Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1852-04-24
The Three Battles Of cur Race.


& gained two. We have wrcstled with wild
Nature, aud have subdued her to our service,
aud tanned her to our will. Over the pow
crs aud OBSTACLES of the material world we
have achieved victory after victory, each
more wonderful than the proceeding one ;
we have pushed our pioneers aud founded
our cities in the remotest recesses ot priin-
eval forasts we have planted our footsteps
and fixed our flag in the barrenest as in the
richest regions; tho sea has become to us
bridge. and not a gulf; highway, not
bnrrier; climate has scarcely been an obsta-
clo even the burning deserts Of Africa and
the waste OF Arctic and Antartic SHOWS
have scarce repelled us; the most stipend.
Gus engineering difficulties suggest no
question as to whether they cun he over
come" but only "at what cost they can he
oycrcone;" rnpidity of communication
aud facility of intercourse have reached n
point which, 1t is not easy. even for imag
iuolion TO surpass even pain has found n
conqueror IN science; and on the whole, il
physical life were all we had to look 10, and
physical enemies the only ones we had
to strive with, it would be difficult to believe
that the goul of human progress, aud the
boundary line of human capability, was not
close al hand. The first great batllc of civ
iiIhtbll hdo bitil lhNkhN ahh NOn W. "a aildu-
nor with an issue which history may well
record with pride.
But there wus another hard and sterner
struggle to he gone through-another aud u
nohler victory to he won. Man had to he
emnncipaied from dwarting aud pnralzing
thraldOm, and given into his own posses.
sion. His limbs had to he unlctered, aud
his energies electrified by the healthy aud
brnciug atmosphere of freedom. Liberty of
action had TO he won from ihe tyrnnt,nn lib
erty of thought from the priest. To the
conflict of man with Nature, succeeded the
harder and far sadder conflict of man with
man. As the aim was nOblcr, so the strug-
gle was longer, the progress slower, and the
martyrs more numerous by far. Age after
ngc the tide of war swayed to and fro, with
varying fortunes and in changed localities,
but with no cessation; us corubatant after
eombatunt fell another stepped into tie va
cant ranks ns one weapon was blunted or
broken. another aud another was discover
cd of better temper aud of kccner edge
unexpected aid came often from around,
sometimes from above us defeat and des- |
pair darkeued the hurisOn in one quarter. |
hope dawncd upon it from another; till, |
thanks to Our foreliuhers, who were nln,le OF
sierner stuff cast IN more s,nlwurt mould |
aud gifted with a singler eye, than wc who |
had our birth amid miIdcr nntccedents
thanks TO the goodly fellowship of our reform
ors aud the noble army OF our martyrs, we
have now no impcdiments 10 our future
progress save such as our own imperieclions
may create for u.s. such aS may be hcapcd |
npou our path by indistinclness of vision,
miirmlty OF purpose, or Il lailing aud en-
fecblcd will.
Rut tvo h,,o ,,,,. - ,r,,,, o,,. - I
grid on our urmor for final work, which |
cannot he put by, aud which must not he |
neglgenily done. The last battle of ciyili |
zltion is the severcsi; ilIe last problem the
knoIiest 10 solve. Out of all the multitude !
nous ingredients and influences of the past; |
out OF the conqies: OF nature and the vicio- |
ry of freedom; out of the blending and IN |
icrmixture OF all previous forms of poliiy
and notifications of humanity, lns arisen
complex order Of society, of which the dis
orders and anomalies are as complex as its
own structure. We are now summoned to
the combat, not with material difficulties
nor yet with oppressors nor with priests, but
with an imperfect aud dsensed condition of
that socn world of which we form part;
with pains aud evils appalling in their mag
nilude, battling IN their subtlety, perplexing
III their complications, aud demanding far
more cleur insight aud uneTing judgment
Than even purify of purpose or commanding
energy Of will. This conflict may be said
TO date from the first French Revolution (;
and il has cen increasing in intensity ever
since, till il has now reached To a yivdness
aud sOlenniiy Of interest which snrpusses
nnd ovcrshadows the attractions of all other
topics. Socialism, Communism, Saint ST.
mOnisn, Fuuriorism, Charlsm, ARE among
The indications Of its progress. Gradually
it has drawn all classes aud orders of men
into its ranks. The student in his library,
the statesman in his cabinet, the merchant
Mt his desk, the artisan at his loom, the peas
ant at his plough, are all, in their several de-
partments, working at the same problem, in
tent upon the same thought. 1t has enlisted
and consecrated science; it has merged or
superseded ordinary politics, or has given
them holier purpose and a deeper mean
ing; il pierces through every organ of the
periodic press; il colors all the higher liter.
ntnre OF the day. provides fiction with lis
richest characters and It's most dramatic
scenes, aud breahes into poetry an earnest
ness and dignity 10 which the last ngo was
sIranger.-W WestmifSier Reuielc.
NUMEROUS FAMILY The Shah of Per-
sa has invited a number of the Austrian Off
GERS of all arms to Teheran, to aid in re.or-
ganlzlng the Persian army. A letter from
one Of these officers, received at Vienna, fur
nlshes some personal details respecting the
shah. lie is twenty-five years of age, and
one Of the handsomest Iron in the empire
His great grandfather, who had three hun.
dred wives, hnd crowd of children, who
have had decendauts in their turn, until n
length il is computed that the imperial fam
lily comprises nj least ten thousand persons
The AUrHoR or THE MULTIPLICATION
TABLE.-We met gentleman in book
store the other evening" searching for the or
igin of the multiplication Table. Who o.
,,ur rea,lars rnuId hovn tuld him ite ,t,thor