THE HOUR:-—---ITS ENOOURAGEMENTS, ms DUTIES, ITS
‘ DANGERS AND ITS LESSONS.    

 

  AN ORA ":10 N
V NEW LEBANON SPRINSSQN. Y1,

ABY

H 0N.S A M UE L B, SUMNER,  

op 

Great BaLrring'ton,1&Ia.sS. A

  GREAT BARRINGTON,MASS.:      
A   QUSHING‘ & ROGERS, PRINTERS, COURIER 
1862.  “  

»D 1-‘own 

Mn. Psssrnmtr, Lanxns AND GlEn'rLnn:nN~:
The rolling year has again brought round to
ens the birthday anniversary of the American
Republic. In your-“arrangements torthis local
demonstration you have discovered no impro-
priety in inviting, one to address you, whose
noise is the voice of a stranger, ‘whose home
is in another State, but whose sufiicient title,
incommon, with yours, is that of American
citizen. ’ ' it “  “ ’

Turning aside today from our customary
avocations, forsahing awhile the avenues of
labor and toil, and obeying a time-honored
custom, whichgrows dearer as the events we
commemorate recede into the past, it shall be
well on this National Sabbath, for the people
to assemble, to extend the hand of fraternal
sympathy, tobelreminded by the occasion of
the brotherhood that unites us, to indulge in

grateful reminiscences and bestow a. filia1trih-

ute to ancestral heroes; to listen again to that

immortal document whose adoption heralded

forth to the world the dawn of a new republic;
tosireontdinplaterwiths patriotic emotion and an
honest pride, the magnificent resultlof the ex-
periment pf the Revolution, and to ‘uplift a
un1ted_vo1ce of thanksgiving for -the past, and
prone Invocation for the future, unto Him who

holds in His hands the destinies ofnations,

and beneath whose favor we have attained a
position such as has hardly been vouchsafed to
any people. _ . . r ‘  
It is well, fellow-citizens, ever toelzeep aliens,
and to foster with a generous cultivation, the
remembrances of the past, and to gather from
them, as we may do, some new inspiration for
the enterprises and duties of the present and
the possible developments of the future, and :I
sympath1ze_ not with that supercilious spirit
which deerxeslthe popular celebration of a day
llkelillfss andlcharacteriaes as puerile and un.
becoming, thejubzlant demonstrations which

are wont to hail its annual return. In the
language of Webster, “Human beings are

composed, not of reason only, but of imagine»

tion also, and sentiment -; and that is neither
wasted nor misapplied, which is appropriated
to the purpose of giving right 1 direction to
sentiment,‘ and of opening proper springs
of_ feeling in the heart.” I trust that

‘the story of the struggle for our liberties is
too precious never to grow old +--that the names, t

of the heroes who foughtand bled for posterity
will be remembered by a posterity that is not
ungrateful; that amid the engrossing pursuits
and wayward impulses of the present hour, we
shall neither forget, nor be disinclined to revert
with fondness and pride to the scenes, the

characters and the associations» which cluster  

around the infancy of the American Republic
---f-nay more, may. we not anticipate that as the

years roll on, and the lapse of time shall invest ,

these scenes and characters with a more soft-
ened and mellowed light, the pensive, historian
shall find a new and exquisite pleasure in res-
cuing from oblivion many a worthy name and
many an interesting tradition, that shall be
valued and cherished for their antiquity, al-
though in their day and generation men failed
to dl~SCO\}'eI‘ in them the indispensable links in
the great chain of human progress. A
Next to a man’s religion, and I migl1tal—-

most say, as apart of his religion, he should  
-cultivate and encourage the patriotic instinct A

-.--a love for his country-—at once broad, lib»
eral and comprehensive. The same afifectron,
upon a grander scale, which he manifests for

  the family, hearth, the paternal roof, his house-

hold gods, the graves of his kindred,,and the
friends and associations. of childhood, should
prompt him tothe indulgence of emotions for

  the land ofhis birth or adoption of the noblest V

and the holiest kind. a    _  l
This patriotic instinct is iunirersal-at 18 a

necessary ‘element of human nature. It fails
-not to manifest itself under every variety of

circumstance and condition. In the days of
Roman’, ‘grandeur and greatness, when the
Eternal City sat enthroned upon her sevenhills
and from her proud position ruled-the world,
it was glory enough for one of her sons to say,
“I am a Roman citizen.” It was thought that
“to be a Roman was better than a King.”

So every nation and race of men, whether
of high or low estate, both in ancient and
modern. times, has manifested the patriotic in-
stinct. Even the Savage, with his nomadic,
habits, cherishes a fond recollection and at-
tachment for the old familiar hunting grounds,
and the streams and the lakes where years ago
he paddled his light canoe, while he employs
his pastime in detailing the traditions of his
race, narrating the prowess of his tribe, and
singing the songs which embody the history of
his-fathers. To this day it is not unusual for
the red man to leave his retreat far west of
the Mississippi and perform a pilgrimage East-
ward, to visit the graves of his progenitors, to
lookat the valley where once nestled the wig-
warn, but the traces whereof have long since
vanished before the march of civilization and
the enterprise of the pale face. , y  

The Polander, yearning restlessly for Lib-
erty, but, overborn by an invincible power,
still clings with a fervent devotion tohis cher-
ished fatherland, and the , names of Pulaski
and Kosciusko have a spell which can yet
wake a thrill of enthusiasm, of adection and
almost of hope in his bosom. : y y y 1

Time Swiss mountaineer would not exchange
his Alpine home, to posses'sa richer soil or in-
habit a kindlier clime, nor would he barter
-for the birthright of royalty. or a princely lin-
eage, the simple customs and employments that
are his own, and the pride that he shares with
his countrymen in the fame of William Tell.

