectual giants4 ,in    

every age of the world more or less     
great men have been produced4 ,at a time
 when most needed1 our own country      
produced a ,washington1 a ,jefferson1   
and a ,franklin1 who distinguished      
themselves and the age in which they    
lived1--the age which gave birth to     
human rights4 ,at a later period        
appeared a ,jackson1 a ,clay1 and a     
,webster1--the defenders of the         
,constitution and of the ,union1--who   
have left behind them a brilliant       
record2 but notwithstanding their       
conservative efforts1 there came a      
spirit of reform1 sowing dragon-teeth1  
which soon sprang to life and filled the
 land with armed heroes1 who bravely met
 in deadly conflict and decided forever 
the great question of human freedom2 and
 consequently we now have1 instead of a 
few1 a great many men of world-wide     
renown1 who have made for themselves and
 for their country a proud history4  ,in
 order to preserve our liberties we must
 have men of large hearts and wise      

heads1--men who can wear the armor of   
giants because they are giants4 ,in     
short1 we must recognize the great fact 
that every child in the land has a      
,god-given right to an education1--a    
right which no parent should be allowed 
to sell for a mess of pottage4 ,our     
national watchword should be ,education2
 and the system should be so constructed
 as to reach all classes of youth by    
methods not only efficient but          
attractive4  ,it will be said by some1  
perhaps1 that it is quite impossible to 
educate the masses in the higher        
branches of learning1 unless they be    
withdrawn from the indispensable labors 
of the field and the workshop1 and thus 
be compelled to neglect the industrial  
pursuits on which they must depend for  
their physical comforts1--bread1        
raiment1 and shelter4 ,however plausible
 this objection may seem1 it certainly  
does not afford a sufficient reason why 
the facilities of acquiring a good      
education should not be equally extended

 to all classes4  ,manual labor and a   
high degree of intelligence are by no   
means incompatible1 but on the contrary1
 must be associated1 in order to achieve
 great or brilliant results4 ,it is     
true1 however1 that the physical wants  
of man must first be supplied before you
 can proceed successfully with the      
cultivation of his intellectual powers4 
,the fact is every day exemplified that 
bread is much easier gained by an       
intelligent than by an ignorant laborer4
 ,whatever faith may do1 it is certain  
that science and labor must be combined 
if we would either tunnel or remove     
mountains2 and though native talent may 
have been distributed with more         
liberality to some than to others1 all  
are under the highest obligations to    
improve such as they have1 whether it be
 one talent or twenty talents4  ,the    
farmer1 the mechanic1 the merchant1 and 
even the busy housewife1 have more or   
less leisure hours1--long winter        
evenings1 holidays1 and sabbath days1   

amounting to nearly half a              
lifetime1--which might with great profit
 be employed in the acquisition of      
useful knowledge through the medium of  
choice books and interchange of thought4
 ,indeed1 almost every one who has      
received a common-school education may  
so improve the fragments of time which  
fall in his way as to acquire in the    
course of an ordinary lifetime a pretty 
thorough acquaintance with the sciences1
 and with general literature4  ,though  
our leisure hours may seem too few to be
 worth improving1 yet it is by saving   
pennies that we accumulate wealth4      
,surprising as it may seem1 there are   
within the allotted age of man ten years
 of sabbaths when taken in the          
aggregate1--ample time1 one would       
suppose1 for perfecting1 in a good      
degree at least1 his intellectual and   
moral culture4 ,if mankind were as      
orthodox in their actions as they       
profess to be in their creeds1 the moral
 regeneration of the world would soon be

 accomplished4 ,one of the most         
formidable barriers in the way of human 
advancement is the faith we have        
derived1 not from revelation1 but from  
the blind interpretation of it4 ,a true 
theology and a sound philosophy can     
never come in conflict4 ,in this        
enlightened age1 it is absurd to expect 
that ,science will confine her inquiries
 within the circumference of a circle1  
or so modify her annunciations of truth 
as to coincide with the mystical        
traditions which have been handed down  
to us from a remote antiquity4  ,as an  
encouragement to the friends of popular 
education1 the fact should not be       
overlooked that the masses have been to 
a great extent relieved from the        
necessity of constant toil by the       
introduction of modern machinery4 ,in   
fact1 genius has conquered time1 and    
given time to the masses4 ,it has broken
 the fetters that bound them1 and thus  
afforded them leisure for self-culture1 
social intercourse1 and the             

investigation of truth4  ,it is the     
magic power of genius which has given   
life and brain to machinery1 and which  
compels it to perform the hard work of  
the factory1 of the workshop1 of the    
farm1 and of the household4 ,in almost  
every department of industry1 machinery 
does the hard work4 ,it spins and weaves
 and knits4 ,it saws and planes and     
wields the hammer4 ,it reaps and mows   
and thrashes4 ,it churns and washes and 
plies the needle4 ,in fact1 it does     
nearly everything else for us1 except to
 breathe1 eat1 and digest our food4 ,it 
was the inventive genius of our         
,northern people--the legitimate        
outgrowth of our common-school          
system--that produced1 at the moment    
when wanted1 iron-clads1 monster cannon1
 and ,greek fire1 and in the sequel1    
saved the ,union1 and overawed the      
powers of ,europe4 ,it was these warlike
 inventions which secured us the        
elements of a lasting peace1 and the    
respect of the civilized world4  ,it may

 be truly said that we now live longer  
in ten years than our ancestors did in  
twenty1 and accomplish twenty times as  
much4 ,still it is not possible for any 
one man to know and do everything4 ,men 
of genius are specialties1 seldom or    
never universalities4 ,hence1 a         
diversity of talent naturally dictates a
 division of labor4 ,and yet ,american  
genius1 if not universal1 must be       
acknowledged eminently inventive and    
practical4 ,the ,americans have made1 we
 may venture to assert1 more valuable   
discoveries in the last half century    
than all the world besides4 ,the reason 
why this is so may be attributed to the 
operation of a physical law1 in         
connection with the effect of a liberal 
system of popular education4 ,the       
,americans are a mixed race1 made up of 
all nations1 and have been improved and 
elevated as a race by transfusion of    
blood1 which has resulted in producing  
increased activity of brain1 with new   
modes of thought and new exhibitions of 

intellectual power4  ,but               
notwithstanding this peculiarity of     
character1 there still remains1 as it   
seems to me1 one great and glaring error
 in the prevailing system of ,american  
education4 ,this error consists in our  
neglecting to develop more fully the    
physical man1 through the               
instrumentalities of systematic labor   
combined with systematic study4 ,in many
 of the ,german ,states1 if not in all1 
the plan of educating youth is much more
 sensible and philosophical than in this
 country4 ,there they combine daily     
labor with daily study2 and the result  
is that the youth of ,germany acquire   
vigor of body and vigor of mind at the  
same time4 ,from youth to manhood they  
are taught to regard labor as honorable1
 and they feel that it is so4 ,hence the
 ,germans are characterized as a race by
 the possession of an iron constitution1
 and by a mental energy which enables   
them to meet the stern realities of life
 not only with fortitude1 but with a    

spirit that never yields to adversity4  
,no country has ever produced a more    
athletic or a more enduring race than   
,germany2 nor has any country produced  
finer scholars in every branch of human 
learning1 especially in philosophy and  
in classical literature4  ,but in this  
country it may be difficult1 perhaps    
impracticable1 to establish an          
educational system of this character1 to
 any considerable extent1 for the reason
 that we are for the most part an       
agricultural people1 who do not         
concentrate in hamlets1 like the        
peasantry of ,europe1 but prefer to     
occupy many acres and to distribute     
ourselves over a vast expanse of        
territory1--and what is more1 have a way
 of our own in all we do4 ,the truth is1
 ,young ,america does not like work4 ,he
 prefers fine clothes and fast horses1  
and apes the man before he is a man4    
,and yet he assumes to know everything1 
and to do everything1--except work4     
,these peculiarities in the character of

 ,young ,america seem to have been      
generated by the spirit of our free     
institutions4 ,whether too much freedom 
or too little freedom is the greater    
evil1 presents a grave question4        
,whatever may be the cause1 it is       
evident that we as a people are         
degenerating into a nation of           
speculators4  ,almost every man nowadays
 seeks to acquire wealth by some grand  
speculation1--by some other means than  
by the honest sweat of his brow4 ,even  
mental acquisitions are often sought as 
a means of speculation1--as a means of  
living without work2 and hence we see   
the learned professions crowded to      
overflowing4 ,go into the main streets  
of our cities and villages1 and you will
 see the fronts of nearly all the       
buildings on either side of the way     
shingled over with the signs of lawyers 
and doctors1 who in the estimation of   
the populace lead lives of little work  
and great dignity4 ,doubtless a         
foreigner1 with such an exhibition      

before his eyes1 would think us a nation
 of lawyers and doctors1 living on the  
misfortunes of each other2 nor would his
 conclusion be very wide of the mark4   
,nor can it be doubted that there are   
thousands in the clerical profession    
who1 if they do not subsist on each     
other1 subsist in a mysterious way on   
salaries entirely inadequate to their   
support4 ,it would seem that the supply 
of professional men in this country     
exceeds the demand4 ,for this there may 
be no remedy4 ,yet a step in the right  
direction should be taken by advancing  
the standard of professional attainments
 so as to exclude mediocrity and shallow
 pretence from registration on the roll 
of honor4 ,wide as the world is1 it has 
no room for idlers or pretenders4  ,this
 over-supply of professional men not    
only indicates a false estimate of what 
really constitutes a true manhood1 but  
clearly proves that in ,american        
education and in ,american public       
sentiment there are prevalent errors    

which are inconsistent with the welfare 
of man and the democratic character of  
our institutions4 ,these errors can be  
corrected only through the influence of 
a well-directed course of popular       
education2 but nothing is more difficult
 than the correction of popular errors4 
,it is a task the reformer often        
attempts1 but seldom accomplishes4 ,in  
most cases it must be a work of time1   
perhaps of ages4 ,in every school there 
should be a regular system of physical  
as well as mental exercises established4
 ,health and strength of body are       
pre-requisites to health and strength of
 mind4  ,in most of our colleges and    
boarding-schools the physical           
development of the pupil receives but   
little attention2 and consequently he is
 enfeebled in body if not in mind1 and  
is then sent out into the world to      
endure its hardships without the        
physical ability to take care of        
himself4 ,all this is radically wrong1  
and calls loudly for reform4 ,an        

exclusive culture of the mental powers  
can never produce a strong man or woman4
 ,this fact is painfully illustrated in 
all our large towns and cities4 ,the    
kind of education1 therefore1 which     
attempts to refine our young men and    
young ladies by giving them an          
artificial nature too delicate to endure
 soiled hands will never do4 ,the coarse
 as well as the fine work of practical  
life must be done by somebody4 ,though  
some may be too proud1 none are too good
 to work1 however elevated may be their 
social position4 ,there is really       
nothing in our daily routine of duty--in
 the coarse work of the world--from     
which an enlightened mind should shrink4
  ,it is to be hoped the time will soon 
come when all our public schools1       
colleges1 and universities will have    
their workshops and gardens1 affording  
the necessary facilities for instructing
 our youth1 male and female1 in some    
industrial art or trade1 as well as in  
books1 and thus give them a relish for  

labor1 and the physical ability to      
endure it4  ,if such a method were      
adopted1 the women of our country would 
soon become practically fitted to       
compete with the men in many1 if not    
all1 the channels of a business life4   
,if it be true that the women have been 
deprived of their rights1 it is         
certainly not the fault of the men1 but 
a fault of education1--a radical error  
which should be remedied4 ,if parents   
will not apply the remedy in the early  
education of their daughters1 then there
 is no relief4 ,let a course of         
education make it as fashionable for a  
woman to pursue some industrial art or  
trade as it is to be a lily that neither
 toils nor spins1 and you would soon see
 ,american women not only capable of    
taking care of themselves1 but more     
generally solicited than they now are to
 assume the endearing cares of their    
appropriate sphere4  ,the true mission  
of woman is divine4 ,to her belongs the 
post of honor1--that of a wife and      

mother1--a position which she prefers to
 occupy when yielding to the impulses of
 her nature4 ,in educating her1         
therefore1 this great fact should be    
kept in view4 ,there is no knowledge she
 needs more than a correct knowledge of 
human character4 ,this she can only     
acquire by coming in contact with the   
world as it is1 in childhood as well as 
in womanhood2 in the public school as   
well as in the social circle4 ,the old  
puritanic idea that the sexes must be   
schooled separately in order to secure  
them from exposure to moral dangers1    
seems to me not only erroneous1 but     
absurd4 ,the public school1 when made up
 of both sexes1 is in fact an epitome of
 the world1 where its good and its evil 
are seen1 and where the child should be 
taught to accept the good and reject the
 evil under the guidance of correct     
moral principles4 ,it is in a pure home 
influence1 however1 that a primary      
education should begin4 ,indeed1 mothers
 must take the initiatory step in giving

 to youthful impulse the right          
direction4        ,just as the twig is  
bent1 the tree's inclined4   ,but in    
order to appreciate the full import of  
their duties and responsibilities1      
mothers themselves must first be        
properly educated4 ,where1 then1 is this
 all-important work to be commenced8    
,where can it be commenced1 except in   
our common schools8 ,it is in the common
 schools only that the masses can be    
educated4 ,it is to the common schools  
only that we can look for the proper    
education of the future fathers and     
mothers of the land1 and for the        
correction of popular errors4 ,it is to 
this class of schools1 more than to any 
other1 that we must look for our future 
patriots and scholars1 statesmen and    
philosophers1 and last1 not least1 for  
our future school-teachers4  ,the       
mission of a school-teacher is truly a  
mission of divine import4 ,it is the    
school-teacher who moulds the youthful  
mind1 and converts it into a casket of  

gems2 it is the school-teacher who gives
 direction to budding thought1 and      
awakens in the soul of youth the        
slumbering fires of genius1--in short1  
it is the school-teacher who lays the   
broad foundations of the ,republic1 and 
hews the pillars that sustain our civil 
and religious institutions4 ,the        
school-teacher should therefore possess 
the qualifications of a master-builder1 
be able to plan his work1 and execute it
 with tact1 taste1 and judgment4 ,he    
should not only govern himself1 but     
should be able to govern his pupils     
without seeming to govern4 ,in a word1  
he should be a model character1 and     
regard his profession as one of honor1  
and honor his profession by elevating it
 to the dignity of a learned profession4
 ,he should remember that he is placed  
in a position which gives him a vast    
influence1--an influence broad as the   
ocean of time2 an influence which should
 be pure in its character1 and as       
refreshing to the growth of the inner   

life as the dews of heaven to the       
unfolding flowers4  ,there is no means1 
perhaps1 more efficient in promoting the
 success of a professional teacher than 
the instruction to be derived from      
institutes1 or normal schools1 in which 
the art of teaching is made a specialty4
 ,this class of schools should be made a
 part of our school system4 ,at least   
every ,congressional district1 if not   
every county1 should have its normal    
school4 ,it is only in this way that our
 public schools can be supplied with    
accomplished teachers1 and be made      
worthy of being called the people's     
colleges4  ,but the truth is1 the masses
 are not as yet more than half awake to 
their real interests4 ,in the cause of  
popular education the wonder is that    
educators have done so much1 and        
legislators so little4 ,the true        
educator is a philanthropist4 ,he sees  
and feels that public sentiment needs to
 be enlightened and liberalized before  
it will yield its sanction to such a    

system of public schools as ought to be 
established4  ,in perfecting our present
 system1 we need a ,national ,bureau of 
,education1 authorized to act as a      
central power in directing1 if not in   
controlling1 the general educational    
interests of the entire country4 ,a     
department of this kind1 it is believed1
 would give efficiency and equality to  
all public schools1 and thus greatly    
elevate their general character4 ,and   
with this view ,congress should be      
required by the ,constitution1 not only 
to establish1 but support in each of the
 ,states at least one national college2 
and these colleges should constitute a  
national university1 in which the       
crowning studies should be natural      
science1 military science1 and the      
science of government4  ,it is doubtless
 true that educators have already become
 a power in the land4 ,of this fact they
 seem to be aware1 and the danger is    
that their influence may be subordinated
 to the uses of political aspirants4    

,every educator has a right1 of course1 
to express his own individual opinions2 
but he certainly has not the right to   
employ educational instrumentalities to 
promote the interests of a selfish      
partisanship1 either in ,state or       
,church4 ,whenever it is attempted to   
sow tares of this kind among the wheat1 
it is to be hoped that an indignant     
public sentiment will eradicate them    
with an unsparing hand4  ,it is always  
pleasant to recall our early schooldays1
 with their many delightful and         
refreshing memories1 which still linger 
about the old school-house where we     
received our elementary education1--the 
dear old school-house by the wayside1   
with its noisy group1 its sunny spots1  
and its hours of fun and frolic1 and    
especially its birchen sceptre1 which so
 often taught us the doctrine of passive
 obedience4 ,it is unquestionably true  
that every school-house1 to some extent 
at least1 reflects its character in the 
character of its pupils4 ,hence we      

should not only look to the character of
 our schools1 but should build our      
school-houses in a neat1 if not imposing
 style2 for they1 though silent1 are    
eloquent teachers1 whose influence      
should create such impressions as will  
tend to refine the tastes and elevate   
the aspirations of the youthful mind4   
,but no system of education which is    
contracted1 or revolves in a circle1 can
 fully meet the exigencies of the mind1 
or satisfy the demands of the age4 ,in  
most ,american colleges1 as well as in  
the universities of ,europe1 a definite 
course of study is prescribed and made a
 fixed fact1--a kind of ,procrustean bed
 on which every lad is either stretched 
or abridged to fit2 and this is done1 as
 scholastics tell us1 for the purpose of
 disciplining the mind4 ,no two persons 
were ever created to think1 act1 or look
 alike in every respect2 nor can an     
educational system be prescribed by     
square and compass which will be alike  
adapted to all minds4 ,in my humble     

judgment1 those studies best discipline 
the mind which tend most to enlarge and 
liberalize it1 and which are essentially
 concordant with its native powers and  
capacities4 ,the course of education1   
therefore1 which will best develop the  
peculiar genius1 talent1 or marked      
preference of the pupil1 should be      
adopted so far as practicable4 ,if a    
young man1 for instance1 exhibits a     
native talent or taste for music1       
painting1 mechanics1 law1 medicine1     
theology1 agriculture1 or commerce1 his 
education should take the direction     
indicated4 ,if this plan were pursued in
 all our colleges and other schools of a
 high order1 we should soon see1 instead
 of here and there a star1 a galaxy of  
brilliant men and women in the sky of   
our national renown1 whose excellence in
 their several specialties would        
challenge the admiration of mankind4    
,the truth is1 our modern colleges are  
not modern enough4 ,they look to the    
ancients for wisdom1 instead of seeking 

it from ,nature and the revelations of  
modern science4 ,in a word1 the dead    
languages are studied too much2 the     
living1 too little4 ,next to            
mathematics1 the natural sciences should
 take the preference4 ,no man is        
thoroughly educated who is not          
thoroughly instructed in these sciences1
 especially in chemistry and geology4   
,every farmer should be familiar with   
agricultural chemistry1 and be able to  
apply its principles4 ,it is the        
utility1 the practical good to be       
derived from an education1 that gives to
 it value and solidity4  ,it is         
practical1 not fanciful knowledge1 which
 the masses need4 ,in order to secure   
their elevation and social equality1    
every ,state in the ,union should be    
required to maintain an efficient system
 of common schools1 in which all        
instruction should be given in the      
,english language1 and the schools made 
accessible to all classes of youth1 and 
be good enough for the richest1 and     

cheap enough for the poorest4 ,in order 
to effect this1 the system should       
recognize the theory as an equitable    
principle1 that the property of the     
,state is bound to educate the youth of 
the ,state4 ,this principle is certainly
 a just one1 since the man of property1 
though he have no children1 is as much  
benefited by its application as the man 
who has children but no property1 for   
the reason that the security of         
property1 as well as the rights of      
persons and the stability of the        
,republic1 must ever depend on the      
degree of intelligence possessed by the 
people4  ,in fact1 each ,state should be
 regarded as one great school-district1 
and all its resident youth as the       
children of the ,state1 for whose common
 education every citizen having taxable 
property is bound to contribute his     
proportionate share4 ,in this way every 
child can be educated1 and elevated to  
the social position of a true manhood2  
and it is only in this way that a work  

of such magnitude can be accomplished4  
,in every point of view it is much wiser
 to educate than to punish1 much wiser  
to build school-houses than prisons1    
much wiser to sustain school libraries  
than billiard-tables4  ,it is a matter  
of congratulation1 however1 that there  
is now much more confidence placed in   
the theory of common schools than in    
former years4 ,in most of the ,states   
prejudice has yielded to enlightened    
sentiment1 and the people's colleges    
have come to be regarded as the most    
useful and influential institutions in  
the land4 ,all should be done that can  
be to render these schools pleasant and 
attractive4 ,the school-house should be 
built not only in good taste1 but its   
surroundings should be made as cheerful 
and inviting as possible by planting    
about it ornamental trees1 shrubs1 and  
flowers4 ,its interior walls should be  
enriched with appropriate maps and      
charts1 historical paintings1 and       
portraits of renowned men and women4 ,in

 addition to this1 every school should  
be supplied with an ample apparatus1    
embracing specimen weights and measures1
 mathematical figures in wood1 together 
with globes and a planetarium1--not     
omitting a cabinet of the leading       
minerals1 metals1 and coins4 ,their uses
 and characteristics should be explained
 and illustrated by the teacher in a    
simple style of language1 and in the    
presence of the entire school1 at least 
once or twice a week4  ,familiar        
exercises of this kind would deeply     
interest the pupils1 and impart to their
 minds a degree of valuable knowledge   
which they would not be likely to obtain
 in any other way1 and which might      
awaken1 perhaps1 some unconscious       
genius1 who would in after-life so      
develop his powers as to advance the    
interests of science1 and take his place
 among her proudest masters4 ,in nearly 
every instance our truly great men have 
arisen from an obscure origin4  ,the    
time has already arrived1 ,i am inclined

 to think1 when there should be added to
 the usual course of studies pursued in 
our colleges1 academies1 and high       
schools1 a systematic training in       
military science and discipline1 as a   
means not only of physical culture1 but 
as an easy method of fitting our young  
men to become practical soldiers and    
defenders of the ,republic4 ,we as a    
people1 in consequence of the late      
,civil ,war in which we have been       
involved1 are evidently undergoing a    
transition1 which has already had the   
effect to change in a good degree our   
national traits of character4 ,if we    
would have invincible men1 we must1 like
 the ancient ,greeks1 accustom our sons 
to hardships and manly exercises1 give  
them muscle as well as mind1 teach them 
to love and defend their country1 and if
 need be1 to die for it1--die on the    
battle-field1--        ,where gory      
sabres rise and fall      ,like shoots  
of flame on midnight's pall6   ,the     
attempt which we are making in our      

public schools to educate our children  
in the shortest possible time is a grave
 error4 ,we ought rather to make haste  
slowly1 if we would do the work well4 ,a
 work of this character is one which    
requires patience and perseverance4     
,there is no short way to knowledge1 no 
patent right that can produce it to     
order4 ,it can only be obtained by      
study1 persevering study1 aided by the  
patient efforts of competent teachers4  
,it is all-important therefore that we  
should furnish our children with such   
elementary books as are best adapted to 
their capacities and needs1 and with    
such teachers as are qualified to teach 
them lessons contained not only inside  
of books but outside of books1--lessons 
which abound everywhere1 both in the    
natural and in the moral world4 ,we     
should also furnish them with school    
libraries composed of standard works1   
and including the best current          
literature of the day4 ,a library of    
this character should be established in 

every school-district1 and be made      
accessible to every citizen4 ,in this   
way1 and only in this way1 can the      
masses be supplied with the mental food 
which they so much need1 and which is   
indispensable to their moral and        
intellectual elevation4 ,no matter what 
the cost1 public libraries always pay a 
liberal dividend in the shape of mental 
and moral power1 if not in dollars and  
cents4 ,no matter what dangers may      
threaten our free institutions1 depend  
upon it1 a reading people will take care
 of themselves4  ,the ancients built    
temples for their gods2 we build        
school-houses for our children4 ,this   
one fact exhibits perhaps more clearly  
than any other the distinctive character
 which marks the career of ancient and  
modern civilization1 and indicates the  
great change which has been wrought in  
the course of ages by the law of        
progress4 ,we may justly regard our     
numerous school-houses and churches as  
the mirrors not only of moral character1

 but as the safeguards of the ,republic4
  ,in the pursuit of knowledge1 it is   
quite absurd to suppose that all high   
attainment in art1 in literature1 and in
 science1 must of necessity be confined 
to the learned professions1 as they are 
called by way of pre-eminence4 ,it does 
not matter what a man professes to know1
 but the question is1 what does he know1
 compared with what he might know8      
,there should never be such a monopoly  
allowed to exist as a monopoly of       
knowledge4 ,the learned professions have
 nothing in them sacred1 no forbidden   
fruit1--nothing more than what everybody
 may know who chooses2 nor can there be 
any good reason why every employment in 
the various departments of human        
industry--every trade1 every mechanic   
art--should not be regarded as a learned
 profession1 and be made a learned      
profession1 in which brains as well as  
hands should co-operate in achieving    
success and in solving new problems4    
,there is food for thought in every     

human pursuit4 ,in order to be          
successful1 in order to achieve high    
aims1 the laboring man must not only    
think1 but be capable of thinking       
profoundly4 ,indeed1 every man may live 
like a philosopher1 and be a            
philosopher1 if he will4 ,but no man can
 be a true philosopher who is not both a
 practical worker and a practical       
thinker4 ,there is nothing the world    
needs more than workers and thinkers to 
make it a paradise4 ,the masses are     
workers1 and if educated1 would become  
thinkers4 ,it is only once or twice in a
 century1 it is said1 that ,god lets    
loose upon the earth a great thinker4   
,of the past1 this may be true1 but not 
of the present4 ,we have scores of men  
now living who are greater thinkers than
 ,plato1 ,newton1 or ,franklin1 because 
modern science has introduced them into 
broader fields of thought4 ,the         
chemists1 geologists1 inventors1 and    
discoverers of the present day have     
never been excelled as profound         

