Book Description

Excerpt from An Outline of the Life of George Robertson The name of every member of society, certainly of every well-known man, is, at all times, impleaded before a tribunal, august, by reason of its power, the number of its judges and the gravity of its issues, for the most part honest, but fallible and irresponsible, whose laws are unwritten, whose jurisdiction is unlimited, whose proceedings are irregular, and which never adjourns; from whose decision there is no appeal, and from whose police there is no escape; which wields a might above the sway of Church and State, and grasps, not only the functions of a civil service - commission to try and to sentence every holder of a public trust, but also the authority of that God-appointed and private censor, Conscience, and that far-off hierarchy who sat in judgment of the dead. Its name is Public Opinion. These pages may be accepted as the final report, filed in that inevitable Court, of the manner in which he had discharged his obligations to his fellow-men, and his duties to himself, by one whose term of service upon earth was about to close. Putting yourself in his place, do you ask what good it will do you to be remembered with kindness, or, at all, after you are dead? The question is unamswerable. The wish to be so remembered, even if never fulfilled, may shape your course, and work out your welfare, here and hereafter, and if accomplished, may make your example of infinite value to others. The philosophy of practical life, which adapts means to ends, has vibrated between two great motives. The creed of a generation whose last survivors are fast passing away, may be summed up in the well known words: A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches. Its effect was to moor many a true and drifting soul to sure and steadfast rules, which had their outgrowth in plain manners and in the performance of every social duty. The substance of the faith which now prevails, may be favorably condensed into the expression: Property is respectability, or the chief good is wealth. Would you see its fruits? About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.