of the Spartans would, in this country at least,
destroy all the finer feeling, and inaugurate a reign of despotism
utterly at variance with Christianity. God's time to give to the
inhabitants of the earth the glorious system of our holy religion was
not until our race was educated, so as to be no longer the slaves of the
reigning ambition and passion of such men as Lycurgus. The Savior's hour
was several centuries from Lycurgus. Here it is appropriate to remark
that God, in his providence with the nations of men, has during all the
ages given to men just as fast as they were able to receive.

THE RELATIONS OF CHRISTIANITY TO HUMAN GREATNESS.

Some who deny the existence of spirit apart from matter allow that the
greatness of man consists in his being an eating animal. Others allow
that it lies in the fact that he is a working animal; while some have
allowed that it was found in the fact that he is a fighting animal. And
all _infidels_ agree in one thing, viz.: that man is simply an animal.
But the animal nature of man is not to be considered, with any degree of
truth, his crown of glory; his true greatness can not be identified with
it. We are acquainted with animals that can eat more, and seem to do it
with a greater relish. Others can run faster, jump higher, overcome
greater weight and outdo him in all manner of physical labor. They are
in possession of greater courage and fight with greater ferocity. So we
must search for man's greatness outside of all these elements of
character. Can we find no brighter, higher principles in the human
character? To do so we must lay aside the animal nature of man
altogether, and consider his character as it is blended with his
intellectual and moral nature. In other words, we must consider man as
man, not as an animal. We must consider him as a mind or spirit, and
look to something higher than eating, laboring at the helm, and
fighting, if we would discover his true greatness. In the improvement of
mind is the true improvement of man in all his relations. Without this
he is unqualified for all the various obligations that are necessary to
be discharged in order to the development of true greatness. To be great
a man must rise above the little, the mean, the vile and the degraded.
To do this he must be educated, trained, until the fruits of a virtuous
and useful intelligence are seen in his every-day life. Men are not
considered great nor admired for the simple development