thinkers4 ,ours is literally an age of  
philosophers4  ,truth1 though eternal1  
is never stationary2 nor will the law of
 progress ever reach a standpoint4      
,there is always something to be done1  
some vacuum to be filled4 ,it is said by
 philosophers that ,nature abhors a     
vacuum4 ,i do not doubt it1 especially  
if it be a vacuum in the human head4 ,it
 is pretty certain that the youthful    
head1 if not filled with sense at the   
proper time1 will soon be filled with   
nonsense4 ,neither errors of the head   
nor errors of the heart can be easily   
eradicated1 when once implanted4 ,the   
moral nature of the child may be moulded
 at will2 but the cherished opinions of 
age can seldom1 if ever1 be either      
reversed or essentially modified4 ,in   
the great battle of life our success as 
individuals must depend on the kind of  
armor in which we are clad1 and the kind
 of weapons with which we are supplied4 
,for effective service there is nothing 
which can be brought into the field so  

formidable or so irresistible as the    
artillery of logic4 ,intellect is always
 sure of becoming the ultimate victor4  
,we read of giants in the chronicles of 
the early ages1--physical giants1 who   
could overthrow the pillars of the      
proudest temples1 and bear off mountains
 upon their shoulders2 yet of what value
 to the world were their marvellous     
exploits1 if really true1 compared with 
the achievements of those intellectual  
giants who have appeared at different   
epochs1 and taught mankind the most     
useful lessons in the arts1 in the      
sciences1 and in philosophy8 ,and here  
let me say to the young aspirant for    
worldly honors that if he would achieve 
high aims1 he must not only aim high1   
but have faith in himself as well as in 
a ,divine ,providence4 ,indeed1 every   
man1 however humble1 may become great in
 his vocation1 if he will2 yet no man   
can become truly great who is not truly 
good4  ,so far as human perfection can  
be defined1 it consists in the purity   

and sublimity of moral action1--a       
perfection which may be approached1 if  
not reached1 by all who are so disposed4
 ,how truly has it been said that we are
 never too old or too wise to learn6    
,nor is any man so ignorant but he may  
teach a philosopher something4  ,no     
matter how conservative we may be in our
 creeds and opinions1 the world will    
continue to move onward2 nor can it     
stand still if it would4 ,the time is at
 hand when errors in creed1 as well as  
in education1 to which we cling1 will   
not only be exposed1 but exploded4      
,however hopeless the condition of the  
masses may seem1 they are already       
demanding more light and only await an  
opportunity to proclaim their           
emancipation from mental thraldom4  ,the
 statistics relating to the numbers of  
mankind1 and to the frail tenure of     
human life1 convey lessons which ought  
not to be disregarded in the estimate we
 make of what man can do to elevate     
himself4 ,strange as it may seem1 it is 

a fact pretty well ascertained that the 
entire population of the globe neither  
increases nor diminishes1 but remains   
essentially the same4 ,and yet the      
population of the earth is continually  
undergoing changes from the operation of
 local causes1 increasing here and      
diminishing there1 as the ages advance4 
,the law involved seems based on the    
principle of a just compensation for all
 diminution4 ,in other words1 the earth 
has a limited capacity1 and like a cup  
when filled1 can hold no more1 yet      
always remains full4  ,when we consider 
the fact that one fourth of mankind die 
before reaching seven years of age2 one 
half before reaching seventeen years2   
and that sixty persons die every        
minute1--we are struck with             
astonishment1 and are naturally led to  
inquire into the reasons4 ,the causes   
which abridge life may for the most part
 be attributed to popular ignorance1 or 
disregard of physical law1--either in   
ancestor1 parent1 or child4 ,nothing can

 be truer than the fact that the sins of
 the fathers are visited upon their     
children unto the third and fourth      
generation1 and even to indefinite      
generations4 ,it is indeed a fearful    
inheritance1 when life comes to us      
tainted with constitutional disease4    
,for this there seems to be no remedy1  
except in the adoption of such a popular
 system of education as will diffuse a  
practical knowledge of the laws of      
health4  ,it may be safely asserted that
 many people1 especially in ,america1   
where food is abundant and the style of 
living luxurious1 dig their own graves  
with their teeth4 ,americans1 as we all 
know1 are disposed to live fast1 and of 
course die prematurely4 ,in short1 we   
are a sanguine1 impatient people2 have  
morbid appetites1 crave rich viands1    
seek wealth and office1 and care for    
little else4 ,in our successes we commit
 excesses4 ,in the pure elixir of life  
we infuse drops of poison4 ,yet ,nature 
proffers us the gift of long life1 and  

waits our acceptance with a patient     
spirit4 ,though extreme longevity may   
not be desirable1 yet many more than now
 do1 might attain to the dignity of     
centenarians1 if they would but live in 
obedience to physical law4  ,in the     
elements of his physical nature1 man is 
truly of the earth earthy4 ,chemists say
 that a man of ordinary size is composed
 of forty pounds solid matter and five  
buckets of water1 all of which may be   
converted into gas4 ,however this may   
be1 man is a delicate piece of          
mechanism1 a combination of divine      
inventions4 ,for example1 his eye is a  
telescope1 which penetrates the         
mysteries of the stars2 his ear is a    
drum1 which repeats every sound in      
nature2 his heart a timepiece1 which    
marks1 with measured beat1 the fleeting 
moments of his life2 his vocal organs a 
harp with a thousand strings1 which is  
capable of uttering the divinest music4 
,and yet man in his moral nature1 though
 created but a little lower than the    

angels1 is a profound puzzle4 ,he       
advances many theories1 questions even  
divine truth1 yet believes in           
absurdities4 ,nor need we marvel at     
this1 perhaps1 when we recall the fact  
that mankind speak more than three      
thousand different languages1 and       
profess more than one thousand different
 religions4  ,whether regarded as a     
common brotherhood1 or as composed of   
distinct races1 it is evident that the  
human family have made rapid advancement
 in the amelioration of their condition 
during the last century1 through the    
instrumentalities of a world-wide       
commercial intercourse1 and the         
consequent diffusion of nobler          
incentives to action4 ,yet of the one   
thousand millions that compose the great
 family of man1 more than six hundred   
millions are still groping their way in 
the darkness of a moral midnight1       
awaiting the advent of the school-master
 and the promulgation of a purer and    
holier faith4 ,even in ,christian       

countries1 especially in the            
,south-,american ,states1 and in many   
parts of ,europe1 the masses are almost 
universally illiterate and              
superstitious1 and have so long been    
accustomed to oppression that they have 
become quite indifferent1 if not        
insensible1 to their natural rights2 nor
 dare they1 if they would1 assert their 
manhood4  ,in ,italy1 the land of art   
and of beauty1 the proportion of those  
who can read is from twenty to thirty in
 a hundred1 while among the inhabitants 
within a circle of thirty miles around  
,rome1 there is not one in a hundred1 it
 is said1 who can read4 ,not only in    
these countries1 but in more than half  
the globe1 the masses submit to         
oppression1 because it is the policy of 
their oppressors to hold them1          
spell-bound1 in ignorance4 ,if they are 
ever elevated to the social and         
political rank which the ,god of ,nature
 designed them to occupy1 it must be    
done by the school-master1 armed with   

his text-books and sustained by the     
efforts of an enlightened ,christian    
philanthropy4 ,for this ultimate object 
,god works1 and man should work4  ,there
 can be no doubt but natural scenery1 as
 well as climate1 exercises a decided   
influence in the formation of national  
character4 ,whether we advert to        
,palestine1 ,switzerland1 or ,new       
,england1 it is easy to discover that   
the mountains of these countries have by
 their silent eloquence inspired the    
masses of the people1 not only with     
reverence1 but with a love of freedom4  
,in the sublimity of the cloud-capped   
mountains1 they seem to recognize a     
divine presence which has taught them to
 look skyward1 and to feel that they are
 destined to ascend in the scale of     
existence2 while in low and level       
countries1 especially on the plains of  
,russia and ,asia1 the inhabitants take 
horizontal views of things1 and         
consequently submit to oppression1 and  
never dare1 like mountain-bred men1 to  

break their fetters or question the     
decrees of fate4  ,the ancient ,hebrews1
 as everybody knows1 were not only brave
 in warfare1 but were distinguished     
above all other nations as a reverential
 and ,god-fearing people4 ,their form of
 government was essentially theocratic4 
,in the earthquake they recognized the  
footsteps of ,god2 in the solemn thunder
 they heard his voice2 in the           
lightning's flash they saw an expression
 of his anger2 in the rainbow they      
beheld a token of his promise1--in a    
word1 they were a peculiar people1 who  
have1 in the record of their            
experiences1 transmitted to mankind a   
sacred inheritance4  ,switzerland is    
emphatically a land of mountains and of 
heroes4 ,almost every hill and vale     
within her borders has its consecrated  
spots and its sanctified memories4 ,in  
the recesses of her mountains the love  
of freedom ever burns with a pure and a 
holy flame1 because it is a love which  
was born of the mountains4  ,in ,new    

,england it is equally apparent that the
 silent grandeur of her mountains       
contributes to inspire her inhabitants  
with lofty sentiments1 and with a love  
of civil and religious liberty1--a love 
which can never be subjected to the     
reign of oppression1 nor be misdirected 
in its action1 except by its own        
enthusiasm4  ,it often happens that the 
inhabitants who occupy distinct portions
 of a common country differ as widely in
 their sentiments as in their manners   
and customs4 ,especially is this true of
 the ,united ,states1 where it is easy  
to distinguish the ,eastern1 ,western1  
and ,southern people from each other4   
,it may be natural causes1 or it may be 
local interests1 that have created these
 differences1 and marked the people of  
each region with those peculiar personal
 traits which give them character4  ,the
 ,new ,englanders are generally         
characterized as sedate1 formal1 and    
puritanical1 guessing at everything1 yet
 pretty shrewd at guessing4 ,they       

possess genius1 are prolific in         
inventions1 and scrupulous in matters of
 faith4 ,in discussing theological      
questions1 they split hairs2 in making a
 bargain1 they conclude to split the    
difference4 ,in all things they are     
quick to see advantages1 and apt to take
 advantages4 ,in whatever they          
undertake1 they look ahead and go ahead4
 ,in every sixpence which falls within  
their grasp1 they recognize an element  
of power which leads on to fortune2 and 
when they have acquired a fortune1 they 
are pretty sure to keep it4 ,and1 as    
,halleck the poet says1--        ,they  
love their land because it is their own1
        ,and scorn to give aught other  
reason why2      ,would shake hands with
 a king upon his throne1        ,and    
think it kindness to his majesty2       
,a stubborn race1 fearing and nattering 
none4        ,such are they nurtured1   
such they live and die1      ,all but a 
few apostates1 who are meddling         
,with merchandise1 pounds1 shillings1   

pence1 and peddling6   ,in the ,western 
,states1 where ,nature educates men on a
 liberal scale by giving them broad     
rivers1 broad lakes1 and broad prairies1
 we find a people characterized by broad
 and liberal views of things1           
large-heartedness1 frank manners1       
generous sympathies2 a philanthropy     
which regards all mankind as a          
brotherhood1 and a public sentiment     
which rebukes intolerance4 ,in truth1   
,western men despise little things and  
devise liberal things1 and would sooner 
sacrifice their lives than yield        
obedience to the mandates of either     
political or ecclesiastical oppression4 
,in the ,southern ,states ,nature has   
not as yet effected much in the exercise
 of her educational influences4 ,in     
whatever she has attempted in this      
direction she seems to have been        
overruled by circumstances1--by the     
difference in races1 and by the         
prejudices of caste4 ,though the ,south 
has produced intellectual men of a high 

order1 she has contributed comparatively
 but little either to science or to     
standard literature4 ,yet it must be    
conceded that the ,south has always been
 justly distinguished for her           
hospitality1 cordiality1 and chivalric  
spirit4  ,whatever human institutions   
may achieve1 it is certain that ,nature 
in the manifest wisdom of her works     
contributes largely to the education of 
all classes of men in all countries4 ,in
 her great school1 even the uncivilized 
man not unfrequently becomes a profound 
philosopher4 ,the coinage of her mint   
has the true ring in it and passes      
current everywhere4 ,her light is the   
light of the world1 yet the masses are  
too blind1 or rather too ignorant1 to   
see it4 ,without intending the least    
disrespect to the one thousand different
 theologies which distract mankind1 it  
may be asserted that the ,book of       
,nature is in itself a divine           
revelation1 which has been divided by   
her own hand into chapter and verse1 and

 may be read in the alphabet of the     
flowers1 in the rocks of the hills1 and 
in the stars4 ,in its language it is not
 only beautiful1 but every word is      
suggestive2 in its doctrines it is pure 
and truthful2 in its wide range of      
thought it treats principally of life1  
and of the conditions of life1 and      
assures us that the silent process of   
creation--of eternal change--still goes 
on1 now as ever2 and that every particle
 of matter in the universe is constantly
 active1 achieving something4  ,in a    
philosophical sense1 there is nothing   
dead that does not live4 ,matter        
combines1 dissolves1 and re-combines4   
,new forms of life and new conditions of
 life appear and disappear4 ,the very   
dust under our feet has lived and       
breathed1 and will live again4 ,nature  
waits to be gracious1 and is ever ready 
to reveal her mysteries as fast as man  
can comprehend them4 ,and though she    
speaks with a silent lip1 she invites   
all to share her bounties4 ,her wealth  

is infinite4  ,in every star1 in every  
flower1 in every blade of grass1 in     
every grain of sand1 in everything      
visible and invisible1 there is life1   
light1 and beauty4 ,in everything there 
is power4 ,we cannot look at a grain of 
sand1 insignificant as it may seem1     
without seeing in its composition the   
material which enables us to read the   
golden record of the heavens4 ,in the   
falling raindrop1 when converted into   
steam1 we recognize the existence of a  
power which has revolutionized the      
world4 ,in the kiss of the sunbeam we   
discover a magical influence which tints
 the flower1 gives color to everything  
in ,nature1 and by its impress presents 
us with an exact and lifelike transcript
 of ourselves and of our friends4 ,in   
the lightning's flash we have a language
 in which we can converse with our      
friends throughout the civilized world1 
at any moment we please4  ,when we      
consider what has been achieved in the  
way of scientific discovery during the  

last half-century1 who can tell what may
 not be achieved in the next century1 in
 the next ten centuries1--when the great
 mysteries of ,nature shall be more     
fully revealed1 and when new sciences1  
now unknown1 shall disclose new         
principles1 new forces1 and still       
subtler agencies8  ,in her desire to    
advance human knowledge1 ,nature invokes
 interpreters--unborn interpreters--who1
 though far away in the distance1 will  
yet come1 and when they do come1 will   
interpret in accordance with truth the  
mystical language in which her          
undiscovered secrets are written1 and   
thus extend the empire of thought until 
it becomes infinite1--an empire in which
 man1 still rising in the scale of      
intelligence1 will acquire divine       
powers1 and assume the dignity of a     
perfect manhood4     ,,woman ,,and ,,her
 ,,sphere4   ,woman1 like a flower1     
sprang to life in a garden of           
flowers1--sprang from the side of her   
lord1 and took her place at his side1 as

 a meet companion to share his          
earth-life1 his joys1 and his sorrows4  
,the ,greeks believed that the gods     
collected everything that is beautiful  
in ,nature1 out of which they formed the
 first woman1 and having crowned her    
brow with sunshine1 intrusted her with  
the irresistible power of fascination4  
,it is certainly not less pleasant than 
natural to believe that woman was made  
of a more refined material than man2 and
 it is doubtless true that every sincere
 worshipper of the beautiful delights to
 regard the angel of his dreams not only
 as an incarnation of all that is       
lovable1 but as a divine                
spirituality1--a vision from a brighter 
and holier sphere4  ,an old writer      
remarks that in order to make an        
entirely beautiful woman1 it would be   
necessary to take the head from ,greece1
 the bust from ,austria1 the feet from  
,hindostan1 the shoulders from ,italy1  
the walk from ,spain1 and the complexion
 from ,england4 ,at that rate she would 

be a mosaic in her composition2 and the 
man who married her might well be said  
to have taken up a collection4  ,however
 mystical may be the origin of woman1 it
 is certain that we should look to the  
moral beauty of her life1 rather than to
 her personal charms1 in estimating the 
true value of her character4 ,in her    
nature woman is a loyalist1--loyal to   
man and loyal to ,god4 ,in all ages of  
the world1 in all countries and under   
all circumstances1 she has ever been    
distinguished for her patience1 her     
fortitude1 and her forbearance1 as well 
as for those still higher and diviner   
attributes1 her love and her devotion4  
,endowed with charms which give her the 
power of conquest1 woman ever delights  
in making conquests2 and though she may 
sometimes stoop to conquer1 she never   
fails to elevate the conquered4 ,with   
the smile of love resting on her brow1  
she aims to fulfil her mission by       
scattering flowers along the pathway of 
life1 and inspiring the sterner sex with

 reverence for her virtues and for the  
angelhood of her nature4  ,the true     
woman exhibits a true womanhood in all  
she does1 in all she says1--in her      
heart-life and in her world-life4 ,her  
love1 once bestowed on him who is worthy
 of it1 increases with her years and    
becomes as enduring as her life1--      
,in death1 a deathless flame4   ,not    
only in the sincerity of her love1 but  
in all her sympathies1 in her quick     
sense of duty1 and in her devotion to   
all that is good1 right1 and just1 she  
discloses without being conscious of it 
the divinity of her character4  ,it is  
in sacred history that we find the      
earliest record of woman's virtues1     
acquirements1 and achievements4 ,it is  
there that we read of women who were not
 only distinguished for their exalted   
piety and exemplary habits of life1 but 
who often excelled even the great men of
 renown in sagacity of purpose and in   
the exercise of sceptred power4 ,it is  
in sacred history that we have the      

earliest account of the social and      
domestic relations of the human family1 
the most prominent of which is the      
institution of marriage4  ,the first    
marriage of which we have any account   
took place in a garden1 without the     
usual preliminaries and ceremonies which
 have marked its solemnization in       
subsequent periods of the world's       
history2 yet we must believe that it was
 the most august and sublime wedding    
that ever occurred4 ,the witnesses of   
the ceremony were none other than the   
angels of ,god4 ,nature presented her   
choicest flowers1 and the birds of      
,paradise sang the bridal hymn1 while   
earth and sky rejoiced in the           
consummation of the first match made in 
heaven4  ,it may be presumed1 perhaps1  
that all matches are made in heaven2 yet
 somehow or other1 sad mistakes occur   
when least expected4 ,even our first    
parents1 though placed in a garden of   
innocence1 encountered a serpent in     
their pathway4 ,it need not seem very   

strange1 therefore1 that the course of  
true love never did run smooth4 ,yet    
there are but few who would not concur  
with ,tennyson in thinking--            
',tis better to have loved and lost1    
,than never to have loved at all4   ,in 
affairs of the heart there is no such   
thing as accounting for the freaks of   
fancy1 or the choice of dissimilar      
tastes4 ,singular as it may be1 most    
people admire contrasts4 ,in other      
words1 like prefers unlike2 the tall    
prefer the short2 the beautiful the     
unbeautiful2 and the perverse the       
reverse4 ,in this way ,nature makes up  
her counterparts with a view to         
assimilate her materials and bring      
harmony out of discord4 ,it is from     
accords and discords that we judge of   
music and determine its degree of       
excellence4 ,in wedded life even        
discords have their uses1 since a family
 jar now and then is often attended with
 the happiest results1 by bringing into 
timely exercise a higher degree of      

mutual forbearance1 and inspiring the   
heart with a purer1 sincerer1 and       
diviner appreciation of the silken tie4 
,there is no topic1 perhaps1 of deeper  
interest to a woman than that of        
wedlock4 ,it is an event1 when it does  
occur1 which brightens or blasts forever
 her fondest hopes and her purest       
affections4 ,the matrimonial question is
 therefore the great question of a      
woman's life4 ,in deciding it1 she takes
 a risk which determines the future of  
her heart-life4 ,when the motive is     
stamped with the imperial seal of       
,heaven1 it is certain the heart will   
recognize it as genuine1 and trust in   
it4 ,the language of love speaks for    
itself1 sometimes in mysteries1         
sometimes in revelations4 ,it is a      
telegraphic language which every woman  
understands1 though written in          
hieroglyphics4 ,hence the preliminaries 
to wedlock1 usually called courtships1  
are as various in their methods as the  
whims of the parties4 ,in many parts of 

the world these methods are as amusing  
as they are singular4  ,in royal        
families matrimonial alliances are      
controlled by ,state policy1 and the    
negotiations conducted through the      
agencies of ministerial confidants4 ,in 
some ,oriental countries1 parents       
contract their sons and daughters in    
marriage while yet in their infancy1 nor
 allow the parties an interview until of
 marriageable age1 when the wedding     
ceremonies are performed1 and the happy 
pair unveiled to behold each other for  
the first time4 ,at such a moment a     
penny for their thoughts would be cheap 
enough4 ,the philosophy of this absurd  
custom seems to be based on the         
classical idea that love is blind4 ,this
 may be true2 yet blind though it be1   
the heart will always have its          
preference1 and contrive some way or    
other to express it4  ,in some of the   
,molucca ,islands1 when a young man is  
too bashful to speak his love1 he seizes
 the first opportunity that offers of   

sitting near the object of his          
affection1 and tying his garments to    
hers4 ,if she allows him to finish the  
knot1 and neither cuts nor loosens it1  
she truly gives her consent to the      
marriage4 ,if she merely loosens it1 he 
is at liberty to try his luck again at a
 more propitious moment2 but if she cuts
 the knot1 there is an end of hope4  ,in
 ,lapland it is death to marry a girl   
without the consent of her friends4     
,when a young man proposes marriage1 the
 friends of both parties meet to witness
 a race between them4 ,the girl is      
allowed1 at starting1 the advantage of a
 third part of the race2 if her lover   
does not overtake her1 it is a penal    
offence for him ever to renew his offers
 of marriage4 ,if the damsel favors his 
suit1 she may run fast at first1 to try 
his affection2 but she will be sure to  
linger before she comes to the end of   
the race4 ,in this way all marriages are
 made in accordance with inclination2   
and this is the probable reason of so   

much domestic contentment in that       
country4  ,in ancient times marriageable
 women were the subjects of bargain and 
sale1 and were more generally obtained  
by purchase than courtship4 ,the prices 
paid in some instances seem incredible1 
if not extortionate4 ,of course1 pearls 
of great price were not to be had for   
the mere asking4 ,jacob purchased his   
wife1 ,rachel1 at a cost of fourteen    
years hard labor4  ,the ,babylonians1   
who were a practical people1 gathered   
their marriageable daughters once a year
 from every district of their country1  
and sold them at auction to bachelors1  
who purchased them for wives1 while the 
magistrates presided at the sales4 ,the 
sums of money thus received for the     
beautiful girls were appropriated as    
dowries for the benefit of the less     
beautiful4 ,of course rich bachelors    
paid liberal prices for their choice1   
while poor bachelors1 in accepting the  
less beautiful1 generally obtained the  
best wives1 with the addition of a      

handsome sum of money4 ,in this way all 
parties were accommodated who aspired to
 matrimonial felicity4  ,but in these   
modern times most of our young men1     
instead of purchasing their wives1      
prefer to sell themselves at the highest
 price the market affords4              
,fortune-hunting is therefore regarded  
as legitimate4 ,in the mind of a fast   
young man wealth has a magical          
influence1 which is sure to invest the  
possessor1 if a marriageable young lady1
 however unattractive1 with irresistible
 charms4 ,if his preliminary            
inquiry--,is she rich8--be answered in  
the affirmative1 the siege commences at 
once4 ,art is so practised as to conceal
 art1 and create1 if possible1 a        
favorable impression4 ,an introduction  
is sought and obtained4 ,interview      
follows interview in quick succession4  
,the declaration is made2 the diamond   
ring presented and graciously accepted2 
consent obtained1 and the happy day set4
 ,rumor reports an eligible match in    

high life1 and the fashionable world is 
on tiptoe with expectation4  ,but       
instead of its being an affair of the   
heart1 it is really a very different    
affair1--nothing but a hasty transaction
 in fancy stocks4 ,and if the           
officiating clergyman were to employ an 
appropriate formula of words in         
celebrating the nuptials1 he would      
address the parties thus3--  ,romeo1    
wilt thou have this delicate            
constitution1 this bundle of silks and  
satins1 this crock of gold1 for thy     
wedded wife8--,i will4 ,juliet1 wilt    
thou have this false pretence1 this     
profligate in broadcloth1 this unpaid   
tailor's bill1 for thy wedded           
husband8--,i will4  ,the happy pair are 
then pronounced man and wife4 ,and what 
is the result8 ,a brief career of       
dissipation1 a splendid misery1 a       
reduction to poverty1 domestic          
dissension1 separation1 and finally a   
divorce4 ,but how different is the      
result when an honest man1 actuated by  

pure motives1 marries a sincere woman1  
whose only wealth consists in her love  
and in her practical good sense6  ,it is
 man who degrades woman1 not woman who  
degrades man4 ,asiatic monarchs have    
ever regarded woman1 not as a companion1
 but as a toy1 a picture1 a luxury of   
the palace2 while men of common rank    
throughout ,asia and in many parts of   
,europe treat her as a slave1 a drudge1 
a hewer of wood and a drawer of water1  
and make it her duty to wait1 instead of
 being waited on2 to attend1 instead of 
being attended4 ,out of this sordid idea
 of woman's destiny has grown in all    
probability the custom of regarding her 
as property4 ,influenced by this idea1  
there are still some persons to be found
 among the lower classes1 even in our   
own country1 who do not hesitate to     
sell1 buy1 or exchange their wives for a
 material consideration4 ,some of our   
,american forefathers1 in the early     
settlement of ,jamestown1 purchased     
their wives from ,england1 and paid in  

tobacco1 at the rate of one hundred and 
fifty pounds each1 and thought it a fair
 transaction4 ,perhaps this is the      
reason why ladies are so generally      
disgusted with the use of the ,virginia 
weed4  ,but the doctrine that woman was 
created the inferior of man1 though     
venerable for its antiquity1 is not less
 fallacious than venerable4 ,it is      
simply an assertion which does not      
appear to be sustained by historical    
facts4 ,it is true that woman is called 
in ,scripture the weaker vessel2 weaker 
in physical strength she may be1 but it 
does not follow that she is weaker in   
mind1 wit1 judgment1 shrewdness1 tact1  
or moral power4  ,the sterner sex need  
not flatter themselves1 therefore1 that 
superiority of muscle necessarily       
implies superiority of mind4 ,history   
sufficiently discloses the fact that    
woman has often proved herself not only 
a match1 but an over-match1 for man1 in 
wielding the sceptre1 the sword1 and the
 pen1 to say nothing of the tongue4     

