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Life of Thomas Eddy

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fair vocabulary, makes a clear and impressive writer.Mr. Eddy uses good words in their proper places, andthat always makes a good style for any subject-mat-ter. His logic has much of the Aristotelian clearnessabout it; but being exercised upon the practical affairsof life, instead of ingenious theories, it is not soapparent. His time was all his own, for he had no days ofgloom or hypochondriacism to weaken the energiesof his mind, through the pulses of his heart. Heindulged in no morbid views of life, nor sufferedfrom over strained feelings at human misery, but heknew all the evils that existed, and had nerve enoughto combat them. He depended for fame on no onebrilliant deed, or no one fortunate occurrence, but ona life of active benevolence. A command over hispassions, is the first lesson that he who intends tolive for mankind, should learn. It is in this cool sere-nity that the mind gains its greatest strength andaptitude for action. When obtained, it gives to youththe habits and facilities that belong to riper years.This complacency increases every day by reflection,and keeps the mind from decrepitude and decay inmore advanced years. In such a state, a man, likethe mariner sailing before the refreshing trade winds,can calculate almost to a certainty what may be accom-plished in a given time. When the imagination isunder proper control, and man is guided by expe-rience, he can correct yesterday's error, if one wasmade, by to-day's reasoning. In such a life, whereevery thing is accurately measured and surveyed, theworld passes onward, not like the uncertain shadowupon the dial of life, flitting with every cloud, butlike the heavenly bodies,Wheeling unshaken through the void immense. The religious order to which Mr. Eddy was attachedby birth and principle, have ever since their risebeen remarkable for self-discipline. This character-istic gave Penn, and his successors, their influence