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ON MONDAY, FOURTH OF %J'LTLY',¢
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IN COMMEMORATION OF

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I I Q U C ﬂ I I I O I l I I C ‘ ll

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ORATION.

WHY, on thz's day, lingers along these sacred Walls
the spiriot-1«:.ind1ing anthem E’ Wlry, on this day, Waits
the herald of God at the altar, to utter forth his holy
prayer P Why, on Z‘/2,273 day, co11ng1*eg;ate here the Wise,
and the good, and the beatttiful of the land ?~—--Fatl1-—
ers ! F rriends I it  the SA.B.BA'1‘I~I DAY or FREEDOM!
The race of the rarlsorned, with grateful hearts and
exulting ‘voices, hzwe again come up, in the sunlig}r‘1t
of peace, to the Jubilee of their Independence!

The story of our country’s S11ffG1"il"lgS, our country’s
triumphs, t,l1ot1gl‘1 often and eloquently told, is still a
etory that cannot tire, and must not be forgotten‘.
You will listen to its recital, however unadorned
and I shall not fear, therefore, even from the place
wlmere your chosen ones have so long stood, to de-
light and enlighten, I shall not fear to address you.
Though I tell you no new thing, I speak of that,
which can never fall coldly on your ears. You will

r1:
A1;

listen, for you are the sons and daughters of the her
role men, who lighted the beacon of “rebellion,” and
tlnfurled, by its blaze, the triumphant banner of liberty ;
your own blood will speak for me. A feeble few of
that intrepid band are now among you, yet spared by
the‘ grave for your veneration ; they will speak for me,
Their sinking forms, their bleached looks, their hon-
ourable soars :,--—these Will, indeed, speak for me.
Undaunted men! how must their dim eyes brighten,
and their old hearts grow young Wltll rapture, as they
look. round on the happiness of their own oreation.;
Loiig may they remain, our glad and grateful gaze,
to teach us all, that We may treasure all, of the hour‘
of doubt and danger; and when their God shall sum-
men them to a glorious rest, may they bear to their
departed comrades the c:onii;rmation of their eo1.1ntry’e
reliovvn, and their child1*e11’s felicity.

VVe meet to indulge in pleasing‘ rerniriiecences.
Une happy household, We have come round the table
of memory, to banquet on the good deeds of others,
and to grow good ourselves, by that on which we
feed». Our hope for remembrance, our desire to re-~
member friends and benefactors, are a.n.1ong the
‘warmest and purest sentiments of our nature. To
the former We olirig stronger, as life iteelf grows
“weaker, We know that We shall forget, but the

5

thou htofhei11o* foreotten, is the deetli-knell to the
g ta ta

spirit. Though our bodies moulder, We would liave

our memories live. When we are gone, We shall
not hear the murmuring voice of affection, the grateful
tribute of praise; still, we love to believe that that
voice will be raised, and that tribute paid. Few so
humble, that they sink below, none so exalted, that
they rise above, this common feeling of liiimzmity,
The Sl1flpVV1‘(3Cli(3d sailor, thrown on 21 shore Where
l‘1umzu1  never l.i.gl1te11ed, before he scoops in the
'l..)l.Tl1Tl'1ll1g,‘ ezuid his last, szitl .reeti.1‘1g-pl:i.ce, semttzlies on
it 'l7l'2‘l.g1I1.(3l_‘1t of lll.l.:l‘:‘» el.1etteretl bz11‘l<_ the :re(:.or(l of his "fete,

in the m 9l‘)l.E.1,1.’l(.f.l"l().ly hope t.he.t it Imiy ssome day be re-—

pea,t.ed. to the clear ones, who have loiig looked out

in vain for l1TlS eo111i1*1g. The lau1'el.led vvarrior, vvhose
foot .l1E).S trodden on crowns, Whose liend has clividcsad
(;}II1p:i1‘eS, when he sinks on vic:tory’e red ﬁeld, and life
flies liuuted "from ee(:l;1 quivering vein, t111'uslii.slast
;mo1't:tl thought on that life to eome, his country’s
‘b1*igl1test page. A V
The remembrzuice we so ardeutly desire, We render
unto others. To those who are dear, We pay our
tlearest tribute. It is exhibited in the most simple,
in the meet sublime forms. We behold it in the chilcl,
cli.ggi11g :1 little grave for its deed favourite, and 111.z1rl<:~

iug the spot with 21 Willow tvvig and a. tear. We be-

6
hold it in the congregated nation, setting up on high its
monumental pile to the Mighty. We beheld it, late-
ly,on that green plain,dyed With freedonfs ﬁrst blood ;°’°
on that proud hill, ennobled as freedorn’s ﬁrst fortress gr
when the tongues of the Eloquent, touched with crea-
tive ﬁre, seemed to bid the dust beneath them live,
and the long--buried come forth. We behold it now,
here, in thisconsecrated temple, Where We have as-
sembled to pay our annual debt of gratitude, to talk
of the bold deeds of our ancestors, from the day of pa»-
ril, when they wrestled with the savage for his birth-
right, to the day of glory, when they proclaimed a
new charter to man, and gave a new nation to the

World.