,illustrations of this great fact1 like 
coruscations of light1 sparkle along the
 darkened track of the ages1 and abound 
in the living present4  ,but in looking 
into the broad expanse of the historical
 past1 we cannot attempt to do more than
 glance here and there at a particular  
star1 whose undiminished lustre has     
given it a name and a fame1 not only    
glorious1 but immortal4 ,as in all ages 
there have been representative men1 so  
in all ages there have been             
representative women1 who crowned the   
age in which they lived with honor1 and 
gave tone to its sentiment and          
character4  ,in the career of           
,semiramis1 who lived about two thousand
 years before the ,christian era1 we    
have a crystallization of those subtle  
attributes of female character1 which   
are not less remarkable for their       
diversity than extensive in their power 
and influence4 ,it will be remembered   
that she was the reputed child of a     
goddess1 a foundling exposed in a       

desert1 fed for a year by doves1        
discovered by a shepherd1 and adopted by
 him as his own daughter4 ,when grown to
 womanhood1 she married the governor of 
,nineveh1 and assisted him in the siege 
and conquest of ,bactria4 ,the wisdom   
and tact which she manifested in this   
enterprise1 and especially her personal 
beauty1 attracted the attention of the  
,king of ,assyria1 who mysteriously     
relieved her of her husband1 obtained   
her hand in wedlock1 resigned to her his
 crown1 and declared her queen and sole 
empress of ,assyria4 ,the aspirations of
 ,semiramis became at once unbounded2   
and fearing her royal consort might     
repent the hasty step he had taken1 she 
abruptly extinguished his life1 and soon
 succeeded in distinguishing her own4   
,she levelled mountains1 filled up      
valleys1 built aqueducts1 commanded     
armies1 conquered neighboring nations1  
penetrated into ,arabia and ,ethiopia1  
amassed vast treasures1 founded many    
cities1 and wherever she appeared1      

spread terror and consternation4 ,under 
her auspices and by means of her wealth1
 ,babylon1 the capital of her empire1   
became the most renowned and magnificent
 city in the world4 ,her might was      
invincible2 her right she regarded as   
co-extensive with her power4 ,her prompt
 action was the secret of her success4  
,when she was informed1 on one occasion1
 that ,babylon had revolted1 she left   
her toilet half made1 put herself at the
 head of an armed force1 and instantly  
quelled the revolt4 ,she was a woman of 
strong passions and of strong mind1 and1
 what is now very uncommon1 of strong   
nerves4 ,and yet her peerless beauty and
 the fascination of her manners appear  
to have been as irresistible as the sway
 of her sceptre4 ,the fatality of her   
personal charms1 her inordinate love of 
power1 and the evils which arise from   
the indulgence of vain aspirations1     
indicate the lessons which are taught by
 her career4 ,in the twenty-fifth year  
of her reign1 her life was suddenly     

terminated by the violent hand of her   
own son4 ,after death she was           
transformed1 as it was believed1 into a 
dove1 under the symbol of which she     
received divine honors throughout       
,assyria4  ,it would seem that literary 
women were not less known in ancient    
times than at the present day4 ,sappho  
took her place in the galaxy of literary
 fame six hundred years before ,christ4 
,so sublime1 and yet so sweet1 were her 
lyric strains that the ,greeks          
pronounced her the tenth ,muse4         
,longinus cites from her writings       
specimens of the sublime1 and extols her
 genius as unrivalled4 ,beneficent as   
talented1 she instituted an academy of  
music for young maidens1 wrote nine     
books of lyric verse1 and many other    
compositions of great merit4 ,but of all
 her writings1 however1 only one or two 
of her odes have survived4 ,her fate was
 an unhappy one4 ,she became violently  
enamoured of a young man of ,mitylene1  
who was so ungallant as not to          

reciprocate her attachment2 and being   
reduced to a state of hopeless despair1 
she precipitated herself into the sea   
from the steep cliff of ,leucate1 ever  
since called the ,lover's ,leap4  ,in   
this connection we ought not to omit the
 name of ,aspasia1 who1 at a period two 
centuries later than ,sappho1 emerged   
like a star in a darkened sky and       
charmed the age in which she lived with 
the fascinations of her rhetoric4 ,she  
was not less stately and queen-like in  
her person than accomplished in her     
manners4 ,it is said of her1 that she   
possessed rhetorical powers which were  
unequalled by the public orators of her 
time2 she was as learned as eloquent4   
,plato says she was the instructress of 
,socrates4 ,she also instructed         
,pericles in the arts of oratory1 and   
afterwards married him4 ,he was largely 
indebted to her for his finish of       
education and elegance of manners1 for  
which he was so much distinguished4  ,so
 charming were ,aspasia's conversational

 powers that the ,athenians sought every
 opportunity to introduce their wives   
into her presence1 that they might learn
 from her the art of employing an       
elegant diction4 ,on one occasion when  
the ,athenian army had been             
disheartened1 she appeared in the public
 assembly of the people and pronounced  
an oration1 which so thrilled their     
breasts as to inspire new hopes1 and    
induce them to rally and redeem their   
cause4  ,among female sovereigns but few
 have evinced more tact or talent in an 
emergency than ,zenobia1 ,queen of      
,palmyra4 ,she was a native of ,syria1 a
 descendant of ,ptolemy2 married        
,odenatus1 a ,saracen1 and after his    
death succeeded to the throne1 about the
 year of our ,lord #bfg4 ,she had been  
highly educated1 wrote and spoke many   
different languages1 had studied the    
beauties of ,homer and ,plato under the 
tuition of ,longinus1 and was not less  
renowned for her beauty1 melody of      
voice1 and elegance of manners1 than for

 her heroic deeds4 ,in the five years of
 her reign she conducted many warlike   
expeditions1 extended her empire1       
compelling ,cappadocia1 ,bithynia1 and  
,egypt to recognize her authority1 and  
acknowledge her ,queen of the ,east1--a 
favorite title which she had assumed4   
,her power had now become so extended as
 to alarm the ,roman government for     
their own safety1 who sent ,aurelian    
with a formidable army to subjugate and 
reduce her empire to a province4        
,zenobia1 after being defeated in two   
severe battles1 retired with her forces 
to ,palmyra1 her capital1 fortified it1 
and resolved never to surrender4        
,aurelian invested the city with his    
entire army1 and in the course of the   
siege was severely wounded by an arrow1 
and being thus disabled1 the progress of
 the siege was so far retarded as to    
give the citizens of ,rome occasion to  
utter against him bitter invectives1 and
 to question the character of the arrow 
that had pierced him4 ,in other words1  

they accused him of complicity4 ,in his 
letter of self-justification to the     
senate1 he says1 ,the ,roman people     
speak with contempt of the war ,i am    
waging against a woman4 ,they are       
ignorant of the character and the power 
of ,zenobia4 ,it is impossible to       
enumerate her warlike preparations of   
stones and arrows1 and every species of 
missile weapons4 ,the walls of the city 
are strongly guarded1 and artificial    
fires are thrown from her military      
engines4 ,the fear of punishment has    
armed her with desperate courage4 ,still
 ,i trust in the gods for a favorable   
result4  ,in this letter the stern and  
proud ,roman general frankly admits the 
might of woman4 ,feeling humiliated and 
almost despairing of success1 he now    
attempted to procure a surrender of the 
city by negotiation1 and offered the    
most liberal advantages to the queen4   
,in her reply she said to him1 ,it is   
not by negotiation1 but by arms1 that   
the submission you require of me can be 

obtained4 ,this laconic reply was       
certainly worthy of a heroine and a     
queen4 ,yet after a protracted and      
desperate defence1 and finding that her 
allies1 instead of coming to her relief 
as they promised1 had accepted bribes   
from the enemy to remain at a distance1 
she saw that all was lost1 and mounting 
her fleetest dromedary1 sought to escape
 into ,persia1 but was overtaken on the 
banks of the ,euphrates and captured4   
,when brought into the presence of her  
conqueror1 and asked how she dared      
resist the power of ,rome1 she replied1 
,because ,i recognize ,aurelian alone as
 my sovereign4  ,zenobia was sent to    
,rome to grace the triumph of ,aurelian4
 ,she entered the city on foot1 preceded
 by her own chariot1 with which she had 
designed1 in the event of having won the
 victory1 to make her grand entry into  
,rome as the triumphant ,queen of the   
,east4 ,but the fortunes of war         
subverted her ambitious scheme1 and     
subjected her to the mortification of   

gracing a ,roman triumph2 yet for this  
indignity she felt that she was somewhat
 compensated in knowing that her        
appearance in ,rome would create a      
sensation4 ,in the grand procession she 
followed her chariot1 so laden with     
jewels and chains of gold as to require 
the support of a slave to prevent her   
from fainting beneath the weight4       
,after enjoying the satisfaction of a   
triumph1 ,aurelian treated his beautiful
 captive with kind consideration1 and   
provided for her a delightful residence 
on the banks of the ,tiber1 where she   
passed the remainder of her days1       
honored by all as a matron of rare      
virtue and accomplishments4 ,she lived  
to educate her daughters1 and to see    
them contract noble alliances4 ,her     
descendants were ranked among the first 
citizens of ,rome1 and did not become   
extinct until after the fifth century4  
,near the commencement of the fifteenth 
century there appeared in ,france a     
brilliant meteor1--a youthful maiden1   

whose development of character was as   
mystical as it was heroic4 ,joan of ,arc
 was born of obscure parents1 in an     
obscure village on the borders of       
,lorraine1 and was bred in a school of  
simplicity4 ,she possessed beauty1      
united with an amiable temper and       
generous sympathies4 ,in her religious  
faith she was sincere1 even angelic4    
,her love of country was ardent and     
irrepressible4 ,finding her country-men 
distracted by a bitter partisan feeling1
 she identified herself with the        
patriots1 and desired to secure the     
coronation of ,prince ,charles1 as the  
only means1 in her belief1 of restoring 
the authority of the legitimate         
government4 ,the reigning king had      
become hopelessly demented1 and anarchy 
prevailed in almost every part of his   
dominions4  ,the rival houses of        
,orleans and ,burgundy were contending  
for the supremacy1 and had entered upon 
a career of murder and massacre1 instead
 of adopting a regular system of        

warfare4 ,both parties invoked the aid  
of the ,english1 who interfered in      
behalf of ,burgundy2 but instead of     
affording relief1 their interference    
only imposed still weightier calamities 
on the country4 ,at this crisis a       
prophecy became current among the       
people1 that a virgin would appear and  
rid ,france of her enemies4 ,this       
prophecy reached the ear of ,joan of    
,arc1 and inspired her with the belief  
that she was the chosen one of ,heaven  
to accomplish the work4  ,in            
confirmation of this belief1 she heard  
mysterious voices which came to her in  
her dreams1 and which she regarded as   
divine communications1 directing her to 
enter upon her great mission4 ,on       
conferring with her parents in relation 
to the matter1 they advised her to      
abandon her mad scheme1 and desired her 
to marry and remain with them in her    
native village2 but she declined1       
insisting that the current              
prediction--,france shall be saved by a 

virgin--alluded to her4 ,the ,english   
army had already besieged ,orleans1 and 
all hope of saving the city seemed lost4
 ,her friends1 regarding her as endowed 
with supernatural powers1 provided her  
with a war-horse and a military costume1
 and sent her with an escort to the     
court of ,prince ,charles1 whom she had 
never seen1 but whose cause she had     
espoused4  ,he received her with        
distrust1 though he desired her         
proffered assistance4 ,in order to avoid
 being charged with having faith in     
sorcery1 he handed her over to a        
commission of ecclesiastics1 to         
ascertain whether she was inspired of   
,heaven1 or instigated by an evil       
spirit4 ,among other tests1 the         
ecclesiastics desired her to perform    
miracles4 ,she replied1 ,bring me to    
,orleans1 and you shall witness a       
miracle2 the siege shall be raised1 and 
,prince ,charles shall be crowned king  
at ,rheims4 ,they approved her project1 
and she received the rank of a military 

commander4  ,she then demanded a        
mysterious sword which she averred had  
been concealed by a hero of the olden   
time within the walls of an ancient     
church4 ,on search being made1 the sword
 was found and delivered to her4 ,in a  
short time1 with this mysterious sword  
in hand1 she appeared at the head of an 
enthusiastic army1 within sight of the  
besieged city of ,orleans4 ,the ,english
 army was astonished at the novel       
apparition4 ,she advanced1 and demanded 
a surrender of the city1 but was        
indignantly refused2 yet the citizens of
 ,orleans were elate with joy at the    
prospect of relief4 ,joan boldly        
assaulted the outposts1 and carried     
them4 ,the besieged citizens1 who had   
escaped outside the walls1 now rallied  
under her banner1 and swelled the ranks 
of her army4 ,fort after fort was       
captured4 ,the ,english fought with     
desperation4 ,joan1 cheering on her     
brave forces1 and calling on them to    
follow1 seized a scaling-ladder1 and    

ascended the enemy's breastworks1 when  
she was pierced with an arrow in the    
shoulder1 and fell into the fosse4 ,her 
undaunted followers rescued her1 when   
she1 seeing her banner in danger1 though
 faint and bleeding1 rushed forward1    
seized and bore it off in triumph4 ,the 
,english army1 amazed at this1 and      
believing her more than human1 became   
panic-stricken1 and retreated in        
confusion4 ,in their flight they lost   
their commander and many of their       
bravest men4 ,thus1 in one week after   
her arrival at ,orleans1 she compelled  
the ,english to abandon the siege4 ,in  
truth1 she had performed a miracle1 as  
her country-men believed1 and as she had
 promised the ecclesiastics she would   
do4 ,for this brilliant achievement she 
acquired the title1 ,maid of ,orleans4  
,in addition to this1 she subsequently  
fought several severe battles with the  
,english and defeated them4 ,even the   
sight of her approaching banner often   
terrified the enemy into a surrender4   

,in less than three months from the     
commencement of her career1 she saw     
,prince ,charles crowned king at        
,rheims4 ,in gratitude for her          
pre-eminent and timely services in his  
cause1 ,charles issued his royal edict  
ennobling her and her family4 ,not long 
after this1 the opposing faction of     
,king ,charles captured the ,maid of    
,orleans1 as she was now called1 and    
imprisoned her in a strong fortress4    
,she attempted to escape by leaping the 
walls1 but was secured and transferred  
to the custody of the ,english4 ,the    
,university of ,paris1 at the instance  
of dominant ecclesiastics1 demanded her 
trial on the charge of sorcery and the  
assumption of divine powers4 ,the       
judges1 intolerant as the priests1      
condemned her to be burned at the stake4
 ,her friends were overawed1 and failed 
to interfere in her behalf4 ,the only   
condition in her sentence was           
recantation and the acknowledgment of   
the supremacy of the ,church4 ,in view  

of so terrific a death1 she recanted2   
but hearing the mysterious voices of her
 former dreams upbraid her1 she         
re-asserted her faith in her divine     
mission1 was again seized at the        
instance of the priesthood1 and the     
cruel sentence of death at the stake    
carried into execution4  ,never did a   
sadder fate overtake an innocent1       
patriotic1 and noble-hearted woman4 ,her
 only crime was her love for her        
country1 and her contempt for           
ecclesiastical assumption4 ,her purity  
of life was never questioned4 ,it was   
said of her that she never allowed a    
profane word to be uttered in her       
presence4 ,her religion was a religion  
of the heart1 too exalted for the times 
in which she lived4 ,so sincere was the 
belief of the populace in her sanctity  
that many persons made pilgrimages from 
every part of the empire to touch her   
garments1 believing that if they could  
be allowed the privilege1 they would be 
especially blest1 both in this life and 

in the life to come4  ,there was no     
woman of the sixteenth century1 perhaps1
 who was more conspicuous or more       
talented than ,elizabeth1 ,queen of     
,england4 ,highly educated in the       
ancient and modern languages1 as well as
 in philosophy1 she embraced at an early
 age the ,protestant faith1 and in      
consequence of the religious jealousies 
of the times1 encountered great         
opposition in her advent to the throne1 
and while yet in her girlhood1 suffered 
a long imprisonment in the ,tower by    
order of her sister ,mary1 who was at   
that time the reigning queen4 ,but      
events which transpired in #aeeh        
resulted in the elevation of ,elizabeth 
to the throne1 at the age of            
twenty-five4 ,so fearful were the       
,catholics of her influence in matters  
of faith that they sent to her a        
distinguished ecclesiastic1 who demanded
 from her a declaration of her religious
 creed4 ,to this intrusive demand she1  
being an adept at rhyming1 replied1     

impromptu1--        ,christ was the     
,word that spake it2      ,he took the  
bread and brake it2      ,and what that 
,word did make it1      ,that ,i believe
 and take it4   ,so frank and faultless 
was this avowal that it confounded the  
artful priest1 who1 feeling rebuked1    
went away as wise as he came1 if not a  
little wiser4  ,in her personal         
appearance ,elizabeth was stately and   
majestic1 but by no means remarkable for
 her beauty1 or amiableness of temper4  
,her good judgment and discrimination   
enabled her to call to her aid wise men 
for ministers and counsellors4 ,she     
patronized talent and intellect4 ,it was
 during her reign that ,spenser1        
,shakespeare1 ,raleigh1 ,bacon1 and     
other eminent characters flourished1    
giving to her times and to literature   
the distinction of the ,elizabethan age4
 ,the leading events of her reign amply 
attest her capacity to grapple with     
emergencies in sustaining her           
prerogatives and in maintaining the     

defiant attitude of ,england4 ,she loved
 money as well as power1 and though     
penurious1 wielded her power with       
decision1 crushed domestic rebellion at 
a blow1 removed her fears of ,mary1     
,queen of ,scots1 by consigning her to  
the block1 defied the power of ,spain1  
and with the timely assistance of a     
providential whirlwind1 sank the        
,spanish ,armada in the depths of the   
sea4  ,though unattractive1 her charms  
induced sundry propositions of marriage1
 particularly from the ,king of ,sweden1
 from the ,king of ,spain1 and from a   
young prince of ,france1 twenty-five    
years younger than herself4 ,for this   
young prince1 it is said1 she           
entertained a sincere attachment1 and   
went so far as to place publicly on his 
finger a costly ring1 as a pledge of    
their union1 but being taken soon       
afterwards by some strange whimsicality1
 dismissed him1 and thus gave him       
leisure to reflect on the vanity of     
human aspirations4 ,yet1 like most      

artful women1 she delighted in          
flirtations1 and always retained in her 
retinue a few special favorites1 among  
whom were the ,earls of ,leicester and  
of ,essex4 ,on these men she bestowed   
official positions of high rank1 and    
evidently desired to make great men of  
them2 but ,leicester proved to be       
deficient in brains1 and ,essex turned  
traitor1 and was finally executed4      
,when advised to marry by her           
counsellors1 she replied that she could 
not indulge such a thought for a moment1
 for she had resolved that the          
inscription on her tombstone should be3 
,here lies a queen who lived and died a 
virgin4   ,in her seventieth year she   
died of grief1 it is said1 for having   
signed the death-warrant of ,essex1 for 
whom she entertained a sincere yet      
untold love4  ,the events of her reign  
wrought great changes in the destinies  
of nations4 ,by her firm adherence to   
the ,protestant faith1 she contributed  
much towards enlarging and strengthening

 the foundations of civil and religious 
liberty4 ,she succeeded by her wisdom   
and diplomacy in circumventing the      
subtle machinations of rival powers4 ,in
 few words1 it may be said of her that  
she was a noble specimen of manly       
womanhood4  ,catherine ,i41 ,empress of 
,russia1 was born of obscure parents1   
near the close of the seventeenth       
century4 ,in girlhood she was known by  
the name of ,martha1 until she embraced 
the ,greek religion1 when her name was  
changed to ,catherine4 ,her father died 
when she was but three years old1 and   
left her to the care of an invalid      
mother in reduced circumstances4 ,when  
old enough to be useful1 ,catherine     
devoted her services to the care and    
support of her mother1 and in attaining 
to womanhood1 grew to be exceedingly    
beautiful4 ,her mother had instructed   
her in the rudiments of a common        
education1 which she afterwards         
perfected under the tuition of a        
neighboring clergyman4 ,among other     

accomplishments1 ,catherine acquired a  
knowledge of music and dancing1 and soon
 became as attractive for her elegance  
of manners as she was celebrated for her
 beauty4  ,in #agja1 she married a      
,swedish dragoon1 and immediately       
accompanied him to the military post    
assigned him in the war which had just  
broken out between ,sweden and ,russia4 
,in a battle which soon followed1 she   
was taken prisoner by the ,russians4    
,her personal charms soon attracted the 
attention of ,peter the ,great4 ,what   
became of her husband is not known1 but 
may be imagined4 ,at any rate1 the      
emperor succeeded in winning her        
affections1 acknowledged her as his     
wife1 and placed the imperial diadem on 
her head and the sceptre in her hand4   
,she soon proved herself to be a woman  
of wonderful tact1 shrewdness1 and      
judgment1 and obtained an unbounded     
influence over her husband4 ,in fact1   
her advice controlled his action2 and in
 following it1 he acquired the enviable 

and lasting title of ,peter the ,great4 
,like her1 thousands of women have made 
their husbands great men1 and often out 
of very indifferent materials4  ,after  
,peter's death1 ,catherine was          
proclaimed empress and autocrat of all  
the ,russias4 ,her reign1 though short1 
was brilliant4 ,her frailties1 if she   
had any1 were few1 and ought to be      
attributed to the character of her      
favorites rather than to herself4 ,she  
died at the early age of forty-two1     
after a brief reign of a little less    
than two years as sole empress4 ,her    
native endowments constituted her       
brightest jewels1--modesty1 simplicity1 
and beauty2 it was these angelic gifts  
which elevated her from the obscurity of
 rural life to the throne of a great    
empire4  ,here let us turn from the ,old
 ,world to the ,new1 and look into the  
parlor1 instead of the palace1 for      
specimens of true womanhood4 ,it is in  
the private walks of life1 in the       
domestic and social circles1 that we    

must look if we would contemplate the   
character of woman in its purest and    
proudest development4 ,it is in her     
daily exhibition of heart1 soul1        
sympathy1 generosity1 and devotion that 
woman attains to perfection and crowns  
herself with a diadem4 ,everywhere in   
this great ,republic are thousands of   
women whose excellence of character     
challenges our admiration4 ,among those 
who have passed into the better life1   
and whose names are recorded on the     
tablet of every ,american heart1 is     
,martha ,washington4  ,in her character 
we have the character of an accomplished
 ,american lady4 ,few1 if any1 have ever
 excelled her4 ,when the war of the     
,revolution commenced1 she accompanied  
her husband1 who had just been appointed
 commander-in-chief of the ,american    
armies1 to the military lines about     
,boston1 and witnessed the siege and    
evacuation of that city4 ,she was ever  
the guardian spirit of the general1 and 
aided him materially in his military    

career by her wise counsels and timely  
attentions4 ,while he reasoned logically
 and deliberately1 she came to logical  
conclusions instantly1 without seeming  
to reason1--a faculty of logic which    
characterizes almost every woman4  ,in  
her figure1 ,martha was slight2 in her  
manners1 easy and graceful2 in her      
temper1 mild yet cheerful2 in her       
conversation1 calm yet fascinating2 in  
her looks beautiful1 especially in her  
youthful days4 ,so universally admired  
and respected was she1 that everybody   
spoke of her as ,lady ,washington4  ,she
 did the honors of the presidential     
mansion with polished ease1 dignity1 and
 grace4 ,her connubial life with        
,washington was not less exemplary than 
it was happy4 ,his regard for her was as
 profound as her devotion to him was    
sincere4 ,so solicitous was she for     
preserving his good name and fame that  
immediately after his death1 she        
destroyed all the domestic letters which
 he had addressed to her1 for fear they 

might some day be published1 and be     
found to contain some word or expression
 of a political nature which might be   
construed to his prejudice4  ,faithful  
as a wife1 as a friend1 and as a        
,christian1 she proved herself a model  
woman4 ,she survived her husband but two
 years1 and died at the age of seventy4 
,in life she occupied a position which  
queens might envy1 and in death         
bequeathed a memory which will be       
cherished in a nation's heart1 when the 
proud monuments of kings and queens have
 crumbled into dust and been forgotten4 
,if it could be done without making     
invidious distinctions1 it would be no  
less delightful than instructive to     
refer specifically to the names and     
deeds of many other ,american women who 
have graced the age in which they lived1
 and added lustre to the annals of our  
,republic4 ,but we must content         
ourselves by alluding to them in general
 terms2 and in doing this1 we must admit
 the fact that the noble deeds and      

exalted virtues of woman occupy a much  
less space in the world's history than  
they ought4  ,it is sufficiently evident
 to everybody that women1 in all the    
relations of life1 exhibit a keener     
appreciation of right and wrong than    
men4 ,hence they are usually the first  
to approve what is right1 and the last  
to concur in what is wrong4 ,it was this
 devotion to principle which induced    
,american women in the days of the      
,revolution to submit to the severest   
trials and deprivations1 while they     
encouraged their sons1 husbands1 and    
brothers to go forth to the battle-field
 in defence of their country4 ,in proof 
of their patriotism1 these noble women1 
with their own hands and with cheerful  
hearts1 spun1 wove1 knit1 and baked for 
the brave and suffering soldiers1 and   
even made an offering of their jewels on
 the altar of liberty1 and rather than  
see the enemy enriched by traffic and   
unjust revenues1 complacently approved  
the policy which cast rich cargoes of   

