The Daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1845-1850, 1850-08-26

ward for the devotion of his life 10 the service
of humanity? When went Christian 10 his
grave followed by such a long procession of
mourners! When did city governments
ever vie with each other in such a manner to
honor the memory OF that man who possessed
in the greatest degree those virtues OF which
Christ was the exemplar? When did men of
all parties and Christians of all sects so strive
with one another to pay homage TO the vir-
tues of a true man by mingling their tears at
bis funeral? All . the retrospect brings us
no pleasing "reminiscences. But small band
of monrners and friends followed Robert Full
ton to his grave; and who shall say that a
tyihe OF his benefactions to his country, was
not hundred times greater than those OF the
warrior whom men called benefdct0r in their
last weeks eulogies? How many Christians of
opposing sects who walked at Gen. Taylor's
funeral so fraternaly together could forget
their preludlces so much when Claiming
died? Yet the one was the enslaver of his
fellow men, the robber of their God given
rights, and the other was the consistent and
earnest advocate of the oppressed and down
trodden How many Of those merchants who
closed their stores, and artizans who laid by
the implements of their toll on Thursday
were willing TO do the same in honor of that
heroic old man who had himself filled the
highest Office in the gift of the people, when
his dead body which the spirit quilted while
defending with its latest breath the principles
of civil liberty and the rights of man, was
borne home 10 its final resting place in the
shades Of Quincy? How many houses in
Boston were decorated with emblems of grief
and mourning when one of her citizens whose
life was all heroism and whose death was
martyrdom was brought home from that
Mary land prison from which he was rescued
by the angel of death alone. o, it is with
pain and modification that we remember, that
the friends of poor Tory, who had begged his
body of his murderers, were denied the priv
| ilege of commenting his example to his fell
low men and his spirit to the God who gave
! it, in one of the churches erected to the wor-
ship of him whose disciple he so truly was
In view of these facts said we not rightly that
the tendency of last weeks pageantry was
demoralizing and impious; exaling as it did
the heroism of the battle field above the hero
ism OF Christian virtue, and causing men pro-
fessedly religious TO throw up their caps in
honor OF that which true Christianity abhors
and condemns. The demorazing influences
of these funeral PROFESSIONS in honor of man
who but tor success in war would have no
claim to be remembered after death, cannot
draw lesson from what we have seen. They
show how thin is the crust of that morality
which we would fan call Christian when we
boast of our refinement and superiority, in
comparison with those times ere the star
+ shone over the manger at Bethlehem when
the Prince of Peace was born. They show
how hollow are the pretences of society to a
reverence for the highest virtues that adorn
/ the human character. Judging by mems acts
rather than by their professions, and contrast
ing the enthusiasm which men have shown
l in hearing the eulogies upon warriors life,
and upon men who have fought the good fight
OF faith with weapons that are not carnal, we
t cannot fail TO perceive how great is the task
of him, who in dying would wish to enjoy the
thought that some little portion of this world
was wiser, better aad happier that he had
lived in it.
Ofthe drunkenness and debauchery that
ruled the closing hours of the day set apart
Tor mourning we have no room here to speak
Tor that was not the worst fruit of the pageant
That worst fruit was the lesson it taught to
the young, and which all who saw it know al
ready by heart, that military glory is still the
highest glory in the estimation ofthe world -
, That greatness achieved in any other sphere
pales before the greatness of successful war;
rIor. There, children fresh from the Sabbath
schools and from the influences of virtuous and
Christian homes, unearned in an hour all the
! lessons of their lives. There, they saw the
, doctrines the New Testament dishonored
and trodden upon by those to whom they had
always looked for instruction and example,
They saw ministers of the gospel, as they
| marched behind, or rode with the soldiers in
f the procession, stamping the beatitudes un-
f der their feet, and the parents who had taught
f them it was wicked to fight, doing honors to
+ a man whose fighting qualities alone com
mended him to their regard. 1t will be a
hard task for the friends ofpeace 10 counter
, act the undertow of the wave that gave us a
military President, but we hope that neither
It's difficulty nor appropriately will deter
any friend of peace from bearing his testi-
mony against it, and that he will not neglect
this opportunity to impress upon the minds of
the children committed 10 his charge, that
though by deeds of blood man may gain
favor with his fellow men, it is by deeds of
virtue alone that he can obtain the favor of
God and enjoy the hope of heaven.
II PETITIONS A l. J..