Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1847-01-21


greatly have the operations of all benevolent
institutions been facilitated by the improved
means of communication, that have brought
distant and mountain separated provinces into
fraternal netghborhoods," sPanned "the broadest
and stormiest seas that belt the green earth,
and made the antipodes more accessible than
the nearest city was fifty years ago. Under these
benign influences, the various benevolent insti-
tutions of the day are passing forward in their
glorious enterprises, to honor God and bless the
world. The Bible Society is scattering theI
bread of life, broadcast over the dark and un-
sparing waters of sin; and fastening on to theI
accomplishment of its glorious design, to put
a copy Of the Bible, without note or comment,
into the hands Of eUery person 'ohO Is capable
Of understanding 1t, so that eUery man may
haze one to lie on his dying pitioV. The Mis-
sonary Societies are aboring to speed forth the
heralds of the cross their messages of love and
mercy; charging the work at the old stations,
and entering new fields that invite them with
the promise of an abundant harvest. The
Tract Societies are scattering their silent but
swift messengers of truth in every nook and cor
ner Of the earth. The various branches of
the Temperance Society are laborlng assiduous-
lily to remove the evils Of ntemperance, and train
up the rising generation in sobriety and virtue.
The Ant-Slavery Societies are graphing,
with Herculean power the monster sin of the
age; and, if we rightly divine the signs Of the
times, it is already writhing in the convulsive
agonies Of its death struggle And when its
dying groans shall cease to vbrate on the listen
ing ear of an execrating world, Virtue, and
Humanity, and Religion will sing over its foul
and hideous corpse a song of triumphant joy
more gladstone than that which the morning stars
sang on creations natal day
The Moral Reform Society, the Peace Socie-
ty, the Prison Discipline Society, the Seaman's
Friend Society, and blessed throng of similar
institutions are laboring assduousy and success
fully, each in its appropriate sphere, yet all
tending to one end, common, and great, and
glorious; the elevation of down trodden humani-
ty, and the restoration of man to the long lost
image of his Maker.
The past year has been one, in general OF in
ternal quiet to our country. Every man has
dwelt in peace under the broad Egls of the
law; and the anxious patriot may uust, with
new confidence, in the permanence and efliCien-
cy of confederated republican government,
Our foreign relations, with single exception,
are of the most pleasing kind. With all Trans
Atlantic powers we are on the most friendly
terms. With all the governments of the New
World, save one, our intercourse is perfectly a.
mcable Our foreign relations during the year
have undergone great and important changes
When the year commenced, two dark war clouds
hung with threatning aspect on our political no
rizon; the darker and more fearful of these ha:
passed away, and the broad smile of love now
greets us from our ancestral island across the
wide Atlantic
Tho peaceable adjustment of the Northwestern
Boundary Question, speaks volumes of encour
agement to the philanthropist, and gives the
christian new ground to hope that the time is no
far distant, when "nations will beat their swords
into pough-shares, and their spears into pruning
hooks, and learn war no more" Fifty YEAR
ago, no two nations in christendom would havt
settled the difficulties involved in the Oregon
Question, without long and bloody war; sacri
icing thousands Of lives and millions of treasure
annihilating the commerce and prostrating tn
, trade and manufactures of both countries: cor
rupting the national morals, and polIuting thu
national heart OF each; filling the public hospi
tails with the mutated wrecks of humanity; GOV
erng the land with the pail of woe; filling tn
alms-houses with miserable widows and orphans
putting both nations back in the scale of human
ity, and staying the progress of civilization 70
D centuries
Had England and the United States, the tw
, great protestant nations of the earth, plunge
u madIy and blndIy into war to settle dubiou
. claim, and divide tract of unknown, and almos
0 worthless territory with the point of the SWORD
:" it would have been loss to humanity of NOR
: than two hundred years. By this mean, tina
J the influence Of war so unnatural, 50 bruta
: would have SO demoralized both countries, an
6 disgraced the christian character, of which the
. stand as the opponents, that all the labors of tn
|, Philanthropist and the Christian for two hundre
u years, would not have been sufficient to wip
y away the reproach from the christian name, an
!. place the world in situation as favorable to tn
prosecution Of their enterprises it is at tn
e moment
II We have abundant cause of gratitude to A
+ mighty God that he put it into the hearts of tn
l. people to hold back the national hand from
- sacrllegous an act, to which their rulers SCENE
e. but too willing to drive them.
y But while we rejoice that the Oregon Coz
:, troversy has been so peacefully and honorab
u adjusted, we weep at the thought that we al
u now engaged in war of conquest and dismen
berment with a sister republic, whose weakne
y and misfortunes "entitle her to our generol
u sympathes and protection" But instead ofthl
)" southern shareholders and their northern Goa
C. tutors have plunged us into this cruel and di
. graceful war, which has made us the scorn ar
d "by-word of hooking EARTH" to open on IL
;" sunny plains cf Mexico broad field for the
- system of human chatteizalon, and furnish
y ready market for the productions of the sIay