their favorite beverage into the depths 
of the sea4  ,it was the same spirit1   
the same patriotism1 which inspired the 
women of our own times on a still       
broader scale1 in the late struggle of  
the ,north to crush the rebellion of the
 ,south and sustain in all its purity1  
its honor1 and its glory1 the dear old  
flag of the ,union4 ,this great work has
 been done manfully and nobly1 and at   
immense sacrifices of treasure and of   
blood2 but it could not have been done  
without the aid and encouragement of    
woman4 ,it was woman who held the key   
and unlocked the hearts of twenty       
millions of people1 and induced them1 by
 her pleading appeals1 to pour out their
 noble charities1 as from floodgates1 to
 supply the urgent needs of the largest 
and bravest army the world ever beheld4 
,it was woman whose delicate hand nursed
 the sick1 the wounded1 and the dying   
soldier1 and whose sympathies and       
prayers soothed and cheered his         
departing spirit4  ,in the sanitary     

commission1 in the ,christian           
commission1 woman was the master-spirit1
 the angel of mercy1 the music of whose 
hovering wings animated the weary march 
of our gallant volunteers1 and inspired 
their souls with invincible courage4 ,it
 is woman who weaves the only wreath of 
honor which a true-hearted hero desires 
to wear on his brow1 and the only one   
worthy of his highest aspirations4 ,it  
is an indisputable fact that the power1 
the patriotism1 and the influence of    
woman constitute the great moral        
elements of our ,republic1 and of our   
civil and religious institutions4  ,it  
is the educated and accomplished women  
of our country who have refined the men 
as well as the youth of the land1 and   
given tone to public sentiment4 ,it is  
this class of women who have purified   
our literature1 and moulded it to       
harmonize with the pure principles of a 
,christian philosophy4 ,in the fine     
arts1 and even in the abstruse sciences1
 women have excelled as well as men4 ,in

 the catalogue of distinguished authors 
there are to be found1 both in this     
country and in ,europe1 nearly as many  
women as men4 ,from the facts which we  
have already adduced1 it is evident     
enough that woman1 in the exercise of   
intellectual1 if not political power1 is
 fully the equal of man2 while in tact  
and shrewdness she is generally his     
superior4 ,according to the old but     
truthful saying1 it is impossible for a 
man to outwit a shrewd woman2 and       
instead of asking1 ,what can a woman do8
 we should ask1 ,what is there a woman  
cannot do8  ,whenever women are left to 
take care of themselves in the world1 as
 thousands are1 they should not only    
have the right1 but it is their duty1 to
 engage in any of the industrial        
pursuits for which they are fitted4 ,the
 principal difference between man and   
woman is physical strength2 and for this
 reason the lighter employments should  
be assigned to women4 ,in whatever      
employment men are out of place1 women  

should take their place2 especially in  
retailing fancy goods1 in book-keeping1 
in telegraphing1 in type-setting1 in    
school-teaching1 and in many other like 
employments2 nor need they be excluded  
from the learned professions4 ,in fact1 
we already have lady clergymen and lady 
physicians2 and some think the character
 of the ,bar would be much elevated by  
the admission of lady lawyers4 ,we      
cannot doubt that unmarried ladies1 if  
admitted1 would excel in prosecuting    
suits commenced by attachment1 but in   
other cases their success is not        
assured1 if we may judge from the       
following incident3 ,a lady lawyer of   
presidential aspirations1 in conducting 
a suit before the late ,judge ,cartter  
in the district court at ,washington1   
was opposed by an eminent lawyer of the 
other sex1 who raised a vexed legal     
question which had not been dreamed of  
in the philosophy of the lady lawyer1   
and which so perplexed her that she1 in 
the midst of her embarrassment1 appealed

 to the judge for advice as to the      
course she had better pursue4 ,the      
judge1 who hesitated somewhat in his    
utterances1 replied1 ,i think you had   
bet-bet-better employ a lawyer4  ,if    
women choose to compete with men in any 
of the learned professions1 or in any   
other pursuit1 and are fitted to achieve
 success1 there is nothing in the way to
 prevent them2 yet it does not follow   
that they can take the places of men in 
everything1 especially in those         
employments which require masculine     
strength and great physical endurance4  
,nor does it follow that women who pay  
taxes should therefore have the right of
 suffrage4 ,the fact that they hold     
property does not change their status1  
nor does it confer political rights4    
,the right of suffrage is a political   
right and not a natural right4 ,the     
exercise of this political right carries
 with it the law-making power1 the duty 
of protecting persons and property1 and 
consequently of maintaining and         

defending the government4 ,they who make
 the government are therefore bound to  
defend it4 ,nature never intended that  
women should become soldiers and face   
the cannon's mouth in the battle-field2 
nor did she give them strength to       
construct railroads1 tunnel mountains1  
build war-ships1 or man them4 ,yet      
women1 prompted by affection or romantic
 sentiment1 have been known to become   
soldiers in disguise1 and perhaps have  
fought bravely in the battle-field4 ,but
 this1 of itself1 proves nothing2 it is 
merely an exception to a general rule1  
or in other words1 an eccentricity of   
character4 ,in all ages of the world1 as
 we have shown1 the mere force of       
circumstances has occasionally unsphered
 woman and placed her in unnatural      
situations1 in which she has sometimes  
achieved a brilliant success1--on the   
throne and off the throne1 in peace and 
in war1 in political life and in social 
life4 ,yet in stepping out of her       
sphere1 whatever may be her success1    

every true woman feels that she         
o'ersteps the modesty of nature4  ,when 
woman glides into her natural           
position1--that of a wife1--it is then  
only that she occupies her appropriate  
sphere1 and exhibits in its most        
attractive form the loveliness of her   
character4 ,marriage is an institution  
as essential to the stability and       
harmony of the social system as gravity 
is to the order and preservation of the 
planetary system4 ,in the domestic      
circle the devoted wife becomes the     
centre of attraction1 the angel of the  
household4 ,her world is her home2 her  
altar1 the hearthstone4 ,in her daily   
ministrations she makes herself angelic 
by making home a heaven1 and every one  
happy who may come within the charmed   
circle of her kind cares and generous   
sympathies4 ,in fact1 there is no place 
like home1 sweet home1 when on its      
sacred altar burns the blended incense  
of harmonious souls1--        ,two souls
 with but a single thought2      ,two   

hearts that beat as one4   ,it is       
certain that man and woman were never   
created to live independent of each     
other4 ,they are but counterparts1 and  
therefore incomplete until united in    
wedlock4 ,hence they who prefer single  
blessedness are justly chargeable with  
the sin of omission1 if not the         
unpardonable sin4 ,it is difficult to   
estimate the fearful responsibilities of
 those fossilized bachelors who persist 
in sewing on their own buttons and in   
mending their own stockings4 ,yet these 
selfish gentlemen frankly admit that    
there may have been such a thing as true
 love in the olden times1 but now1 they 
say1 the idea has become obsolete2 and  
if a bachelor were to ask a young lady  
to share his lot1 she would immediately 
want to know how large the lot is and   
what is its value4 ,in further          
justification they quote ,socrates1 who1
 being asked whether it were better for 
a man to marry or live single1 replied1 
,let him do either and he will repent   

it4 ,but this is not argument1 nor is it
 always true1 even in a sordid marriage1
 as appears in the following instance3  
,not long since1 in ,new ,york1 a       
bachelor of twenty-two married a rich   
maiden of fifty-five1 who died within a 
month after the nuptials and left him a 
half-million of dollars4 ,he says he has
 never repented the marriage4  ,the age 
in which we live is one of experiment   
and of novel theories1 both in religion 
and in politics4 ,in modern spiritualism
 we have entranced women1 who give us   
reports from the dead4 ,in modern       
crusades we have devout women1 who visit
 tippling-houses and convert them into  
sanctuaries of prayer4 ,in politics we  
have mismated and unmated women1 who    
hold conventions1 clamor for the ballot1
 and advocate the doctrine of natural   
selection4  ,it is true that every      
marriageable woman has a natural right  
to select1 if not elect1 a husband2 and 
this she may and ought to do1 not by    
ballot1 but by the influence of her     

charms and her virtues4 ,if all         
marriageable men and women were but     
crystallized into happy families1 earth 
would soon become a paradise4 ,yet if   
this were done1 we doubt not there would
 still remain some strong-minded women1 
who would get up a convention to reform 
paradise4 ,the truth is1 the women will 
do pretty much as they please1 and the  
best way is to let them4  ,yet all must 
admit that a woman of refinement is not 
only a ruling spirit1 but a power behind
 the throne greater than the power on   
the throne4 ,her rights are therefore   
within her own grasp4 ,among these she  
has the right1 and to her belongs the   
responsible duty1 of educating her      
children in first principles1 and in    
those sanctified lessons which have been
 revealed to man from heaven4 ,it is the
 mother's precepts which constitute the 
permanent foundation of the child's     
future character4 ,hence no woman is    
really competent to discharge the       
responsible duties of a mother as she   

ought1 unless she has first been        
properly educated4 ,there can be no     
object more deserving of commiseration1 
perhaps1 than a mother who is surrounded
 by a family of young children1 and yet 
is so ignorant as to be unable to       
instruct them in the rudiments of a     
common-school education and in the      
fundamental principles of a ,christian  
life4 ,the character of every child1 it 
may be assumed1 is essentially formed at
 seven years of age4 ,the mother of     
,washington knew this1 and felt it1 and 
in the education of her son1 taught him 
at an early age the leading truths of   
,christianity4 ,she took the ,bible for 
her guide1 and taught him to take the   
,bible for his guide4 ,his subsequent   
career proves that he adhered to the    
instructions of his mother4 ,when he    
came to pay her a visit1 at the close of
 the war1 after an absence of seven long
 years1 she received him with the       
overflowing heart of a mother1 as her   
dutiful son1 and thought of him only as 

a dutiful son1 never uttering a word in 
reference to the honors he had won as a 
military chieftain4  ,soon after this1  
,general ,lafayette1 wishing to make the
 acquaintance of the mother of          
,washington before returning to ,france1
 called at her residence in ,virginia1  
and introduced himself4 ,he found her at
 work in the garden1 clad in a homespun 
dress1 and her gray head covered with a 
plain straw hat4 ,she saluted him       
kindly1 and calmly remarked1 ,ah1       
,marquis1 you see an old woman2 but     
come1 ,i can make you welcome in my poor
 dwelling without the parade of changing
 my dress4 ,in the course of            
conversation ,lafayette complimented her
 as the mother of a son who had achieved
 the independence of his country1 and   
acquired lasting honors for himself4    
,the old lady1 without the least        
manifestation of gratified pride1 simply
 responded1 ,i am not surprised at what 
,george has done1 for he was always a   
very good boy4 ,what a noble response1  

in its moral grandeur1 was this6        
,certain it is that such a mother was   
worthy of such a son4 ,a monument1      
plain1 yet expressive in its design1 has
 been erected at ,fredericksburg to her 
memory4 ,it bears this simple1 yet      
sublime inscription3        ,mary1 the  
,mother of ,washington4   ,the extent of
 woman's moral power can only be limited
 by the extent of her capacities4 ,in   
every circle1 whether domestic1 social1 
or political1 the accomplished woman is 
a central power--imperium in imperio2   
and though she may not directly exercise
 the right of suffrage1 yet her         
influence and her counsels1 even an     
expression of her wish1 enable her to   
control the political1 as well as the   
social1 destinies of men and of nations4
 ,it is in this way that she may have   
her way4 ,it was the accomplished wife  
of ,mr4 ,monroe who made him ,president 
of the ,united ,states4 ,she was the    
first to propose his name as a          
candidate4 ,her influence with members  

of ,congress induced them to concur in  
advocating his election2 he was elected4
 ,his administration1 as we all know1   
was distinguished as the era of good    
feeling4  ,the prevalent idea that women
 need less education than men is a gross
 error1 worthy of heathendom perhaps1   
but entirely unworthy of ,christendom4  
,let women be as generally and as       
liberally educated as men1 and1 my word 
for it1 the question of woman's rights  
would soon settle itself4 ,the right of 
women to be thus educated cannot be     
doubted1 because it is a divine right1  
and because ,god has made woman the     
maternal teacher of mankind1 and the    
chief corner-stone of the social fabric4
 ,yet she should be educated with       
reference to her proper sphere as       
woman1--a sphere which is higher than   
that of man in the economy of ,nature4  
,her capacities for industrial pursuits1
 such as are consistent with her        
physical abilities1 should be developed 
so that she may be qualified to provide 

for herself1 and to sustain herself in  
life's battle1 if need be1 without the  
aid of a companion in arms4             
,nevertheless1 marriage is one of       
,heaven's irrevocable laws4 ,it is1 in  
fact1 the great law of all animal-life1 
and even of plant-life4 ,nowhere in     
,nature is there a single instance in   
which this law is not obeyed1 in due    
time1 except in the case of mankind4    
,why is this8 ,it certainly would not be
 so if it were not for some grand defect
 in our social system1--some false      
notions acquired by education1 which are
 peculiar to our civilization1 and which
 induce apostasy to truth and natural   
justice4 ,man was created to be the     
protector of woman1 and woman to be the 
helpmeet of man4 ,each therefore has an 
appropriate sphere2 and the obligations 
of each are mutual1 growing out of their
 mutual interest and dependence4 ,the   
sphere of the one is just as important  
as the sphere of the other4 ,neither can
 live1 nor ought to live1 without the   

aid1 the love1 and the sympathy of the  
other4 ,whether so disposed or not1     
neither can commit an infraction of the 
other's rights1 without violating a law 
of ,nature4  ,whatever may be the evils 
of our present social or political      
system1 it is evident that the right of 
suffrage1 if extended to woman1 could   
not afford a remedy1 but on the         
contrary1 would tend to weaken1 rather  
than strengthen1 mutual interests1 by   
creating unwomanly aspirations and      
domestic dissensions1 thus sundering the
 ties of love and affection which       
naturally exist between the sexes4 ,in a
 word1 it would be opening ,pandora's   
box1 and letting escape the imps of     
social and political discord1 and       
finally result in universal misrule1 if 
not in positive anarchy4  ,modesty and  
delicacy are the crowning               
characteristics of a true woman4 ,she   
naturally shrinks from the storms of    
political strife4 ,give her the right of
 suffrage1--a boon no sensible woman    

desires2 place her in office1 in the    
halls of legislation1 in the            
,presidential chair2 enrobe her with the
 judicial ermine1 or make her the       
executive officer of a criminal         
tribunal1--and how could she assume the 
tender relations of a mother1 and at the
 same time officiate in any of these    
high places of public trust1 in which   
the sternest and most inflexible duties 
are often required to be performed8  ,it
 is not possible1 however1 that the     
erratic comets1 whose trailing light    
occasionally flashes athwart our        
political sky1 will ever acquire        
sufficient momentum to jostle the fixed 
stars out of place1 because there is a  
fixed law of ,nature which preserves    
them in place4 ,there is also a law of  
,nature which makes man not only the    
protector1 but the worshipper1 of       
woman1--a worship which is as           
instinctively paid as reciprocated1 and 
which is by no means inconsistent with  
the worship of ,god1 but in truth is a  

part of it4 ,it is this kind of         
worship--this natural and holy impulse  
of the heart--which constitutes the     
basis of man's rights and of woman's    
rights1 and should harmonize all their  
relations in life4  ,we see the         
instinctive exhibition of man's         
reverence for women almost every day of 
our lives1 and often in a way that      
proves how ridiculous are modern        
theories in regard to woman's rights1   
when brought to the test in practical   
life4 ,not long since1 in one of our    
cities where a woman's rights convention
 was in session1 a strong-minded female 
delegate entered a street railway car1  
when an old gentleman arose to give her 
his seat1 but at that moment1 suspecting
 her to be a delegate1 asked1 ,be you   
one of these women's righters8--,i am4  
,you believe a woman should have all the
 rights of a man8--,yes1 ,i do4 ,then   
stand up and enjoy them like a man4 ,and
 stand up she did1--the old gentleman   
coolly resuming his seat1 to the great  

amusement of the other passengers4      
,whatever maybe the pretensions of      
agitators1 it is certain that no woman  
of refined culture1 or of proper        
self-respect1 will attempt to step      
outside of her appropriate sphere4 ,this
 she cannot do if she would1 without    
doing violence to the sensibilities of  
her nature4 ,when true to herself1      
woman1 like the lily-of-the-valley1     
prefers the valley1 where she can       
display her native loveliness in        
comparative retirement1 secure from the 
inclemencies of a frowning sky2 while   
man1 born with a more rugged nature1    
prefers1 like the sturdy oak1 to climb  
the hills and the mountains1 where he   
delights to breast the assaults of storm
 and tempest1 and to fling the shadow of
 his stately form over the valley1 as if
 to protect the ethereal beauty of the  
lily from the too ardent gaze of the    
sun4 ,and1 though a solitary flower may 
sometimes be seen climbing the mountain 
height1 it is only the modest           

lily-of-the-valley--the true            
woman--whose cheering smile man aspires 
to share1 and whose purity of character 
calls into exercise his reverent        
admiration4        ,honored be woman6   
she beams on the sight1      ,graceful  
and fair as an angel of light2          
,scatters around her1 wherever she      
strays1      ,hoses of bliss on our     
thorn-covered ways2      ,roses of      
paradise1 sent from above1      ,to be  
gathered and twined in a garland of     
love6     ,,aim ,,high4   ,in addressing
 you as a graduating class1 permit me to
 suggest for your consideration a few   
thoughts on the importance of regarding 
self-culture not only as a duty1 but as 
the only means of elevating and         
ennobling your aspirations in life4     
,though you have completed your         
academical course with a degree of      
success which does you credit1 you      
should remember that the great work of  
education still lies before you1 and    
that the formation of your characters   

and the shaping of your destinies are   
committed to your own hands4 ,and here  
let me assure you that it is little     
rather than great things which mark the 
character of a true gentleman4 ,in fact1
 there is but one way in which a refined
 education can be acquired1 and that is1
 little by little4  ,it is thus from day
 to day1 from year to year1 from        
everybody1 and from everything1 that you
 may learn1 if you will1 something new1 
something useful2 and though you care   
not to do it1 yet you will1 in spite of 
yourselves1 learn something1 good or    
evil1 just as you may choose to apply   
it4  ,you certainly have the power to   
choose between good and evil1--in other 
words1 to achieve the loftiest aims4    
,yet in directing your aspirations1 you 
must adapt means to ends2 collect your  
materials and refine them1 and in       
refining them give them the brilliancy  
of costly jewels1--jewels which you can 
wear with becoming grace and dignity    
wherever you may go1 and at all times   

and under all circumstances4  ,the      
acquisition of a mere book-knowledge1   
however desirable1 will avail you but   
little1 unless you acquire at the same  
time correct habits and principles1     
united with refinement of manners4 ,the 
world will be likely to take your       
personal appearance1 your style of dress
 and address1 as the true index of your 
character1 and whether deceived at first
 view or not1 will finally estimate you 
at your true value4 ,in perfecting your 
education1 it is not to be expected that
 you are to master every branch of human
 learning1 but rather that you are to   
make your life a life of thought1 of    
study1 of observation1 of strife to     
excel in all that is good1 and in doing 
good4  ,in attempting to achieve great  
things in the world1 you must not       
overlook little things1--little         
attentions1 little civilities due to    
others with whom you may come in        
contact2 for your claims to             
consideration will be estimated by the  

character of your conduct in social     
life4 ,there are certain                
conventionalities recognized in good    
society which you must respect1 and to  
which you must conform1 if you would be 
well received4 ,your manners and habits 
are therefore of vital importance as    
elements of character4  ,it has been    
truly said that man is a bundle of      
habits4 ,it may be said with equal truth
 that our own worst enemies are bad     
habits4 ,we all know that bad habits    
fasten themselves upon us1 as it were1  
by stealth2 and though we may not       
perceive the influence which they exert 
over us1 yet other persons perceive it1 
remark it1 and judge us accordingly4    
,the formation of correct habits in     
early life is comparatively easy1 while 
the correction of bad habits1 when once 
formed1 is always difficult1 especially 
in more advanced years4 ,in a word1 if  
you would become model characters1 you  
must discard all bad habits1 all odd    
habits1 all that is ungracious or       

ungraceful in word1 deed1 or manner1 and
 make it the leading rule of your life  
to observe the proprieties of life in   
all places and under all circumstances4 
,in order to achieve all this1 it is    
indispensable that you should study     
yourselves1 watch yourselves1 criticise 
yourselves1 and know yourselves as      
others know you4 ,the value of          
self-examination has been forcibly as   
well as beautifully expressed in a      
single stanza by ,robert ,burns1--      
,o wad some power the giftie gie us     
,to see oursel's as ithers see us6      
,it wad frae monie a blunder free us1   
,an' foolish notion3      ,what airs in 
dress an' gait wad lea'e us1            
,an' ev'n devotion6   ,it is true that  
in relation to the laws of etiquette    
many books have been written1 which are 
in fact more read than observed1 and    
which are more perplexing than          
practical4 ,no lady or gentleman was    
ever made truly polite1 truly agreeable1
 truly amiable1 by a strict observance  

of artificial rules4 ,something more is 
needed2 something must be done4 ,it is  
in the heart1 in the exercise of all the
 moral and ,christian virtues1 that true
 politeness has its foundation4 ,true   
politeness is never selfish1 never      
ostentatious1 but always overflowing    
with kindness1 always angelic in its    
attributes4 ,in word and deed1 it is    
always considerate1 delicate1 and       
graceful2 yet in its ministrations it   
always preserves its own self-respect1  
while it manifests its sincere respect  
for all that is good and for all that is
 meritorious4  ,heaven has imposed on us
 the duty of acquiring all the knowledge
 we can4 ,in discharge of this          
heaven-born duty1 we should begin at    
once the great work of self-culture1--a 
work never to be discontinued4 ,he who  
would build a spacious and a lofty      
temple1 a fit dwelling-place for        
divinity1 must first lay the foundations
 broad and deep1--not in sand1 but on a 
rock2 and then1 though storm and tempest

 beat against it1 it cannot fall1       
because it is founded on a rock4  ,but  
in adopting a system of self-culture1   
too much care cannot be bestowed on the 
cultivation of your manners1 your       
attitudes1 your style of conversation1  
and your expression of sentiment4 ,in   
regard to manners1 it is impossible to  
prescribe exact rules4 ,the best models 
for you to copy are to be found in the  
manners of the model men and women of   
our country who give tone to society4   
,at any rate1 be governed by good sense 
and by the dictates of nature1 so       
modified by art as to conceal art4 ,to  
disguise art is the perfection of art4  
,in this lies the secret power of       
angelic charms1--the charm of polished  
womanhood and manhood4  ,in your social 
intercourse employ a pure and           
unambitious style of diction1 and be    
careful to maintain a quiet and         
unobtrusive deportment2 and above all   
things avoid singularities and          
eccentricities1 nor attempt to attract  

attention for the sake of gratifying an 
overweening vanity4 ,and while you      
manifest a due respect for others1 be   
careful to maintain your own            
self-respect4 ,never indulge in         
exhibiting violence of temper2 but on   
all occasions control your feelings and 
expressions1 though provocations arise  
which justly excite your indignation4   
,if you would attain to the highest     
possible standard of social refinement  
and moral virtue1 you must rely on      
yourselves1 must look into the mirror of
 your own hearts and behold your own    
defects1 and then proceed at once to    
apply the appropriate remedies4 ,to do  
this effectively may cost you much      
labor1 yet the task will be found       
comparatively easy when you have        
resolved to execute it4  ,it is not only
 your privilege1 but your duty1 to      
acquire knowledge from every source1 as 
the bee gathers honey from every flower4
 ,collect and compare facts2 for in     
every fact1 whether great or small1     

there lies hid a lesson of wisdom1--a   
logic which is not only irresistible1   
but divine4 ,theories are of but little 
value unless attested by facts4 ,all    
mere theories are alike worthless1      
whether they relate to the physical or  
moral world4 ,prove all things1 and hold
 fast that which is good4 ,no better    
rule than this1 for your guidance       
through life1 ever was or ever can be   
given4 ,facts1 though stubborn things1  
are never falsehoods4 ,you may therefore
 regard facts as truth1 as the kind of  
mental food you should acquire1 digest1 
and convert into nutriment1 and thus    
grow strong and wise1 until you have    
realized the great fact that man was    
created but a little lower than the     
angels4  ,for the purpose of            
self-culture1 in its highest sense1 an  
ordinary lifetime seems quite too short1
 though prolonged to threescore years   
and ten4 ,the value of time cannot be   
overestimated4 ,if we would but consider
 how many precious moments we fritter   

away and lose in an unprofitable manner1
 we should see that it is the want of a 
due regard for the value of time1 rather
 than a want of time1 of which we should
 complain4 ,it is not1 therefore1 the   
fault of a ,divine ,providence that we  
have not time enough to perfect         
ourselves in the arts of a refined      
civilization1 and in the realization of 
the highest enjoyment of which our      
nature is capable4 ,whatever else you   
may lose1 never lose a moment of time   
which can be profitably employed4 ,a    
moment of time once lost can never be   
regained4 ,insignificant as a moment may
 seem1 your destiny may depend on the   
improvement you may make of it1 on the  
deed or thought it may prompt4 ,life1   
though long1 is made up of moments1 and 
terminates in a moment2 and all true    
knowledge is founded in truth4  ,if you 
would prolong your lives1 and enjoy     
health and happiness accompanied with   
vigor of mind1 study the laws of health 
and obey them4 ,make yourselves         

thoroughly acquainted with yourselves1  
by becoming acquainted with the         
physiology of the human system1 and by  
living in compliance with the           
requisitions of its principles4 ,nature 
is the best physician you can employ1   
whatever may be your malady2 but in     
order to be healed by her prescriptions1
 you must apply to her in time1 and     
adopt the uniform and temperate habits  
of life which her laws require4  ,it is 
said that ,nature has her favorites4    
,this may be true4 ,it would seem that  
some persons are born poets1 some       
philosophers1 some fiddlers1 some one   
thing1 and some another4 ,it may be said
 that such persons are specialists1 born
 to accomplish a special purpose4 ,they 
doubtless subserve the interests of     
mankind as models1 or standards of      
merit1 in their respective specialties2 
yet to be born a genius is not in itself
 a matter of merit1 but it is the good  
one does in the world which creates     
merit and crowns life with honors4      

