The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1854-08-11
address Of lion. r. c. shannon,

in the State and, iofcbIe and pleasant speaker,
has lew equals
4 address OF lion. r. G. shannon,
1T Tie Tournament at Bedford Springs, on
Thursday Last.
In this goodly presence, upon august occasions
aHd, allow 10 add, tais August weather. know
| your indulgence VIII excuse Tor saying that /
lusv htIugly 10 discharge the duty eioined
| upon by the kiaaIess OF sFhe Cunnilttee would
most especially, and above all things, desire say
something appropriate 10 the locality aud becoming
llie bu1 tha lateness OF the hour which
was notified OF iheir wlshes has prevented
putting my thoughts together as would like do.
Here amid this array oi beauty aud display
valfy Ia ol.e ol The 50 eetest spots ia tle whole land,
beneath The shafe ui The mountain amidst whose
green tOase young steps love to wander, and upon
4 whose lofty evening star seems 10 nger-
here, by the iiaIgin OF erysla, heath-bestvsYag
lonutais, whose equabie, neyer-eeasiiiy flow like
Tie lapse OF IIine se, assembled 10 revive,
by contest, the another
lahd and by -gone age. History and Romance
! bihe give interest THIS lestivlty. In hesp
hemisphere, We the historic reeoeeiions pi
the Old world from Whcn iathefs For Ia
las The ouiy dust that antiquity has lelt for US, Is
the dust OF tie lndiaf, and prueyai
loTestsot tie wiate-arlaed sycaaofe, the laperlns
maple and the giant oak. Back from thls spoil and
this age-baek through The long, shadowy vista OF
| centuries, we, III nagiatioh carried the
LIlDGs ana HdlOiiS Who nave 10 iHe spEtt
stIfrlns scenes that sild exist TO more forever.
10 the contemplatpse nind, wen To the fer
yld nIagnation there Is Wholesome TODD furnished
/ by this SIMPLE salheLlng.
Tie age so-caiied chvalry has, indeed, passed
away NO grand Old feudal towers cast their leglt-
| enea shadows the lace oi the country. We see
long arrays OF knights Squues, aid leonlen bold.
he Isles OF the Mediterranean and lar-oH
/ plans Of Jerusalem, do not now re-echo the tramp
ar-ofses, and The shouts OF heirneted and alied
I \ y % he or he
Ifoubadonr and tie lay OF the wandering MHistrel.
Not Tor us does the yesper bell foH the ine-drnmed
and ~ clad cathedral, send loslh us clear, syery
tones the evening That age, with its good
aud lis evil, lis goresai It's lmpeIIecUhs, has, ike
beautiful vtslon, vanished away.
! Now intellectual strength IS the measure OF supe-
riorlty ana the piaudits OF the multitude and
crown oi reward are bestowed upon hinl, wbo by the
depth OF his Investigation aud the prolindtty ol his
thought, has bfonght iorth something calculated
beneAt his country and exait his species. Now the
way immortality hes tnucn through the
sdnguined heid OF strife, through the enainelled
paths OF science.
The merely military and fandal age has gone, and
is the OF intellectual Struggling for acqusls
ton and extenslou- The grIn-VIsaged, ageFRta
the poet has been succeeded by tue golden reigg n
latellect-o mud slrainlng, reaching and yedfTIags
aei stan greater thIngs-tnlngs unknown aud Invtsa
ibe. With this sublime Struggle everywhere going
on, this war OF analysts and anthess, this nsghty
contest which Philosophy Chen.stry, GeologA
and. Astronomy are taking Part-with IL who does
| not sympathse! Under lts' banhers-tor il is the
cause truth contendng upon every aud sea- wLb
wlaeIuse 10 enrol hIniseii, even OF the
bestpi followers, "helnaeted and panoplled for t#
iiay2@ Tor what cannot lnteect accomplish!
plucks the pearl from the coral wave that II may
deck the brow OF Beanty IL riots with Milton
/ Byron IN the iaryland OF Poesy treads with New
ton the chambers OF The sky, gTaspS with MsFse
the tame that quyers round the celestial throne
..1he human mind, that lofty thing,
The palace and the throne
Nhere reason sits, a sceptered king,
And b:eaIhes his Judgment tone!
Oh who with silent step shall trace
| The borders oil that haunted place
/ Nor IN his weakness own,
That niy>tery aud 5naryel hnd, A
That lofty thing, the human mind :"
But although the tinseled forms of ancient cssa-
~ have disappeared, ye; spirit still Survives
and w not perish Ii not the GRANGE oi the
| Syrian flower born bud, and bloom, AID wither
| in hour' The passions the sources from
which spring, in all their notifications, the senl-
n:enis aud the manners OF people; and the
me: generally the II all ranks and eSnd-
lions, all countries and ages II follows tuat the
opmIois habits oil thinking, and actions OF meE, how
ever influenced by the peculiar stale OF society and
the progress OF the arts, must still, upon the whole
bear strong Resemblance to each other. There are
certain things which cannot die. Philosophy, PoEtrJ
1 Music ard Truth, IA hen purest sense, srVer
die. They are as immortal as their blflh-plac6 and
I
founded upon certain enduring principles, when, con-
stutng Its spTit, viii 1--we forever, when ts out
ward iolm has mouldered INTO decay only atdsdlng
food Tor The historian and novelIst Il incuea aeJ
primordia conditions, Love OF Country, Honor, k0uf-
age, and more stlll, Devotion 70 Woman Us, ii
sought the comfort and exataion Wofnaik and
looked upon her applause the best earthly reward OF
bravery, and the great incentive TO ronowl lbcanlp
and III Court, by the bicoale. III the lonely nopntai
glen, the siaT-gulded ship the true Knight
nj l,,-l, nan
her praises IN bower and hail. The lrIgd hearts oil
the northern Iordes, who destroyed nearly all the
marks OF the pagan civilization, grew SoileRcd and
| humane Under The sunny influences Of southern
| Enrope-and Andaiuaia, Arragon aud Normandy be-
came the abodes OF ieuda chiyalTy. II called ITS
aid Music and Poetry, and they became lis hand
Iuald>. be screade aud the war-Song, the lrampet
aud the drum, with the lutte and the harp. became
strumenialles IN It's progress and accolnpaprnehts
to It's pagcantry. Thus War and Peace, Love and
/ Courage, Honor and PotenesS, waye-like, safough
the dark, deep OF ages, tended 10 swell ihe
wand, eyer-advaBcng low OF enlightened viikatlon
But time Will not allow me longer TO dIlafe upon
50 fruitful theme. The brilliant pageant With It's
evanescent symbols, has faded like magical illusion.
heir strong castles, save the green mounds and
shattered RUNS which mark their paces-ara as e-
/ tectnaily lost the fragile wigwaa.s Which once
giimneIed IN the moonlight of these val!ies. Race
after has since died out and been forgotten in
the very spots winch the seats of. their
power, and the OF thelI most glorious acbieYe
| ments and in reading, al eyer:Ids, tne pages of
| descriptive history glitterng romance-le pages
! ot FEolSSART, CHANGER or SGorT,--we think we
| sometimes hear the sound of time long passed. still
murmuring over Is, in the forest walks where the
! worn pilgrim wort to hear the herdlitf hymn,
the lofty void above dark, ruined arches, like
! the lingering voices Of those who have slept long
within their graves. Ia the language o CoissiaDGg-
i '.rhe knights dust,
And their gon. swords rRst
heir souls are With the SAINTS, we irust."