The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1848-07-04
- See First and Fourth pages. N
The Eourfh Of July.

1I7b;e ia a dav of thanksgiving and JOY to twenty
millions of people, Old age forgets its ieebleness,
rnanbood reIaxes its toll youth flies from ITS studies
and beauty dons her gayest attire TO celebrate the
return of the glorious day. Let the loud-mouthed
cannon roar; Ietthe wild free, joyous shout ascend
LET the happy heart expand in gratitude to God; Tor
il is the anniversary Of day on which nation
was born. and world regenerated. 1t matters not
What caused the memorable Declaration which
gyes the Fourth Of July its significance. The
petty exactons and grinding expressions Of tyranny
have passed away and are forgotten with the past
but the glorious truths, proclaimed in consequence,
now live in all their vigor, grandeur and beauty
and will live and flourish for ever. They will en-
tighten the dark corners Of the earth, diffnse their
warnth amid Siberian SHOWS, purify the intellect,
and elevate the moral character of man, and elevate
the owly, the oppressed, the Ignorant and the en-
shaved to The true dignity Of human nature, when
man shall be, in truth, the free, expressive, and
noble image of his Maker. Seventy-two years ago,
man IS equality and mans rights were proclaimed
for the first time. since the world began, with the
power and authority Of whole people. Seventy
two years ago and what worlds history has
been written since that time! From small and
scattered colonies on the Atlantic coast this Repub
lie has extended westward to the Pacific, and is
extending southwark to Darien. The weak has
BECOME strong feeble people risen to the first
rank among the nations Of the earth.
But what are national power, and glory, and do
minion! Persia had them, Maeedon had them,
Rome had them, Russia has them now They are
nothing to nation Of saves-eyery thing to free,
happy and enlightened race. But national great
ness and Individual liberty are alike our birhright
and our boast Why not, then, rejoice-aye, and
with loud obstreperous Joy Nor for ourselves alone
should we be filled with gladness. The nations of
the earth are awakening to their rights and kings,
and emperors, and princes and courtiers, are
learning their weakness, their vices and their fol-
lies Old Europe, disturbed in IFS slumbers by the
first French revolution the legitimate offspring OF
our own, has been finally awakened to sleep no
more by the third Down trodden notionaliies .
are springing into new and vigorous existence
Italy and Poland, Hungary and Ireland, have
found out that they nations and not province;
of foreign powers The people Of France and Ger
many-even of England and Spain, have at las
discovered that they We're not by nature destined
to be mere machines, the creators Of wealth, the
hewers of wood and drawers of water to being:
like themselves decked out with ribbons and known
in old vocabularies as princes and lords. The
great ball of revolution which our fathers set il
motion is rolling on, crushing all who resists it
bearing along in safety and happiness all who aiC
its progress. And it will roll on for ever. Europe
regenerated, il will move Asiatic immobility, anC
redeem and regenerate even the half-human tribe
Of Africa until the final reign of Liberty, Equality
and Fraternity is established the earth-til the
nations, having waded through seas of blood ant
clanbered over mountains OF slain, shall attain t.
universal peace and brotherhood, contentment ant
happiness.
To us, who began this movement, are accorded
its first and blissful fruts-let us cherish them like
our hearts blood, and guard them as the apple o
the eye. To Americans it is given not only tt
work out their own high destiny, but to guide anC
direct the movements of the other nations and PEG
pie ofthe earth. Ponder well the principles which
our fathers proclaimed on this great daypreservt
and disseminate them-guard well the fair heri
tage Of freedom which they have bequeathed Il
us-crush It's domestic, strike down its foreign
foes-and be your prayers ever for the perpetuity
your country and its liberties