The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1839-05-14
THE SEMI. CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION
AT NEW YORK.

being finished, the Cholr sung INC loiloWlhS Oue
by William g. BRYANT:
Great were the hearts, and strong the minds
OF those who framed, in high debate
The immortal league of love that binds
Our fair broad empire, state with state.
And ever hallowed be the hour,
When the suspicious task was done,
A nations gift ihe sword Of power,
Was given TO Gory's unspolled son.
That noble race is gone the suns
OF fifty years have risen and set;
The holy links those mighty ones
Had forged and knit are brighter yet
Wide--ns our own free increase
Wide shall it stretch the elastic chain,
And bind, in everlasting peace,
Stale hfter state, a mighty tram
The venerable Elk President ADAMS followed in
Address of an hour and hall, which is spoken
of in the highest terms of praise. 1t must have
been a pleasing event to have heard and seen John
Quincy Adams "a great man, many years older
than the Constitution of the United States-who
had lived beyond the years OF youth when the
Father of his Country was first inaugurated as
President of the United States.
The New York Times says, the orator,-whose
Grafton may Conclude was conspicuous Tor ITS
correct illustrations and appropriate figures, as all
his speeches are,-"compared the first imperfect
plan of on independent government in this country
to the rude scaffolding by means of which the pol
ished edifce with its beautiful proportions, was
upreared and perfected. In the conclusion OF his
address, he impaired the American people to the
children of Israel in the promised land, standing a.
round the ark of the covenant and "puttng the
blessing on Mount GerlZim ana the curse upon
Mount Eba'
lie said that the ark of covenant was the
Declaration of Independence. Our articles OF con-
federation whence came curses was our mount T.
bal The Constitution was the Mount Gerlzlm',-
All the blessings every curse enumerated by the
Jewish Lawgiver will be our portion as we support
or overthrow the free institutions of our country
!. 81 n,I, Itntph 40
and destruction, and the blessing, happiness and
preservation. He said, s'the children Of Israel al
Ter forty fifty years OF toll and suffering reached
the verge OF the promised land. Then ana thero
Moses as commanded by God, told them that when
thew had passed over Jordon they should build the
altar of the Lord their God with whole stones and
charged the people, saying-"Ehese shall stand up
on Mount Gerlzim to bless the people, and these
shall stand upon Mount Ebal to curse" After JOSH
ua led Them over Jordon, he wrote on the stones a
copy of the law and all Israel and Their elders, ~
officers and Judges, stood on this side ofthe ark and
on that side; hall of them over against Mount f.
bal and in that scene Of sublimity, the most aw-
full and tremendous of any that had happened on
earth, he read all the words of the law, ana me
curslngs and blessings according 10 al ''a' Is
ten in The book of the law.
The whole people of the Is states mot in Con-
gress and declared the Is U. States free and inde
pendent. The separate states were never declared
free in fact. Eight days after the Declaration OF
Independepce by committee, John Dickinson,
from the same committee, drafted and reported the
celebrated articles Of confederation, by which the
separate states assumed 10 unsurp Ethe sovereignty
Of the people, Dickinson had voted against the
Declaration, and never signed ii. This congress
never formed constitution for the United states,
and never thought Of erecting form ofgeneral CIV
II government, but declared that leach stale retains
lis soveregnity" Where did each state get the
power it retained From no source; it was never
free as separate state but only as branch OF the
49, bound in one body and bond Of union, cement
ed by resistance, and strengthed by oppression -
no IF
good people of the United States alone were com
petent to declare the United States free and indie
pendent, and not each colony because 1ash was
bound in Union, in the first Congress in IVA, one
wear and ten months before the Declaration OF In
dependence
Never since the creation of The globe has such
continuous scene of prosperity and glory blessed
any people as was conferred by the constu ton
Yet It was most obstinatey and ertinaclously con
tested. Never did human foresight so compIelei
fail as in the donbts entertained OF It's success
Washington nor Hamilton dared to hope that
would act we'll in practice as it has done De
tween the 4th Of March and 9TH of April, 80
Washington wrote thus to Knox :-"I,hs del
rs to ME in the light of reprieve my feelings ar
like those of cuprit going to the place OF execu
ton. Without the requisite political skiiI, 10
taken thus in the evening of life from the que
scenes Of domestic felicity, and required TO take IN
helm of affairs and guide this un.red and doubtft
machine, leaves me small hope of success al
embarking my good name in shallow bark on
unknown
long or short, two things, my integrity and frmne
shall never forsake me. Whether succeed or ial
please or displease upon other points, these III
world can never deprive me Of
The heroes of the revolution fought for and OF
tanned three things unaenable and natural RICH
of man, responsibility direct to none but God az
the sovereignty ofthe people controlled only by II
law ofright and wrong We destroyed thrones
erected an immoveable seat in which the desce'
,dants and representatives of the people might
in peace and happiness, if God so willed it, to II
end of time. Connected with our revolutiona'
forefathers there were two conspicuous quannn
displayed that seldom spoken of in history; the
are incidental to man, form part of his nature, ar
vet directly opposed to each other These are II
shirt of command and the spirit of obedience.
These two principles were never perfectly displa
ed nor carried out completely in the history Of ar
one on earth, except in the life Of Inc immo a
raj to 80 many, yet Homer, the finest deneator
that Hs soms" in
49," r;n,iv shadows them forth in the inconsiste
Eneas. But they were never so fully seen, ie