,nearly all of our truly great men are  
men of self-culture1 who have acquired  
brains by the slow process of a lifelong
 industry in the pursuit of knowledge4  
,this class of men are not only much    
more numerous than born geniuses1 but   
much more useful4 ,they have a wider    
range of intellect and wield a wider    
influence4 ,they are men who read1      
think1 and digest what they read4 ,in   
their choice of books they select       
standard authors4 ,they are not         
book-worms1 devouring everything that is
 published2 nor are they literary       
dyspeptics1 who feed on sentimentalism  
and ,french cookery1 but hale1 hearty   
men1 who prefer common-sense and roast  
beef1--caring more for the quality of   
their food than for the quantity4  ,the 
world in which we live is a beautiful   
world4 ,he who made it pronounced it    
good1 and designed it for the residence 
of the good4 ,it is in itself a paradise
 for all who choose to make it a        
paradise4 ,in a physical sense1 it is   

not only a beautiful world1 but a great 
storehouse full of knowledge1 full of   
wisdom1 full of facts1--a record of the 
past and of the future1 written by a    
divine hand4 ,in short1 it is the great 
,book of ,life--of ,revelation--in every
 word of which we may find an outspoken 
thought1--        ,tongues in trees1    
books in the running brooks1            
,sermons in stones1 and good in         
everything4   ,in estimating your       
life-work1 you should feel that yours is
 a high destiny1 and that much is       
expected of you4 ,if you would succeed  
in the world1 you must have faith in    
yourselves as well as in a ,divine      
,providence1 and act upon the principle 
that ,god helps those who help          
themselves4 ,wherever you go1 make      
yourselves as acceptable and as         
agreeable to all with whom you come in  
contact as possible4 ,if you would be   
preferred1 prefer others2 and if you    
would be beloved1 scatter flowers by the
 wayside of life1 but never plant       

thorns1 and in all you do and say1 unite
 modesty with simplicity and sincerity4 
,there can be no true manhood or        
womanhood that does not rest on         
character1 in the highest sense of the  
term4 ,in fact1 it is the character we  
bear that defines our social position4  
,the formation of character is a work of
 our own1 and requires the exercise of  
all the better and higher powers of our 
nature4 ,on character depends not only  
our usefulness in life1 but our         
individual happiness4 ,character is the 
engraved mark1 or sign1 by which every  
individual is known1 and indicates the  
essential traits of his moral           
composition1 the qualities of his head  
and heart1 as displayed in his          
aspirations and in the work of his life4
 ,character is more enduring than       
reputation4 ,god respects character2 man
 respects reputation4 ,the one is as    
lasting as eternity2 the other as       
evanescent as the bubble that glitters  
in the sunshine for a moment1 and then  

disappears forever4  ,in forming a true 
character1 such an one as crowns the    
true man with an imperishable diadem1   
there are many things to be considered1 
especially the materials which enter    
into its moral masonry4 ,its foundation 
must be solid and immovable1 its        
superstructure chaste and elegant1 and  
its proportions harmonious and          
beautiful4 ,like a temple built for the 
gods1 it should be worthy of the gods4  
,it should be not only beautiful in its 
exterior1 but be in its interior the    
life-work of a truly heroic soul4       
,character represents soul4 ,as         
character is moulded by human           
instrumentalities1 so is soul4 ,soul is 
therefore the essence of a true manhood1
 a living principle that cannot die4 ,it
 is an influence in itself1 and out of  
itself1 felt everywhere and forever4 ,it
 is the moral life and the eternal life4
 ,like a pebble cast into the broad     
ocean1 its impulse is sensibly felt by  
the entire ocean2 every particle moves a

 particle1 until the vast deep is moved4
 ,such is individual influence4 ,if     
character1 then1 be what it should be1  
truthful1 noble1 divine1 it will        
necessarily be godlike1 and exert an    
influence in harmony with the benevolent
 designs of ,heaven4  ,and yet there are
 thousands who seem to live without     
purpose1--live merely to vegetate4 ,of  
course such persons do not live in      
earnest1 and hence do nothing in        
earnest4 ,they have life1 but no lofty  
aspirations4 ,they may have souls2 but  
if so1 they remain undeveloped4 ,in     
fact1 persons of this character have no 
character1 no earnest work1 no          
significance4 ,and for this reason1     
though living1 they are literally dead4 
,if we would make the world what it     
should be1 we must first make ourselves 
what we should be4 ,the work must begin 
at home in our own hearts1 and with a   
view to our own moral needs4  ,in the   
cultivation of a pure heart-life1 we    
should begin by cultivating a conscience

 void of offence4 ,if we would unlock   
the gate of paradise1 we must look for  
the key where it is to be found4 ,we may
 rest assured that it cannot be found in
 an uncultivated field of brambles and  
briers1 nor amid the rubbish of a       
misspent life2 yet to find it1 only     
requires diligent search4 ,though       
everything beautiful1 everything noble1 
everything sublime1 may lie in the      
distance1 yet it is attainable2 it is   
the ultimatum that we should            
seek1--something substantial1 something 
eternal4 ,mere fame is nothing worth4   
,it is a thing of earth1 and not of     
heaven4  ,there may be an innate feeling
 or principle that constitutes what is  
called conscience2 yet it must be       
conceded that conscience is practically 
but the product or outgrowth of         
education1 and may therefore be so      
moulded as to become the just or unjust 
judge of the moral questions which      
involve both our present and future     
welfare4 ,how important1 then1 that this

 judge should not only be a righteous1  
but an educated judge1 familiar with the
 principles of right and wrong1 and     
stern in the application of them6 ,in a 
word1 conscience is the central life of 
character1--the silent monitor within   
our own breasts1 whose moral influence  
controls our destiny4  ,the law of love 
may be regarded as the great law which  
underlies all law1 because it is divine4
 ,in fact1 love is the law that pervades
 the universe1 and in itself is         
sufficiently indicative of our moral    
obligations4 ,he who is governed by it1 
cannot err4 ,it is not1 however1 what we
 do for ourselves1 but rather what we do
 for others1 that can afford the most   
substantial happiness4 ,if you would    
receive1 you must give1 influenced by a 
kind and generous spirit4 ,overcome evil
 with good4 ,in this way1 like a moral  
,alexander1 you may conquer the world4  
,it is doubtless true that conscience1  
being essentially the outgrowth of      
education1 is ever in a formative state1

 and may therefore be strengthened and  
elevated in its moral perceptions by    
culture4 ,the more perfect its judgment1
 the more perfect the man or woman4     
,there can be no religion without       
conscience2 nor can there be conscience 
without religion4 ,the one is a         
counterpart of the other2 and equally   
true is it that the character of the one
 reflects the character of the other4   
,a true religion does not consist in a  
mere profession of faith1 nor in church 
membership1 but in that which is the    
leading principle of our lives2 in that 
which binds us to achieve an ultimate   
aim2 in that which calls into exercise  
all our moral powers1 and harmonizes our
 lives with the requisitions of the     
divine law4 ,yet any religion is better 
than none4 ,even the pagan is not       
destitute of a religion of some sort1   
however debased it may be4 ,it is simply
 the refinement of a higher civilization
 which has made the difference between  
the pagan and the ,christian4 ,nothing  

can be more important1 therefore1 than  
the kind of education which is bestowed 
on us in childhood1 or the kind of      
self-culture which we choose to bestow  
on ourselves4 ,and though circumstances 
may be adverse to our interests1 it is  
our duty to conquer circumstances1 and  
take into our own hands the fabrication 
of our fortunes4 ,in this life every day
 brings with it new lessons2 and though 
some of them may be pernicious1 all of  
them have their value4 ,if there were   
nothing evil1 there would be nothing    
good1--for the reason that there would  
be no contrast1 no standard of          
comparison4 ,and yet between good and   
evil there is no halfway house1 no happy
 medium4  ,in every question of right   
and wrong there are but two sides4 ,the 
one or the other we must take1 either   
directly or indirectly4 ,we cannot take 
a neutral stand if we would2 nor can we 
identify ourselves with both sides4     
,sincerity and hypocrisy are not born of
 the same parentage1 and cannot         

therefore walk hand in hand1 nor take   
the same social position4 ,they are     
marked by a different sign1 and by their
 sign they are readily recognized4      
,appear where they will1 the one will be
 respected1 the other despised4  ,if you
 would excel in anything1 in any        
particular pursuit1 you must first      
resolve to excel1 and then persevere1   
cost what it will4 ,if you encounter    
lions in your path1 exterminate them4   
,in ascending mountains1 make           
difficulties your stepping-stones1 and  
never look back until you reach the     
summit1 and can breathe freely in a pure
 atmosphere4 ,if you would reach the    
stars1 construct your own ladder1 and   
climb until you not only reach them1 but
 are crowned with them4 ,the soul never 
becomes truly heroic until it becomes   
truly godlike in its aspirations and    
purposes4  ,it is only in the practice  
of the cardinal virtues--prudence1      
justice1 temperance1 fortitude--that we 
acquire that divine power which alone   

can make us divine4 ,it is only in the  
adoption of lofty aims that we can      
expect to reach a lofty ideal4          
,everything is possible to him who has  
resolved to make it possible4 ,in other 
words1 where there is a will there is a 
way4 ,the will is the motive-power2 if  
this be wanting1 then all is wanting    
that goes to make up the character of an
 heroic soul4 ,the world needs moral as 
well as physical heroes1--heroes who    
know their duty1 and dare do it4 ,in the
 battle of life none but the wise and   
the valiant can be safely intrusted with
 the command4 ,the hostile powers of    
darkness1 of ignorance1 of superstition1
 challenge the field1 and cannot be     
overcome without a severe conflict4 ,the
 crisis has come4 ,whether armed or     
unarmed1 you must meet the foe2 for     
results you must trust in yourselves4   
,it will never do to trust in shields1  
in breastplates1 in fire-arms1 or in    
faith without works4 ,if you would      
conquer1 you must go into battle        

inspired with lofty aims1 and with a    
divine enthusiasm2 then will victory    
perch on your standard1 and the eagle of
 freedom1 fire-eyed1 pierce the sun4    
,and yet you should remember that in    
your attempts to achieve success1 you   
must deserve success4 ,it is only in    
severe moral discipline that you can see
 what you need1 and acquire what you    
need1--eminent virtue1 industry1 and    
sagacity4 ,in social life1 be social1   
amiable1 and accomplished2 in domestic  
life1 be something more1--be kind1      
considerate1 and sympathetic4 ,whether  
you have one or more talents1 improve   
them2 they will grow brighter by        
constant use4 ,whatever may be your     
capacities1 never indulge in vain       
aspirations4 ,however seductive the     
temptations which may beset you1 never  
compromise your integrity4 ,however     
ambitious you may be in your ultimate   
aims1 regard a good moral character as  
of infinite value4 ,always true to      
yourselves1 be true to others4 ,place   

implicit confidence in no one1 but      
confide in the strength of your own     
individuality4 ,in adversity be hopeful1
 and always look on the bright side of  
things4  ,in selecting a profession or  
business for life1 be governed by your  
natural taste or capacity1--your        
peculiar talent for this or that        
pursuit4 ,if embarrassed by             
circumstances1 never yield to them1 but 
resolve to excel in whatever you        
undertake4 ,perseverance is the secret  
of success4 ,if born with the gift of   
genius1 make it available2 do something 
new2 invent something new2 and in this  
way bequeath something valuable to      
mankind4 ,in other words1 live for      
mankind1 and if need be1 die for        
mankind4 ,adopt this as the religious   
sentiment of your life1 and act in      
accordance with it1 and your works will 
sufficiently attest the purity of your  
faith4  ,and yet you are not required to
 crucify yourselves2 but on the         
contrary1 it is your duty1 while        

striving to live for others1 to live for
 yourselves1 and thus make yourselves   
and your homes as happy as possible4 ,it
 is not in the shade1 but in the        
sunshine1 that you should seek to live4 
,it is only the now of life1 the        
fleeting present1 of which you are      
certain4 ,if1 then1 you would be        
prosperous1 if you would be happy1 if   
you would look to the future with a     
pleasing hope1 so live as to feel that  
you are sustained1 in all you do1 by an 
approving conscience1 and by the divine 
counsels of ,infinite ,wisdom4 ,it is   
only by living thus that you can make   
life on earth what it should be1--a     
heaven-life4  ,he who made all things   
has made no distinction between heaven  
and earth4 ,it is man that has made the 
distinction4 ,the natural atmosphere    
which surrounds the earth is pure and   
healthful2 it is only the moral         
atmosphere that has become impure and   
deleterious4 ,it needs no chemical      
agencies to purify it2 it must be       

purified1 if at all1 by moral agencies4 
,in other words1 we must recognize our  
obligations to our fellow-men1 and obey 
the ,golden ,rule1 as prescribed by the 
law of love1 if we would succeed in     
making earth a heaven4  ,almost every   
,american of culture has an object in   
view for which he lives1--some ultimate 
aim or aspiration which stimulates him  
to effort4 ,it may be a desire to excel 
in some one of the learned professions1 
or to become a millionnaire1 a hero in  
the battle-field1 a ,solon in the halls 
of legislation1 perhaps ,president of   
the ,united ,states4 ,in attempting     
achievements of this character1 it      
should be remembered that knowledge is  
the basis of success4 ,it is knowledge  
that gives power1 and wisdom that should
 direct us in wielding it4 ,yet a man   
may be learned1 and still be a cipher in
 the world4 ,god gave to man a divine   
outline1 and then left him to perfect   
himself1 at least in a mental sense4    
,this he must do1 or remain an animal1  

and feed on husks4  ,nearly all our     
great men are self-made men4 ,this is   
true of ,washington1 ,franklin1         
,jefferson1 and scores of others who1   
like them1 have acquired an enviable    
renown4 ,thus1 in all ages of the world1
 have men of noble aspirations reached  
eminent positions and immortalized their
 names4  ,it is somewhat surprising1    
however1 that most of our ,american     
graduates look to the learned           
professions1 rather than to a practical 
business life1 as affording the widest  
field for the acquisition of wealth and 
high social position4 ,this1 it seems to
 me1 is a great mistake4 ,not more than 
one professional man in ten ever rises  
above mediocrity in his profession1     
though he may prove to be useful1 and   
succeed in acquiring a comfortable      
livelihood4  ,in fact1 the learned      
professions have yet to learn that the  
supply exceeds the demand4 ,and hence   
there is but little use in attempting to
 shine as a star in any of the          

professions1 unless you have a          
sufficient brilliancy to take rank as a 
star of the first magnitude4  ,and yet  
we cannot have too many men of liberal  
education2 the more the better4 ,they   
are needed in every pursuit in life1 and
 in every place4 ,it is not the         
occupation that dignifies a man1 but the
 man that dignifies the occupation4     
,when you have chosen a pursuit1        
whatever it may be1 aim high4 ,yes1--   
,give me a man with an aim1             
,whatever that aim may be2              
,whether it's wealth or whether it's    
fame1         ,it matters not to me4    
,let him walk in the path of right1     
,and keep his aim in sight1      ,and   
work and pray in faith alway1           
,with his eye on the glittering height4 
,give me a man who says1         ',i    
will do something well1        ,and make
 the fleeting days         ,a story of  
labor tell4'        ,though aim he has  
be small1        ,it is better than none
 at all2      ,with something to do the 

whole year through1        ,he will not 
stumble or fall4       ,but ,satan      
weaves a snare         ,for the feet of 
those who stray        ,with never a    
thought or care         ,where the path 
may lead away4        ,the man who has  
no aim        ,not only leaves no name  
,when this life is done1 but1 ten to    
one1        ,he leaves a record of      
shame4       ,give me a man whose heart 
,is filled with ambition's fire2        
,who sets his mark in the start1        
,and keeps moving higher and higher4    
,better to die in the strife1           
,the hands with labor rife1      ,than  
to glide with the stream in an idle     
dream1        ,and lead a purposeless   
life4       ,better to strive and climb 
,and never reach the goal1        ,than 
to drift along with time1         ,an   
aimless1 worthless soul4        ,ay1    
better to climb and fall1        ,or    
sow1 though the yield be small1         
,than to throw away day after day1      
,and never strive at all4     ,,america 

,,and ,,her ,,future4   ,there is       
something in the very name of ,america1 
when applied to the ,united ,states1    
which carries with it an inspiring      
influence1--an ideal of freedom and of  
true manhood4 ,in referring to the      
incidents of her origin1 in connection  
with the events of her subsequent       
career1 it would seem that ,america is  
none other than a child of destiny4     
,she was born amid the storms of a      
revolution1 and commenced at birth to   
work out the great problems of civil and
 religious liberty4 ,she has an abiding 
faith in herself1 and believes it to be 
her mission to originate new views and  
discover new principles1 as well as to  
try new experiments in the science of   
popular government4 ,the greatest       
peculiarity in her character is that her
 past cannot be safely accepted as an   
index of her future2 in other words1 her
 past is not likely to be repeated4 ,in 
fact1 she does not wish to repeat or    
perpetuate anything that can be         

improved4 ,her political creed is as    
simple as it is brief1--the greatest    
good to the greatest number2 and yet it 
is the most complex creed1 perhaps1 that
 ever existed1 involving questions which
 have not been1 and cannot be1          
satisfactorily settled4  ,america knows 
what she has been1 but does not know    
what she will be4 ,it is doubtful if she
 knows what she would be4 ,she has      
several favorite watchwords1 such as    
progress1 freedom1 and equal rights1 and
 but few1 if any1 settled opinions4 ,her
 present position1 unstable as it may   
be1 is her standpoint of judgment4 ,in  
attempting to achieve what she most     
desires1 she relies on experiment rather
 than precedent4 ,in her forecast       
consist her welfare and her political   
sagacity2 yet she can no more predict   
than control her future4 ,none but a    
divine intelligence can comprehend the  
extent or grandeur of her future4  ,one 
thing is certain1 the rapidity of her   
career approaches railway speed4 ,what  

impediments may lie in her track1 or    
what collisions may occur1 it is        
impossible for man to foresee4 ,it would
 seem1 however1 that she is an          
instrumentality in divine hands2 a      
nationality1 whose task it is to work   
out the great problem of a just         
government1--one in which all political 
power is vested in the people1 and      
exercised by the people for the common  
purpose of securing the greatest        
possible good to the greatest possible  
number4 ,the right to live under such a 
government is a natural right1 and      
should be accorded to every human being1
 the world over4  ,in all human         
governments there are1 and probably ever
 will be1 more or less imperfections    
growing out of mistaken theories1 or    
arising from their practical workings4  
,though it may not be possible by       
legislation or otherwise to remedy every
 imperfection1 yet there can be no      
political inequality which may not be so
 far modified as to extend to every     

citizen equal rights and equal justice4 
,there is a natural love of freedom and 
of justice implanted within the human   
breast1 which lies at the foundation1   
not only of the political1 but of the   
social1 fabric4 ,this love of freedom   
and of justice is an instinctive        
feeling1 if not an inspired sentiment1  
which ennobles the patriot1 and converts
 him into a hero4 ,when oppressed1 the  
true hero smites his oppressor4 ,this is
 a law of his nature--an attempt to     
redress a wrong--and therefore an       
element of human government4 ,when a    
civil government has been instituted1   
positive law becomes the rule of right4 
,but when nations differ1 and diplomacy 
fails in its mission1 there remains no  
recognized alternative for adjustment   
but a reference to the arbitrament of   
the sword4 ,this final method of        
redressing national wrongs has descended
 to modern times from the primitive ages
 of barbarism1 and when adopted1 as     
often terminates in perpetuating the    

wrong as in redressing it4 ,it is1 to   
say the least of it1 a method which is  
entirely inconsistent with the refined  
civilization of the present age4  ,there
 seems to be no good reason why an      
international code of laws might not be 
adopted by all civilized nations for    
their common government in redressing   
their grievances4 ,if such a code could 
be framed and accepted1 it would not    
only secure the just rights of nations  
from infraction as against each other1  
but would unite them in their mutual    
interests and sympathies by the         
indissoluble ties of a common           
fraternity4 ,then all differences and   
dissensions could be settled1 as they   
should be1 by negotiation or voluntary  
submission to arbitration2 and then wars
 would cease1 and rivers of blood no    
longer flow4  ,nations1 in their        
relations to each other1 are but        
individuals1 and should1 as such1 be    
subjected to wholesome restraints by    
some recognized authority4 ,the proper  

authority would seem to be a            
representative ,congress of ,nations4   
,this view of the matter is an ,american
 idea1 and one which has been suggested 
by ,american experience4 ,the assumption
 that every nation is an independent    
sovereignty1 if not absurd in theory1 is
 by no means true in fact4 ,no civilized
 nation can live within itself and for  
itself1 but must and will1 in order to  
supply its wants1 hold commercial       
intercourse with other nations4 ,the    
productions of the earth belong to man1 
and are essential1 whether of this or   
that clime1 to his health and happiness1
 and will therefore be sought and       
distributed4 ,even the social relations 
of one nation with another are hardly   
less conducive to the general welfare   
than their commercial relations1        
especially since steam-power and the    
telegraph-wire have comparatively made  
all men next-door neighbors4  ,in these 
modern times no government which is not 
just in its administration can long     

survive without provoking a revolution4 
,it is only as a last resort that       
revolution becomes an elementary right1 
and then it must succeed in order to be 
recognized as a right4 ,nations succeed 
each other as naturally as individuals1 
sooner or later4 ,the interest of all1  
whether national or individual1 is the  
interest of each4 ,hence mankind the    
world over should be regarded as a      
common brotherhood1 entitled to the     
enjoyment of equal rights and equal     
justice as the legitimate sequence of   
their fraternal relationship4 ,and yet  
neither in ancient nor in modern times  
do we find a perfect government4 ,it is 
true1 however1 that we sometimes speak  
of our own ,american ,republic as a     
perfect system of popular government2   
yet it is nothing more1 in fact1 than an
 unsatisfactory experiment4 ,it is a    
system which grew out of circumstances1 
and one which changes with              
circumstances4  ,it was near the close  
of the eighteenth century when ,america 

began to lose her affectionate regard   
for her mother ,england4 ,this change in
 her affections grew out of the fact    
that the mother evinced a sincerer love 
for money than for the welfare of her   
daughter4 ,remonstrance1 though calmly  
uttered1 proved unavailing4 ,it was then
 that ,america for the first time gave  
indications of possessing a proud       
puritanic spirit that would not brook   
oppression4 ,the imposition of the      
,stamp ,act had incurred her            
displeasure2 nor did an invitation to   
take tea restore her to equanimity4     
,instead of condescending to take so    
much as a sip of that favorite beverage1
 she had the audacity to commit whole   
cargoes of it to the voracity of the    
ocean wave4 ,this offence provoked      
,england to take an avowed hostile      
attitude4 ,america1 still unawed1       
proceeded to beat her ploughshares and  
pruning-hooks into broadswords2 war1    
with all its horrors1 ensued4 ,the      
result was that after a seven-years     

contest1 liberty triumphed1 and         
,american independence became an        
acknowledged fact4  ,america had        
statesmen in those days who were men of 
pluck4 ,when they signed the            
,declaration of ,american ,independence1
 and proclaimed it to the civilized     
world1 they took their lives in their   
hands1 and so far as human foresight    
could determine1 were as likely to reach
 the gallows as to maintain the position
 they had assumed4 ,but fortune favored 
the brave1 and instead of ascending the 
gallows1 they ascended the pinnacle of  
fame1 and now take rank among           
,the few1 the immortal names      ,that 
were not born to die4   ,it will be     
recollected that our ,pilgrim ,fathers1 
on landing at ,plymouth ,rock1 entered  
into a written compact which contained  
the germs of a republic1--principles    
which were expanded in the subsequent   
articles of colonial confederation1 and 
finally were so developed and enlarged  
in their sweep and comprehension as to  

constitute not only the framework1 but  
the life and spirit1 of the federal     
,constitution1 which has been accepted  
as the written will of a free and       
magnanimous people4 ,in a republic like 
ours1 the popular will1 when clearly    
expressed1 commands respect and must be 
obeyed4 ,there is no alternative1 nor   
should there be4 ,as ,americans1 we     
believe in the ,constitution1 and in the
 stars and stripes1 and would die1 if   
need be1 in their defence4 ,we also     
believe in ourselves1 and in our        
capacity to take care of ourselves4     
,this great fact is sufficiently        
illustrated in our past history as a    
nation4  ,when her population was but a 
small fraction of what it now is1       
,america not only compelled ,england to 
acknowledge her independence1 but also  
compelled her1 in a subsequent war1 to  
acknowledge the doctrine of free trade  
and sailors' rights4  ,ever intent on   
enlarging the area of freedom1 ,america 
next sent out her armies and took       

possession of the ancient palaces of the
 ,montezumas1 and finally settled       
differences by accepting the golden land
 of ,california1 nor thought it at the  
time much of a bargain4 ,and last1 not  
least1 she suppressed within her own    
borders1 despite the adverse influences 
of ,england1 one of the most formidable 
rebellions the world ever beheld1 and   
succeeded in restoring fraternal harmony
 throughout the ,union4  ,in the history
 of the world there have been many forms
 of human government1 which have arisen 
at successive periods1 and which may be 
classed as the patriarchal1 the         
monarchical1 the aristocratic1 and the  
democratic4 ,the last was originally a  
direct rule of the people1 but from     
necessity and convenience has now become
 a representative government1 chosen by 
the people1 and controlled by their will
 and action as expressed through the    
medium of the ballot-box4 ,the doctrine 
that the majority must rule is evidently
 based on the scriptural idea that in a 