ROLL back the tide of time : how powerfully to us
applies the promise----“ I will give thee the heathen
for an inheritance.” Not many generations ago,
where you now sit, circled with all that ezsralts in and
enibellishes civilized life, the rankthistle nodded in
the Wind, and the Wild fox dug his hole unscared.
Here lived and loved another race of beings. Beneath
the same sun that rolls over your heads, the Indian
hunter pursued the panting deer; gazing on the same
moon that smiles for you, the Indian lover wooed his
dusky mate. Here the Wigwam blaze beamed on the

4* Concord l(i3‘e1ebra.tion, April the 19th. tBunker Hill Celebration, June the 17:12-.

"7

tender and the helpless, the council ﬁre glared on the
wise and the daring. Now they dipped their noble
limbs in your sedgy lakes, and now they paddled the
light canoe along your rocky shores. Here they war-
red .3 the echoing whoop, the bloody grapple, the defy-
ing death—-song, all were here ; and when the tiger strife
was over, here curled the smoke of peace. Here, too,
they worshipped ; and from many a dark bosom went
up a pure prayer to the Great Spirit. He had not
written His laws for them on tables of stone, but He
had traced them on the tables of their hearts. The
poor child of nature knew not the God of revelation,
but the God of the universe he acknowledged in every
thing around. He beheld him in the star that sunk
in beauty behind his lonely dwelling, in the sacred orb
that ﬂamed on him from his mid-day throne ;----in the
ﬂower that snapped in the morning breeze, in the
lofty pine, that had deﬁed a thousand whirlwinds ;-----in
the timid warbler, that never left its native grove, in
the fearless eagle, whose untired pinion was Wet in
clouds ;-min the worm that crawled at his foot, and in
his own matchless form, glowing with a spark of that
light, to whose mysterious source he bent, in humble,
though blind adoration.

A And all this has passed away. Across the ocean
came a pilgrim bark, bearing the seeds of life and

8

death. The forrner were sown for you, the latter
sprang up in the path of the simple native. Two
hundred years have changed the clmracter of 21 great
continent, and blotted forever from its face a. Whole,
peculiar people. Art has usurped the howere of nu»
ture, and the anointed children of education have heeu
too powerful for the tribes of the igrrerent. Here and
there, 3. stricken few remairi, but how unlike their
hold, untamed, uritarneehle progenitors 1‘ The Inrclicm,
of   falcon A glance, and lien beerirrg, the r theme of tlre
touching ballacl, the hero of the pathetic rate, is gone E
and his degraded offepring crawl upon the soil Where
he Walked in majesty, to 1*emind are how rnise ‘able is
maxi, when the feet of the conqueror is on his nee.l+;...
As 21: race they have withered frem= the land. Their
arrmvs are h1'oIr.e11, their springs are dried up, their eel)»
fins are in the dust. Their council ﬁre has; long sirree
gone out on the shore; and their War»-cry ie feet dying
to the untrodden West; Slowly and sarcllye they elirrih
the distant zrneuntairre, £1.-1*1r(l*W1*.C:‘a2€l their doom in the set-»
ting sun. They are shrinking before the niighty t.:ide
which is pressing thern away ; they rnuet soon lxeznr
the roar of the last waver, Wliich will settle over them
‘forever. Ages hence, the inquisitive White man, are
 sta11els- by some growing city, will ponder tenet   the
istructtrre ef ‘their Clie.1:m'l3ecl .I'€1’,Il€ti_11S‘, and; W’01ir(le1' 130

9

what manner of person they belonged. They will
live only in the songs and chronicles of their eXterrni-
nators. Let these be faithful to their rude Virtues as
men, and pay due tribute to their unhappy fate as a.
people. '

