as　on　the　Plain　of　Shinar　long　ago；　where　a　certain　Tower；　likewise　of　a　very　philanthropic　nature；　indeed　one　of　the　desirablest　towers　I　ever　heard　of；　was　to　be　built；but　couldn't！　　My　friends；　I　do　not　laugh；　truly　I　am　more　inclined　to　weep。
  Get；　by　six　hundred　and　fifty…eight　votes；　or　by　no　vote　at　all；　by　the　silent　intimation　of　your　own　eyesight　and　understanding　given　you　direct　out　of　Heaven；　and　more　sacred　to　you　than　anything　earthly；　and　than　all　things　earthly；a　correct　image　of　the　fact　in　question；　as　God　and　Nature　have　made　it：　　that　is　the　one　thing　needful；　with　that　it　shall　be　well　with　you　in　whatsoever　you　have　to　do　with　said　fact。　　Get；　by　the　sublimest　constitutional　methods；　belauded　by　all　the　world；　an　incorrect　image　of　the　fact：　　so　shall　it　be　other　than　well　with　you；　so　shall　you　have　laud　from　able　editors　and　vociferous　masses　of　mistaken　human　creatures；　and　from　the　Nature's　Fact；　continuing　quite　silently　the　same　as　it　was；　contradiction；　and　that　only。　　What　else？　　Will　Nature　change；　or　sulphuric　acid　become　sweet　milk；　for　the　noise　of　vociferous　blockheads？　　Surely　not。　　Nature；　I　assure　you；　has　not　the　smallest　intention　of　doing　so。
  On　the　contrary；　Nature　keeps　silently　a　most　exact　Savings…bank；　and　official　register　correct　to　the　most　evanescent　item；　Debtor　and　Creditor；　in　respect　to　one　and　all　of　us；　silently　marks　down；　Creditor　by　such　and　such　an　unseen　act　of　veracity　and　heroism；　Debtor　to　such　a　loud　blustery　blunder；　twenty…seven　million　strong　or　one　unit　strong；　and　to　all　acts　and　words　and　thoughts　executed　in　consequence　of　that；Debtor；　Debtor；　Debtor；　day　after　day；　rigorously　as　Fate　（for　this　is　Fate　that　is　writing）；　and　at　the　end　of　the　account　you　will　have　it　all　to　pay；　my　friend；　there　is　the　rub！　　Not　the　infinitesimalest　fraction　of　a　farthing　but　will　be　found　marked　there；　for　you　and　against　you；　and　with　the　due　rate　of　interest　you　will　have　to　pay　it；　neatly；　completely；　as　sure　as　you　are　alive。　　You　will　have　to　pay　it　even　in　money　if　you　live：and；　poor　slave；　do　you　think　there　is　no　payment　but　in　money？　　There　is　a　payment　which　Nature　rigorously　exacts　of　men；　and　also　of　Nations；　and　this　I　think　when　her　wrath　is　sternest；　in　the　shape　of　dooming　you　to　possess　money。　　To　possess　it；　to　have　your　bloated　vanities　fostered　into　monstrosity　by　it；　your　foul　passions　blown　into　explosion　by　it；　your　heart　and　perhaps　your　very　stomach　ruined　with　intoxication　by　it；　your　poor　life　and　all　its　manful　activities　stunned　into　frenzy　and　comatose　sleep　by　it；in　one　word；　as　the　old　Prophets　said；　your　soul　forever　lost　by　it。　　Your　soul；　so　that；　through　the　Eternities；　you　shall　have　no　soul；　or　manful　trace　of　ever　having　had　a
  soul；　but　only；　for　certain　fleeting　moments；　shall　have　had　a　money…bag；　and　have　given　soul　and　heart　and　（frightfuler　still）　stomach　itself　in　fatal　exchange　for　the　same。　　You　wretched　mortal；　stumbling　about　in　a　God's　Temple；　and　thinking　it　a　brutal　Cookery…shop！　　Nature；　when　her　scorn　of　a　slave　is　divinest；　and　blazes　like　the　blinding　lightning　against　his　slavehood；　often　enough　flings　him　a　bag　of　money；　silently　saying：　〃That！　　Away；　thy　doom　is　that！〃