multitude of counsellors there is       
safety2 and yet this is not always true4
 ,minorities are often right1 and       
majorities wrong4 ,what is right and    
what is wrong1 is a matter of opinion1  
ever changing with the advance of       
civilization4  ,take any form of        
government you please1 and analyze it1  
and you will find that its vitality and 
its ability to preserve itself1 are     
based on physical power1--a power to    
coerce2 and when this power fails1 the  
government fails1 and either anarchy or 
revolution is the inevitable            
consequence4 ,yet the moral power of a  
government1 though it may not save it1  
is not less important than its physical 
power4 ,when both are exercised with no 
other view than a sincere desire to     
promote the public welfare1 the         
government is pretty certain of being   
sustained1 and simply for the reason    
that it is approved by a generous and   
healthful public sentiment4 ,but let    
public sentiment become corrupted by the

 influences of aspiring demagogues1 or  
by men who avow principles in conflict  
with the public interests1 and no       
government1 however pure and just in its
 inception1 can long command respect1 or
 preserve its authority4  ,every nation 
has its representative men4 ,america has
 hers4 ,cotton ,mather was a ,puritan   
and a theocrat2 ,benjamin ,franklin1 a  
patriot and a philosopher2 ,george      
,washington1 a great general and a model
 man2 ,thomas ,jefferson1 a true        
democrat and a wise statesman2 ,andrew  
,jackson1 a hero at ,new ,orleans1 and a
 ,jupiter in the ,presidential chair2   
and ,abraham ,lincoln1 a man of destiny1
 who crushed rebellion1 and proclaimed  
freedom to four millions of slaves4     
,these were the men of power in the     
hands of ,divine ,power2 and yet they   
did not comprehend the sequence of their
 mission4 ,their achievements marked the
 age in which they lived1 and will      
doubtless exercise a living influence1  
more or less controlling1 throughout the

 coming ages of the civilized world4    
,nations1 as well as individuals1 have  
their destiny in their own hands4 ,it is
 the character of the individuals       
constituting the nation which gives to  
the nation its true character4 ,america 
began her career by laying the          
foundations of her character1 not in the
 sand1 but on the rock of free schools1 
free churches1 and a free public press4 
,without these institutions true freedom
 can neither be acquired1 nor be        
preserved4 ,they are the only legitimate
 nurseries of a healthful and vigorous  
public sentiment4 ,preserve these       
institutions1 and the nation will       
continue to be free and prosperous and  
happy and powerful and glorious4 ,and   
yet there may be corrupting influences  
growing out of the manner in which a    
popular government is administered1 or  
growing out of the exercise and extent  
of the right of popular suffrage4       
,indeed1 it has already become a grave  
question how far it is safe to extend   

the right of suffrage4 ,it cannot be    
denied that our ,american population is 
but an intermixture of different        
nationalities1 thrown together by a     
common desire to become free men in a   
free land4 ,yet immigrants continue to  
come from the ,old ,world1 differing as 
widely in their political and religious 
education and predilections as in their 
language1 customs1 and social habits4   
,it is this foreign element that makes  
our population what it is1--an          
assimilating1 and yet an unassimilated  
mass4 ,a five-years residence1 under our
 present naturalization laws1 entitles  
aliens to citizenship and the right of  
suffrage4 ,when they have acquired      
citizenship1 demagogues assume to be    
their best friends1 only to deceive them
 and advance their own selfish          
aspirations4 ,in this way the original  
peculiarities of the different          
nationalities are wrought into political
 subserviency1 and employed as an       
element of power in securing the balance

 of power4 ,it is in this way that the  
people are first corrupted1 and then the
 government4 ,it is in this way that we1
 as a nation1 allow demagogues to       
educate the masses into a low and       
degrading estimate of what constitutes a
 popular government1 and of what are its
 true legitimate objects4  ,the right of
 suffrage is clearly a political1 not a 
natural1 right4 ,it should be exercised 
with wisdom1 and only with reference to 
the greatest good to the greatest       
number4 ,the ignorant cannot exercise   
this right with safety1 for the reason  
that they are not sufficiently          
intelligent4 ,a certain degree of       
education should therefore be regarded  
as an indispensable prerequisite4 ,a    
mere residence of five years in the     
country1 without the ability to read and
 write the ,english language1 should not
 be accepted as a presumptive           
qualification1 though strengthened by an
 oath of allegiance4  ,there are some   
statesmen1 as well as other persons1    

both in this country and in ,europe1 who
 are earnestly engaged in agitating the 
question of extending the right of      
suffrage to women1 on the ground that   
women are citizens1 and often own       
taxable property1 and consequently have 
the same interest as men in securing and
 maintaining a just and proper          
administration of the government under  
which they live4 ,while this is true1 it
 is equally true that men are endowed by
 nature with more physical1 if not more 
mental1 strength than women1 and have a 
higher regard for the diviner sex than  
they have for themselves1 and           
consequently were created to be their   
protectors and guardians4 ,in fact1 the 
two sexes are but counterparts of each  
other4 ,in ,nature's arithmetic1 the two
 count but one1 and should be but one in
 heart and in life4 ,but somehow or     
other1 many of these counterparts get   
strangely mismatched1 or are never      
matched at all4 ,this is not a fault of 
,nature1 but a defect in our social     

system4 ,if it were considered as proper
 for women as for men to be the first to
 propose marriage1 it would doubtless   
lead to the happiest results4 ,but      
taking things as they are1 the thought  
has occurred to me that it would be wise
 for the ,state to limit the right of   
suffrage to married men1 for the reason 
that such men would naturally feel the  
deepest interest in sustaining a good   
government4 ,let the right to vote and  
to hold office depend on marriage1 let  
the honors of ,state and of society be  
conferred on none but those who have    
honored themselves by assuming the      
duties and responsibilities of wedded   
life1 and ,i doubt not that all         
marriageable bachelors would aspire to  
the honors of full citizenship1 while   
marriageable women would soon find their
 proper places in their proper sphere1  
and the government become what it should
 be1--pure in its principles and just in
 its administration4 ,america is in a   
transition state1 and will in all       

probability continue to trust in the    
success of untried experiment1 rather   
than rely on her past experience4 ,but  
still there survives within the         
,american breast a popular sentiment1   
which1 like the magnetic needle1 ever   
points to an unerring polar star4 ,it is
 only amid clouds and storms that       
dangers arise1 or become alarming4 ,it  
is therefore important that the ship of 
,state should be intrusted to none but  
skilful mariners4 ,the pilot should     
appreciate the dignity of his position1 
and comprehend the extent of his        
responsibilities4 ,whether the golden   
age of ,america terminated with the     
outbreak of her great ,civil ,rebellion1
 or commenced at the date of its final  
suppression1 remains1 perhaps1 an       
undecided question2 yet there are       
thousands who believe that her golden   
age has passed1 never to return4 ,this  
may or may not be true4  ,it is hardly  
to be expected1 however1 that a happier 
age will ever arrive than that which    

existed prior to the ,southern          
,rebellion4 ,the people generally1 both 
,north and ,south1 before an appeal to  
arms occurred1 were characterized by a  
genial sincerity in the expression of   
their political views and in the        
recognition of their constitutional     
obligations1 as well as in their        
ecclesiastical connections and social   
relations4 ,they1 in fact1 felt that    
they were akin to each other1 and       
regarded each other as a common         
brotherhood1 having mutual interests in 
sustaining a common government1--a      
government which their fathers had      
framed1 and bequeathed to them and to   
coming generations4 ,in this genial     
relation1 for nearly a century1 the     
,north and the ,south enjoyed           
uninterrupted peace and prosperity2 and 
,america took her position as one of the
 great and powerful nations of the      
earth4  ,it is to be hoped1 however1    
that the result of the late ,civil ,war 
will prove a blessing in disguise1      

though laden with many unpleasant       
memories4  ,if we cannot obliterate the 
dark spots in the sunlight of our past  
history as a republic1 we can at least  
cultivate friendly relations and a      
liberal spirit1 such as will give to our
 future history a spotless character4   
,it now becomes a grave question whether
 the freedom of the emancipated slaves  
will prove a boon or a curse to them4   
,as yet they cannot comprehend their    
relative position2 nor can they foresee 
their ultimate though not distant       
destiny4 ,as a race1 they differ widely 
in their natural characteristics from   
the ,saxon race among whom they have    
been diffused4 ,they belong to ,africa4 
,the two races1 being distinct in the   
conditions of their origin and physical 
structure1 as well as in their          
temperament and tastes1 can never       
harmonize as one people1 either in their
 social or political relations1 on the  
basis of a perfect equality4 ,the thing 
is impossible1 simply for the reason    

that the law of antagonism which exists 
between the two races is founded in     
,nature1 and is therefore a divine law1 
which can neither be controlled nor     
essentially modified by legislation or  
education4 ,in fact1 a war of races has 
already become imminent1 and must1 when 
it does come1 terminate in the          
expulsion1 if not extinction1 of the    
,african race4  ,in the future of       
,america there are mystic events which  
time only can disclose4 ,onward is the  
watchword of the living present4 ,every 
,american believes there is a tide in   
the affairs of men which1 taken at the  
flood1 leads on to fortune4 ,the        
almighty dollar is his leading star4    
,hoards of gold and silver glitter in   
the distance4 ,in acquiring wealth he   
acquires power4 ,he knows that wealth is
 power2 and hence the acquisition of    
wealth has become the ruling passion of 
the age4 ,in other words1 money         
supersedes merit1 while moral honesty is
 held at a discount4 ,lamentable as the 

fact may be1 it is evident that an      
unscrupulous desire to obtain wealth and
 political honors pervades all classes  
of ,american society1 from the highest  
to the lowest4  ,in order to facilitate 
the accumulation of wealth1 and achieve 
their ambitious aims1 individuals       
consolidate their capital in            
corporations1 and corporations          
consolidate themselves into overgrown   
monopolies4 ,in this way almost every   
leading branch of trade and of          
manufactures1 as well as railroad       
interests1 shipping interests1 and      
telegraph lines1 are merged in          
corporations1--in fact1 nearly all that 
remains of individuality is lost in     
corporationality4 ,of course the mere   
individual1 however meritorious1 becomes
 literally powerless unless recognized  
by a corporation4 ,though a trite       
saying1 it is nevertheless true that    
corporations are soulless1 and therefore
 devoid of human feeling and of human   
sympathies4 ,among the most formidable  

of these monopolies are the railroad    
corporations1 ever busy in weaving their
 spider-like webs over the entire       
continent4 ,in discharging their duties 
to the public they seldom subordinate   
their own interests4  ,almost every man 
of wealth in ,america is a stockholder  
in one or more incorporated companies1  
and will of course act politically1 as  
well as individually1 in accordance with
 his interests4 ,both the commercial and
 financial operations of the country are
 essentially in the hands of            
corporations4 ,they in fact monopolize  
the banking institutions2 and if they do
 not control1 they evidently desire to  
control1 the legislation and government 
of the entire country4 ,indeed1 the time
 has already come1 when in quite too    
many instances the popular voice yields 
to the corporative voice1 while personal
 merit and qualification for office     
become questions of secondary           
importance4 ,it is easy to be seen that 
corporative interests have become not   

only gigantic1 but are engaged1 with    
pick and spade1 in undermining the very 
foundations of the ,republic4 ,if the   
people would preserve their equal       
rights1 and enjoy the blessings of a    
free government1 they must not only     
remember1 but act on the principle1 that
 eternal vigilance is the price of      
liberty4  ,it is owing to the tendency  
of capital to combine its productive    
energies that working-men1 as they are  
pleased to designate themselves1        
conceive the idea that capital and labor
 are antagonistic in their interests4   
,hence working-men1 especially miners   
and mechanics1 combine against          
capitalists for the purpose of securing 
higher rates of wages4 ,in doing this1  
they resort to strikes1 violate their   
contracts1 and dictate their own prices4
 ,if their terms are not accepted1 they 
refuse to work1 and the great leading   
industries of the country are crippled1 
if not suspended4 ,a train of moral and 
physical evils follows1 which are more  

seriously felt by the strikers than by  
capitalists4 ,if movements of this kind 
are continued1 the obvious result will  
be to drive capital out of the country  
to seek a more reliable investment4 ,it 
is labor that produces capital1 and     
capital that furnishes labor4 ,the one  
must depend on the other4 ,their        
interests are therefore mutual1 and both
 are entitled to equal protection2 their
 relations to each other must           
necessarily be regulated by the law of  
supply and demand4 ,there is no other   
law or power that can do it4 ,if force  
be applied1 it is certain to react4 ,yet
 the field is alike open to all4 ,the   
laborer often becomes a capitalist1 and 
the capitalist a laborer4 ,what are     
known as strikes1 therefore1 can effect 
no lasting good to any one4 ,they are   
but elements of social discord1 which   
demagogues seize and control for their  
own aggrandizement4 ,in fact1 ,trades   
,unions are nothing more nor less than  
organized conspiracies against          

capitalists and the best interests of   
the country4 ,if tolerated1 the         
government itself is in danger of being 
ultimately subverted4 ,it is clear that 
the tendency of these unions is to      
produce disunion4 ,they have already    
become so formidable in numbers and in  
political influence as to render it     
doubtful whether any legislation could  
be obtained1 or military power enforced1
 which would either control or restrain 
them in their action and ultimate aims4 
,in view of this state of things1 it    
would seem that the time has come when  
the ,american people1 as a nation1      
should pause and take the sober second  
thought4  ,it is often said that the    
world is governed too much4 ,but so far 
as this country is concerned1 the       
reverse seems much nearer the truth4    
,our government is presumed to be the   
creature of public opinion4 ,in theory  
it is so2 but in practice we generally  
find that what is called public opinion 
is manufactured by a few scheming       

politicians1 through the                
instrumentalities of packed conventions 
and a subservient public press4 ,and    
hence candidates for office are selected
 with a view to their availability      
rather than for their known capacity and
 integrity4 ,this failure to select the 
best men of the country to govern it1   
and administer its laws1 has already    
resulted in degrading ,american         
character by the corrupt practices which
 it has generated1 if not sanctioned1 in
 every department of government1 whether
 federal1 ,state1 or municipal4  ,in    
fact1 dangers lurk on every side4 ,there
 is no safety1 unless it can be found in
 the virtue and intelligence of the     
people4 ,if in this respect the people  
are deficient1 it is the fault of their 
education4 ,the rights of citizenship   
should depend on education1 and the     
masses1 if need be1 should be educated  
by compulsion4 ,as it now is1 the       
learned professions are regarded as the 
main pillars that sustain the social    

fabric4 ,they in fact give tone to      
public sentiment1 and erect the standard
 of public morals4 ,the masses accept   
their opinions1 and seldom question     
their accuracy2 and yet the masses are  
often misled4 ,the few corrupt the many4
 ,hence it is that we so often see the  
lawyer1 the doctor1 and even the        
clergyman1 swayed in their action by    
political incentives2 and especially is 
this true of professed politicians and  
official dignitaries4 ,as a matter of   
course1 public sentiment becomes        
demoralized1 and almost every species of
 fraud and corruption comes to be       
regarded as quite respectable4 ,if for  
this state of things there be a remedy1 
it is only to be found in our public    
schools and in the moral teachings of   
our churches4 ,it is here that the work 
of reform must begin1 the sooner the    
better4 ,it should begin by re-laying   
the foundations of the ,republic deeper 
and broader1 and with principles as     
solid and permanent as the masonry of   

the everlasting hills4 ,when this great 
radical work has been accomplished1 the 
threatening clouds which now cast their 
shadows over our national future        
,will fold their tents like the ,arabs1 
,and as silently steal away4   ,while in
 the tendencies of the age we see much  
to admire1 we also see much to be       
regretted4 ,in a word1 there is too much
 friction in the complicated machinery  
that spins and weaves the web and woof  
of ,american character4 ,in religion1   
morals1 and politics1 wide differences  
of opinion are to be expected1 yet they 
should be honest4 ,while a free public  
press may be regarded in theory as the  
palladium of ,american liberty1 it seems
 to proceed practically on the belief   
that its own interests are the public   
interests4 ,especially is this true of  
the political press4 ,money1 instead of 
principle1 is too often its guiding     
star4 ,by its influence1 men in office  
and out of office are made and unmade at
 pleasure4 ,and this will ever be the   

case so long as editorial utterances are
 accepted as oracular4 ,and yet there is
 hope1 and perhaps safety1 even in the  
freedom of our partisan prints1 so long 
as they continue to expose the falsities
 of each other1 whatever may be their   
motives4 ,if1 as in ,china1 the head of 
every editor who knowingly publishes an 
untruth were demanded as a forfeit1 it  
is to be feared that gentlemen of the   
tripod would soon become few and far    
between in this broad land of the free4 
,yet the newspaper is the controlling   
power of the government1 and the        
mouth-piece of public sentiment4        
,editors should therefore appreciate    
their responsibility1 as well as take   
the responsibility4  ,though rotation in
 office may be regarded as a wholesome  
principle in the administration of a    
popular government1 it is evident from  
the history of the past that frequent   
elections tend to disturb the peace and 
harmony of society4 ,one political      
campaign scarcely ends before another   

begins4 ,especially is this true of our 
,presidential elections4 ,the spirit of 
these elections extends to all our local
 elections1 and often renders them      
equally bitter and intolerant4  ,these  
are growing evils which seem to threaten
 the stability of the ,republic1 and    
which require the application of a      
radical remedy4 ,in the first place1 the
 right of suffrage should be made       
uniform in all the ,states1 and extend  
to none except citizens who can read1   
write1 and speak the ,english language4 
,this must be done1 if we would preserve
 our ,american nationality from a       
confusion of tongues and the            
contamination of disloyal principles4   
,in the next place1 the ,president      
should be elected by a direct popular   
vote for a term of eight or ten years1  
and be rendered ineligible thereafter4  
,if provisions of this character were   
incorporated into the federal           
,constitution1 the ,president would have
 no other motive in the discharge of his

 official duties than a desire to make  
for himself a good record2 while        
professional politicians would          
disappear1 and our county be saved from 
the demoralizing influences of a        
constant partisan warfare4  ,in regard  
to the ,presidential question1 the      
keynote is usually sounded by the       
friends of the administration1 who wish 
to retain its patronage1 or by          
opponents1 who seek to overthrow it for 
the sake of the spoils4 ,though         
candidates for office contend loudly for
 principles and reform1 it is evident   
that with many of them the public       
treasury is the centre of attraction4   
,it is true1 however1 that there are    
some honorable exceptions1--some men who
 are influenced by patriotic motives1   
who love their country and desire to    
promote its real welfare1 and who would 
rather do right than be ,president of   
the ,united ,states4  ,in a government  
like ours1 which is essentially partisan
 in its character1 there exists a       

manifest want of promptitude in the     
exercise of its central power4 ,in other
 words1 it takes a republic too long to 
move and execute in a crisis4 ,it is    
prevented from doing this by the popular
 trammels which environ it4 ,and yet it 
is often as difficult to ascertain what 
is the popular will as it is to comply  
with it4 ,for this reason it is often a 
slavish fear1 rather than a sense of    
right1 that controls the administration 
of the government4 ,even our best men1  
when placed in power1 become so         
sensitive to public opinion that their  
moral courage oozes out at their        
fingers' ends4 ,they see lions in their 
path1 and therefore fear to do their    
duty4 ,so long as a love of office1     
rather than a love of country1          
influences the action of the politician 
and the statesman1 there can be neither 
strength nor stability in the framework 
of democratic institutions4 ,for an     
illustration of this1 we need only      
appeal to the histories of ,greece and  

,rome4 ,america has produced1 however1  
many model men1 and doubtless will      
produce many more of a like character4  
,it is men that we want1--men of nerve  
and pluck1 as well as men of wisdom1 not
 only to enact our laws1 but to         
administer them4 ,all conspiracies of   
one class against the rights of another 
class1 or against the rights of         
individuals1 should by ,congressional   
enactment be declared crimes1 and the   
perpetrators promptly punished1 no      
matter by what name their associations  
may be known4 ,it is the prompt         
enforcement of criminal law that gives  
it moral force and overawes the         
offender4  ,it is impossible to predict 
the future1 except as we see it from a  
standpoint of the present4 ,hence it is1
 perhaps1 that we apprehend dangers when
 there are none4 ,yet we know that the  
elements of dissolution are incorporated
 into the very material that constitutes
 the universe4 ,and so it is with the   
nations of the earth4 ,the law of change

 is universal4 ,it affects alike both   
the moral and the physical world4 ,in   
his desires1 man1 as an individual1 is  
insatiable2 and so are nations4 ,it is a
 prominent trait of ,americans to want  
territory1 and to acquire territory4    
,they must have elbow-room2 but the     
misfortune is1 they do not know when    
they have enough4 ,it seems as if they  
aspired to grasp the world and to govern
 the world4  ,it is doubtless true that 
we1 as a nation1 have already acquired  
too much territory4 ,the result is1 the 
government has become unwieldly1 and the
 danger great that it will break down1  
sooner or later1 of its own weight4 ,so 
vast is the national domain1 and so     
various is it in its climate1           
productions1 and population1 that its   
central power cannot so legislate as to 
do equal justice to all interests1 and  
at the same time harmonize the conflict 
of public sentiment4 ,this state of     
things had its influence in producing   
the outbreak of the late ,rebellion4    

,for grievances of this character there 
would seem to be no other remedy than   
that of revolution4  ,we can but hope1  
however1 that the ,states now known as  
the ,united ,states will continue to    
increase in numbers1 and to harmonize as
 one people1 one nation1 and one        
government4 ,yet it is quite possible   
that the time will come when they will  
sever into groups and become independent
 of their present federal relation to   
each other1 in accordance with their    
peculiar sectional interests1 peaceably 
if they can1 forcibly if they must4     
,then1 instead of one1 we shall probably
 have several independent ,american     
confederacies1 whose future boundaries  
are clearly indicated1 not only by      
differences of climate and productions1 
but by ,nature1 as marked by her great  
intervening rivers1 lakes1 and mountain 
ranges4 ,these confederacies1 when      
organized1 will doubtless consist of    
those groups of ,states now known as the
 ,eastern1 ,western1 ,southern1 and     

,pacific ,states4  ,in addition to      
sectional interests and geographical    
differences1 there are other            
considerations tending to induce a      
division of the ,union4 ,among these are
 an almost unlimited number of political
 aspirants1 and a rapidly increasing    
population4 ,in ,europe1 and in many    
parts of ,asia1 an overgrown population1
 in connection with geographical        
differences and tribal distinctions1 is 
doubtless the original cause which led  
to subdivisions of empire1 and the      
establishment of so many petty kingdoms 
as now exist in those countries4 ,the   
same causes are evidently at work on the
 ,american continent1 and must          
ultimately produce similar results4 ,in 
little more than a century our          
population has increased from seven to  
sixty millions4 ,in the next century1 at
 present rates1 the increase from       
natural growth and the influx from      
foreign emigration will in all          
probability approximate two or three    

hundred millions4 ,europe alone1 judging
 from present indications1 will transfer
 to this continent within that period a 
large share of that number4 ,if this be 
assumed as worthy of credence1 is it not
 time that we1 as ,american citizens1   
should look ahead1 as well as go ahead1 
and if possible1 preserve our national  
character8  ,it is true that an         
intermixture of foreign blood with      
,american blood may tend to develop a   
higher order of manhood2 yet when we go 
so far as to permit foreign languages to
 be taught in our public schools at the 
public expense1 as essential to an      
,american education1 and that1 too1 at  
the dictation of denizens whose         
education and predilections are in      
conflict with our own1 have we not      
reason to fear the ultimate results8 ,if
 this insidious influence of foreign    
growth be allowed to control our        
educational system1 it will not be long 
before we shall adopt foreign habits and
 sentiments1 and lose forever our       

