. Self-made men. w when much that is purely philo-sophical shall be forgotten. So robust an intellect, says Carlyle, in one ofhis tempestuous bursts of enthusiasm, a soul so calm, so lofty,massive, and immovable, has not mingled in philosophical discus-sion since the time of Luther; for the man rises before us, amidcontradiction and debate, like a granite mountain amid cloudsand winds. Ridicule of the best that could be commanded hasbeen already tried against him, but it could not avail. What wasthe wit of a thousand wits to him. The cry of a thousand choughsassaulting that old cliff
. Self-made men. w when much that is purely philo-sophical shall be forgotten. So robust an intellect, says Carlyle, in one ofhis tempestuous bursts of enthusiasm, a soul so calm, so lofty,massive, and immovable, has not mingled in philosophical discus-sion since the time of Luther; for the man rises before us, amidcontradiction and debate, like a granite mountain amid cloudsand winds. Ridicule of the best that could be commanded hasbeen already tried against him, but it could not avail. What wasthe wit of a thousand wits to him. The cry of a thousand choughsassaulting that old cliff of granite. Seen from the summit, these,as they winged the midway air, showed scarce so gross as beetles,and their cry was seldom even audible. Fichtes opinions maybe true or false, but his character as a thinker can be slightlyvalued only by those who know it ill; and as a man approved byaction and suffering in his life and in his death, he ranks with aclass of men who were common only in better ages than DAVID KITTENHOUSE. David Rittenhouse, whose scientific eminence characterized aperiod of our history when such eminence was uncommon in themost advanced circles of the world, was born at Germantown,Pennsylvania, on the 8th of April, 1732. His parents were ofDutch descent, and emigrated to the New World at an early pe-riod of its history. Concerning Davids education and youth wehave no satisfactory information. It has been supposed that hereceived some tuition from a humble relative, a joiner by trade,who lived in the house of Eittenhouse, and died there. This rela-tive appears to have been a superior man, for among his paperswere discovered some elementary treatises on mathematics and as-tronomy, and numerous manuscripts containing calculations andinvestigations. When he died David was in his twelfth year, andthe books and papers were treasures to him, which, even then, heappreciated. The barns and fences about the farm, and even theimplements of industry, were covere
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