To the Pious, who, in this desert region built a. ci-
ty of refuge, little less than to ‘[.l1€)'BRAVE, who round
tliat city 1*ezu'ed an iiiipifegrittble wall of safety, we
owe the "l;)lc:ssii1gs of this day. To enjoy, mid to per-
petuate l‘€3llgl,O’tTl$ freedom, the sa.e.red herald of civil
liberty, they deserted. tl1ei,1' native land, where the
foul spirit of ]Z)(;:3l'.‘f:’-(,‘.(2.ll"tl.O1'l 'Was up in its fury, and Where
mercy lmcl ilcting except‘. at the enorrnities perpetrated in
tl; W 3 nlinsetl muries of J tE3'l'1()V23l.l1 and Jesyus. “ Resist
unto blood !” hliiud ziz1.l()t;e lmd found in the bible, and
lz.1.1’rt1er1tubl, y iude ed, did they f'u1Iil the cornmzmd. With
“Thus 1+i423l.‘l.tl‘1 the Lord,” the e1'1,g-ixies of cruelty Were
 in inotion, nntl tmzmy at nm1‘t.y1r spirit, like the as-
Clﬂlltllflg prophet from .l"o1‘dzu1’s bzmlt, escaped in ﬁre
to lienven.

It was in this night of time, when the incubus of
bigotry sat heavy on the l111I1’l.El.I'). soul :----

When crown and crosier ruled a. coward World,

And mental darkness o’er the nations curl”eid,~—-—

‘When, wrept in sleep, eerthﬁs torpid children lay, A,

Hugged their vile chains, and dreamed their age away,-»-
5)

-"bl

10

‘Twas then, by faith impelled, by freedonl ﬁred,

By hope supported, and by God inspired,--—

”“Twas then the Pilgrims left their fathers’ graves,

To seek a Home beyond the waste ofwaves ;

And where it rose, all rough and wintry, JEIERE,

They swelled devotion’s song, and dropped devotion’s tear.

Can we sufficiently admire the ﬁrmness of this lit»
tle brotherhood, thus self-banished from their country?
Unkind and cruel, it was true, but still their comzzry.’
There they were born,‘ and there, where the lamp of
life ‘was lighted, they had hoped it would go out.
There a father’s hand had led them, a mother’s smile
had warmed them. There were the sunny haunts of
their boyish days, their kinsfolk, their friends, their re»
collections, theirall. Yet all was left ; even while their
heartstrings bled at the parting, all was left; and a
stormy sea, a savage waste, and a fearful destiny, were
encouute1'ed-—--for HEAVEN, and for You!

It is easy enough to praise, when success has sancti-- r

fled the act; and to fancy that We, too, could endure
a heavy trial, which is to be followed by a rich reward.
But before the deed is crowned, while the doers are
yet about us, bearing like ourselves the common in.ﬁrm-
ities of the ﬂesh, we stand aloof, and are not always
ready to discern the spirit that sustains and exalts
them. Whell centuries of experience have rolled
away, we land the exploit on which we might have

ll

frowned, if we had lived with those who left their age
behind to achieve it. We read of empires founded,
and people redeemed, of actions embalmed by time,
and hallowed by romance ; and our hearts leap at the
lofty recital; We feel it would be a glorious thing to
snatch the laurels of immortal fame. But it is in the
day of doubt, when the result is hidden in clouds,
when danger stands in every path, and death is lu1‘k-,
ing in every corner ;--—--it is then, that the men who are
born for great occasions, start boldly from the world’s

trembling multit;1:icl.e, and swear to “do, or die!”

Sucrrmeri were they who peopled these shores.
Such men, too, were they who presereetl them. Of
these latter giant spirits, who battled for independence,
and to the remernhrance of whose deeds" this day is
peculiarly devoted, we are to recollect, that destruc-~
tion awaited defeat. They were “rebels,” obnoxious
to the fate of “rebels.” They were tearing asunder
the ties of loyalty, and hazarding all the sweet en-
dearments of social and domestic life. They were un.-~
friended, weak, and wantincr. Going thus forth, against
a powerful and vindictive foe, what could they dare to
hope? What had they not to dread? They could not
tell, but that vengeance would hunt them down, and

infamy harig its black scutcheon over their graves;

1575

Av!

They did not know that the angel of t.he Lord would go
forth With them, and smite the invaders of their sanct-
na1*y. They did not know that generation after gen»-
eration, Would, on this day, rise up and call them bless-
ed; that the sleeping quarry would leap forth to pay
them "voiceless homage; that their names would be
handed down, from father to son, the penman’s theme,
and the poet’s inspiration; challenging, through count-
less years, the jubilant praises of an emaiicipated peo-
ple, and the plaudits of an adrni1'ing' world! N 0! They
knew, only, that the arm which should protect, was
oppressing them, and they shook. it off :,---——-that the cha-
lice presented to their lips was a poisoned one, and
they dashed it away. They knew, only, that a rod
was stretched over them for their audacity; and be-
neath this they Vowed never to bend, While a single
pulse could beat the larum to “ rebellion.” That rod
must be broken, or they must bleed! And it was
lJ1‘Ol§.G11l Led on by their VVAsn1No'ro:N, the heroes
Went forth, Clothed l in the panoply of a rigl1teo11s
cause, they Went forth boldly. Guarded by a good
Providence, they Went forth triumphantl_y.. They la-
boured, that we niight ﬁnd rest; they fought, that We
might enjoy peace; they comp.1e1‘ed, that we might

inherit freedom!