,american nationality4  ,if ,america    
would be true to herself1 she must      
preserve not only the purity of her     
principles1 but the purity of her spoken
 language4 ,if foreigners choose to     
become ,american citizens1 they must    
expect to become ,americanized in       
language and sentiment1 as well as      
accept our form of government4 ,we want 
no foreign element incorporated into our
 free institutions which does not       
harmonize with them4 ,in a word1 we want
 no union of ,church and ,state1 no     
confusion of tongues in our public      
schools1 no aping of foreign manners and
 habits1 no foreign dictation1--nothing 
but pure ,american freedom and pure     
,american principles4  ,it is in this   
country that ,church and ,state1 for the
 first time in the history of the       
civilized world1 have been separated1   
and allowed to conduct their own affairs
 in their own way1 and independently of 
each other4 ,so far as experience has   
gone in this respect1 it proves the     

wisdom of the policy4 ,and yet there are
 many statesmen1 who1 in reading the    
signs of the times1 think there are     
reasons for believing that the          
priesthood have inherited their ancient 
love of civil power1 and are quietly    
endeavoring1 in various ways1 to secure 
such a degree of moral power over the   
popular mind as will1 in effect if not  
in fact1 transfer to them the control of
 the civil government4  ,if the         
priesthood are to control the           
government1 it matters but little       
whether it be the ,catholic or the      
,protestant4 ,catholicism regards the   
,church as supreme and the ,state as    
subordinate1 repudiates public schools1 
and trains her youth in the ,church and 
for the ,church1 thus preparing them to 
become not only adherents to the faith1 
but soldiers of the cross2 while        
,protestantism asks the recognition of  
,god in the ,constitution1 urges a      
fraternal union of all her various      
denominations1 with a view to           

concentrate and direct their moral      
force1 and even goes so far as to       
discuss politics in the pulpit1--thus   
attempting to control the results of our
 popular elections1 especially when     
great moral questions are supposed to be
 involved4 ,in all this there may be no 
insidious design2 but facts carry with  
them a degree of significance which     
ought not to be disregarded4 ,if a      
religious war must come1 it will be a   
fearful contest1 and one which must     
result in the subversion of free        
government1 and finally extinguish the  
last hope of every true philanthropist4 
,and yet1 as a people1 we need never    
despair of the ,republic so long as we  
sustain free public schools and confide 
the government to none other than an    
enlightened and philanthropic           
statesmanship4 ,if ,america continues to
 respect herself1 she is evidently      
destined to wield1 not only the moral   
power of the world1 but to complete the 
civilization of the world4 ,inspired    

with a desire to ameliorate the         
condition of mankind the world over1 she
 annually expends millions of money in  
advancing the cause of a true           
,christianity4 ,so inviting are her free
 institutions that she is rapidly       
becoming a central nation in point of   
wealth1 talent1 and population1 as well 
as in moral and political influence4 ,it
 should be her pleasure1 as well as aim1
 not only to perfect her own government1
 but to diffuse a knowledge of her      
liberal principles throughout the world4
  ,in reverting to the history of the   
past1 we see that nations1 like         
individuals1 have their career1 succeed 
each other1 and finally become extinct4 
,on this continent the red race has been
 rapidly succeeded by the white race4   
,whether a still higher order of man    
will succeed the white race1 is a       
question which time only can determine4 
,nature is provident1 and like ,divine  
,providence1 works in mysterious ways1  
and with an aim to achieve ultimate     

results4 ,what ,america now is1 we know2
 what she will be1 we know not4 ,it is  
devoutly to be wished1 however1 that her
 career may continue to be characterized
 by great and noble achievements1 and   
that her star-spangled banner may       
forever float in triumph        ,o'er   
the land of the free and the home of the
 brave4     ,,career ,,of ,,rev4        
,,joseph ,,badger4   ,there have been   
but few men in the clerical profession  
who have made a worthier or more        
exemplary life-record for themselves    
than ,rev4 ,joseph ,badger4 ,he fought  
for liberty in the ,revolution1 and for 
,christianity in the wilds of the       
,western ,reserve4 ,in the one case he  
fought with the musket1 in the other    
with the sword of the ,spirit4 ,whether 
serving as a soldier or as a missionary1
 he proved himself sincere and steadfast
 in his devotion to duty4  ,rev4 ,joseph
 ,badger was born at ,wilbraham1 ,mass41
 ,feb4 #bh1 #ageg4 ,he was a lineal     
descendant of ,giles ,badger1 who       

emigrated from ,england and settled at  
,newburyport1 not far from ,boston1     
about the year #afce4 ,the father of    
,joseph was ,henry ,badger1 who married 
,mary ,landon4 ,they were both devoutly 
pious1 and equally poor in this world's 
goods4 ,they instructed their son       
,joseph1 at an early age1 in the        
catechism of the ,puritan faith1 and    
gave him such further elementary        
education as they were able at the      
domestic fireside4 ,he grew strong in   
the faith as he grew to manhood1 when he
 began to realize that in sharing life  
with his parents1 good and kind as they 
were1 he shared their poverty4 ,in      
consulting his mirror he was often      
painfully reminded of the fact that his 
garments1 patched as they were1         
displayed about as many colors as the   
coat of his ancient namesake4 ,inspired 
with the patriotic sentiment of the     
times1 and desiring not only to provide 
for himself1 but to obtain sufficient   
money to give himself a liberal         

education1 he enlisted in #agge1 when   
but eighteen years of age1 in the       
,revolutionary army1 as a common        
soldier1 and was assigned to the        
regiment commanded by ,colonel          
,patterson4 ,the regiment was stationed 
at ,fort ,no4 #c1 near ,lechmere's      
,point1 in the vicinity of ,boston4 ,at 
the battle of ,bunker ,hill this        
regiment was posted on ,cobble ,hill1 in
 a line with the front of the ,american 
battery1 and about half a mile distant1 
where every man of the regiment could   
see the fire from the whole line1 and   
enjoy the pleasure of seeing the        
,british break their ranks1 run down the
 hill1 and then reluctantly return to   
the charge4 ,on their third return1 as  
luck would have it1 they carried the    
works at the point of the bayonet4 ,this
 was the first time after his enlistment
 that young ,joseph had an opportunity  
to smell the smoke of ,british          
gunpowder4 ,it was some time in         
,september of the same year he enlisted 

that the ,british landed three or four  
hundred men on ,lechmere's ,point to    
take off a herd of fat cattle4 ,colonel 
,patterson ordered his regiment to      
attack the marauders and prevent them   
from capturing the cattle4 ,a sharp     
conflict ensued1 in which ,joseph tested
 the virtues of his musket and poured   
into the enemy nine or ten shots in     
rapid succession and with apparent      
effect4 ,several were killed and others 
wounded on both sides4 ,joseph escaped  
unharmed4 ,but soon after this skirmish 
he took a violent cold1 attended with a 
severe cough4 ,his captain advised him  
to return home until he could recover4  
,this he did1 and within twenty days    
came back and rejoined his regiment     
quite restored to health4  ,the ,british
 evacuated ,boston on the #agth of      
,march1 #aggf4 ,on the next day ,colonel
 ,patterson's regiment1 with several    
other regiments1 was ordered to ,new    
,york1 where they remained for three    
weeks1 and were then ordered to ,canada4

 ,they were transported up the ,hudson  
to ,albany1 and thence by way of ,lakes 
,george and ,champlain to ,st4 ,johns1  
and thence to ,la ,prairie on the banks 
of the ,st4 ,lawrence and in sight of   
,montreal4 ,on the way the troops       
suffered severely from exposure to      
rain-storms and snow-storms1 and from   
want of provisions4 ,they arrived at ,la
 ,prairie late in the day1 and in a     
state bordering on starvation1 where    
they encamped supperless4 ,the next day 
each soldier received a ration of a few 
ounces of mouldy bread for breakfast1   
and a thin slice of stale meat for      
supper4 ,joseph accepted his share of   
the dainty feast without a murmur1 but  
doubtless thought the wayfaring soldier 
had a pretty hard road to travel4 ,a    
part of ,colonel ,patterson's regiment  
was then ordered up the river to a small
 fort at ,cedar ,rapids1 which was      
besieged by a ,british captain with one 
company of regulars and about five      
hundred ,indians1 led by ,brant1 the    

famous ,indian chief4 ,the ,indians were
 thirsting for blood4 ,a fierce conflict
 ensued1 which lasted for an hour or    
more1 when the enemy was compelled to   
retreat towards the fort4 ,at this      
juncture a parley was called1 and the   
firing ceased4 ,a number were killed1   
and more wounded4 ,it so happened that  
the fifth company1 to which ,joseph     
belonged1 did not arrive in time to     
participate in the fight1 though they   
had approached so near the scene as to  
hear the firing and see the rolling     
cloud of battle-smoke4 ,joseph expressed
 his regret that he had lost so good an 
opportunity to give his flint-lock a    
second trial4 ,the detachment was now   
ordered to retreat to ,la ,chine1--a    
,french village about six miles above   
,montreal4 ,here they were reinforced by
 the arrival of eight hundred men1 under
 command of ,general ,arnold4 ,the      
entire force advanced to the outlet of  
,bason ,lake1 at ,st4 ,ann's1 where they
 embarked on board the boats and steered

 for a certain point about three miles  
distant4 ,in passing1 the force was     
fired upon by the enemy1 armed with guns
 and two small cannon4 ,a shower of shot
 seemed to come from every direction1   
and as the boats containing the         
,americans were about to land at the    
point sought1 they received1 amid       
hideous yells from the ,indians in      
ambush1 a hailstorm of bullets that     
rattled as they struck the boats1 and   
slightly injured some of the men4 ,the  
men in the boats returned the fire as   
best they could4 ,it was marvellous that
 none of the ,americans were killed or  
seriously injured4 ,it appeared to me1  
said ,joseph1 a wonderful1 providential 
escape4 ,a ,british captain by the name 
of ,foster was shot in the thigh4 ,it   
was now nearly sunset1 when ,general    
,arnold ordered a retreat4 ,the night   
was spent in making preparations for the
 morrow4 ,it was near morning when      
,captain ,foster came over to ,general  
,arnold and agreed with him to a cartel 

by which certain prisoners were         
exchanged4 ,the ,american prisoners were
 returned in a destitute and forlorn    
condition4 ,the pitiful sight deeply    
excited the generous sympathies of the  
kind-hearted ,joseph1 who did what he   
could to comfort them by dividing his   
own supplies with them4  ,general       
,arnold now returned with his troops to 
,montreal1 exercising great vigilance to
 avoid further surprise4 ,he then       
crossed the ,st4 ,lawrence and encamped 
at ,st4 ,johns4 ,here the small-pox     
appeared in camp4 ,in order to avoid the
 severity of the disease1 ,joseph       
procured the necessary virus and        
inoculated himself with the point of a  
needle1 which produced the desired      
effect4 ,two days after the disease had 
appeared in camp1 the troops were       
ordered to ,chambly4 ,the ,british hove 
in sight and began to land on the       
opposite side of the bay4 ,the invalids 
were numerous and continued to increase4
 ,they were directed to march back to   

,st4 ,johns1--a distance of twelve      
miles4 ,most of them could hardly carry 
gun1 cartridge-box1 and blanket1 and    
were often obliged to sit down and rest 
by the wayside1 ,joseph among the rest4 
,in the course of a few days the sick   
were transported to ,isle aux ,noix1 at 
which place all the shattered army were 
collected under command of ,general     
,heath4 ,from this place the troops1    
including the sick1 proceeded amid      
sundry embarrassments to ,crown ,point1 
where they encamped4 ,here the small-pox
 spread among the men1 and in its most  
aggravated form1 with fearful rapidity4 
,the scene in camp soon became          
appalling4 ,the groans and cries of the 
sick and dying were heard night and day 
without cessation4 ,as it happened1 the 
surgeons1 for want of medicines and     
hospital stores1 could render but little
 aid4 ,in some instances as many as     
thirty patients died in a day1 and were 
buried in a single vault or pit1 for the
 reason that there were not well men    

enough to bury them in separate graves4 
,the humane and philanthropic ,joseph1  
who had previously inoculated himself   
with success1 and thus avoided further  
danger from the contagion1 now devoted  
himself to nursing and caring for his   
sick companions-in-arms with unwearied  
assiduity4 ,as soon as the contagion    
began to abate1 the sick were           
transferred in boats to ,fort ,george1  
while the men fit for service were      
ordered to ,mount ,independence1        
opposite ,ticonderoga1 to erect works of
 defence4 ,the mount was covered with   
forest trees1 loose rocks1 and dens     
infested with rattlesnakes1 which often 
crept into camp and were killed4  ,at   
this time ,joseph suffered for want of  
the clothes he had lost in the retreat  
from ,canada1 and had1 in fact1 worn the
 only shirt he had for six weeks1 and   
was so incommoded with vermin that he   
was compelled to take off his shirt1    
wash it without soap1 wring it out1 and 
put it on wet4 ,he was also scourged    

with an irritating cutaneous disease1   
which induced him to retire some        
distance from camp1 fire a log-heap1 and
 roast himself1 after anointing with a  
mixture of grease and brimstone4 ,the   
camp was destitute of indispensable     
conveniences1 and the hospital in which 
lay the sick had not a dish of any kind 
in which could be administered a sup of 
gruel1 broth1 or a drink of water4      
,resort was had to wooden troughs1 or   
dishes1 cut out with a hatchet or       
penknife4 ,the colonel1 in passing      
through the hospital1 said1 ,i wish     
there was a man to be found here who can
 turn wooden dishes4 ,joseph1 who       
understood the art1 replied1 ,furnish me
 the tools and ,i will do it4 ,the tools
 were furnished1 and ,joseph soon turned
 from the aspen poplar an ample supply  
of wooden cups and trenchers4 ,he was   
also often employed in making bread1 and
 in fact was a sort of universal genius 
and could do almost anything4 ,at the   
instance of ,general ,washington he was 

also employed at times to aid in        
negotiating treaties of friendship with 
the ,indians4 ,but after being          
transferred several times from one      
military point to another1 and suffering
 more or less from hardships1 his health
 became so impaired that the principal  
surgeon gave him a discharge1 and he    
returned to his home in ,massachusetts4 
,he soon afterward so far recovered that
 he re-enlisted and served as an orderly
 sergeant in defence of the seaport     
towns till the #ast of ,january1 #aggh1 
when his time expired1 and he returned  
to his father's house once more1 having 
been in the service a little more than  
three years4 ,he received1 on retiring  
from the army1 about two hundred dollars
 in paper currency1 which was so        
depreciated that he could not purchase  
with the whole of it a decent coat4 ,he 
then 7for the next six months7 engaged  
in the business of weaving on shares1   
and during that time wove sixteen       
hundred yards of plain cloth4 ,this     

enabled him to clothe himself decently1 
and to spend the ensuing winter in      
improving his education4 ,at this time1 
as he said1 he had no ,christian hope1  
but continued to labor and study during 
the year #aggi1 when a religious revival
 occurred1 and he acquired a ,christian 
hope1 with a determination to fit       
himself for the ministry4 ,encouraged by
 his friend1 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,day1 he        
prosecuted the requisite preliminary    
studies1 and at the same time taught a  
family school in order to meet his      
expenses4 ,he entered college in #agha1 
and graduated in #aghe4 ,he then studied
 theology1 and was licensed to preach in
 #aghf4 ,he soon received a call and was
 ordained as pastor of the church at    
,blandford1 ,mass4 ,he had previously   
married ,miss ,lois ,noble1 who was a   
young lady of refinement and exemplary  
piety4 ,in ,october1 #ahjj1 he resigned 
his pastorship at ,blandford and        
received a regular dismissal4  ,the     
,connecticut ,missionary ,society1 whose

 central office was at ,hartford1 had   
formed a high estimate of the character 
and piety of ,rev4 ,joseph ,badger1 and 
at once tendered him the appointment to 
go1 under the auspices of the society1  
as a missionary to the ,western         
,reserve4 ,this was the kind of         
,christian labor in which he preferred  
to engage4 ,he therefore accepted the   
appointment2 and leaving his family at  
home until he could explore somewhat his
 new field of service1 he took his      
departure on horseback1 ,nov4 #ae1      
#ahjj1 bound for the ,western ,reserve4 
,he took what was then called the       
southern route1 crossed the ,alleghany  
mountains in the midst of a snow-storm1 
and after a weary journey1 arrived at   
,pittsburgh on the #adth of ,december4  
,here he rested for a day or two1 and   
then resumed his journey through the    
wilderness1 and after a weary ride of   
nearly a hundred miles1 reached         
,youngstown1 one of the earliest        
settlements in the ,reserve1 on         

,saturday night at a late hour1 and was 
kindly received4 ,the next day he       
preached at ,youngstown his first sermon
 in the ,reserve4 ,the town at that time
 consisted of some half-dozen log       
cabins4 ,his audience included nearly   
every soul in town1 though but a        
handful1 who had assembled in one of the
 larger cabins1 and who seemed pleased  
to receive from his lips the good       
tidings of great joy4 ,gratified with   
his reception at ,youngstown1 and       
resolving to lose no time in expediting 
his missionary labors1 he rode the next 
day to ,vienna1 where but one family had
 settled2 thence to ,hartford1 where but
 three families had settled1 and thence 
to ,vernon1 where he found but five     
families4 ,in making these successive   
visits he did good work4 ,while at      
,vernon he was informed that ,mr4       
,palmer1 the head of the family settled 
at ,vienna1 had been taken suddenly sick
 and was not expected to live4 ,there   
was no doctor residing in all that      

region of country4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,badger   
hastened at once to the relief of the   
sick man1 and nursed him for eight days1
 when he so far recovered that his      
providential nurse could safely leave   
him4 ,in this way ,rev4 ,mr4 ,badger    
visited1 in the course of the year      
#ahja1 every settlement and nearly every
 family throughout the ,western         
,reserve4 ,in doing this he often rode  
from five to twenty-five or thirty miles
 a day1 carrying with him in saddlebags 
a scanty supply of clothing and         
eatables1 and often traversing pathless 
woodlands amid storms and tempests1     
swimming unbridged rivers1 and suffering
 from cold and hunger1 and at the same  
time here and there visiting lone       
families1 giving them and their children
 religious instruction and wholesome    
advice1 and preaching at points wherever
 a few could be gathered together1      
sometimes in a log cabin or in a barn1  
and sometimes in the open field or in a 
woodland1 beneath the shadows of the    

trees4 ,at about this time he preached  
the first sermon ever heard in          
,cleveland4 ,in response to all this    
benevolent work he had the satisfaction 
of knowing that he was almost           
universally received with a heartfelt   
appreciation of his services1 and with a
 liberal hospitality4 ,though most of   
the early settlers were poor1 they      
cheerfully broke bread with him1 and    
gave him the larger share of such       
luxuries as they happened to have at    
command4 ,even the ,indians1 who were   
quite numerous1 treated him kindly and  
with respect4 ,he took especial pains to
 enlighten and instruct them1 and soon  
acquired such a knowledge of their      
language as enabled him to communicate  
readily with them4  ,in ,september of   
#ahja1 he journeyed on horseback to     
,detroit1 with a view to extend the     
field of his missionary labors4 ,on     
reaching the banks of the ,huron ,river1
 late in the evening1 he stopped at an  
,indian hut1 desiring to remain for the 

night4 ,he was kindly received by the   
inmates1--an aged ,indian chief and his 
squaw4 ,the squaw cut fodder from the   
cornfield and fed his horse1 and soon   
presented him with a supper of boiled   
string-beans1 buttered with bear's oil1 
in a wooden bowl that was cut and carved
 out from the knot of a tree with a     
hatchet and knife4 ,hungry as he really 
was1 he relished the feast4 ,she then   
spread for him on the floor a bed of    
bearskins and clean blankets1 on which  
he enjoyed a refreshing night's sleep4  
,in the morning she gave him for        
breakfast a corn-bread cake1 baked in   
the embers4 ,it contained inside a      
sprinkling of black beans1 and resembled
 plum-cake4 ,while he was eating1 he    
expressed his admiration of the bread4  
,the squaw replied1 ,eat2 it is good4   
,it is such bread as ,god gives the     
,indians4 ,he then resumed his journey  
to ,detroit1 where he remained a few    
days4 ,while there1 and while on his way
 to and from there1 he held religious   

interviews with all he met who were     
willing to converse in relation to their
 spiritual welfare1 whether white men or
 ,indians1 but found no one1 as he said1
 in all that region1 whom he could      
regard as a ,christian1 except a black  
man1 who appeared pious4 ,on his return 
he visited ,hudson1 where he found a few
 professors of religion4 ,here he       
organized a church1 consisting of ten   
males and six females4 ,this was the    
first church organized in the ,western  
,reserve4 ,the next morning1 ,october   
#be1 he took his departure from the     
,reserve1 and returned by way of        
,buffalo to his family in ,new ,england1
 preaching1 as he went1 at such         
settlements as offered a favorable      
opportunity4 ,he arrived at home ,jan4  
#a1 #ahjb1 after an absence of thirteen 
months and fifteen days4 ,he found his  
dear family all well1 and like ,david of
 old1 blessed the ,lord1 who had        
redeemed his life from destruction and  
crowned him with loving-kindness and    

tender mercies4  ,soon after his        
arrival1 he visited ,hartford and       
reported to the missionary society what 
he had done1 and the character of his   
work1 and agreed to return with his     
family to the same field of missionary  
labor1 and for such compensation as the 
society chose to allow him1 which was   
but seven dollars per week4 ,this was at
 that time considered a sufficient sum  
to meet the current expenses of himself 
and family4 ,he exchanged his former    
homestead at ,blandford for land in the 
,western ,reserve4 ,on the #bc;d of     
,february1 #ahjb1 he started on his     
journey to the ,western ,reserve in a   
wagon drawn by four horses and loaded   
with a few household goods1 his wife and
 six children1 and himself driving the  
team4 ,he took the route leading through
 the ,state of ,new ,york to ,buffalo1  
and thence followed the southerly shore 
of ,lake ,erie to ,austinburg1 in the   
,reserve1 where he and his family were  
received with a hearty welcome to the   

home and hospitalities of his friend1   
,colonel ,eliphalet ,austin4 ,he        
accomplished the journey1 a distance of 
six hundred miles1 in sixty days4 ,this 
was travelling at a pretty rapid rate1  
as was then thought4 ,he remarked1 when 
he had reached the hospitable home of   
his friend ,austin1 that he and his     
family seemed destined to share ,god's  
promise to his ancient ,israel3 ,and    
they shall dwell safely in the          
wilderness1 and sleep in the woods4  ,he
 now purchased a small lot of land in   
,austinburg1 and soon1 with the aid of a
 few kind settlers1 erected a log cabin 
in which to shelter his family4 ,he     
found it difficult to procure sufficient
 provisions1 but soon succeeded in      
obtaining a sack of coarse flour in the 
vicinity2 and hearing of a barrel of    
pork for sale at ,painesville1 he sent a
 man with a team thirty miles through   
the woods to purchase it1 and paid      
twenty silver dollars for it1 and found 
on opening it that it contained the     

whole hog1--feet1 head1 snout and       
ears1--and weighed but one hundred and  
seventy pounds4 ,this1 with the milk    
from two cows that were pastured in the 
woods and sometimes missed for a day or 
two1 was all the provision he could make
 for his family when it became necessary
 for him to leave them and enter upon   
his missionary labors in other parts of 
the ,reserve4 ,he visited ,mentor1      
,chagrin1 and other settlements4 ,at    
,euclid he found a family by the name of
 ,burke1 who had resided in a lone      
situation in the woods for over three   
years1 in so destitute a condition that 
the wife had been obliged to spin       
cattle's hair and weave it into blankets
 to cover her children's bed and save   
them from suffering in cold weather4 ,at
 ,newburg he visited five families1 the 
only residents in the place1 but        
discovered to his regret no apparent    
piety among any of them4 ,they all      
seemed to glory in their infidelity4 ,he
 continued visiting families and        

preaching throughout the southeastern   
part of the ,reserve1 and establishing  
churches4 ,he called on his return at   
,perkins' ,station in ,trumbull ,county1
 where an election was pending and a    
goodly number of voters present4 ,he was
 invited to dine with them4 ,all took   
their seats and began to help           
themselves1 when he interrupted them and
 remarked3 ,gentlemen1 if you will      
attend with ,christian decency1 and hear
 me invoke the blessing of ,god1 ,i will
 sit down with you2 otherwise ,i cannot4
 ,knives and forks were instantly laid  
down and a blessing invoked4 ,the dinner
 was then discussed with a keen relish  
by the assemblage1 who seemed to        
appreciate the fact that blessings      
sometimes come in disguise4 ,he then    
continued on his way home4 ,soon after  
this a revival commenced in most of the 
infant settlements1 and his missionary  
labors were largely increased4  ,in some
 of the settlements the revival was     
attended with miraculous power4 ,in many

 instances the converts were stricken   
down in convulsions1 groaned in apparent
 agonies1 and tore their hair2 and in   
other instances they fell in a trance1  
saw visions1 awoke1 and leaped for joy1 
shouting long and loud1 ,glory to ,god6 
,all this surprised the itinerant       
missionary and presented him with a     
problem which he could not solve2 yet   
being a disciple of the ,calvinistic    
school1 and charitably inclined1 he     
attributed the spasmodic demonstrations 
to the mysterious workings of the ,holy 
,spirit4 ,the people far and near       
partook of the excitement and flocked to
 hear him4 ,on one occasion he preached 
to an audience of five hundred4 ,though 
some scoffed1 many professed to have    
experienced religion4 ,the general      
impression was in those days that       
conversion consisted in experiencing    
some sudden and mysterious shock1--a    
puritanic idea that is now held to be   
absurd2 yet this wild excitement        
doubtless produced some good fruit1 if  

not a rich harvest4 ,be this as it may1 
,rev4 ,mr4 ,badger persevered in        
extending his labors1 and between ,june 
#ah and ,july #a of the year #ahjb1 rode
 two hundred miles1 preached eight      
sermons1 and administered two           
sacraments4 ,in riding through the dense
 woodlands1 especially after nightfall1 
he was often followed by hungry wolves  
and bears1 manifesting a desire to      
cultivate a toothsome acquaintance with 
him4 ,on one occasion1 when riding      
through a dark and pathless forest late 
at night1 along the banks of ,grand     
,river1 and drenched with rain1 he      
discovered by the sound of distinct     
footsteps that some large animal was    
following him4 ,he stopped his horse1   
turned on the saddle1 and with loud     
vociferations and clapping of hands     
attempted to frighten the animal away1  
but instead of the noise having the     
desired effect1 the bear1 as it proved  
to be1 sprang towards him with hair     
standing on end and with eyes flashing  

fire4 ,at this critical juncture1 as    
,rev4 ,mr4 ,badger states in his diary3 
,i had no weapon of defence4 ,i thought 
best to leave the ground1 turned to the 
left1 and walked my horse partly by the 
bear1 when the brute stepped directly on
 behind me and within a few paces4 ,by  
this time it had become so dark that ,i 
could see nothing1 not even my hand     
holding the bridle1 and the bear was    
still snapping his teeth and approaching
 nearer4 ,i had in my hand a large heavy
 horse-shoe1 took aim by his nose1 and  
threw the shoe1 but effected no alarm of
 the enemy4 ,to ride away was impossible
 in a pathless wood1 thick with brush   
and fallen timber4 ,i concluded to      
resort to a tree if ,i could find one4  
,i reined my horse first to the right   
and then to the left1 at which instant  
some sloping limbs brushed my hat4 ,on  
feeling them1 ,i found them to be long  
pliable beech limbs4 ,i reined my horse 
again and came with his shoulder close  
to the tree4 ,i tied the bridle to the  

limbs1 raised myself on the saddle1 and 
by aid of the small limbs began to      
climb4 ,i soon got hold of a limb large 
enough to bear me2 and at this instant  
the evil beast came to the tree with    
violent snuffing and snapping4 ,i fixed 
my stand on the limb1 took out a sharp  
knife1 the only weapon ,i had1 and      
prepared for battle4 ,but ,i soon heard 
the bear snuffing near the horse's nose 
as he was crunching the boughs and      
leaves within his reach4 ,i then        
ascended about forty feet1 as near the  
top of the tree as ,i thought was safe1 
found a convenient place to sit on a    
limb1 and then tied myself with a large 
bandanna to the tree1 so as not to fall 
if ,i fell into a drowse4 ,the bear     
continued smelling at the horse until he
 had passed around him to the opposite  
side of the tree2 and all was still but 
the champing of the horse4 ,by the      
roaring of the wind it appeared that a  
heavy gust was approaching4 ,it soon    
began to rain powerfully1 with wind and 

