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The Desire of Perfection.
We are taught that the great Be
ing who created the universe, is
omniscient, omnipotent, omnipres
ent, immutable and eternal—perfect
in the infinitude of all the grand
attributes necessary to make a
perfect creator. This being so, it ap
pears that every effort of his crea
tive power brings forth a perfect
production. And this notion accords
with all that we see in nature, ex
cept what is accounted for. So far
as we can observe the world, the
sun, moon and stars revolve in a
perfect system, with perfect regu
larity of course and motion. The
different elements of the world all
conduce with perfect concord to the
end for which they were made—the
sustenance and continuance of ani
mal life. Hence all creation seems
to be a perfect work. :
But when we come to consider
man, for whom all things percepti
ble seem to be made, we find, that
he is imperfect. He is not perfect
ly good or perfectly bad ; and in
every capacity that he exist, he ex
hibits some fault, and some degree
of absence of fault. The best men
who ever lived, had faults. Even
the holy Prophets and Apostles,
whom it pleased God to honor, as
~~>2 S f° r the exhibition of His
super-natural power, sometimes did
wrong, thus infallibly demonstrat
ing the fact of the crookedness of
the human mind and soul. On the
other hand, we find no man, how
ever mean, who does not show
some goodness of disposition, and
occasionally in an admirable de
gree.
But, notwithstanding the imperfect
character of humanity, every man
has in his mind a standard of per
fection of some nature, and at least.
desires to attain it. If a man :has
neglected the cultivation of his bet
ter impulses, having turned his at
tention to deviltry, he desires to be
an expert in this. If he has cast
off" his obligations to be honest, he
wishes to understand all the best
plans for cheating and stealing. Re
is anxious to completely under
stand the mechanism of safe locks
and the best way of rendering them
useless. If he has shut his eyes
and hardened his heart against the
beauty and intrinsic value of femi
nine chastity, he is quite zealous in
his efforts to acquire a perfect
knowledge of all the seductive arts
by which he may prostitute woman,
poison society, tortue hearts, and
steep his own soul in pollution.
To cause these diabolical effects
may not be his ultimate desire, but
it is to be perfectly skillful in ob
taining his own wish—the gratifi
cation of his depraved appetite—
and this leads to such effects. The
THE
converse is also true. The man
who has turned his eyes on virtue,
has found beautiful, and desires to
win her, strives to learn how he
may completely overcome sinful
habits, that he may stand in the
radiance of her perfect glory. And
as before indicated, this principle
of man’s perfect standard applies in
regard to happiness in this world.
What youth of sound mind, of any
degree or station, whose imagina
tion has not pictured a handsome
home surrounded by all the com
forts and luxuries of life, and pre
sided over by the sweetest and
most perfect of women ? And I
suppose that parents delight in
dreaming of the perfect welfare of
their children. The principle of
ideality is also applicable to men
in their avocations, and in every
thing pertaining to what they do,
of this nature. They want to be a
perfect merchant, farmer, or physi
cian or lawyer; they wish to pro
duce a perfect machine, a perfect
picture, a perfect piece of music and
a perfect oration. In fact, while
man is so imperfect, his mind and
soul bear the impress of perfection,
though wretchedly defaced, as sure
ly as the earthen vessel bears the
impress of the potters mould.
And since the desire of perfec
tion is universal, all approxima-.
tions to it, whether in art, science,
morality, or religion, are univer
sally admired. A sufficient proof
of this, is the attention which a fine
picture, and ingenious machine, or
beautiful music, elicits, and the de
ference which a good man com
mands. The steam engine retains
our admiration to this day. We
can listen with pleasure every day
to music well rendered, and the
eyes do not get tired of gazing at
the elegant painting. Millions
continue to honor Washington,
Luther, Paul and other good men.
