The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1854-07-19
Remarks Of Judge Wooster.

RAsrUs WOOSTER, in response to tho
third of the regular toasts at our late
celebration. Not having been at hand
at the moment, to reply in person We
the more chccrfully give our venerabl,
friend leave TO print"
n.PREslDENr y FrLLow CITIZENS
18th pleasure and heartfelt salts
faction [ have come to meet you OF
this JOYOUS occasion, and Join YOU in tn
festivities Q. this glorious day. II i!
a day long to be remembered in the an.
nails of timc. aud commemorative Of Al
event pregnant with consequences Of un
surprising importance to us and oui
country. It is the birthday Of our ma
,ion's existence and its anniversary re
turn brings with it many hallowcd asso
Citations.
When our venerable fathers first NJ,
dertook to burst asnndcr the fcttors
which bound them to their mother coun
try. they entered upon a state Of I'M
tried being" and it was truly character
lied a hazardous experiment. Theil
prospect was gloomy and %forhidding.-
Clouds aud darkness rested upon it
Their motives were pure and their cause
was pure. Heaven smiled upon thcire ffort'
and appeared for their dcliverance. The
God Of battles stimulated their arm,
and fired their souls with an ardor no.
their own.
For seven long years they sustained
the arduous conflict with a perseverance,
heretofore unequall9d, and with a self
sacrificing zeal hitherto unknown. We
may turn over the pages Of Grecian his
tory and there read the valorous acts oil
her patriots and heroes. For deeds oil
noble daring, for solf-sacriicing devotion
to the public welfare, We shall find none
there inscribed superior to those Of the
fathers of the revolution. We shal
find the names of Lconidus. Pclopida.
and Epamiuaudas. aud by their side W.
will place the names of Washington. O
Greene, and of Hamilton and others -
The latter, in no respect, will suffer by
a comparison with the former. Goo
raised for our Fathers. as lie did for the
children of Israel, a Moses. in the per.
son of a Washington. Untutorcd as he
was in the school OK military science
he possessed a mind frarght with wis
dom, and soul fired by the living coa''
from tho altar of his country's good
lie led our fathers through the wilder
ness to the promised land from a state
of Colonial bondage and dependence to
state of independence and peace.
And here we are. fellow citizens, en-.
j)ying those blessings which are the
precious fruits Of their joint eliJrtstoils
and sutfcrings. And re are assembled
here to-day, to water that tree Of lilcr
~ which was planted by their hands an,
nourishcd by their blood. But OIL
fathers, where are they They ar,
nearly all now removed from this stage
of action. They are gone to that undis
covered country, from whose bourne n,
traveller returns We scarcely now be
hold II lingering relic Of the revolution
Here is one before me. lie is now. a.
he once was = minute soldier, ready t.
receive lis marching orders from hi
Great Commander, aud be called away
may his march and his end lie glori
GUS. Aud inaslnuch as he is now a sold
Ter of the Cross III the ChurcA Mili'a.t
here below. may he finally go and ioi.
The Christian Patriots and Heroes of til,
revolution aud ihc spirits of Just men
made'pcrfcct in the Kingdom Of Heaven
Oar Fathers arc NOW ncarlf all mum
bercd with the dead. But they being
dead yet live in the memories Of Us thci
children. They being dead vet sncal
to US from the tomb. and such is thcj.
language My sons scorn t, he slaves
live free or de; death is not the creates
Of evils Remember that the cost to
your liberty is the price of blood !
caused many tears and eroans Of liscoi
ISOLATE widows and haplcss orphans. |
cost many painful DAYS aud s%lccplc,
lights to the friends Of freedom. |
was for you that we wasted the milli.h
lamp aud hung over the sickly taper
for you we sickcned and for you ",
died Aud now ifyou will not profit b
our example and obey our admonition,
and finally lose that rich iuhcritauc,
beqneathad By us to them. oar tolls ant
our snfferiugs will be vain"
If ,hi4. then, fellow citizens. would b,
tn language Of our fltlers. could the,
speak to us, what should be our emoriru,
Should not ''our fears stir up alarm 70
the safety of our free Institutions lie
ns often assemble around the altar o
our country's freedom and renew on
oath of fcatly to her Constitution Lc
US roll back that food of slavery whicl
is now rushing upon us to the plac
whence it came.
"Drive hence the sable tide TO thai L,acI
main,
Where she hcaves her dark waves an,
spreads her seeds of pain
Shall not cur whole country. withou
any more annexation, become the ccntr,
of light and liberty from whence a IA
dance shall 60 forth to illuminate tn,
world? Shall not the union Of the goo,
old thirteen States which went togethe
shoulder to shoulder through the revolu
ton aud other States constitutional
connected with them, remain forever?
May our republican form of Govern
ment continue to tho latest generation
unimpairod and mistaken. and when age
shall have rolled away and thrones an,
dynasties shall have been forgotten, ma
our constitution still c%ontine. May th
star-spangled banner of the Union still
f%iutters in the breeze, and have imprint
ed upon its folds in impcrisIable char
acter, "Tho United States Of Americ
free and independent" ESQ pcrpetuo
was the expiring words of Father Pau
for his Country, and it shall be mine.