13

You will not now expect a detail of tlie actions of
thateventfulstruggle. To theannalists of your coun-4
try belongs the pleasing task of tracing the progress of
a revolution, the purest in its origin, and the most stu-
pendous in its consequences, that ever gladdened the
world. To their ﬁdelity we commit the Wisdom
which planned, and the valour which accomplished it.
The dust of every contested mound, of every rescued
plain, vvill Whisper to them their duty, for it is dust
that breathed and bled; the hallovvecl dust of men
who Would be free, or nothing.

There, in the sweet hour of eventide, the child of
sentiment vvill linger, and conjure up their martyr
forms. Heroes, with their garments rolled in blood,
will marshal round him. The thrilling ﬁfe--note, the
drum’s heart-kindling heat, will again run down the
shadowy ranks ; the short, commanding Word, the
fatal volley, the dull death~groan, the glad imrru/z I
again Will break on his cheated ear. The battle that
sealed his country’s fate, his country’s freedom, will
rage before him in all its dreadful splendour. And
when the airy pageant of his fancy fades in the
gathering mists, he will turn his footsteps from the sa-
cred ﬁeld, vvith avvarmer gratitude, and a deeper reve-
rence for the gallant spirits who resigned dear life, in
defence of life’s dearest blessing.

I ‘ll?

THE “feelings, manners, and principles” which led
to the declaration of the fourth of July, 776, shine
forth in the memorable language of its great author.
He and his bold brethren proclaimed that all men
were created equal, and enclovved by their Creator
with the right of liberty ; that for the security of
this 1*igl1t, government was instituted, and that, when
it violated its trust, the governed rnigllt abolisli it-
That crisis, they declared, had arrived ; and the in-
juries and usurpations of the parent country were no
longer to be endured. .li,ecou,11t.ir1g the da1‘l~*;; catalogue
of abuses which they had suffeifetl, mid ap_peal.i11g to
the Supreme Judge of the World for the rectitude of
their intentions; in the name, and by the authority
of 'rr—m rnornrz, the only fountain of legitimate power,
they shook off forever their allegi.ance to the llritieh
crown, and pronounced the united. colonies an IN-
nnrnnnnnr Nmsion ! A

What their “ feelings, manners, and prin(:iples” led
tl1em to publish, their Wisdoln, valour, and persever-
ance enabled them to establish. The blessings se--
cured by the Pilgrims and the Patriots, have descend»

ed to us. In the Virtue and intelligence of the in»!

heritors We conﬁde for their duration. They who
attainede them“ have left us their example, and be-
queathed us their blood. We shall never forget the

.15

one, unless we prove recreant to the other. On the
Dorficlc columns of religious and civil liberty, a majestic
temple has been reared, and they who dwell within its
walls, will never bow in bondage to man, till they for-
get to bend in reverence to God. i

r TI~IE achievement of American Independence was
not merely the separation of a few obscure colonies
from their parent realm ; it was the practical aIlIlL111-
ciation to created man, that he was created free .’ and
it will stand in history, the epoch from which to com-
pute the real duration of political lihe.1*ty. Intolerance
and tyranny had for ages loagued to keep their victim
down. ‘While the former could remain the pious guar-—
dian of his conscience, the latter knew it had nothing
to fear frorn his courage. He was theirs, soul and
body, His intellectual energies were paralyzed, that
he might not behold the corruptions of the church ;
and his physical powers were fettered, that he should
not rise up against the abuses of the state. , Thus cen-
turies of darkness rolled away. Light, indeed, broke,
from time to time, but it only servedrrstofshow the sur-
rounding clouds ;----bright stars, here and there, looked
out, but they were the stars of a gloomy night. At
length, the morning dawned, when one generation of
your ancestors willed that none but their Maker should

16

guide them in their duty as Christians ; and the per»-
fect day shone forth, when another declared that from
none but their lV.['al~';e1'vvould they derive their irnmuni—-
ties as men. The World had seen the former secure
a privilege, Whose original denial. would have left their
faith asleep in its founder’s sepulchre ; and they now
beheld the latter in the enjoyment of rights, Without
Which, their freedom would have been palsied at the

footstool of a monarcl1’s throne.