  For　no　man；　and　for　no　body　or　biggest　multitude　of　men；　has　Nature　favor；　if　they　part　company　with　her　facts　and　her。　　Excellent　stump…orator；　eloquent　parliamentary　dead…dog；　making　motions；　passing　bills；　reported　in　the　Morning　Newspapers；　and　reputed　the　〃best　speaker　going〃？　　From　the　Universe　of　Fact　he　has　turned　himself　away；　he　is　gone　into　partnership　with　the　Universe　of　Phantasm；　finds　it　profitablest　to　deal　in　forged　notes；　while　the　foolish　shopkeepers　will　accept　them。　　Nature　for　such　a　man；　and　for　Nations　that　follow　such；　has　her　patibulary　forks；　and　prisons　of　death　everlasting：dost　thou　doubt　it？　　Unhappy　mortal；　Nature　otherwise　were　herself　a　Chaos　and　no　Cosmos。　　Nature　was　not　made　by　an　Impostor；　not　she；　I　think；　rife　as　they　are！In　fact；　by　money　or　otherwise；　to　the　uttermost　fraction　of　a　calculable　and　incalculable　value；　we　have；　each　one　of　us；　to　settle　the　exact　balance　in　the　above…said　Savings…bank；　or　official　register　kept　by　Nature：　　Creditor　by　the　quantity　of　veracities　we　have　done；　Debtor　by　the　quantity　of　falsities　and　errors；　there　is　not；　by　any　conceivable　device；　the　faintest　hope　of　escape　from　that　issue　for　one　of　us；　nor　for　all　of　us。
  This　used　to　be　a　well…known　fact；　and　daily　still；　in　certain　edifices；　steeple…houses；　joss…houses；　temples　sacred　or　other；　everywhere　spread　over　the　world；　we　hear　some　dim　mumblement　of　an　assertion　that　such　is　still；　what　it　was　always　and　will　forever　be；　the　fact：　　but　meseems　it　has　terribly　fallen　out　of　memory　nevertheless；　and；　from　Dan　to　Beersheba；　one　in　vain　looks　out　for　a　man　that　really　in　his　heart　believes　it。　　In　his　heart　he　believes；　as　we　perceive；　that　scrip　will　yield　dividends：　but　that　Heaven　too　has　an　office　of　account；　and　unerringly　marks　down；　against　us　or　for　us；　whatsoever　thing　we　do　or　say　or　think；　and　treasures　up　the　same　in　regard　to　every　creature；this　I　do　not　so　well　perceive　that　he　believes。　　Poor　blockhead；　no：　　he　reckons　that　all　payment　is　in　money；　or　approximately　representable　by　money；　finds　money　go　a　strange　course；　disbelieves　the　parson　and　his　Day　of　Judgment；　discerns　not　that　there　is　any　judgment　except　in　the　small　or　big　debt　court；　and　lives　（for　the　present）　on　that　strange　footing　in　this　Universe。　　The　unhappy　mortal；　what　is　the　use　of　his　〃civilizations〃　and　his　〃useful　knowledges；〃　if　he　have　forgotten　that　beginning　of　human　knowledge；　the　earliest　perception　of　the　awakened　human　soul　in　this　world；　the　first　dictate　of　Heaven's　inspiration　to　all　men？　　I　cannot　account　him　a　man　any　more；　but　only　a　kind　of　human　beaver；　who　has　acquired　the　art　of　ciphering。　　He　lives　without　rushing　hourly　towards　suicide；　because　his　soul；　with　all　its　noble　aspirations　and　imaginations；　is　sunk　at　the　bottom　of　his　stomach；　and　lies　torpid　there；　unaspiring；　unimagining；　unconsidering；　as　if　it　were　the　vital　principle　of　a　mere　_four_…footed　beaver。　　A　soul　of　a　man；　appointed　for　spinning　cotton　and　making　money；　or；　alas；　for　merely　shooting　grouse　and　gathering　rent；　to　whom　Eternity　and　Immortality；　and　all　human　Noblenesses　and　divine　Facts　that　did　not　tell　upon　the　stock…exchange；　were　meaningless　fables；　empty　as　the　inarticulate　wind。　He　will　recover　out　of　that　persuasion　one　day；　or　be　ground　to　powder；　I　believe！
