第 4 节
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example wherever it can lead us in the path of duty and of right;
and of bestowing on him those tributes of admiration and affection
which he deserves at our hands。〃
The great leader attracts to himself men of kindred character;
drawing them towards him as the loadstone draws iron。 Thus; Sir
John Moore early distinguished the three brothers Napier from the
crowd of officers by whom he was surrounded; and they; on their
part; repaid him by their passionate admiration。 They were
captivated by his courtesy; his bravery; and his lofty
disinterestedness; and he became the model whom they resolved to
imitate; and; if possible; to emulate。 〃Moore's influence;〃 says
the biographer of Sir William Napier; 〃had a signal effect in
forming and maturing their characters; and it is no small glory to
have been the hero of those three men; while his early discovery
of their mental and moral qualities is a proof of Moore's own
penetration and judgment of character。〃
There is a contagiousness in every example of energetic conduct。
The brave man is an inspiration to the weak; and compels them; as
it were; to follow him。 Thus Napier relates that at the combat of
Vera; when the Spanish centre was broken and in flight; a young
officer; named Havelock; sprang forward; and; waving his hat;
called upon the Spaniards within sight to follow him。 Putting
spurs to his horse; he leapt the abbatis which protected the
French front; and went headlong against them。 The Spaniards were
electrified; in a moment they dashed after him; cheering for 〃EL
CHICO BLANCO!〃 (the fair boy); and with one shock they broke
through the French and sent them flying downhill。 (12)
And so it is in ordinary life。 The good and the great draw others
after them; they lighten and lift up all who are within reach of
their influence。 They are as so many living centres of beneficent
activity。 Let a man of energetic and upright character be
appointed to a position of trust and authority; and all who serve
under him become; as it were; conscious of an increase of power。
When Chatham was appointed minister; his personal influence was at
once felt through all the ramifications of office。 Every sailor
who served under Nelson; and knew he was in command; shared the
inspiration of the hero。
When Washington consented to act as commander…in…chief; it was
felt as if the strength of the American forces had been more than
doubled。 Many years late; in 1798; when Washington; grown old;
had withdrawn from public life and was living in retirement at
Mount Vernon; and when it seemed probable that France would
declare war against the United States; President Adams wrote to
him; saying; 〃We must have your name; if you will permit us to use
it; there will be more efficacy in it than in many an army。〃 Such
was the esteem in which the great President's noble character and
eminent abilities were held by his countrymen! (13)
An incident is related by the historian of the Peninsular War;
illustrative of the personal influence exercised by a great
commander over his followers。 The British army lay at Sauroren;
before which Soult was advancing; prepared to attack; in force。
Wellington was absent; and his arrival was anxiously looked for。
Suddenly a single horseman was seen riding up the mountain alone。
It was the Duke; about to join his troops。 One of Campbell's
Portuguese battalions first descried him; and raised a joyful cry;
then the shrill clamour; caught up by the next regiment; soon
swelled as it ran along the line into that appalling shout which
the British soldier is wont to give upon the edge of battle; and
which no enemy ever heard unmoved。 Suddenly he stopped at a
conspicuous point; for he desired both armies should know he was
there; and a double spy who was present pointed out Soult; who was
so near that his features could be distinguished。 Attentively
Wellington fixed his eyes on that formidable man; and; as if
speaking to himself; he said: 〃Yonder is a great commander; but he
is cautious; and will delay his attack to ascertain the cause of
those cheers; that will give time for the Sixth Division to
arrive; and I shall beat him〃which he did。 (14)
In some cases; personal character acts by a kind of talismanic
influence; as if certain men were the organs of a sort of
supernatural force。 〃If I but stamp on the ground in Italy;〃 said
Pompey; 〃an army will appear。〃 At the voice of Peter the Hermit;
as described by the historian; 〃Europe arose; and precipitated
itself upon Asia。〃 It was said of the Caliph Omar that his
walking…stick struck more terror into those who saw it than
another man's sword。 The very names of some men are like the
sound of a trumpet。 When the Douglas lay mortally wounded on the
field of Otterburn; he ordered his name to be shouted still louder
than before; saying there was a tradition in his family that a
dead Douglas should win a battle。 His followers; inspired by the
sound; gathered fresh courage; rallied; and conquered; and thus;
in the words of the Scottish poet:…
〃The Douglas dead; his name hath won the field。〃 (15)
There have been some men whose greatest conquests have been
achieved after they themselves were dead。 〃Never;〃 says Michelet;
〃was Caesar more alive; more powerful; more terrible; than when
his old and worn…out body; his withered corpse; lay pierced with
blows; he appeared then purified; redeemed;that which he had
been; despite his many stainsthe man of humanity。〃 (16) Never
did the great character of William of Orange; surnamed the Silent;
exercise greater power over his countrymen than after his
assassination at Delft by the emissary of the Jesuits。 On the
very day of his murder the Estates of Holland resolved 〃to
maintain the good cause; with God's help; to the uttermost;
without sparing gold or blood;〃 and they kept their word。
The same illustration applies to all history and morals。 The
career of a great man remains an enduring monument of human。
energy。 The man dies and disappears; but his thoughts and acts
survive; and leave an indelible stamp upon his race。 And thus the
spirit of his life is prolonged and perpetuated; moulding the
thought and will; and thereby contributing to form the character
of the future。 It is the men that advance in the highest and best
directions; who are the true beacons of human progress。 They are
as lights set upon a hill; illumining the moral atmosphere around
them; and the light of their spirit continues to shine upon all
succeeding generations。
It is natural to admire and revere really great men。 They hallow
the nation to which they belong; and lift up not only all who live
in their time; but those who live after them。 Their great example
becomes the common heritage of their race; and their great deeds
and great thoughts are the most glorious of legacies to mankind。
They connect the present with the past; and help on the increasing
purpose of the future; holding aloft the standard of principle;
maintaining the dignity of human character; and filling the mind
with traditions and instincts of all that is most worthy and
noble in life。
Character; embodied in thought and deed; is of the nature of
immortality。 The solitary thought of a great thinker will dwell
in the minds of men for centuries until at length it works itself
into their daily life and practice。 It lives on through the ages;
speaking as a voice from the dead; and influencing minds living
thousands of years apart。 Thus; Moses and David and Solomon;
Plato and Socrates and Xenophon; Seneca and Cicero and Epictetus;
still speak to us as from their tombs。 They still arrest the
attention; and exercise an influence upon character; though their
thoughts be conveyed in languages unspoken by them and in their
time unknown。 Theodore Parker has said that a single man like
Socrates was worth more to a country than many such states as
South Carolina; that if that state went out of the world to…day;
she would not have done so much for the world as Socrates。 (17)
Great workers and great thinkers are the true makers of history;
which is but continuous humanity influenced by men of character
by great leaders; kings; priests; philosophers; statesmen; and
patriotsthe true aristocracy of man。 Indeed; Mr。 Carlyle has
broadly stated that Universal History is; at bottom; but the
history of Great Men。 They certainly mark and designate the
epochs of national life。 Their influence is active; as well as
reactive。 Though their mind is; in a measure; the product of
their age; the public mind is also; to a great extent; their
creation。 Their individual action identifies the causethe
institution。 They think great thoughts; cast them abroad; and the
thoughts make events。 Thus the early Reformers initiated the
Reformation; and with it the liberation of modern thought。
Emerson has said that every institutio