The Frenchman, with his volatile and im-
petuous nature celebrates the national holidays
with an intensity of zeal. He listens I to the
Marseillaise in a transport of emotion, and
whether he shout for the Emperor or the Re-
public. it is all one to him. It. is the same
France, the land of his fathers, the land , of
Charlemagne andof Napoleon--the theatre of
many a world famed achievement---the spot of
earth. where are centered histpatriotism and his
a ride. I . , ‘ ..
.I.) The Spaniard boasts a lineage and a history
not lessnoble than his European neighbors,

and no fame is fairer, nor is any blood purer -

in his estimation than the genuine Castilian.

The Highlander leels a magicin thesonud
of Scotland. Her mountain fastnesses are
dear to him for their native wildness andgran-

dear, as well,, as for their historic associations. I

He feels proud, and justly, too, of the locali-

ties to which Walter Scott has given the at-..

tractions of romance. I-Ie boasts with good‘
reason of the genius of his countrymen. He

is most at home upon his native heath. Had

lends the richness of his broad accent to the
sweet melodies of Burns, and the Scottish sire
narratesto his son, with a glowing enthusiasm,
the story of Bruce of Baunockburnt ’

The warm hearted Hibernian, driven by
necessity as he may be, from his Emerald Isle,
still gratefully remembers the land of the
Shamrock, and dwells proudly on the fame of
Emmet and O’Connell.

So everywhere, the wide world over, we

witness, in their several modes and manners, '

the exhibition of the atriotic instinct. Is it
strange, then, that we Americans should-—nay,
would it not be passing strange if we should’
not be the very foremost of nations in manifes-
tations of afiectionate enthusiasm for a country
so miraculous in its origin, so marvelous in its
growth,,so abundant in its blessings, so amaz-
ing in its destiny. Welcome, then, as ever be
the returning anniversary of the day, . when
from the tower. of the old Continental Congress
Hall in Philadelphia,, the bell, which first
sounded the tocsin of American Liberty :,
“Whirling in air its brazen goblet round‘, I‘
Flung from its brim the swollen floods of sound!"

But I am not so blind, fellow-citizens, to

the expectations of thehour, as to extract a

theme of discourse from the. memories of a
former age, glorious though they be, standing
as I do in the very presence _of events which,
in this place and on this day.,of all others,
demand recognition and consideration. _ ,

We greet this 86th anniversary or Ameri-

.i can Independence under circumstances unpar-

alleled in the history of the Republic- The
ordinary“ rhetoric of Fourth of July orations
which had become almost stereotyped, would
be, I am very well aware, but mere mock-
ery now, When;_our hearts are-full-,,of, the aux-i.
eties which overshadow emotions that would
otherwise be excited on this occasion. ‘Wear
TO Do, in the living present, is the great prac-
tical question‘ which sugges'ts..itself. For long

4 years so smoothly had the good ship of State  

pursued its way, so gentle, had been the un-

dulations of the sea it rode upon,th'at wehad . '
. learned to think no disaster could overtake it;
i but in thecourse of e,vents,..and as we now

realize,_after a long series of approaches, a

disaster has ‘befallen, so that for us in this
a generation, as for our ancestors or the Revo-
lutionary age, there is work to do.
quently and truly has it been said byrone of ‘

our oldest. statesmen, whose words I quote

a substantially :, ‘."lZ‘hereis anichein the temple

Most elo~ ‘ I

oi fame. in the alcove set apart for American
worthies--a niche very nearly up alongside
that where stands the image of Washington.
He shall step into and occupy that niche,
amid the acclamations of mankind, who shall
bringorder out of the present condition of
things, and restore throughout our borders the
prevalence of universal good will, and the-
blessed dominion of honorable peace.” We
do not at all doubt the ultimate success of the
Federal arms in the conflict which is pending,
but we cannot be unmindlul that when mere

7

brute force has accomplished its work, there is ~

still very rnnch, very delicate, very responsible
business for the statesman to assume and per-
form. .

Let us consider the engrossing topic of the
hour, first g noticing some of the encourage-—
ments that suggest themselves, and then» some
of the duties which devolve, the dangers that
threaten and the lessons to be inculcated.

I. The encouraging signs of the tiines.-
These are by no means few nor insigniticniit.
One of these is the irnrnensity of resource
which our country possesses and which the
present crisis has served to exhibit.

Truly, we are a wonderful people. This has
been the burden of discourse for Fourtli ofJuly
craters time out of inind—--but no such orators

I think, in the loftiest stretch of their fancy, _

ever imagined as even Yankee possibilities,
such achievements as within the year that is
past have become veritable history. The civ-
iliaed world has been looking on in utter

amazement at the spectacle here exhibited.—-
The opening of the present war found the loyal
States of the Union in a condition as poorly
prepared for the exigencies thrust upon them,
as the cunning ingenuity of rebel leaders could
contrive to make them. We liad literally
neither an army nor a navy. “Our arsenals
were well nigh empty. Our ships of war were
either stolen or unavailable. A large propor-
tion ofsottr regular aricnyhad allied theinselvos
with the rebel faction. A long line of. fortifi-
cations had: been taker) from our possession»--7
Public works, and buildings and territory of
immense value and iinportance‘had- been. wrest-
ed from the control, of the government, and
added. to this to ernbarrass and cripple us, and
at the same time help tlieiuselves, the rebel

- two thousand inilvs.