IF, in remembering the oppressed, you think the op»
pressors ought not to be forgotten, I might urge that
the splendid result of the great struggle should fully re-
concile us to the madness of those, Who rendered that
struggle necessary. I can almost forgive the presump-
tion which “ declared” its right “ to bind the Aineri-~
can colonies,” for it was vvofully expiated bythe hu--

miliation which “ acknowledged” those same “ Ameri-

can colonies” to be “SOVEREIGN and INDEPENDENT pp

STATES.” The immediate workers, too, of that po-
litical iniquity have passed away, The mildew of
shame will forever feed upon their memories ;-----a
brand has been set upon their deeds, that even time’s
all gnavving tooth can never destroy. But they have
passedaway ; and of all the millions they misruled,

the millions they zooulcl have misruled,ll1oW few re-

1'?’

main! Another race is there to lament the folly, an-
other here to magnify the Wisdom, that out the knot of
empire. Shall these inherit and entail everlasting en-
niity? Like the Carthagenian Hamilcar, shall we come
up hither with our children, and on this holy altar swear
the pagan oath of undying hate .7’ Even our goaded
fathers disdained this. Let us fulﬁl their words, and
prove to the people of England, that, “ in peace,” we

know how to treat them “as friends.” They have

been twice told that, “ in War,” We know how to meet

them “ as enemies ;” and they will hardly ask anoth—-
er lessoii, for it may he, that when the tlzxircl trumpet
shall sound, a voice will echo along their sea-girt
eliffs: “ The Glory has departed !”

Some few of their degenerate ones, tainting the
bowers Where they sit, decry the growing greatness of
a land they will not love :; and others, after eating from
our basket, and drinking from our enp, go home to
pour forth the senseless libel against a people, at Whose
ﬁresides they were warmed. But a few pens, dipped
in gall, will not retard our progress; let not a few
tongues, festering in falsehood, disturb our repose. We
have those among us, who are able both to pare the
talons of the kite, and pull out the fangs of the viper ;
W110 can lay hare, for the disgust of all good men, the

gaiigrene of the insolent reviewer, and inﬂiot snr.:.h a

El»

‘l8

cruel mark on the back of the mortiﬁed runaway, as
will long take from him the blessed privilege of being
forgotten.

These high and low detractors speak not, We trust,
the feelings of their nation. Time, the great corrector,
is there fast enlightening both ruler and ruled. They
are treading in our steps, even ours, and are gradually,
though slowly, pulling up their ancient religious and
political landmarks. Yielding to the liberal spirit of

the age, a spirit horn and fostered here, they are not

only loosening their own long rivetted shackles, but are
raising the voice of encouragement, and extending the
hand of assistance, to the “ rebels” of other climes.
In spite of all that has passed, vve ovve England
much; and even on this occasion, standing in the midst
of my generous-rninclecl countrymen, I may fearlessly,
willingly, acknovvledge the debt. We owe England
much ;-—--nothing for her rnartyrdoms ; nothiiig for her
prescriptions ; nothing for the innocent blood with
which she has stained the White robes of religion and
liberty—-5--these clairris our Fathers cancelled, and her
monarch rendered them and theirs a full acquittance
forever. But for the living treasures of her mind, gar-
nered up and spread abroad for centuries, by her great
and gifted, who that has drank at the sparkling streams
of , her poetry, who that has drawn from the deep

19

fountains of her wisdom, who that speaks, and reads,
and thinlcs her language, will be slow to own his obli-
gation? One of your purest, ascended patriots, he, who
compassed sea and land for liberty, Whose early voice
for her echoed round yonder consecrated hall, Whose
dying accents for her went up in solitude and suffering
from the ocean ;-——~Whe11 he sat down to bless with the
last token of a father’s remembrance, the SoN, who
Wears his mantle with his name,---bequ.eatl1ed him the
recorded lessons of Eng'l.a.ir'1d’s best and wisest, and
sealed the lega.cy of love with a prayer, whose full ac-—
complishment we live to witness :--—-~“1f/Lozt the spirit of
LIBERTY m/eight rest upon /zz'm.”*

VVHILE We bring our offerings for the mighty of our
own land, shall We not remember the chivalrous spirits
of other shores, Who shared with them the hour of
Weakness and we? Pile to the clouds the majestic
columns of glory, let the lips of those who can speak
well, hallovv each spot where the bones of your Bold
repose ; but forget not those who with your Bold went
out to battle.

Among these men of noble daring, there was ONE,-a
young and gallant stranger, who left the blushing Vine-
hills of his delightfulFrance. The people Whom he
came to succour, were not his people ;---he knew them

’* Sea Life of Josiah Quincy, Jr. by his Son, Josiah Quincy, Mayor of Boston.

