There is another world beyond the grave, The hero hath his fame, "Tis blazoned on his tomb, THE PRIZE ESSAY. But earth withholds her glad acclaim, Were like the simoon's blast, Behold yon peaceful bands, Ah, happier theirs to prize And like our Father in the skies, Than famine and despair Among mankind to spread, And earth, our mother's curse to bear, Down to the silent dead. MRS. SIGOURNEY. HUMANITY, HUMILITY, &c. HUMANITY, 1. The nature of man. 2. The collective body of mankind. 3. Benevolence; tenderness. JOHNSON. Look to thyself; reach not beyond humanity. SIDNEY. All men ought to maintain peace, and the common offices of humanity and friendship in diversity of opinions. LOCKE. This word is derived from the Latin adjective Humanus, belonging to man, from whence we have also the words HUMAN, HUMANE, kind; HUMANIZE, to render humane and gentle; INHUMAN; INHUMANITY; SUPERHUMAN; that is above the nature or power of man, the Latin preposition super, meaning above, beyond. IN, when used as a prefix to an adjective, commonly gives the word an opposite meaning to that which it otherwise possesses; hence Inhumanity signifies want of humanity; barbarity; cruelty. Joyless inhumanity pervades and petrifies the heart. (Warriors)-O, what are these? THOMPSON. Death's ministers, not men; who thus deal death Ten thousand fold the sin of him who slew MILTON. True humanity consists not in a squeamish ear; it consists not in starting or shrinking at tales of misery, but in a disposition of heart to relieve it. True humanity appertains rather to the mind than to the nerves, and prompts men to real and active endeavours to execute the actions which it suggests. CHARLES JAMES FOX. THE CIRCLE OF HUMANITY.-] -FENELON was accustomed to say, "I love my family better than myself; my country better than my family; and mankind better than my country; for I am more a Frenchman than a Fenelon ; and more a man than a Frenchman." This reminds us of the saying of the Roman emperor, "As I am ANTO- Man is dear to man. The poorest poor Of some small blessing; have been kind to those That we have all of us one human heart. 66 Be WORDSWORTH. The senate of the Areopagites was a tribunal of high antiquity, the members of which were renowned for their equity, their blameless manners, and their wise and prudent conduct. The name of this tribunal was derived from the place where its sittings were held, the Areopagus, or hill of Mars, at Athens. Being one day assembled, according to custom, without any roof or covering but heaven, the senators perceived a bird of prey, which pursued a little sparrow, that flew to save itself into the bosom of one of the company. This man, who naturally was harsh, threw it from him so roughly that he killed it, whereat the court was offended, and a decree was made, by which he was condemned and banished from the senate; let it be observed that this company, which was at that time the gravest in the world, did not pass the decree for the care they had to make a law concerning sparrows, but it was to show that clemency and a merciful inclination was necessary in a state; and that a man destitute of it was not worthy to hold any place in the government, he having, as it were, renounced humanity. HUMILITY, freedom from pride; modesty. JOHNSON. Humanity cannot be degraded by humiliation. It is its very character to submit to such things. There is a consanguinity between benevolence and humility. They are virtues of the same stock. BURKE. From the Latin noun Humus, the ground; comes Humilis, belonging to the ground; and thence we derive the words INHUME, to bury; INHUMATION; EXHUME, to disinter; ExHUMATION; HUMBLE; HUMILITY; HUMILIATION; and, according to some etymologists, Hoмo, a man, that is a creature formed from the ground; HUMAN; HUMANE, &c., see HUMANITY, which is so naturally associated with HUMILITY in the mind of the true Christian, that it has been thought better to place them both under one head, the more especially as they are traced to the same derivation. In midst of dangers, fear and death, And praise thee for thy mercies past, ADDISON. Humility, that low sweet root From whence all heavenly virtues shoot. MOORE. The sufficiency of my merit is to know that my merit is not sufficient. ST. AUGUSTIN. The light of the understanding, humility kindleth, and pride covereth. ST. GREGORY. Humility is but a speaking truth, and all pride is a falsehood. JEREMY TAYLOR. Humility is the vital principle of Christianity; that principle by which, from first to last, she lives and thrives; and in proportion to the growth or decline of which, she must decay or flourish. WILBERFORCE. To confess that you have been in the wrong, is but owning what you need not be ashamed of, that you have more sense than you had before, to see your error; more humility to acknowledge it; and more grace to correct it. Seed. There is small chance of truth at the goal, where there is not child-like humility at the starting-post. COLERIDGE. Sorrow and humiliation for sin are indispensably requisite to all who would enter the temple of the New Testament. Do we wish that Jesus should befriend us, we must plead that we are lost; and should we even have good qualities and good works whereof to boast, we must on no account make them our plea; for the Lord might answer us, "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Let others boast of the sincerity of their repentance, the fervour of their piety, the purity of their desires, or whatever else they please; our plea must be, "Lord Jesus we are lost and ruined, therefore have mercy on us!" This appeal humbly urged, will never meet with a repulse. "The Lord abideth faithful, he cannot deny himself;" and he declares that the humbled and the lost are the objects of his saving mercy. * * Instruction, education, example, correction, and punishment, may do much for man, but they can never make him truly humble in spirit. A whole array of scripture passages, exhortations, and philosophical evidences of transgressions, judgments, calamities, and I know not what besides, will of themselves produce no effect to the purpose. He will often rather break than bend. The change so devoutly to be wished, is the work alone of Him who "giveth repen tance unto Israel." And to be clothed with this humility of spirit, is better than to be arrayed in princely garments. In the scriptures, we nowhere read that there is "joy in heaven" over men's acquirement of gold, or nobility, or splendid appointments, or crowns of worldly praise. But the humility and change of mind of which we speak, are an occasion of joy to the whole kingdom of God. DR. F. W. KRUMMACHER; from ELISHA. When the two goats, on a narrow bridge, met over a deep stream, was not he the wiser that laid down for the other to pass over him, than he that would rather hazard both their lives by contending? He preserved himself from danger, and made the other become debtor to him for his safety. I will never think myself disparaged, either by preserving peace or doing good. OWEN FELTHAM. Hast thou passed by the hedge-row. at eventide? And has a delicious fragrancy been all about thee, and thou knewest not whence it came? Hast thou searched and found the sweet violet, hidden beneath its leaves, and known that it was that which gave its odours to the air around thee? Thus, my child, should the Christian make sweet the place of his abode, with the perfume of his good deeds; and thus, in all humility, should he endeavour to remain unnoticed himself. When thou seest the hungry fed, and the naked clothed; the sick man visited, and the widow comforted-search, and thou shalt find the flower whence all this odour arose; thou shalt find full often that the Christian hath been there, constrained by the love of Christ. REV. CORNELIUS NEALE. Taste not from Fame's uncertain fountain, The princely Pine, on hills exalted, Whilst the mild Rose, more safely growing, Amidst retirement's shelter blowing, J. G. Cooper. |