ize as we can now, that a scheme was just.
hatching which had been a good many years in
the egg. Nay, so little could we respect the
mad enterprise thus originated, that we actu-
ally waited to see the whole scheme explode of?
its own accord, and shame itself to death.»-
But time passed on. On the 12th of April,
A. D. 1861, commenced the bombardment of
Fort Sumter; and then, for the first "time in
long, long years, and then. for the first time
by thehands of men, over whom and over
whose fathers it had never waved but as a.
symbol on land and sea of protection, the
American flag was ruthlessly stricken from its
standard, and the ensign of a bastard confed-
eracy was elevated to its place. Then J ona-.
than’s blood was up. Then forbearance ceased.
to be a virtue and Northern toleration gave
instant place to a splendid wrath. s The start-
ling words of the President fell upon» the
country, and quick as at the sowing of the fa».
bled dragon ’s teeth, armed men sprang up in.
vast and overwhelming multitudes. From that
time onward, the President has had but to
suggest a requirement, and the very genii of‘
the “Arabian Nights” could hardly have pro-
duced so thorongh and so instantaneous a 're--»
sponse. In a word—-—-starting upon this entern.
prise as I have said, with every disad-vantage
at the outset-—t1ie loyal portion of the Ride-

public have, within fifteen months, en-listed...

led, clothed, armed and equipped upwards of‘
six hundred thousand men. They ghave made
out of “ whole cloth,” so to speak, a magnificent,
nary. They have placed under edlectual block».
ads a line of coast extending for more«thani_
They have earned as in«
scriptions upon their banners, such names as.
Port Royal, Newborn, Pulaski, Donelson, Peal,

. Ridge, Shiloh, Corinth, Norfolk and York-».

town. They have nearly purged the Valley of
the Mississippi of the atmosphere of secession,
so that. the Fatlier of “Waters may, ere loug,,
glide serenely as ever, his whole vast length
from Links Itaslta to the Grnelftwhile‘ at’ the
Qrescsnt City the popular refrain. of the old;
ballad has, by singular coincidence, becomes
historic verity,and “Picayune Butler” has in.

1 deed and truth “come to town if’,

i For the purpose of carrying forward this

gigaiitic ettterprlse, we have.assiimed- expendi-

leaders and their followers adopted a general, .

system of I‘€pl1illfLtl()ll of the debts they owed
to loyal citiz_ens.. The immediate consequence
of this state of tliings was natural, and such
as might reasonably have been niiticipatsil.-—
lbs gpvei'nnient was for the moment pawl} zed.
'l he I\orth was ugliest and at a stand-still.--»
The rebel movements were so audacious, so
monstrously foolhardy, that we doubted almost
l,h,e,.,m;i.dcoc.e of our s,cnsi~_s. We didnot real:

lures at the rarest a million of dollars 'a day,
and yet public conlfideiioe has continued steady

and unabated, every city and village is alive;
with the hum of industry, on every hand are

seen to flourish the arts of peace, and in all
localities not -immediately adjacent.“ to the
series of conflict. so slight is the deviation
from the conniioii course of‘ things, that the
stranger who should drop down among us;
would entirely fuilto, discover whaltwe amt,

a ton» convention.
party was there effected‘, and the action of the l

l --aforegone conclusion.

selves do but half realize, that here is a nation
whom millionsof her own people are waging
paricidal war against, and tugging at her Vitals
The resources of our governmenaas displayed‘

in this orisiis, have extorted from" the unwilling ~ ‘

lips ofgforeign lockers-on,~ expressions of un-
mistakable admiration and surprise. At no
period in our history,I venture to say, hasour
power been so respected abroad as it is today
in the light of the material strength we have
exhibited. a a . - l ~
Another of, the encouraging signs of the

times, is the substantial -abnegation of party
. differences and the cordial co-operation of the

masses of the people to sustain this govern-
ment. The North is, to all intents and par-
poses,a.. unit. We had just come out from a
bitter and exciting political stryuggle, and it

, was confidentlyanticipated by southern leaders

that the war, if waged, was to be at war on the
part of. an united South against a divi-
ded North. I think itwas anticipated that
the rebellion would receive aid and comfort
l’-rotu the Northern Democracy. and from ‘a

large portio-not‘ the Bell and Everett. party.

N ever was a more capital mistake. The rebels
recitoned without their host. The Democratic
party did, not owe their .soulhc-rn: allies much
love, to begin with, for as an imp'ort_ant part
of the secession progralmirie it became necessa-
ry to immolate the Democracy at the Charles-
The disintegration of the

Soutii. made the election of A.brahamLincoln
But that was notall.
Mr. Lincoln was elected, but still. the party
which elevated him to the Presidency, was to

«he. in a minority inboth branches of. ihe- Na-
/tional Congress. What did the,Southcrn I
. members do? Did they rernai-n in their seats,

andiprotect themselves as they niiglit have
done, against apprehended encproaclriinents upon

their alleged pconstitultional rights? No; that ‘

waswnot in the programme. One after another
the delegations from the ‘several disaffected

States withdrew, and by their own act again ,

placed in the hands ‘of the Repu'blica_n party

, the very power they ‘affected so much to dread. S
But the Republican party,with.o. maguanimity

which did it credit, was by no rneansbackward
in the employment of measures to bring about

:o._,reconciliati~on., lflesolutiouslwerel passed in;
i Congress withwouderful unanimity, disclaim-
r Sling any idea of meddling with the -vested

,_rights of any State, or ; any i section ofthe

Oonfederacy.i hlanypoi the Northern States .
I‘,€'pi'.§3.iEd,ial1fl“_P3!‘S0fl:ti liberty laws which stood‘

report their statute ho.oks.__ r’l‘hevPresids.nt, in
his inaugural, addressed the outgoing States" in