‘:20

only in the wicked story of their wrongs. He was no
mercenary Wretch, striving for the spoil of the van-
quished ;—---the palace acknowledged him for its lord,
and the valley yielded him its increase. He was no
nameless man, staking life for reputation ;---he 1*anl:.-
ed among nobles, and looked unawed upon kings.
He was no friendless outcast, seeking for a grave to
hide his cold heart ;-—-«he was girdled by the com-
panions of his childhood, his lainsmcn were about him,
his wife was before him! ,

Yet from all these he turned away. Like a lofty
tree, that shakes down its green glories, to battle
with the Winter storm, he ﬂung aside the trappings of
place and pride, to crusade for freedom, in freedom’s
holy land. He came ;---—-but not in the day of success..-
ful “ rebellion ;” not when the 11eW-risen sun of in-
dependence had burst the cloud of time, and careered
to its place in the heavens. He came when darkness
curtained the hills, and the tempest was abroad in its
anger ;-—---when the plough stood still in the ﬁeld of
promise, and briers cumbered the garden of beauty.
He came when fathers were dying, and mothers Were
Weeping over them ;-—---wlien the Wife was binding up
the gashed bosom of her husband, and the maiden.

was wiping the ,4 death damp from the brow of her

lover. _He came when the brave began tofear the

21

power of man, and the pious to doubt the favour of

God.

It Was then, that this ONE joined the ranks of are»
volted people. A Freedom’s little phalanx bade him a
grateful Welcome. With them he courted the battle’s
rage, with theirs his arm was lifted, with theirs his
blood Wasshed. Long and doubtful was the conflict.
At length, kind heaven smiled on the good cause,and the
beaten invaders ﬂed. The profane were driven from
the temple of liberty, and, at her pure shrine, the pilgrim
Warrior, with his adored COMMANDER, knelt and Wor-
sliipped. Leaving there his offering, the incense of
an uncorruptecl spirit, he at length rose up, and crown-
ed With benedictions, turned his l1appy feet towards
his long deserted liome. ,  

A After nearly ﬁfty years, that ONE has come again.
Can mortal tongue tell, can mortal heart feel, the sub»
limity of that coming? Exulting millions rejoice in
it, and their loud, long, transporting shout, like the
mingling of many Winds, rolls on, undying, to freedom’s
farthest mountains. A congregated nation comes
round him. Old men bless him, and children reve
rence him. The lovely come out to look upon him,
the learned deck their halls to greet him, the rulers of
the land rise up to do him homage. How his full
heart labours! He views the rusting trophies of de-
parted days, he treads the high places where, his

22

brethren moulder, he bends before the tomb of his
“‘FA’1‘HER2”----l1.lS Words are tears ;---the speech of sad
reniernbrance. But he looks round upon a ransorned
land, and a joyous race, he beholds the blessings those
trophies secured, for which those brethren died, for
which that “FATHER” lived :,~—----and again his Words
are tears ;-——--the eloquence of gratitude and joy.
Spread forth creation like a map .; bid earth’s dead
nngaltitudes revive;---and of all the pageant splendonrs
that ever glittered to the sun, when looked his burning
eye oria sight like this? or all the rnyriadsi   that
have come and gone, What cherished minion ever rnl—-
ed an hour like this? Many have struck the redeem-
ing blorv tor their own freedoni, but Who, like this man,
has bar-ed his bosom in the cause of strangers? Oth-
ers have lived in the love of their own people, but Who,
like this man, has drank his sweetest cup of vvelcorne
with another? Matchless chief! of glory’s immortal
tablets, there is one for him, for him alone I Obliv-
ion shall never shroud its splendour ; the everlasting
ﬂame of liberty shall guard it, that the generations of
men may repeat the name recorded there; the belov
ed narne of LAFAYETTE 2  i it

 THEY b Who endured the burden of the eeeﬂaeere
fast going 7 to their rest. A Every passing gale   sighs
over tanother vveteran’s grave, and ere long, the last

23

sage, and the last old soldier of the revolution, will
be seen no more. Soon, too soon, Will you seek in
vain for even one, who can tell you of that day of
stout hearts and strong hands. You lately beheld,
on yonder glorious hill, a group of ancient men,
baring their grey heads loeneath the blaze of heaven ;
but never more at such a sight will your grateful
hearts grow soft. These will never again assemble
on earth. They have stood together in War, they
have congregated in peace, their next meeting will
be in the fields of eternity. They must shortly sleep
in the bosom of the land they redeemed, and in that
land’s renown vvill alone be their remembrance.

Let us cherish those who remain to link the living
with the dead. Of these, let one thought, to day,
rest on Him, Whose pen and fame this day has render-
ed irnmortal. With him, too, now that the bitter
{ends of a bitter hour are forgotten, we may associate
anotlr1e1', the venerable successor of our WASHINGTON,
I-{ere broke his morning radiance, and here yet linger
his evening beams.

