New Hampshire Statesman And Concord Register

MILITARY EXPLOITS. I once asked a distinguished Senator, how we should account for the fact, that the mass of mankind in all ages and countries, had ever been able to make an idol of a successful military leader? He answered promptly: "It is the difference between sensation and intellect. Military exploits affect the senses direct. The most illiterate comprehend them—and the minds of all are more or less dazzled by whatever strongly touches the senses.—The good performed by the Statesman and Philosopher is of a different character. It can only be perceived by the intellect; and can seldom be comprehended without labor and attention. Besides, it is always progressive, and the result susceptible of controversy. Victory in battle is a sudden thing, the result is certain; the causes, accidental or otherwise, matter of dispute or doubt. The senses generally lead the intellect captive."

Cincinnati Gazette.