heavy peals of thunder4 ,at this time   
the horse shook himself1 which startled 
the bear to a quick rush for a few rods1
 when he stopped and violently snapped  
his teeth1 and there remained until a   
few minutes before daylight1 when he    
went off4 ,my horse standing as he did  
at the foot of the tree1 without moving 
a foot from the place where ,i left him1
 and in no way frightened by the        
approach and management of the bear1    
seemed to be peculiarly providential4   
,this was the only time ,i was disturbed
 in camping out many times4 ,as soon as 
,i could see to take my course1 ,i      
mounted my horse and arrived at my      
house1 about six miles from my          
lodging-place in the tree1 with a pretty
 good appetite for breakfast4 ,having in
 my saddlebags two volumes of the ',ohio
 ,state ,laws1' it was remarked by some 
of my friends that the old bear did not 
like so near a 'union of ,church and    
,state4'  ,rev4 ,mr4 ,badger continued  
his missionary work with zeal and with  

highly encouraging prospects4 ,he       
organized many churches and schools1 and
 distributed many ,bibles and           
school-books1 and often assisted the    
settlers in erecting their log cabins   
and in securing their harvests4 ,in     
#ahjd1 the missionary society reduced   
his compensation to six dollars a week1 
being the same they allowed their       
missionaries nearer home4 ,this he did  
not relish1 but accepted the reduced    
pittance1 remarking that he would go on 
with his work and trust to ,him who     
feeds the ravens4 ,at this time he was  
obliged to pay at the rate of sixteen   
dollars a barrel for salt pork1 though  
the other provisions were comparatively 
cheap and plenty4 ,early in the spring  
of #ahji1 his house was burned1 and     
nothing saved but two beds and a few    
articles of clothing4 ,he at once built 
a small cabin1 with the generous aid of 
his neighbors1 and moved his family into
 it1 without bedstead1 table1 knife1    
fork1 or spoon4 ,in ,june of the same   

year he returned to ,hartford1          
,connecticut1 and made a final          
settlement with the ,connecticut        
,missionary ,society1 and received an   
honorable discharge from further        
services as a missionary under its      
auspices4 ,he then proposed to engage in
 missionary work among the ,indians west
 of the ,cuyahoga1 known as the         
,wyandots2 and having within a short    
time received cash donations from the   
,massachusetts ,missionary ,society to  
the amount of over a thousand dollars1  
he returned to the ,reserve and         
commenced his missionary labors among   
the ,indians at ,upper ,sandusky1 which 
he regarded as a central point1 and from
 which he extended his labors in the    
region round about so as to include all 
the ,indian villages in the vicinity of 
the lake1 from the west side of the     
,cuyahoga ,river to the city of         
,detroit4 ,this mission was called the  
,wyandot ,mission4 ,his labors in this  
missionary field consisted mainly in    

visiting the ,indians in their lodges1  
instructing them and their children in  
the elementary principles of            
,christianity and in the observance of  
peaceful relations4 ,he also gave them  
practical lessons in agriculture and    
other arts of civilized life1 and tried 
to reform their intemperate habits by   
condemning the use of whiskey4 ,he was a
 stanch advocate of temperance in all   
things1 denounced slavish habits and    
also slavery long before the latter     
became the subject of political         
agitation4 ,in #ahab1 he took a deep and
 active interest in the war1 and        
accepted the position of chaplain in the
 command of ,general ,harrison4 ,he also
 exercised a wide influence over the    
,indians in preventing them from making 
alliances with the enemy4 ,at the close 
of the war he resumed his missionary    
labors4 ,in ,august1 #ahah1 his good    
wife died1 and left to him the care of  
their children4 ,his grief seemed       
inconsolable1 but he soon so far        

overcame it as to marry in ,april1      
#ahai1 ,miss ,abigail ,ely for a second 
wife4 ,in the following ,june he took   
his bridal trip with her to his old home
 in ,new ,england1 and after a brief but
 delightful visit1 returned and devoted 
himself to preaching in the eastern part
 of the ,reserve1 where he soon settled 
as pastor of the church at              
,austinburg1--a church which he had     
organized1 and which had become so large
 in the number of its communicants that 
it was generally known as the mother    
church of the ,reserve4 ,he subsequently
 officiated as pastor of the church at  
,ashtabula for some years1 then at      
,kingsville1 and lastly at ,gustavus1   
,trumbull ,county1 where he settled in  
#ahbe1 and officiated not only as pastor
 of the parish1 but as postmaster1      
having been appointed to the latter     
office by the postmaster-general4 ,in   
#ahce1 he resigned his position as      
pastor at ,gustavus1 and preached a     
farewell sermon1 taking the following   

words for his text3 ,finally1 brethren1 
farewell4 ,be perfect1 be of good       
comfort1 be of one mind1 live in peace2 
and the ,god of love and peace shall be 
with you4 ,the sermon was a masterly    
one1 and the audience was affected to   
tears4 ,it was long remembered1 and was 
never forgotten by those who heard it4  
,he had now become so enfeebled by age  
as to disqualify him for further service
 as pastor of a church4 ,from ,gustavus 
he went to reside with his married      
daughter in the township of ,plain1     
,wood ,county1 ,ohio1 where for eight or
 nine years1 he devoted more or less    
time1 as he was able1 to missionary work
 in the vicinity4 ,in #ahdd1 he changed 
his residence and went to the           
neighboring town of ,perrysburg1 where  
he lived with his married granddaughter1
 and where he died in #ahdf1 at the     
advanced age of eighty-nine years4 ,in  
six months afterward his wife died4 ,but
 two of his six children survived him4  
,in personal appearance ,rev4 ,joseph   

,badger was tall1 slim1 erect1 had blue 
eyes1 brown hair1 and a pleasing        
expression of face4 ,in temperament and 
action he was quick and somewhat        
impulsive1 yet he was considerate and   
slow of utterance1 rarely1 if ever1     
uttering an imprudent word4 ,in his     
social intercourse he was sedate or     
facetious as the occasion seemed to     
require4 ,he enjoyed hearing and telling
 amusing anecdotes4 ,in his style of    
preaching he was apostolic1 plain1      
simple1 and logical4 ,in creed he was an
 orthodox ,presbyterian4 ,he had but one
 grand aim in life1 and that was to do  
what he could to advance the moral and  
spiritual welfare of mankind4 ,in a     
word1 ,rev4 ,joseph ,badger1 though     
dead1 still lives and will ever live in 
memory as the early western missionary  
whose lifelong labors were prompted by  
the spirit of a true ,christian         
philanthropy4        ,his youth was     
innocent1 his riper age       ,marked   
with some act of goodness every day2    

,and watched by eyes that loved him1    
calm and sage1       ,faded his late    
declining years away4      ,cheerful he 
gave his being up1 and went      ,to    
share the holy rest that waits a life   
well spent4     ,,mission ,,monument4   
,dedicated at ,williamstown1 ,mass41    
,july #bh1 #ahfg4   ,in the             
accomplishment of great moral purposes1 
a ,divine ,providence employs human     
instrumentalities4 ,of this we have     
ample evidence1 not only in the history 
of nations1 but in the career of        
individuals4  ,a little more than       
eighteen centuries ago1 a few obscure   
fishermen1 while casting their nets into
 the ,sea of ,galilee1 were called to   
abandon their nets1 and become fishers  
of men4  ,a little more than sixty years
 ago1 a few obscure young men1 while    
pursuing their classical studies in     
,williams ,college1 were called to go   
into benighted lands beyond the sea1 and
 proclaim the divine doctrine of peace  
on earth and good-will to men4  ,these  

students1 though unknown to fame1 were  
young men of thought and of high moral  
aspirations4 ,influenced by a devotional
 spirit1 they felt that ,god had a great
 work for them to do1 and that it was   
therefore important for them to         
comprehend their true relations1 both to
 ,god and to man4  ,what was the precise
 character of the great work assigned   
them1 they did not seem to know2 and for
 this reason they sought for more light1
 and for guidance from the ,mighty      
,counsellor1 whose wisdom is infinite1  
and who cannot err4 ,in seeking for that
 knowledge which cometh from above1 they
 were accustomed1 in the milder months  
of the year1 to hold occasional         
prayer-meetings in the solitudes of     
,nature1 believing that        ,the     
groves were ,god's first temples4   ,and
 doubtless they felt that the ,divine   
,presence dwells more essentially in the
 silent sanctuaries of ,nature than in  
temples made with hands4  ,it was here1 
within the quiet and cool retreat of the

 maple-grove in which we are now        
assembled1 that they had convened at the
 close of a sultry summer day1 in the   
year #ahjf1 to hold the accustomed      
prayer-meeting1 when they were overtaken
 by a sudden shower of rain1 and        
compelled to seek the friendly shelter  
afforded them by a neighboring haystack4
  ,the group of young evangelists who   
were present at the prayer-meeting on   
this particular occasion consisted of   
,samuel ,j4 ,mills1 ,james ,richards1   
,francis ,l4 ,robbins1 ,harvey ,loomis1 
and ,byram ,green4 ,protected from the  
rain by the haystack1 they continued1   
amid the conflict of the elements1 their
 devotional exercises1 and also         
discussed religious topics of deep      
interest to themselves and to the world4
 ,it was a sublime moment for them and  
for the world4 ,the heavens were        
darkened2 the lightnings flashed2 dread 
thunders rolled2 the rain fell2 yet amid
 this conflict of the elements there    
came a still small voice1 as if from the

 storm-cloud4 ,it was a divine whisper1 
an inspired thought1 which stirred the  
life-currents in the heart of ,mills1   
and diffused upon his brow a celestial  
radiance4 ,that inspired thought1 broad 
as the earth in its comprehension1      
,mills announced to his devout          
companions4 ,they felt its divinity1 and
 regarded it as a divine communication4 
,at the instance of ,mills1 they knelt  
in prayer1 and besought divine aid and  
guidance in executing the great work    
which they now believed had been        
revealed to them4 ,it was nothing less  
than a mission to some foreign heathen  
land1 and the ultimate evangelization of
 the world4 ,in offering up the last    
prayer at this meeting1 so enthusiastic 
became ,mills that he invoked the red   
artillery of ,heaven to strike down the 
arm that should be raised against a     
herald of the cross4  ,and now1 as the  
storm-cloud passed away1 the skies      
became bright and serene2 the air was   
pure and fragrant as balm4 ,the         

raindrops1 like jewels1 glittered on the
 leaves in the grove1 and on the grass  
and wild-flowers in the meadows4 ,in    
short1 the smile of ,heaven was         
reflected in the face of ,nature4 ,and  
the sublimity of the scene1 as it may be
 supposed1 was heightened by the        
appearance of a rainbow in the          
east1--that glorious emblem of a divine 
love1 which is so ample in its character
 as to embrace within its golden circle 
the great world of mankind1 of every    
nation1 kindred1 and tongue4  ,as these 
inspired young men of the haystack      
wended their way back to the college    
halls1 they pondered these things in    
their hearts and communicated their     
thoughts to such of their               
fellow-students as they believed would  
sympathize with them in the desire they 
felt to consecrate their lives to the   
great work of foreign missions1 and     
especially a mission to ,india4 ,several
 of their associates became at once     
inspired with a similar missionary      

spirit4 ,but as yet the interest felt in
 this new enterprise was restricted to  
the circle of the ,society of ,brethren1
 as it was designated4 ,this society was
 a secret organization1 composed of such
 students as had made a profession of   
religion1 and had for its object the    
promotion of the spiritual welfare of   
its members4 ,in pursuance of this      
object1 they held private               
prayer-meetings in each others' rooms1  
and discussed questions of special      
religious interest1 and often1 in the   
summer season1 retired for the same     
purpose to the neighboring groves4  ,in 
this way was sown the first grain of    
mustard seed1 which was destined soon to
 vegetate and grow to a tree of gigantic
 proportions4 ,the planting of this     
smallest of all seeds constituted a     
nucleus for more extended effort4       
,consequently other societies were soon 
organized to promote the good work4 ,in 
fact1 new life was breathed into the dry
 bones of every valley2 and ,heaven     

repeated the command1 ,go1 teach all    
nations4  ,the grand result of this day 
of small things was the organization at 
,bradford1 in #ahaj1 of the ,american   
,board of ,commissioners for ,foreign   
,missions1--an organization which under 
the direction and favor of a ,divine    
,providence has achieved so much for the
 civilization and evangelization of the 
benighted races of mankind4 ,of this we 
need adduce no other proof than the     
leading facts of its history4  ,in its  
inception1 this ,board consisted of but 
few members4 ,at its first meeting there
 were but five members present1 and at  
its second1 but seven4 ,its receipts for
 the first year were but a thousand     
dollars4 ,now its annual receipts exceed
 a half-million of dollars1 and its     
annual meetings are attended by         
thousands of people4 ,in the aggregate1 
it has collected and disbursed nearly   
twelve millions of dollars4 ,it has     
never lost a dollar by the fraud or     
embezzlement of any of its officers or  

agents4 ,since its first meeting of five
 persons1 in #ahaj1 its corporate       
members have been increased to two      
hundred1 and its honorary members to    
seventeen thousand4  ,it has sent into  
the missionary field thirteen hundred   
persons1 in various capacities1         
including nearly five hundred ordained  
missionaries4 ,it has established       
missions in almost every benighted      
region of the habitable globe1          
especially in the ,eastern              
,hemisphere1--in ,india1 in ,china1 in  
,persia1 in ,syria1 in ,greece1 in      
,turkey1 in ,africa1 and also in several
 isles of the sea1 including the        
,sandwich ,islands4 ,it has more than a 
hundred missionary stations1 and nearly 
two hundred out-stations occupied by    
native helpers4 ,it has in the native   
ministry three hundred ,christian       
converts1 about seventy of whom are     
pastors of churches4 ,these native      
,christian churches have now increased  
to two hundred1 in communion with which 

more than sixty thousand hopeful        
converts have been received4  ,it has   
printing-presses1 which have printed    
more than a thousand millions of pages  
of religious and educational matter1    
which has been distributed in forty-two 
living languages1 as now spoken in pagan
 and other unevangelized lands4 ,it has 
invented alphabets1 and reduced eighteen
 native languages to writing4 ,it has   
put in successful operation more than   
four hundred native schools1 in which   
more than twelve thousand native        
children have been taught4 ,all this has
 been done in less than sixty years1 and
 still the great work progresses with   
increasing zeal and efficiency4  ,thus  
has the ,board proved itself to be1 in  
the providence of ,god1 a great moral   
power in the nineteenth century4 ,it is 
the star in the ,west1 which flings its 
cheering light into the ,east4 ,the wise
 men have seen it1 and the shepherds    
have seen it4 ,like the star of         
,bethlehem1 its errand is divine1 for it

 was born of an inspired thought which  
has now become an invincible element in 
the moral world1--a power which must and
 will do its work2 and though opposition
 and discouragement may come1--         
,truth crushed to earth shall rise      
again4   ,yes1 millions of ,christian   
heroes will come to the rescue1 still   
bearing aloft the banner of the cross1  
and shouting the battle-cry of civil and
 religious freedom4 ,and woman1 first at
 the sepulchre1 first in deeds of       
charity1 first in every good work1 will 
renew her activities in the great       
warfare with moral darkness1 until the  
uttermost parts of the earth have been  
illuminated with the light of divine    
truth4  ,it is expected1 perhaps1 that  
some allusion will be made to the motive
 which has induced the erection of the  
monument you see standing before you in 
its modest yet truthful significance4   
,the motive was simply a desire felt in 
common with many other persons to see a 
spot which has become sacred in         

missionary history commemorated by some 
permanent expression of ,christian      
gratitude4 ,an expression of this kind  
seemed due not only to the great and    
good cause of ,american ,foreign        
,missions1 but to the revered memories  
of the five young men of prayer1 who    
knelt here1 under shelter of the        
haystack1 and received from on high a   
divine commission4 ,and permit me to add
 that the filial regard ,i entertain for
 my ,alma ,mater1 and for my native     
,state of ,massachusetts1 has had its   
influence in disposing me to make this  
contribution to a heaven-born           
enterprise1 and in remembrance of those 
truly good1 and therefore truly great1  
men1 whose names are inscribed on the   
monument4 ,the plan of the monument1 as 
well as its erection here1 it gives me  
pleasure to state1 has received the     
cordial approval of the ,faculty and    
,trustees of the college4 ,the grand    
object for which the monument has been  
erected1 is the commemoration of the    

birthplace of ,american ,foreign        
,missions2 and to this object we now    
dedicate it1 in the name of a ,christian
 philanthropy1 whose field is the world4
  ,in its character the monument is not 
less unique than emblematical4 ,it      
stands on the identical spot where the  
haystack stood4 ,as a specimen of fine  
material and artistic sculpture1 it is  
strictly a ,berkshire production1       
composed of ,berkshire marble quarried  
at ,alford1 and wrought in the workshops
 of ,the ,berkshire ,marble ,company4   
,its entire height is twelve feet2 its  
shaft1 cap1 and base1 square2 its       
surface polished2 its color a           
silver-blue4 ,it is surmounted with a   
globe three feet in diameter1 traced in 
geographical lines4 ,on its eastern     
face1 and immediately below the globe1  
are inscribed these words1 ,the ,field  
is the ,world4 ,then follows a          
similitude of the haystack1 sculptured  
in bas-relief1 and encircled with these 
words1 ,the ,birthplace of ,american    

,foreign ,missions1 #ahjf4 ,and beneath 
this appear the names of the five young 
men who held the prayer-meeting under   
the shelter of the haystack4 ,the       
maple-grove1 amid whose cool shadows we 
now stand1 is the same grove from which 
the five heavenly minded young men were 
driven by the impending rain-storm4     
,this maple-grove1 which has now become 
ever memorable1 is included within the  
boundaries of ,mission ,park4 ,the park 
contains ten acres1 and was purchased on
 account of its historical interest1 and
 made part of the domains of ,williams  
,college4 ,it is the design of the      
friends of the college to embellish the 
park with specimens of the trees and    
shrubs and flowers of every foreign land
 to which missionaries have been sent by
 the ,american ,board1 so far1 at least1
 as such specimens can be successfully  
acclimated in this country4  ,when its  
embellishments have been perfected1     
,mission ,park will become a place of   
delightful resort1 full of sacred       

memories1 which will accumulate and grow
 in interest with the lapse of time4    
,every year will bring within its       
inviting precincts hundreds of pilgrims1
 and every college commencement its     
missionary jubilee4 ,then will ,mission 
,park possess1 not only an attractive   
aspect1 but a moral power which will    
awaken a renewed zeal in behalf of      
missions4 ,and here may this consecrated
 monument1 which is so expressive of a  
highly interesting fact in the history  
of missions1 ever remain as an educator 
of coming generations1 and as a landmark
 in the pathway of the citizen1 the     
student1 and the stranger6 ,and here let
 the moral hero of the present1 and of  
the future1 stay his steps1 and make    
still higher and holier resolves4 ,nor  
let us of the present generation forget 
that we have a great work still to      
accomplish in the moral field1--a field 
which is as broad as the earth1 and in  
which we ought to renew our             
diligence1--feeling assured that with   

the final triumph of truth will come    
universal freedom1 universal love1 and  
universal brotherhood4  ,it is due to   
,williams ,college to say that her      
educational and ,christian influences   
have ever been directed by a benevolent 
and philanthropic spirit1--a spirit that
 burned on the prayerful lips of ,mills 
at the haystack1 and which has inspired 
with heroic zeal in the cause of truth  
thousands of human souls throughout our 
,western ,hemisphere4 ,humble as the    
college may have been in its infancy1   
time and the favor of ,heaven have made 
it a power in the land4 ,in every       
department of literature and of science 
it has furnished mental giants who have 
made their mark in the world4 ,in       
addition to this1 it has sent forth its 
thousands of faithful workers1 who are  
engaged1 far and near1 in pulling down  
the strongholds of error1 and in        
building up in their stead towers of    
strength1 founded on a ,christian basis4
 ,in its teachings of literature and of 

science1 it teaches those still higher  
and diviner principles which give to man
 the graces of a true manhood4 ,in a    
word1 its refining and harmonizing      
influences are felt1 not only by its    
sons1 but by thousands of others1 the   
world over4 ,few indeed are the men who 
have wielded a more extensive influence 
for good1 or contributed more to the    
permanent value of our theological      
literature1 than the learned and        
venerated ,president of ,williams       
,college1 ,dr4 ,hopkins4  ,though the   
world owes much more to the efforts and 
vigilance of the ,faculty and ,trustees 
of ,williams ,college than it has ever  
acknowledged1 yet these patient1        
earnest1 and hopeful men will continue  
to work on in silence1 still inspired   
with the belief that in casting an      
handful of corn in the earth1 upon the  
top of the mountains1 the fruit thereof 
shall shake like ,lebanon4   ,,the      
,,end4         99       99       99     
99       99  ,,nature ,,and ,,culture   

,,by ,,harvey ,,rice4  ,,second         
,,edition      ,,price1 #a4jj4          
,,notices ,,of ,,the ,,first ,,edition4 
,the author has been a careful reader of
 the science and literature of the day1 
and has formed generally intelligent    
opinions upon the great questions of    
modern thought4 ,he is also scholarly in
 his use of language4--,chicago         
,tribune4  ,mr4 ,rice's ideas upon      
matters which he treats appear to us    
sound and practical2 and the modesty    
with which they are put in his volume   
will not detract from their value in the
 minds of sensible persons4--,boston    
,times4  ,the style is pure1 and the    
thought1 if not new1 is fresh1 and at   
times presented to the reader in a fine 
poetic setting4 ,nature is spoken of as 
by one who really loves her1 and who has
 seen her face to face1 and not through 
the eyes of another4--,christian        
,leader4  ,the collection of            
miscellaneous essays embraced in this   
volume without any apparent bond of     

connection are worthy the attention of  
intelligent readers1 from the           
thoughtfulness of their tone1 the       
sobriety of their judgments1 and the    
naturalness of their style4--,new ,york 
,tribune4  ,for sale by all booksellers4
 ,sent1 postpaid1 on receipt of price4  
,,lee  ,,shepard1 ,,publishers4         
,,boston1 #ahhi4   ,,pioneers ,,of ,,the
 ,,western ,,reserve4  ,,by ,,harvey    
,,rice4  ,,second ,,edition4  ,,price1  
#a4be4  ,,notices ,,of ,,the ,,press4   
,the name and character of ,hon4 ,harvey
 ,rice are sufficient guarantee that    
anything which comes from his hands is  
worthy of consideration1 and it is with 
this assurance that in this work he has 
produced something of great historical  
value1 as well as of interest in its    
style and incident1 that we commend the 
work without hesitation4--,cleveland    
,leader4  ,the incidents of the book    
have not only real historic value1 but  
they are of great interest as giving the
 present generation some idea of the    

hardships and privations to which the   
early pioneers of ,ohio were            
subjected4--,sunday ,gazette1 ,akron1   
,ohio4  ,mr4 ,rice tells the story of   
the early struggles of the early        
settlers1 their haps and mishaps1 and   
gradual development1 in a most          
interesting style4--,the ,american1     
,waterbury1 ,conn4  ,it is altogether an
 instructive and valuable book1 and     
especially interesting to the people of 
our historic and noble                  
state4--,christian ,secretary1          
,hartford1 ,conn4  ,there is much that  
is fresh and interesting in the         
narrative1 and much that helps the      
making of history1 though it does not   
itself claim to rank as                 
history4--,boston ,journal4  ,the       
reader's interest is sustained by       
remarkable historic facts1 heroic       
adventures and thrilling incidents1     
which the author has taken pains to     
collect from authoritative              
sources4--,christian ,intelligencer1    

,new ,york4  ,a book on the early       
settlers of the ,western ,reserve that  
will keep one awake1 like a novel by    
,scott or ,dickens4--,north ,american   
,review4   ,sent1 postpaid1 on receipt  
of price4  ,,lee  ,,shepard1            
,publishers4  ,,boston1 #ahhi4          
,,select ,,poems4  ,,by ,,harvey ,,rice4
  ,illustrated edition4 ,price1 #a4jj4  
,,notices ,,of ,,the ,,press4   ',select
 ,poems1' recently published by ,lee    
,shepard1 ,boston1 pp4 #agd1 #abmo1 are 
from the pen of ,hon4 ,harvey ,rice of  
,cleveland1 ,o41 and author of ',nature 
and ,culture1' published by the same    
firm in #ahge1 and which contained      
several essays on those subjects worthy 
of the deepest consideration4  ,in the  
volume now before us1 the same love and 
admiration of all things good1 noble1   
patriotic1 and beautiful1 are to be     
observed2 and we wish that some of our  
magazine-writers would take pattern by  
the plain1 almost severe1 ,saxon        
verbiage in which the deepest thought   

and most vivid fancy find               
expression4--,journal of ,commerce1     
,boston4  ,a second edition indicates   
the public estimate of these piquant1   
graceful1 and1 in many regards1         
beautiful creations4 ,we still think    
that ',unwritten ,music' rightfully     
fills the first place4 ,it is simply    
exquisite4--,christian ,leader1 ,boston4
  ,among the best of the long poems are 
',the ,mystery of ,life1' ',mount       
,vernon1' ',ancestral ,portraits1'      
',home of my ,youth1' and ',freedom4'   
,the short poems are all good1 some of  
them being perfect gems4--,eastern      
,argus1 ,portland1 ,me4  ,a collection  
of original poems1 all of which are     
pleasing in structure1 pure and elevated
 in sentiment1 vigorous and refined in  
diction1 and faultless in numbers4 ,the 
religion is that of the natural man1 the
 morality that of works1 the sympathy   
tender1 and the wit general4 ,the lovers
 of good poetry will relish the         
feast4--,epis4 ,recorder1 ,phil4  ,mr4  

,rice writes true poetry4--,new ,york   
,methodist4  ,sent1 post-paid1 on       
receipt of price4  ,,lee ,,and          
,,shepard1 ,,publishers4  ,,boston1     
#ahhi4