“ Sure the last end of the good man is peace !

“ Night devvs fall not more gently to the ground,
“ Nor Weary, worn-out winds expire so soft,

“ Behold him, in the even-tide of‘ life,

“ A life, well spent J

“ By unperceived degrees he Wears away,

“ Yet, like the sun, seems larger at his setting !”

I look round in vain for two of your exalted patri-—

322%-1+

ots, Who, on your last festival-day, sat here in the
midst of you: for him, who then vvorthily Wore the
highest honours you could bestow, who in your name
greeted your Nation’s Guest, and took him by the
hand and wept‘: for him, too, who devoted to your
service a youth of courage, and an age of counsel ;
who long ruled over you in purity and wisdom, and
then, gently sliakirig off his dignities, retired to his
native shades, laden With your love. They have
both passed away, and the t.on.gues that bade the

"“ Apostle of Liberty” Welcome, will never bid him

farewell.

ln the place of the Fathers shall be the children.
To the seat which Eusrrs and Baooxs adorned, the
people of this state have united to elevate one, whom
they have often delighted to honour. He sits Where
they sat, rvvho were labouring in the vineyard, even
before he was born. His name adds another b1*i.gl1t
stud to the golden scutcheon of the Comrnonvvealth.

While his heart warms with honest pride at the con»-

ﬁdence so ﬁatteringly reposed in him, he will Wisely

remember What that conﬁdence expects from him, in
the disc.l1a.1'ge of his high trust. Chosen by all, he
will govern for all; and thus sustaining his Well-
earned reputation, may he live long in the affection

of a generous people.

925

I shall not omit, , on this occasion, to congr'atulatet

you on the result of an election, whichihas recently i

raisedto the highest station in your republic, one of
your most distinguished citizens. t While, however,
the ardent wishes of so many have heen crowned by
this gratifying event, it is not to be forgotten, that
thereiare those among us, rneni of pure and patriotic
minds, who responded not Amen, to the general voice.
I should be ashamed of the feelings which would
insult theirs, by an unworthy exultation. The illus-
trious individual, whom the representatives of the na-
tion have pronounced “most Worthy,” would berthe
ﬁrst to frownupon it, as he has ever beenamong the
ﬁrst to acknowledge the merits of his exalted corn-
petitors. To the high minded friens of tllese, in
common with us all, thisiday and its rites belong ;
and I cannot violate the trust conﬁded to me, all will
not subject myself to a pang of regret, by the i11d'%n~l¥—
gence of language, which shoulcl send’ a single being
from this place, with a less joyousspirit than}; he en-
tered it. t it is safer to be dull than hitter,r and I
had rather you would all e Willing to forget the la-
hour of this hour in charity, than that one among you
should feel cornpelled toaremenier it  unltindness.

r. all have al‘l‘;uded7 to lthis. event, not merely for the

nnrpese of obtruding upon you the expression of per»

sonal gratiﬁcation, but because it offers an.otl1er'sitris—i

Zr

26

king proof of the stability of our free institutions.
Since the strife of 1800, We have not witnessed so
violent a contest as this, through which we have
lately passed; yet now, how quiet are become the
elements of discord. With a praiseworthy forbear-
ance, all, or nearly all, have bowed to the expression
of the public will, and seem determined, in the words
of one of his accomplished rivals, to judge the ruler of

the nation, “ er er-us MEASURES.”

WHILE this spirit triumphs, we have nothing to
dread from the animosities of party. However turbu-
lent, they will be harmless. Like the commotions of
the physical world, they will be necessary. Far dis-
tant be the day, when it must be said of this country,
that it has no parties, for it must be also said, if any

i one be bold enough to say it, that it has no liberties.

Let hawk«-eyed jealousy be forever on the alert, to
watch the footsteps of power. Let it be courteous in
language, but stern and unbending in principle.
Whoever he may be, Wherever he may be, that

would strike at the people’s rights, let him hear the

people’s voice, proclaiming that “ whom it will, it
can set up, and whom it will, it can set down.”

,_Fear not party zeal, it is the salt of your existence.
There are no parties under a despotism. There, no
man lingers round e ballot»-box ; no man drinks the

927

poison of a Zicentious press ; no man plots treason at a

debating society; no man distracts his head about

t the science of government. All there, is a calm, un-

lrufﬂed sea ;---—~eVena dead sea of black and bitter

waters. But we move upon a living stream, forever
pure, forever rolling. a Its mighty tide sometimes
ﬂows higher, and rushes faster, than its wont, and as
it bounds, and foams, and dashes along in sparkling
Violence, it now and then throws up its ﬂeecy cloud ;
but this rises only to disappear, and as it fades away
before the sunbeams‘ of intelligence and patriotism,
you behold upon its bosom the. rainbow signal of
returning peace, arching up to declare that there is

no danger.