_v the most conciliatory lang-uage.: Mass-"-meet-l

ings were held in ’the_ northern towns a.ud='cities,

participated in by prominent men oi'all.parties,
and the South“ was given to-understand, in

;unmistal:able* terms, that her prerogatives

should be respected. ~ All would not do. Like
our British brethren in'1'i76, our ‘Southern
brethren in 1861 wererdeaf to the voice of
justice and consanguinity.” Time passed on.
The fatal blow was struck in Charleston har-
bor. , Now. then, what does the Democracy of
the"North do»? A relative of mine was in the
-city-of VVashiugton when the news of the fall
of Sumter was received. I had it from him,
that “the firstlreally confirmatory report of’ the
facts which he. gathered, .-was from the lips of
an excited man, who. in front of-one of the

S principal hotels, on~Pennsylvaniu Avenue, was

engaged in relatinglthe—incidents of the born-
bardment, as far as they had transpired, and
rienouncinp; the rebels in unmeasured terms.
'.i;‘l'1t9.i3ll11itI.1 was Stephen A. iDouglas;”l p
The President issued his call for troops. I

.ta‘lte._no littleépride‘.in'__stating, that in a. few

hours, and foremost in the field, a brigade had

started Southward from my own'Stat-e of

Massachusetts. " ‘W ho should go forth in com»

rnnnd of that brigade, but the recent Breakin-
ridore candidate for Governor, General. Ben’.
, tr‘! 3

F. Butler! , Onelof the firstito:ofi"e’r hisservicee
to Governor, Andrew, was Caleb Cushing, the
President of the Brecl-:iz'iridge Natiorial Lion-

vention. Amuse meeting was ,speedily.hel~d r

in State street, Boston, to take measures for
equipping soldiers and providing “for their
families during their absence. One“ ofjthe
speakers at that meeting was the American
Cicero. the; Hon." Edward ‘Eve-ret._t.' Verity,
the rebels had‘ reason to ejaculate in astonish-
ment, _‘.- Save'us ] from our Northern friends I?’
Since then, to: say nothing of the rank and file

of lourarmy, the rebels , have had theeurprisc. ,
of ooni'ront.ing‘ such Democratic, loficers as 
h'l.caO.lellan, Burnside. Sprague, Hlalleck,  ;
screens, Shields. ‘Fitch, , anddozens of others,

incliucling, from your own Empire State, Dix,
and Meagher, and Sickles, and Colonels C. .

rane, and Oorcoranr whrizle‘ 
upon the rostrum, in the utterance oi'h1sscatb-

 

ing anathemas against the traitors, and shab-

iug defiance frorn h_is_snow-w,hit_e_- memo, was
the , old hard-shell * ‘D'€II‘i0Cl'a.llG' l war-horse,

t Daniel S. Dickinson’. ltrust thatbby this
,_time, the visions of e sympathtzing N orthcm

‘Democracy have evacuated thediseased brains

_of Soutliern traitors, and S that that flattering
unotiou has forsaken their souls forever.

Another encouraging. sight of the times so

r us, is the demoralized condition of the ‘rebel

.-gm_[1‘ly£i.p4_T,i1le.gret1t“mnjOI'ity of the Southern

i soldiers .ha.ve.no heart inlthis contest.’ Evefi
,_tviiere,*as our .v'i_ctorious ‘egions press orws l
~they hear irom the lips of .ca_pttv-esandidc,§gé$ ,

here the same story. The rank and file aresick,
‘heartily sick of this warfare. Why should
they not be ? It is poor encouragement for a

young man to go out and be shot like a dog,.

when he feels that that is the lightest part of
the retribution that overtakes him, when he
feels that after all, his life IS worse than thrown
away, and that he only leaves behind a memo-
ry to be exccrated. '1‘o die for one’s country,1n
a good cause--there is glory in that I there
need be no mourning for him whohas sacrificed
his lifeunder such circumstances.’ Indeed, he
has not isacrfficecl his life. He may have per~
ished young,but he has wrought out a glorious
work andtulfilled an honorable mission, and

he may sleep well. .

“ O I it is great for onii «country to die, where ranks
, at e contending ; S A _
‘ ‘ Bright is the -wreath of our fame ; glory awaits us
for a *c---- ,
Glory, tliatlzever is dim, shining on with light‘ never
endin0'-- l .. - ,
Glory that: never shall fade,_never,O 4! never away!

*0 I it is sweet for our country to die! How softly
reposes ‘ t l ‘ t _
Warrior youth on his bier, wet by the tears of his

vs,-- . . _,
Wet by a mother’s warm tears; they crown him
with garlands of roses,
Weep, and thenjoyously turn, bright where he
, triumphs eves» s I i ‘   ~ »

Not to the shades shall the youth descend who for
country lrath perished ; _

Hebe awaits him in heaven, welcomes him there
or . with her smile; 4 »
There, at the banquet divine,» the patriotsspirit is

cherished ; s l
, Gods love the young who ascend pure from the
funeral pile. . S l _ ‘

Not to Elysian fields, by the still, oblivious river ; —
Not to the isles ofthe blest, over the blue,,rolling

sea * r - »
But o11fOly3mpian.hcights shall dwell the devoted
. orevcr, ,
There shall assemble the good, there the wise,
vaiiasntf and free. i r — l

0! then, how great for our country to die, in the
» front rank to perish, , , a
Firm with our breast to the foe, Victory’s shout

_ in our car! * g S 7 , -

Long they our statues shall crown, in songs our

memory cherish ; i i

 We shall look forth from our heaven, pleased the

sweet music to hear}? _'

But, alas! for him whose ha-rd lotitis to

die in the ‘forlorn hope of vbolstering» up the
pretended government of Jefferson Davis and l

bis‘ compeersl Such a warrior I fear will
look forth from no heaven, and ‘from.whither-

soever he i does look, will hear his name and

lame set to -no sweet music.“ V  
And it_is this consciousness’, coupled with
thecertatnlylof defeat, and the furthermo-

an attitude of hostility to the Union.

