LECTURES. I. INTRODUCTORY. IN introducing a course of Practical Lectures to Young Men, I wish to bear in mind, and to have it borne in mind, that I speak as a friend and counsellor, more than as a preacher. I would address myself as a young man to young men; one who knows their temptations, who has felt the pressure of their needs, and who understands their position. The main purpose which I have in view is, to turn the faculties of youth in the right direction-that they may engage themselves on the side of justice, of right, of liberty, and of religion, and that they may be occupied in the furtherance of all the best and noblest objects of life. The Lectures are designed to be thoroughly practical in their nature, dealing with the subjects proposed in the simplest and plainest way. The Lecture this evening, as preliminary, will be devoted to the consideration of the Duty which a Young Man owes to himself, in the Use of the Opportunities which he possesses, in our Age and Country, and the Demands which are now made upon him. Let us consider, briefly, the position of young men at the present day. It is not too much to say, that the present generation of young men occupy a position most important, as being those who are to determine the history of the future. There are great events at hand in the life of mankind, greater than any which the fathers knew. Old ideas are passing away; new ideas are coming on, to affect the whole condition of the human race. They apply themselves to all the various departments of human thought and labor; they enter into every scheme of business and government, and, in their development, affect all ranks of men. For the application of these ideas, the young men are the instruments. The old are gradually yielding their places, and retiring from active life. The young are coming forward to do the work which remains. The young, fresh, vigorous life which they infuse into social forces. is needed to give new and stronger power to those forces, and employ them for the welfare of the race. "Old men for counsel," says the proverb, "young men for action!" The sage experience which has tested the various influences and powers of life, and knows what they are all worth, must come to give its counsel. We would not by any means disparage it. It tempers and restrains; it is prudent and cautious. But we need something more. Prudence is not the only virtue, and caution oftentimes loses the advantage. A railroad train furnished only with brakes would make but little progress, though brakes are very necessary articles. We should never despise the teachings of experience. But there are daily exigences arising, for which experience furnishes no rules, and we have to take counsel of the present rather than of the past, as we do the work we have in hand with all our might, as it demands of us to-day. Young men for action, in the stirring scenes of the present, taking the opportunity as it comes, using it faithfully and righteously, and leaving the result with a wise Providence! It is evident that no grander opportunities have ever been given to any generation than those which belong to the present time. The general diffusion of intelligence the application of knowledge to the useful arts the quickened activity of the human mind, arising from the various influences of easier communication-of freedom from the drudgery of labor-of the accelerated speed of our material progress and of the continual increase of material good, all have their effect, not only upon the condition but also upon the character. We are obliged to think faster, to feel more fervently, to comprehend more rapidly, as well as to work more swiftly. If we delay; if we hang back at all; if we stop to consider and carefully weigh what we shall do, we are left behind. The world passes by us. We are forced to think at the moment, and act as we think, or we lose our place in the general movement, and are soon forgotten. This is inevitable, as we go forward and take the place of action that belongs to us. The period of youth, therefore, becomes the period of preparation. We must, as young men, make ourselves ready, by daily cultivation of our best faculties, for that which the future has for us to do. We have to learn what is just and true, that, when the emergency demands it, we may take our position at once, and maintain it with that confidence in the righteousness of our convictions, which is one of the best assurances of success. There may be danger, it is true, that we shall form our opinions hastily. But even that danger will be obviated if we keep our loyalty to the great spirit of Truth unswerving, and are never false to what we firmly believe to be right. We have to keep our eyes open to see, and our ears open to hear, what the world is doing, that we may lose nothing by our neglect or indolence, but that we may be completely furnished for every work that may come. It is true, that now young men have a secondary place; but it will not be so long. Soon the first place will be theirs. And it will be so the sooner, the more faithful they are in their preparation for it. Into all the various questions that disturb the surface, or even reach into the depths of social life, we may bring the fresh enthusiasm of youth, and decide them by the infusion into them of a better spirit. The old prejudices, the ancient wrongs, that even now seek to perpetuate themselves at the cost of all things dear to human welfare, may receive their death-blow at the hands of the true and earnest men of to-day, who join, with the strength of youth, the wisdom of righteous principle and the courage of a noble soul ! |