So, here we discover one great
stimulant to our desire for perfec
tion, and one of the causes of hy
pocracy. Men consciously or un
consciously recognize the controll
ing influence of perfection or ap
proximations to it, they are urged
to attain it, on the one hand, while
on the other, since the genuine
article is hard to produce, they
disgracefully put on perfection’s
appearance as nearlj' as possible,
so as to receive its homage and re
ward. And I venture that one
half the sin committed, arises in
aping perfection. How .strongly
are college boys given to this
crime. We desire to meet the pro
fessor’s cal] with a perfect recita
tion, at all times. At least, we
wish to present the appearance of
having studied pretty well. There
are different ways of making this
appearance, and boys, knowing
this, often foolishly waste their
time. But when called on, they
put on a perfectly honest face and
by means of a mysterious peep, or
a slip of ten cent tablet paper, or a
list from the other part of the room
or from a neighbor, “spit out a
max.’’ This is a grand tribute to
perfection, but the habit is a cancer
in the mind and soul, and will con
sume both, unless the will, by
means of the sharp knife of honesty
and energy cuts it out.
No ; however brightly the divine
spark of desire for perfection may
shine, it can never be approached
by dissembling. By a terrible ac
cident to our first parents, we lack
much at our best, of being perfect.
And even to approach our first es
tate, in any particular, requires our
honest and most strenuous efforts.-■
Even when we do our best, there still
are many defects, and it is very evi
dent that to cover these up, does
not remove them. And sooner or
later, they will spring up and ex
hibit our sin. So all that is left to
be done honestly is to do the best
we can and acknowledge our short
comings. Thus, to do in the
strength of Him who alone is per
fect, is the only way of restoring
our mind and soul to that which
our nature points —the impress of
perfection.
The Prohibition Medal.
In our last issue we published a
letter from Hon. Walter B. Hill, to
Dr. Battle, in which he stated to
Dr. Battle that he would give a
gold medal to the student produc
ing the best essay on prohibition.
This, it seems, would have incited
many of the boys'- to write, but
strange to say, the magnanimous
offer has prompted very few of the
students to enter the contest. Why
is this? A want of interest in this
great question?—or no hope of
getting the medal? Surely, boys,
we are not so ignorant as not to
have some conception of the mag
nitude and gravity of this great
question, which is now agitating
the mind of the Union. Surely we
are not so destitute of public spit(t,
as to feel no interest in prohibition
which is so intimately connected
with the happiness or miserv of
humanity.
As to getting the medal, that
ought to be the least thing in mov
ing us to write. It is true, that
this should be an incentive, but
wisdom is better than gold or fame.
The question of prohibition is em
phatically a living and
will doubtless come to a general
issue in our day. It is a question
which ‘ demands, and will have the
support or opposition of all tvhb
are now college boys. It must be
settled, and this ought to be done
intelligently, with all incident ques
tions clearly before the mind.
! Since we are not so well informed,
how can we perform our duty thus,
unless we study the question. No
better a time or opportunity will
ever cpme, than now.
Let each boy who can study and
write, as well for his own instruc
tion, and from a sense of duty to
country and fellow-man, as for a
hope of getting the medal which
Mr. Hill so magnanimously offers.
Death of a Distinguished Alumni.
Dr. W. 0. Wilkes, of Gainesville,
Ga., a distinguished alumnus of
Mercer University, died Wednes
day night, March 3d, after an ill
ness of about two weeks. He was
President of the the Gainesville
Baptist Seminary, at his death, and
was exceedingly beloved by all
connected with it. He has held
many other prominent positions in
Georgia, and by his uprightness and
strict attention to duty, has en
deared himself to the Baptist all
over the State. He graduated from
Mercer in 1843, with the highest
honors of his class.
Before the Baptist congress, re
cently held at Danville, Professor
Winston, of Richmond, read inter
i esting papers on the subject of ad
mitting into all colleges, females
who desire a more liberal education
'than is furnished by high schools.
1 It seems that a few lectures, or
even one, on our system of govern
ment, State and National, would be
highly instructive to many of the?
students.
Professional base ballist will, this
summer, again drain the Southern
pocket-book.
Macon is well adapted for the
State School of Technology, and
we hope she will take the proper
steps to secure it.
Students make it a particular
point to trade with those houses
which advertise in the Monochord.
Dentists seem to think that an
aching tooth will bring the students
to them without the direction of an
“ad.” Sagacious set, and stingy.
Many of the students could not
forbear going to the Volunteer’s
fair, so that they might see ladies
“in full evening dress,” as was ad
vertised. They went, they saw,
and their pockets were conquered.
Well rung are the Chimes of
Shorter College. The hands are
dextrous as they are fair.
