8
Improvement
shotilil bo very choice in regard to the
food with which we teed the mind, the im
mortal part of man, for upon this depends,
to a great extent, the character of the in
dividual. Let us for a moment consider the world
as one grand whole. This terrestrial globe
witli all its people, and all those tilings
which have been made for the use and
happiness of man, seems, according to our
best judgment, to be u wonderful yet por
ted piece of mechanism, which must have
lieen the production of an infinite and de
signing mind. If this be true, then it
becomes us who are the happy recipients
of this beautiful world, to do what we can
for the elevation of the isolated and down
trodden of humanity. Many arc the
heathen nations of the earth. And they,
groaning under the bonds of ignorance
and superstition, are falling out to the
more civilized parts of the world for assis
tance. They arc worthy of notice. They
are members of the great human family,
and therefore should not be kept in dark
ness, as long as there is light in the world.
If we are among the more favored of the
Creator's sheep, we should bear in mind
that the lambs need feeding.
Truly, society is a wonderful machine.
And, just as in a complicated piece of
machinery of human invention, every
wheel has its place, every cog must fi', and
every point be strong; so we, if we per.
form our duty, must 'be prepared to take
our places in the work-shop of life. And
the best preparation of which we are able
to conceive, is the improvement of the
mind. What is the posscsiion of a beau
tiful farm, or a bag of gold, when com.
pared to that of a well cultivated intellect?
The culture of the mind is due of the no
blest works in which man can be engaged.
Wo are happy to say that our nation ami
especially our state have made rapid strides
in the progress of popular education
Our schools are generally in a nourishing
condition, and wo can predict a bright fu
ture for this young and growing State.
But let us turn our thoughts for a few mo
ments to the progress of the world. If
wo take a glance at the world's history wo
shall sec that progress has been made in
tlie annals of time, however slow its on
ward march may have been. It seems
that history records a time when the on
ward strides of progres were suddenly
stopped, and the wheels of government
stayed; when darkness reigned supreme,
and much that had been acquired was
veiled to human understanding, and lost
beneath the waves of despotism. The pe
riod to which we refer is the" Dm k Agcs.'
Before this cloud had arisen, we find that
Greece and Home had nourished ; but the
brightness of their glory had waned ; great
men had lived, and worked wonders; learn
ing had been carried to a standard of ie
speetability; Alexander had swaytd his
scepter ovei nearly the whole known
world; Cicsar, Pompey and others had
kept all Europe in internal commotion;
while orators had lived whose eloquence
had moved the world, ai.d whose produc
tions are still read and admired by the
student of to-day. We also find that Ly
curgus had spent much time and energy
in preparing a code of laws for the gov
ernment of his Spartan subjects, which
should be an improvement upon all form
er codes, and to accomplUh this he visited
other countries, studied their laws that lie
might with reason i eject their inferior
ones, and adopt tlio.se superior to his own.
Admirable example for imitation! How
much belter would it be for the human
race if men would study the woi kings of
their fellows, avoid their errors, and, by so
doing, build up an unimpeachable charac
ter. Solon also had put forth strenuous ef
forts for the advancement of the Atheni
ans, to whom lie was a lawgiver. The fa
mous library of Alexandria peiished. All
these things once built up and estab
lished for the benefit of man were not
to be permanent. Though civilization
had advanced somewhat; though man and
empire had nourished and fallen; the
beauteous splendor of the eternal city
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