'siderationthat the rebel enterprisedoee not

pay even in the poor matter of dollars and
-cents and decent rations, which has in, great

  measure demoralized, discouraged and rendered

inemcient the rebel cohorts which are arrayed
against us. i A

Last, and by no means least, of the encour-
aging symptoms ol the hour, I would allude to
the Union feeling everywhere existing, and, as
I believe, predominant in the Southern States.

One of the most admit of the many adroit
operations, for which we will give the rebels
credit, was the engineering, whereby States,
actually loyal, found themselves all at once in
With
but two or three exceptions, the States now

reckoned in the Southern Confederacy, had i
and other ,

demonstrated as far as votes
unmistakable popular demonstrations could
show, that for all their great staple, they did
not cotton to the wild scheme ofsecession. A
great proportion of the Southern population,
were neither madman, not disappointed politi-
cians, on-or fools, and so there was no motive,
on their part, for rebellion, but the contrary.

' Secession ordinances were originated in secret

Conclave, and cramntxed down the throats of

the people by agencies and contrivancesthe‘

most desperate and dishonest. The ignorant
and credulous were misled and deluded by
barefaccd misrepresentation, and others were
overborne in. whatever unorganised opposition
they attempted, by threats, by ridicule, and in
many flagrant instances by barbarous force.
The diabolical plot-seemed to work with a
marvelous success. State after State fell into
the snare. Maryland providentially escaped,
because she happeuedfto haves. chief magis-
trate,‘ than whom a braver and honester
man“ never lived. All honor to Governor
Hicks, whose indomitable will alone arrested
the mad tide of rebellion which =th_reatened to
clasp in its embrace the monumentalcity, and

that important commercial State, Let him 1
be remembered in history as having defeated

the acquisition by the traitors of so important
a stronghold, and of.having thusindirectly
saved the National Capital itself. , ’
Allalong, during the progress of the war,
our hearts have been encouraged while we have
noted the almost daily evidences at the South
of a strong Union sentiment,-—pent up by

circumstances indeed, but breakingforth into
expression and action wherever the federal arms l i
have opened up“ an opportunity. At Nasha l
ville, at Norfolk, nay, even in New Orleans,”

the sight of our glorious old flag, the tramp of

our victorious hosts, and the inspiriting melo-

dies ol the old national airs once moreburst-y

ing upn the car from our regimental bands_,

there not failed to find atgreeting in teariul

10

eyes, in welcoming shouts and thankful dem-
oustrations.

Several of the Southern States, claimed as
belonging to the rebel confederacy, are even
now represented in the National Congress, and
from their position and means ol‘infiuence, are
perhaps, the most efficient of an_y of the loyal
States in putting down the rebellion.

To the Union men at the South, who have
made themselves prominent in staying the
progress of treason, the country owes a lasting
debt of gratitude. To such men as Crittendeu
and’ Johnson, and Polk, (‘the colonel, not the
Warrior Bishop,)i we can hardly accord enough
of praise; and when we hear the story of
Parson Brownlow, who has suffered everything
but death in defense of his country’s honor,

and the not less affecting story of Bouligney ‘

of Louisiana, who refused to withdraw from

, Congress with the rest of the Louisiana dele-

gation, who,since his return to his constituents,
has had to fight not less than eight duels with
secession champions, and whom Butler’s army
found at New Orleans,a maimed and mutilated
wreck of a once noble and manly form-—I say,
when we hear such stories of these, fellow-
citizens, if we fail then to appreciate our
Southern allies, and to respect their rights and
privileges, verily there is reason to believe
that the madness of one section- has begotten
a like madness in the other, and that amid the
prevalenceof a universal frenzy, the hopes of
our Union are indeed buried beyond the possi-
bility of a resurrection. But this is looking
at the picture from the darkest point of view.
There is every reason, on the other hand. to
anticipate a brighter state“ of things. The
President has-thus far shown himself thorough-
ly alive to the responsibilities of the hour.
If he continue firm, as he has hitherto proved
himself sound, we mayhope that the ship of
‘tate will avoid the Scylla and Charybdis of
hot-headed faction on either side, and shortly
emerge in triumph into the open sea.

II. I come then to consideusecondly, the
duties, which in the present crisis, devolve up-
on us as loyal citizens. _

First of all, the Rebellion is to g be put
down, by all the available and necessary mili-
tary and civil agencies of the government, and
the leaders hung after themost approved-«style.
But when this is accomplished, what next? If
we shall have gone to all this expenditure of
blood and treasure to obtain only a sullen sub-
mission, and a mere forced surrender, the gov-
ernment will find itself in the condition of the
man who bought the elephant. It will require
a standing‘ army, and a vigilant navy to hold
together a people, which professes to be estab-

lished and maintained on the basis of mutual

consent. Foreign powers would not belong

l fice of human life.

in making up their minds that the Republic
was a failure, and our boasted civil liberty a
farce. All those tremendous energies which
we have exhibited in the prosecution of the war,

'* would after all be characterized as but the

death throes of a mighty but a mortally smit-
ten giant. Admitting all of the glorious past,
conceding all that could be said of our won-
derful origin and growth, the humiliating fact
would still remain, that upon the application
of the first real test of its stability, our fabric
had crumbled, and that a single century had
sufficed to show, that no people, however edu-
cated and enlightened‘, and however stimulated
by proud memories, by present blessings and
by alluring inducements for the future, was ca-
pable of self government. Shall we suffer this
to be said, or shall we not rather demonstrate
to the world, that while vigorous in action, we
do not cease to think,-——that no pressing ex-

citement can prove strong enough to tempt us

from our propriety, and that no provocation
can lure us aside from our singleness of pur-
pose, to retaliate upon one great wrong by the
commission on our part of another.