  To　such　a　pass；　by　our　beaverisms　and　our　mammonisms；　by　canting　of　〃prevenient　grace〃　everywhere；　and　so　boarding　and　lodging　our　poor　souls　upon　supervenient　moonshine　everywhere；　for　centuries　long；　by　our　sordid　stupidities　and　our　idle　babblings；　through　faith　in　the　divine　Stump…orator；　and　Constitutional　Palaver；　or　august　Sanhedrim　of　Orators；　have　men　and　Nations　been　reduced；　in　this　sad　epoch！　　I　cannot　call　them　happy　Nations；　I　must　call　them　Nations　like　to　perish；　Nations　that　will　either　begin　to　recover；　or　else　soon　die。　　Recovery　is　to　be　hoped；yes；　since　there　is　in　Nature　an　Almighty　Beneficence；　and　His　voice；　divinely　terrible；　can　be　heard　in　the　world…whirlwind　now；　even　as　from　of　old　and　forevermore。　　Recovery；　or　else　destruction　and　annihilation；　is　very　certain；　and　the　crisis；　too；　comes　rapidly　on：　　but　by　Stump…Orator　and　Constitutional　Palaver；　however　perfected；　my　hopes　of　_recovery_　have　long　vanished。　　Not　by　them；　I　should　imagine；　but　by　something　far　the　reverse　of　them；　shall　we　return　to　truth　and　God！
  I　tell　you；　the　ignoble　intellect　cannot　think　the　_truth_；　even　within　its　own　limits；　and　when　it　seriously　tries！　　And　of　the　ignoble　intellect　that　does　not　seriously　try；　and　has　even　reached　the　〃ignobleness〃　of　seriously　trying　the　reverse；　and　of　lying　with　its　very　tongue；　what　are　we　to　expect？　　It　is　frightful　to　consider。　　Sincere　wise　speech　is　but　an　imperfect　corollary；　and　insignificant　outer　manifestation；　of　sincere　wise　thought。　　He　whose　very　tongue　utters　falsities；　what　has　his　heart　long　been　doing？　　The　thought　of　his　heart　is　not　its　wisest；　not　even　_its_　wisest；　it　is　its　foolishest；and　even　of　that　we　have　a　false　and　foolish　copy。　　And　it　is　Nature's　Fact；　or　the　Thought　of　the　Eternal；　which　we　want　to　arrive　at　in　regard　to　the　matter；which　if　we　do　_not_　arrive　at；　we　shall　not　save　the　matter；　we　shall　drive　the　matter　into　shipwreck！
  The　practice　of　modern　Parliaments；　with　reporters　sitting　among　them；　and　twenty…seven　millions　mostly　fools　listening　to　them；　fills　me　with　amazement。　　In　regard　to　no　_thing_；　or　fact　as　God　and　Nature　have　made　it；　can　you　get　so　much　as　the　real　thought　of　any　honorable　head；even　so　far　as　_it_；　the　said　honorable　head；　still　has　capacity　of　thought。　　What　the　honorable　gentleman's　wisest　thought　is　or　would　have　been；　had　he　led　from　birth　a　life　of　piety　and　earnest　veracity　and　heroic　virtue；　you；　and　he　himself　poor　deep…sunk　creature；　vainly　conjecture　as　from　immense　dim　distances　far　in　the　rear　of　what　he　is　led　to　_say_。　　And　again；　far　in　the　rear　of　what　his　thought　is；surely　long　infinitudes　beyond　all　_he_　could　ever　think；lies　the　Thought　of