brave English which puts such spirit and fire into The Quarterly Review. Speaking of Dr. Thornwell's habits of mind, a writer in The Presbyterian says: “Dr. Thornwell's favorite studies (outside of theology) were in the departments of metaphysics, logic, and moral science. An unfortunate remark, smacking somewhat of a boast, that he possessed the best private library on the subject of logic in the country, brought upon him the laugh of many, but we doubt not that it was true, as his fondness for this study was remarkable. The writer chanced to go at one time into a room which he had occupied for two days, at some distance from his home, and, seeing scraps of paper lying upon the carpet, picked some of them up. To his astonishment, they were covered with logical symbols, the work, evidently, of a few leisure moments, and of a character which showed the writer to be perfectly at home in the most difficult parts of the science." This extract furnishes the key-note to Dr. Thornwell's intellectual character. His chief power of mind--a power which he was constantly strengthening, like a gymnast, by exercise in these studies-was logical deduction. He constructed an argument with rare skill, and presented it with winning grace. This was his forte. Beyond this, we do not see that he possessed any quality of greatness. Certainly he was not, in any broad sense, an original thinker. In all that he said, he said nothing new: at least, in all that he published, we have seen nothing new. Taking away from the "Discourses on Truth" their fine precision of statement, their carefulness in covering the whole ground, and their pure English, the remainder—that is, the actual substance of the book--is not the author's own, but is to be found (where he found it) in other writers. In Moral Philosophy, he corrects Paley; in Mental, he corrects Locke; but everybody nowadays corrects both Paley and Locke, without evincing profound originality of thought. It seems to us that Dr. Thornwell's failure to discover any new truths, or to lead any new ideas into the world, was on account of his deficient possession of that quick camera of the mind which, for lack of a better name, we call the intuitive faculty. So, with all his fine parts, he was not a man of genius. In the General Assembly, he usually made more speeches, and gained less votes, than any other man on the floor. The reason for this was two-fold; first, because he was always bringing forward some narrow, technical side-issue, to which less acute but more practical minds attached no importance; and next, becauseunlike all other South Carolinians since the world began —he had neither taste nor ability for ecclesiastical strategy. If he had a measure to introduce, he consulted no committee beforehand; he arranged no programme of tactics. He always expected to carry his point unaided, except by his own speech. Often in a debate he confessed himself so sanguine of the success of his measures, that when the final vote left him in a lonesome minority, his surprise was ludicrous to the audience. Thus, two years ago, in the Assembly at Rochester, when he sought by a grand assault to demolish the organized Boards of the Old School Church, and to substitute committees in their place-arraying Dr. Hodge in battle against him-he made a long, brilliant, and absurd speech, at the close of which he remarked: "I think I have made the subject so clear, that I shall have an overwhelming majority." "You will get," said a friend who congratulated him on his speech," about 50 votes out of 325." On the count. he had 47! Many South Carolinians believe that, had he not been a clergyman, he would have followed Calhoun into the Senate. But he had one virtue too great for a politician-he despised caucusing! We say it to his honor. But Dr. Thornwell chose to cast a shadow upon what might have been a shining name. Born to no inheritance but poverty, to no station but obscurity; shaking from his small-clothes the dust of Dirt-Eaters before he could step into decent society; belonging to a low class who looked up with envy at the negro above them; he afterward rose to the height of the oligarchy only to look down with unmanly arrogance on the dusky multitudes who once were his superiors in caste. While South Carolina was organizing the Great Outbreak, such was Dr. Thornwell's influence among the masses of the people, such was the prestige of his name, such was his power of appeal, that during the few critical days before the ordinance of Secession, it is hardly an exaggeration to say that he held in his own hands the decision of peace or war for the whole land. For if South Carolina had not rebelled, no other State would have followed: and one man might have saved South Carolina. But when the Legislature met to pass the treasonable ordinance, who was the hot gospeller that rose in the capitol to inaugurate the revolution with public prayer? It was Dr. Thornwell. What shall be his just fame? A man to whom God gave brilliant gifts-to whom a broad culture added rare facility in their use-to whom the ears of the multitude were always open to whom some golden opportunity for usefulness was always at hand; shall such a man, after lending his whole life and strength to a national crime, now at last, on going down to his grave, leaving his mischiefs at work behind him, bequeath a memory green and fragrant to the world? After devoting for thirty years the best energies of his mind to finding reasons for an institution that violates the most sacred rights of human nature-turning manhood into merchandise-making bargain and sale of the chastity of woman-orphaning children before the eyes of their parents-himself a buyer and seller of souls for whom Christ died !—can a church that is charged to keep itself unspotted of the world af ford to claim for such a man a place in its remembrance as a faithful minister of the Gospel of good will? Bringing discredit upon religion; casting dishonor upon the church; binding heavy burdens grievous to be borne; shutting his ears to the cries of the oppressed; hurrying the nation into civil war :-this is his true record, which no man can say is overdrawn. In loyalty to justice, we give his name its true place in the history of the times. Beyond this, not man but God is the Judge. SEPTEMBER 1, 1862. AN EDITOR'S VISIT TO AN EDITOR'S FARM. S HUT within the city for three months past, not and spend a Saturday on the farm." Mr. Greeley's farm is at Chapequa, a station which in spite of being on the Harlem Railroad is not a great way from New York. Every Friday night, our venerable friend, weary with the week, leaves Printing-House square, and goes up to smell his own grass, to nod to his own cattle, and to drink water at his own rock-spring. All this freshens away his venerable look, and turns him into a young man in twenty-four hours. This farm supplies vegetables to the market and good reading to The Tribune-just as a certain farm at Peekskill grows apples for New York and preaching for Brooklyn. What other acres in the country yield better crops? Drawing near the station, I overheard a passenger say to his companion: "We are coming upon Horace Greeley's country-seat." "I suppose," said the other, "he lives in fine style." "No, he lives like a laboring man," was the reply. How could I help turning round and remarking, Well, he is a laboring man!" Living in the woods, in a romantic haunt, barricaded against the world by palisades of forest trees-this busy man, taking his rest in hard work, drops his pen to shoul |