Vile need to remind each other frequently
of the real issue involved in the present strug-
gle. Every day, as we read the dispatches, we
hear and let fall expressions, which do not
commend themselves to us, upon cooler and
more deliberate reflection. The conflict we
are engaged in is anomalous in the history of
all warfare. There is no parallelism. between
this and the wars which have left their crim-
son impress upon the records of the past.-—
This is a war for the perpetuation of a brother-
hood--for. the preservation in their integrity
of the Union and the Constitution. “To be;
or not to be; that is the question.” It is not
a war of invasion or subjugation. It is to be
prosecuted with the sword in one hand and
the olive branch in the other. ,It is a war on
our part of self-defense, in the successful result
of which all good citizens, South as well as
North, are interested. It is our duty to im-
press this upon our Southern. brethren, and for
that purpose surely we need» to keep it steadily
in view ourselves. The Rebel leaders are
studiously instilling the notion that frongtthe
beginning of this contest throughout, the

North are acting the part of aggressors, and;

that an indiscriminate confiscation ofproperty
and an utter disregard of constitutional rights.
of Southern people is to follow the successes.
of the Federal arms. , ‘Certain Northern menu
and Northern presses must one day account
for having helped to give currency to this
mistaken idea, andfor having needlessly pro-
longed this war and caused a needless, sacri-
Our armies, however, at
every advance have given the lie to_ .suc_h rep,-,

reseutations. The p—t'oclama.tions of our vic-"V

torious Generals, with one or two. exceptions,
have been admirably calculated to disabuse the
Southern mind of erroneous impressions as to
the motives of the government,_and to encour-
age the Union sentiment. In the exceptional
cases, where proclamations have been issued
having a contrary tendency, the President

has been wise and brave enough to follow them

up with a prompt anddecisive repudiation.

I know that in. the minds of many, probably
of most of our Northern. people, the desire is
uppermost to witness the entire extinction
within our borders of the institution of African
Slavery. I respectthat desire because I share

  it. The extinction of Slavery is a mere ques-

tion of time, audit that time is now, I am re-
joiced at its coming. The past few months
have done much towards that great consuma-
tion. In the District of Columbia, Slavery is
forever, abolished, and. a law has already been
passed by the present Congress pl‘0lllb.ll3lDg
its extension into any territory hereafter ac-

11

master and slave. None can venture to fix
the precise moment at which either distinction
ceased. Some faint traces of the old Norman
feeling might perhaps have been found late in

the fourteenth century. Some faint traces of‘

the institution of villenage were detected by
the curious so late as the days of the Stuarts;
nor has that institution ever to this hour been
abolished by statute.”

But we need not go back beyond our own-
national history to learn that great social rev-
olutions are most safely left to the operation of
quiet and natural causes. One by one, many
of the States now free, abolished or in some
way or other disposed of the institution within
their limits of African Slavery. Virginia her»
self long ago gave to freedom the vast territo-

ry of the Northwest, and at one time in her
' history had. almost resolved herself into a free

quired. Further than this, as the inevitable "

consequence of thepresent distracted state of
thingsat the South, there is, and for months
has been, a stampede on the part of numbers
of the slave population in the direction‘ towards
free territory. Thus incidentally great strides
are being taken towards the ‘fulfillmentlof our
hopes in this regard, and if as incident to the
progress of this contest still further and possi-
bly final strides may lawfully be taken, cer-
tainly he is no lover of his country who is not
prepared to utter an enthusiastic amen-. . But
if any one proposes to go further than

, this, and to make this-waraof self defense awar

of emancipationpcr see, he oversteps, in my
humble opinion, the boundary line of his con-
stitutional obligations, and I cannot go’ with

‘him.

I repeat that the question of the entire abo-
lition of Slavery is a question merely of time.
There are» certain great laws of human pro-
gress, which, like some of the great processes
of Nature are silent, but ceaseless and irresist-
ible. “It is remarkable,” says Macauley,“that

State. It is a question which the political
student may ponder upon at his leisure, whetho
er the good. work within her borders has been
accelerated or retarded by the past agitation
of so delicate a subject.

I cannot hesitate, fellow-citizens, to urgeat
this time, as the paramount duty of the hour,
the continuance of the loyal States in the
singleness of purpose with which they set out.
Let us cordially unite in. putting down this
rebellion, never forgetting to keep withinthe
just limits of the constitution, and fostering
that Union sentiment at the South which, in

I due time, shall restore to their old allegiance
the revolted States of our confederacy, and,

the two greatest and-most salutary social rev» S

olutions which have taken place in England,
—-—that revolution which, in the thirteenth cen-
tury, put an end to the tyranny of nation over
nation, andthat revolution,-which. a few years
later, put and end to the property of man in

p a man, were csilentely and imperceptibly effected.
. They struck cotemporary observers with no

surprise, and have received from historians a
very scanty measure-of attention. They were
brought about neither by legislative regulation
nor by physical force. Moral causesnoiselessly
etfaced, first the distinction between Norman
and Sax_on, and then the distinction between

after this fitful fever is over, shall present to
the world the spectacle of a re-united people,
stronger and happier ‘ than ever, and farther
advanced than ester toward. the fulfillment of a
glorious destiny. » Cultivate the Union senti-

ment at the South. I see no star of promise

in our political horoscope, other than this.

