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doubtless held communion with, his God, and in that soli- 

 tude and silence which are most propitious to devotion, he 

 felt in the mingled affections of love, reverence and fear that 

 filled the soul of the disciple upon the mount of transfigu- 

 ration and which inspired his breast, that it was indeed 

 good for him to be here. 



*' Early had he learned 

 To reverence the volume that displays 

 The mystery, the life, that cannot die ; 

 But in the mountains he did feel his faith !" 



" The whispering air 



Sends inspiration from the mountain heights/' 



Wordsworth. 



We know not what were the varied emotions and exer- 

 cises of mind which the contemplation of these scenes of 

 sublimity and beauty excited in him. "We know that he 

 possessed a soul thoroughly attuned to the full appreciation 

 of all these things ; and tastes formed and educated by 

 study and observation to derive the most exquisite pleasure 

 as well as profit from their contemplation. He has not, so 

 far as I know, left on record any account of the reflections 

 to which acquaintance with the view of these things gave 

 rise. Whatever shape they took, sure I am, they were in 

 spirit holy and elevating and if now they exist in words of 

 human language, they remain as precious mementoes of 

 love and affection to those who were enshrined in his heart. 

 But mere selfish gratification formed no part of his charac- 

 ter and its elements, if they mingled at all in the motives 

 which actuated his pursuits, did so incidentally. If this 

 constitution of his mind led him to investigate the laws and 

 operations of nature and derive pleasure from such occupa- 

 tions, the affections of his heart influenced him not less to 

 turn all his discoveries and convert all his acquisitions to 

 the good of mankind. Perhaps not a flower blooms on 

 this mountain and sheds its fragrance to perfume the bree- 



