The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1833-04-17


backs I? We say, God forbid
Cast your eyes abroad. my country
men, and what glorious prospec,
meets the view Search the creation
round. and where do yon find lund
that presents such scene for contem-
plation! Look at our institutions, our
agricultural aud commercial interests
and above all. and more than all, look
at the gigantic strides we are making
in nllthat enobles human kind. "Proud
happy, thrice happy America !" The
home Of the oppressed I! The asylum
Of the emigran.-whers the citizen of
every cline, and the child Of every
creed, roams free and untrammelled as
the wild winds Of heaven Baptized at
the fount Of liberty in fire and blood
cold must be t:ie- heart that thrills not at
the mention of thy name When the
old world, with all its "pride pomp and
circumstance" shall be covered with OBJ
livion. when thrones shall have crum-
bled. and dynasties shall have been for
gotten--then will our happy, happy A
merica. stand amid regal ruin and ma
tional desolation, towering snhIime, like
the last mountain in the deluge ma
jsstic, immutablc, and magnificent, u
mid blight. ruin aud decay-the last
remnant Of earth's beauty--the last
resting place Of liberty, and the light of
heaven
Turn from these proud associations,
these glorious anticipntions, to Italy,
TO Italy, the land Of The muse, the histo-
rian and the hero--the scene Of Classic
recollections. and hallowed associations
there, where the genins of the world
weeps amid the ruined fanes of antiquity
there, in degraded Italy, "every
twentieth man il priest !" Look TO
Spain, "for'whose wealth the winds Of
heaven once seemed 70 hlow-covcred
as she once was with the gorgeous man
tie OF science aud art, aud studded with
goms--uow covered with iags-the mer-
chant without ledger-the vineyard
without a dresser, and the fields without
a harvest J" Ask you the cause of tlis
her poverty, shame and degradation I
There "rhe priests bear rule, and the
people lore TO have il so"
Would you see this state Of things in
America Continue 10 contribute TO
the thousnnd societies which are spring
ing up in every direction--Support the
Sunday School Union the Missionary
and Bible Societies--patronize Infnnt
Schools and that period will come full
soon, when eur liberties will pass away
like the visions ofa night. TO be remcm.
bered only by name.
"Religion needs not the aid of the ci-
vii power. Rank only degrades--wenlih
only impoycrishes--ornamcnt but dis
figure her. Tho man Of God needs not
the secular arm TO defend his cause, -
The religion Of him who was born in a
manger, and selected his disciples from
or board fishing smack. needs not the
interference Of the civil authority. Ju-
das received the money Of power, and
it ended in the disgrace of his creed.
and the death of his master. The hand
that holds the book Of life should be
pure, and those who minister in holy
things should be spotless---they should
rob tho widow and orphan of nothing
but their sorrows! Let us beware,
then, how we polluse the purity Of relig-
ion with The abominations Of EARTH
Sooner than this, let the days of barba-
rism return---let murderous bigotry ter
inmate our lives upon her bloody rack ;
but let us not live the slaves Of a de-
signing priesthood Let every man
shake off the trammels Of superstition
let us see every heart a shield. and o
drawn sword in every hand, to preserve
the ark Of our political safety. Let
there he reared fabrick upon our nat
ional Constitution, which time cannot
crumble, persecution shake, nor rcvolu-
tion change-but which shall stand a
mong us like some lofty and stupendu-
Gus Appenine, while the earth rocks at
its feet. and the thunder penls above its
head, i. shall stand firm aud immu,able
as the pillars of eternity !"