III. - Of the dangers that appertain to the
present crisis, I have already hinted at what
I consider the most prominent, namely, that of
mistaking or ignoring the true issue.

There is another danger which has ‘already
developed itself somewhat, and which the
American people are naturally prone to incur.
I mean the impatience of delay--the restless

longing for a new item in these exciting times,

which beers with it a contagious and, not on-

ylrequently, a disastrous efiect. This is a fast

age, and rapidly as forces have been organized

and put into operation within the last fifteen

months, there is at numerous class of individu-,

als who still clamor fora swifter progress of
things. "When we look back and behold what

" has been accomplished, the wonder is, as we

have already had occasion to notice, that so

fgreat a work has been performed.   The nation
I‘ has astonisfihed itself and_ cflounfoundefld the p“re+

712

dis-etions of neighboring lockers on. A

-So as we read the history of the Revolution
and see under what difficulties and embarrass-
ments an army was created and maintained
and made victorious, we reflect with aishudder
almost, how near to being a failure was that
memorable enterprise. How miraculous, under
all the circumstances, was the Providence by
which our independence was achieved. We

' are disposed to accord to Washington the at-
- tributes almost of rflmnipotence---the power of

making something out of nothing. Yet how
sorely, all along through that dark period, was
the great soul of Washington tried by the
unjust criticisms of rival officers and the sncers
of men whose jealous fancies overcame for the
time the dictates of a sober judgment. “The
Modern :'Fabius”—“The Fabian Policy”-Q...
these were the deriding terms with which the
greatest of men and his prudent counsels were
characterized. You remember the disafi'ection
and duplicity of General Lee, and you recall,
not without a glow of indignation, the opera»
:tions of the “Conway cabal.” Irving says of
it that-“wanting as the intrigues of the cabal
might be in ‘plan or fixed design, they were
fraught with mischief to the public service,
inspiring doubts of its commanders and seek-
ing to provoke them to desperate enterprises.
They harassed ‘Washington in the latter part
of his campaign; contributed to the dark cloud

that hung over his gloomy encampment at

Valley Forge, and -might have efiected his
downfall had he been more irascible in his
temper, more at the mercy of impulse, and less
firmly fixed in the afi"ections— of the people.--
As it was, they only tended to show wherein
lay his surest strength. Jealous rivals he
might have in the army, ‘bitter enemies in
Congress, but the soldiers loved him and the
large heart of the nation always beat true to
him.”.       L
’?l‘_hese"comments of Irving, upon transactions

rnearlya century gone by, might. be applied

with considerable significance to some of the
passing events of the present day. I do not
insinuate that we have in existence any Con-
way cabal, but I_ fear that too often -the men
who have this great enterprise in chargeare
subjected to censure and criticism which is
unfounded and unjust. “ There is wisdom in the
concluding line of Longfellow’s Psalm of
Life:  ‘ L    
“Learn to labor and to .wait;”

p When the rebellion firstbroke out, ‘Iheard.
an intelligent man predict that General Scott

would place himself at the head of a troop of
a «few hundred flying artillery and sweep‘ every-

thing before him from’ Washington to the L

mouth of the Mississippi. Another ventured

the eopinion that, with a dozen picket Yankees,

he’ co’u‘.di‘n ten days re-take Fort Sumter and
rattle. down the city of Charleston about the
ears of its inhabitants. Both of those terrible

«individuals -have long since retired from the

=administrati'on of affairsiin disgust.

A distinguished Massachusetts Congressmen
in a recent speech has well observed ; “It is
easy to find fault. In operations upon so

. large a scale, requiring so many agencies, mis-

takesand blunders will be made. But a just

"criticism, looking upon the work as a whole,

cannot fail to commend the patriotism of the
people and the energy of the government. I
knowit has been prettily said that we have
prosecuted this waraupon a ;rose~water policy *1
I do not know that 1 fully comprehend, what

is meant, but probably the rebels, in view of P

that long blockade, with the fresh memoriesoif
Port Royal, Newbern, Pulaski, Donelson,
Pea Ridge, Shiloh, the Lower Mississippi and
Yorktown, and the ever tightening folds of the
Oonstriction, might say, with Juliet, the
i i " ’ “rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.”

Let us then be reasonable in our demands
upon‘ the leaders of our armies, and shunning
the dangerous habit of impatient criticism,
let; -us stay up their _handsyi*n ‘the arduous du-
ties and responsibilities they have undertlaken,
thereby most effectually hastening the time

when the sword shall return toitsscabbard,

and the demon of war shall give over his em-
pire, unto the white robed angel ol‘peac_e.,  
IV. The lessons of the hour are manifold.

I can advert in conclusion to but few.

‘We have not failed to learn, I .trust,--unless
we are of the number of those who “remem-
bering everything that they should forget, and
forgetting everything that_the.y...should remem-
ber, learn nothing,”-—-that one of the worst ail-
ments, perhaps the paramount one that-.can
afilct.a1rep—ublic, is the.sufferaince within" its
borders of parties founded upongeographical
discriminations. P P

One of the  the times.   

the very general observance amtiug us of the

. last recurri-ng, anniversary of. the birthday of

Washington, and the reverent reprerusals which

_ were then had of the farewell address of the
“Father of ~hisGountry.’,’ To his ever brigh»
tening fame as a soldier and a statesman,

has been added that which has followed from

his wisdom as a prophet. Occupying the
»stand~point which he did, away back in the
early days of the Republic, looking over the
futur-e,.as he could, with calm and unbeclouded
vision, how truly did he foresee‘ as possibiltiea,
the realitiesof the present. Let us be just
enough to acknowledge to day, that in the

