Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1848-08-09
The CongresS Of '7G.

The following interesting sketch Of the
Congress of l776, is taken from the June
number of the Knickerbocker:
In the Presidents chair sits Hancock,
crowned with n demeanor graceful and
splendid, like ''blazing Hyperion on his
orbed thTone.' Prominent in the heroic
band, and Oldest Of their number, is he who
at the same lime snatched the liehinings
from the skies and the sceptre from the op-
pressor's hand There too is Morris, The
hnancier Of the revolul ion, whose generous
aid, advanced on his credit, paved The way
for the victories OF Trenton and Princeton,
and in the glooinesi hour caused the a.
merican eagle to soar alolt toward heaven.
More retired, but not less interested is that
Old Puritan, Samuel Adams, 'on his front
engraven thought and public eases.' He
was among the very first to excite popular
rebellion against wrong, and he is here to
aid its progress and pay for its consumma-
ton. OF few words, bu, abounding In great
and benifcent deeds he sits in council
grave and taciturn, like 'grey-haired Sat-
urn quiet as Storm his soul firm as
granite and unbending before the storm.
His more oratoric na,nesake, John Adams,
with watchlul eye and eas is scanning the
proceedings; while every look and motion
betrays his readiness to exemplify his ia
yorite maxim, 4 would rather be in the
wrong with Plato than in the right with
Epicurus.' Lee, with ininitabIe suavity
and elaborate grace, moves in chivalrous
majesty upon the scene. Wtiaerspoon, the
divine, 'visbly written blessed in his looks,
is there, with the meekness of a Minister
Of Jesus Christ, but with n firmness that
never quailed in the presence Of his coun-
try's foe. la the alternative between the
sacrifice of freedom CT the loss Of life, like
the Spartan mother, he would rather have
seen his son brought home corpse upon
his shield, than dishonored by its loss And
Rutedge, the youngest of the patriots,
comes forward to illustrate in his own per-
son the ancient apalogue of the youthful
Hercules, in the pride and strength of beau
ty, surrendering his entire soul to the wor-
ship Of exalted virtue. But it is needless
any further to specifys all, as one man,
are ready to exclaim, our mother is Amer
lea, our battle IS for freedan1s purity Of
purpose is Our breast plate, and the laHer OF
heaven is our shield.'
@ A Scotchman, who had high opin-
ion of his ability ia digging out knotty
points in Scripture, told his son to read
while he would explaia the difficult passa-
ges. Sawney, in the course of his reading,
fell in with the account of finishing the tab
ernacle, and lining it with badger skins" !"
Sawney mead it 6egger skins.
s'Now, stop wee bit, Sawney," said ahe
old man, s'while expeund that very i'm
portant passage. You'll not fail to remark,
Sawney, how wonderfully we are favored
in this enlightened age. WI a. oar polit-
ical and a. our religious rights weel secur-
ed, we can sit ourselves doom under our ain
vine, and under our ain fig tree, and name
to modest or max US afraid, while it appears
|: hat, in yon times, no sooner did poor
deevil become beggar, than snip off went
his skin, to line their doom'd tabernacles
witb,n