The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1854-07-06

summoned into public life, and being In the 60tn
years q its exisence was one Of the oldest and
most influential sspers 10 the country. Hence It's
SIZE contents. &c. may be regarded az furnishing
q fair sample Of (he country at that date Here
tneD, gentlemen, = the United States Ia 17a9.-
(Here the speaker held up diney looking little
newspaper, 16 by 20 inches In size, entitled the
Pennsylvania Gazette published in Philadelphia. J
and here is the United States in 1854 (holding up
one OF the mammoth New York dailies)
IL Is literally newspaper, not paragraph Of
editorial, entirely news and advertisements. And
we are struck at once with the age of the news
III we are now furnished with European news more
than fortnight old, we are ready to gruinble at
the newspapers or the telegraph, while here the
latest news from Vienna was al days, from London
I'll, from Paris Co. Aud, in domestic news the last
dates from Louisville, which, by the way. was then
In the State OF Virginia, appears from the news
itself, were 10 days old while now we can obtain
news from Louisville, the same point, literally in
less than no time, beating time itself. The last
dates from Boston were eleven days old, and the
last from New York flour. How amazing the
change There is one item OF news that has ar
rested attention and given rise to some serious
reflection. II is the opening OF the French rero-
luton and the sublime and terrible struggles that
marked that great event 1t contains circular of
Lafayette, then commander of the National Guard,
in which he expresses the hope that every article
may be adjusted confusion take the place OF order,
and the citizen and soldier learn to know and do
their duty"
How these hopes were realized is too well known,
for the world has learned by heat the history of the
French revolution. Sixty five years of change have
rolled over that brave and beautiful land, and wit
messed the shifting of the mighty drama as it
passed through Republic, Consulate, Empire and Mo-
uarchy in swift succession from Napoleon the great
to Napoleon the small. And what have been the
results! There is less liberty, less strength, and
France TO-DAY than there were in 1855 why is thisl
What has caused this wide and appalling difference
The American Revolution was the outsushing OF
its cool gin until it swelied into mighty uVer
on whose bosom nsves mi ght ride, and whose banks
lined with Cities and hamlets, ana villas, and
farms while the French revolution was like the out
bursting of volcano, sublime, terrific, reslstess
9an eng Sls SssesOn and death Whence this d
ference Was it because OF the lack OF statesman
ship intellect in her political leaders, The world
rabeaus her TalleyIands her NapOieons, and those
who clustered around them at that era. They were
the very Ttans of intellect. Was it from want OF
! general intelligence! BY universal consent France
stood in the fore front Of the world in learning sci
end arts and that the blaze of the Augustan
age of her history. Was it from any want OF vlgor
| and bravery in her people! Let Marengo aud Aus
terlitz, and even Borodine and Waterloo, and the
thousand battle fields where the bones of her sons
lie moulding from the Kremlin the Pyramids, and
from the Rhine to the Jordan, give answer. No. 1t
not from any such causes these. What, then,
was found in America at this time that wanting
in rance2 Our old newspaper furnishes US with the
reply.
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE U. s. OF AMERICA.
A PROCLAMATION.
| Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknow-
ledge the Providence OF Almighty God, to obey his
will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to
iunpore his protection and favor And whereas both
Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee,
requested me Ito recommend to the People of the
United States, day of public Thanksgiving and
Prayer to be observed by acknow edgng with CRATE
full hearts the many and singular favors of Almighty
God, especially by afording them an opportunity
peacesby to establish form of government for their
safety and happiness"
| Now therefore. do recommend and assign Thurs
| day, the twenty sixth day of November next, to be
devoted by the people of these States to the service
of that great and glorious Being who is the benei
cent Author of all the good that was that is or that
| will be: That we may then all unite in rendering
unto him our sincere and humble thanks for his kind
and protection ST the people of this country pre-
to their becoming nation; for the signal and
manifold mercies and the favorable interposition of
his providence in, the course and conclusion o.the
late for the great degree OF tranquility union
| and plenty, which we have since enjoyed for the
peaceabe and rational manner in which we have been
enabled establish constitutions of government for
our safety and hagpine ss and particularly the
gious liberty with which we are blessed, and the
means have of acquiring and diffusing useful
knowledge; and in general for all the great and vari
avors which he hath been pleased to confer upon
And also, That may then unite in most hunlbly
offering our prayers and applications to the great
Lord and Ruler of Nations, and beseech him to par
don national and other transgressons; to enable
all, whether in public or private stations to per-
form several and relative duties properly and
punctuaIiy; to render national government a
blessing to all the people, by constantly being
creetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; pro.
and guide all soveregns and nations especially
such have shown kindness to us and to bless them
with good government, peace and concord; to pro-
mote the knowledge and practice of true religion
and virtue, and the increase of science among them
and and generally to grant unto all mankind such
degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to
be best
Given under my hand, at the city of New York,
the third day of October in the year of Lord
thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine-
6. WASHINGTON.
imerica had faith in God and faith in the Bible
This is the only national conclusion reach
cept ON the superstition that George Washington
a hypocrite. But even should resort to this mon
strous su position, that George Washington would
prove all that want for 1t would show that the
heart of the nation demanded such hypocrisy, and
gre at nation was laid the Bible by the hands of
men who feared God, aud hence it has grown TO the
might and majesty s n Which ,bn we nov hnd ID it, They
order which they wrought into the texture of socie
ty. They learned from the Bible the rights of the
individual man and hence when the struggle came
they prepared to
Strike for their affairs and their fires
Strike for the green graves of their sres
God and their native land"
The first Congress that after the Declaration of
Independence in the very midst of those fearful strug
giles when it would seem every dollar would be
needed for the war, appointed committee to cause
to be printed 5000 Bibles. The sommttee finding
this impracticsbe from the want of types paper &c
recommended the importation at the public expense
of p coo Bibles. which recommendation adopted.
In 1881 before the closed owing to the fact
that all importation stopped, they again acted on
the subec and recon ended the enterprise book
seller In Philadelphia, who proposed to publish
new edition of the Bible. Such then was America
at the date of her revolution. She had faith not only
ia bomb Shells but in Bibles and her faith in the one
did not prevent her from knowing how to use the
other. The christianity of the men of l776 did not
make them at least towards.
But how was it in France! During the revolution
gentleman attempted to obtain copy of the Bible
In Paris and enqured at every bookstore but one
was to be found. This book obsolete. There
faith in reve lations faith in God, faith
in the Unseen and the Eternal, faith in anything
fixed. With them life game of chance and
death, and eternal sleep. There was therefore, no
fulcrum which to rest any lever-no foundation ON
which TO erect any structure. Hence they plunged
to the widest of lawlessness, lust and
blood Here, then, is the only fact that goes to the
foundation of society, the hearts and homes of
men, and the only fact whoss fountal source rises
high enough to explain the result. Our liberties
have the loftiest of all possible origins-they
from God and not from men-from heaven and not
from earth. The declaration of independence was
first promu gated in the Sermon the Mount, and
the Constitution of the United States in its
sentis principle, wrapped up in the laws of the
Hebrew Commonwealth. Nor has this significant
connection ceased. We have most striking illus
tration of it, accompanying the very anniversary
are to-day observing. Who those who have at
tempted TO insult this Sabbath Of our nation! Who
are those who have tried induce others join in
this sacreigious attempt! Who are those who are
endeavofipg to trample on the constitution, and
nAart min in hRIF TA rhEy