. formation ‘of geographical parties, there is V
L something of blame to be attached to both

sections T of ou'r*econfed“er*acy. If we are not
thus just, the morrow will be, when it comes to
git in juagmem-, upon to-day. Iflpeace shall
ever revisit us as a nation, let. us thereafter re-
member that no political considerations can
justify a momentary forgetlu-lness of the unity
of the government, and the obligations we are
under to preserve it. I know it may be said,
and with what truthwe need not now stop to
inquire, that the sectional feeling bad its
origin at the South. . But if it ‘began there, it
certainly did notfend there. ‘It takes two‘
sides to moire a quarrel between communities
as well as between individuals. T Orimination
begets recrimination. The pendulum of popu-
lar passion swings to both extremes. A
For a long time, our ears have not been uu-
accustomed to epithets applied to our South-
ern brethren, which to say the least were any-
thing but affectionate and fraternal. Epithets
not less opprobrious have been applied tons
in return, and thus for a considerable period
of time, the germ has been developing, which
was destined eventually to sprout; up into a
warfare of monstrous proportions. T The lesson

is to be learned, both" North and South, from

the experiences of the hour-,. that of all things
tobe avoided among a people professing to be
abrotherhood, the first and chiefest is, the
suiferance of sectional prejudice. “It is of
infinite moment,” said Washington, “that you
should properly estimate the immense value of

your national union to your collective and in-  
dividual happiness; that you should cherish 9. ~

cordial, habitual and immovable attachment

to it; accustoming yourselves to think and

speak. of it as of the palladium of your politi--
cal safety and prosperity ;-{watching for its
preservation with jealous anxiety; discoun-
tenaucing whatever may suggest even a sus-

  picion that it can, in any event, be abandoned,

and indignantly frowning upon ‘the first down-
ing of any n attempt to alienate any portion of

your country from the rest, or to enfeeble the l
  sacred tim which now link, together the va- .

rious parts.”
Another lesson which we should draw from

 T  baneful effect
a man spiri upon our political morals,
and national prosperity. , ’

The man who could suggest a mode by which
to do away with the internperate party spirit
which has had such sway for years, would de-~
serve to be enrolled among the most illustrious
benefactors of the age.
truly characterized this struggle as “an infernal
war‘ brought on by wickedpoliticiansft-e
Politics has hecomertoo much of a trade.--~.
Demagogism has become rampant. Liberty
of speech and press has degenerated into ii»
cense, and I sometimes think that the govern.»

   

lnii hi” i

better.

  meritorious man, as

G-ov. Stanley has n



ment of the people exists only in name.--—~
The people at heart
but do the people always rule? How does it
work in these‘ latter days? Too. much after
this programme : A man or set of men, be-’
come ambitions for office or political influence.
They meet together in secret junto—-—-they

organize a. plan of action‘---they‘ bu~y~*a press,»-4 r

they select and instruct their auxiliaries inoll
the different localities’ throughout the field: of
their operations---they pack conventions, and
go there with. a list of candidates and a string
of resolutions in their pochets."'1‘he conven-

tion goes through the motions, and givesa.

popular look to a scheme which actually origi-
nated in some private chamber, around some
corner, several months before. Then comes
the heavy workof the campaign. The presses:

teem and the orators grow red in the face,
with fiery denunciations of the other side, and‘,

magnificent apostrophies to the American
Eagle.

The election over, the masses go about their ’
business and the wire-pullers proceed to divide

If a war ensues, so much the
It makes more oliices, and more plun-
der, and the longer it lasts, the richer the-
speculation.

Fellow citinens-, do I over-draw the picture ‘if

the spoils.

Let your own observation of the course of
things fora few years past answer the ques- *

tion. W’hy, in the early days of the Republic,
nay withinthe memory of most of us now, we
can recall that merit and not political craft
was the true avenue to high position and popu-
lar favor. Such things did happen then to a
the having an office
thrust upon him. Nowadays, its man would

gain position he must literally “stoop to cone

quer.” The mountain will not go to him,---he

must move to it--—-and his nose must become i

wait in the pliant fingers of those who make
and unmake heroes, as they would work out a
problem in mathematics. Let us if we can, do
something in the future to correct this order
of things, and to consign to their proper posi-
tion the men who, for purposes of their own,

are willing to foment, . on either hand, those  

deep and bitter political prejudices which are
among the most dangerous political agencies
for the overthrow of a Republican govern»
ment.

We can hardly have mingled in the present‘ if
contest without imbibing a fresher and deeper  

affection for our common country. When a.

man’s privileges and possessions are placed in e

jeopardy,th~sn it is that he learns most how to

prize and appreciate them. We have lived to:

see our institutions, so dearlybought, so fondly
cherished, so invulnerable as we had come to
regard them, at last brought into sudden and

are always right,-

‘tremendous peril. Surrounding nations are
looking on, some undoubtedly in profound
eorrciw, while others rpatronizingly declare that
a great bubble is about exploding and that
their sage predictions are being verified.--—
Shall all this serve to diminish, or shall it not
rother serve to stimulate and strengthen in us
a patriotism sufficient to comprehend and work
out to successful issue the problem of the hour,

  to restore to this nation its former prestige,

and make it henceforth, as heretofore, a beacon
light throughout christendom, the great auxil-»
lsry of human progress, and the hope of all the
ends of the earth.

God-, ’nea£th whose watchful eye,
All things in earthand sky
Ifulfill their end;
Guide Thou our Ship of Stem
Secure through peril’s strait}
Still grant propitious fate,
And still defend}

So ehall its towering form,

Uns cathed through wind and storm,
Ride on its way ;

Our favored land shall be

The home of Liberty,

Her sons shall worship Theo,
And Then obey.