AND now, it is no vain speech, to say, the eyes of
the world have been long upon us. For nearly ﬁfty
years we have run the glorious race of empire.
Friends have gazed in fear, and foes in scorn; but
fearlis lost in joy, and scorn is turning to wonder.
The great experiment has succeeded. l Mankind be-4
hold the spectacle of a land, whose crown is wisdom,
whose mitre is purity, whose heraldry is talent; a
land, where public sentiment is supreme, and where
every man may erect the pyramid of his own fair
fame. They behold, they believe, and they will

28

imitate. The day is coming, when thrones can no
longer be. supported by parchment rolls. It is not a
leaf of Writing, signed and” sealed by three frail, moi‘-
tal men, that can forever keep down suffering mil»-
lions; these Will rise .; they will point to (mother
scroll; to that, of Whose boldsigners our T H1=inE*
rernaing our THREE, whose “ alliance” A Was, indeed,
a “ holy” one, for it met the approving srnileof A a
Holy;God!        “    
Manymust suffer defeat, and prnanyymusit; taste of
death, but freedo1n’s battle will yetbe fought and

i won. gAs heaven unbinds the intellect of man, his

ownright arm will rescue his body. Liberty will
yet Walk abroad in the gardens of Europe. Her
hand will pluck. the grapes of the south, her eye Will
Warm y the snoW—-drifts of the north. The crescent
will go down in blood, from that “bright clirne of
battle and of sorig,” for which HE died, that noble
Briton, that warrior-bard, who raised his generous
arm like LAFAY1,irTE, who struck his golden lyre to
Lafayette’s great LEADER E A it
And ‘A to this young land will belong the praise.
The struggling nations point to our example, and in

their own tongues repeat the cheering language of

l  sympathyi, Already, when a mastierwspirit towers

f  min mums, oimm omen, Thomas .ieia'er:ion-the surviving aignmoribe :Declerei‘-
tion of Independence. l ' . ' » i ‘ g V r ”

29

among I thern, they call hi11i—-—-thevzlr VVASHINGTON.
Along the foot of the Andes, they breathe in gratitude
the name of CLAY ;-----by the ivy-buried ruins of the
Parthenon, they bless the eloquence of VVEBSTER I

FELLOW Cr'r‘1zENs, my imperfect task is ended. I
have told you an old tale, but you will forgive that,
for it is one of your country’s glory. You will forgive
me that I have spoken of the simple creatures who

were here from the beginning, for it was to tell you a

how much had been Wrought for you by PIETY :' you
will forgive me that I lirave lingered round the green
graves of the dead, for it was to remind you how
much had been achieved for you by PATRIOTISM.
Forgive me, did I say? VVould you have forgiven
me, if I had not done this .7’ Could I, ought I, to have
Wasted this happy hour in cold and doubtful specula-
tion, While your bosoms were bounding with the holy
throb of gratitude? Oh! no ;-—-—it was not for that
you came up hither. The groves of learning, the
halls of Wisdom, you have deserted; the crowded
mart, the chainbers of beauty, you have made solita-
ry——--that here, with free, exulting voices, before the
only throne at which the free can berid, your hearts
might pour forth their full, [gushing tribute to the
benefactors of your country.

30

On that country heaven’s highest blessings are de-
scending. I would not, for I need not, use tl1e lan-
guage of inﬂation; but the decree has gone forth;
and as sure as the blue arch of creation is in beauty
above us, so sure Will it span the mightiest dominion
that ever shook the earth. Imagination cannot out-
strip reality, when it contemplates our destinies as a
people. Where nature slept in her solitary loveliness,
villages, and cities, and states, have smiled into beiiig.
A gigantic nation has been born. . Labour and art are
adorning, and science is exalting, the land that religion
sanctiﬁed, and liberty redeemed. From the shores to
the mountains, from the regions of frost to the valleys
of eternal spring, myriads of bold and understanding
men are uniting to strengthen a government of their
own choice, and perpetuate the institutions of their
own creation.

The germe vvafted over the ocean, has struck its
deep root in the earth, and raised its high head to the

clouds.

Man looked in scorn, but Heaven beheld, and blessed
Its branchy glories, spreading o’er the West.

No summer gaude, the Wonder of a day,

Born but to bloom, and then to fade away,

A giant Oak, it lifts its lofty form,

Greens in the sun, and strengthens in the storm.

, Long in its shade shall children’s children come,
And Welcome earth’s poor Wanderers to a home.
Long shall it live, and every blast defy,

‘Till tirne’s last whirlwind sweep the vaulted sky.