The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-01-03

steam engine Itself IN those words, as full of
piety and benevolence as Of JOY:
Thanks to God nextto those which are due for crea
into great secret OF nature beneficial ali
as This waier-cOmmandng engine"
intellectually accord renown to Morse, who
produced the electric telegraph; but we are prone
10 forget that Franklin discovered the germ of
that great invention, by boldly questioning the
awe-inspiring lightnings in their native skies
There is abundant excuse for the popular neg
lect of peaceful, social reformers Either they
engaged in apparently idle and visionary spec
ulations, or else occupied in what seems even
more absurd an obstinate contention with the pre-
vailing political philosophy of their age. Those
speculatons assume the consistency of science
that contention, the dignity of knowledge-only
when in some later age the principles they an
nounced have been established. In the mean time,
they pass for malcontents and fanatics. The rude
taste of society generally delights in themes and
characters which are sounding, marvellous, and
magnificent and prefers the march, the camp, the
siege, the surprise, the sortie, the charge the
battle with its quickly vibrating fortunes vic
tory, the agonies of the night which follows it,
and the pomp and revelry of the day which ban
ishes the complaining memories of that fearful
night, to the humanitarian placid studies, or the
bewildering debates of polemic politics.
Excusable, however, as the injustice is which
have described, it is nevertheless unwise and
injurious. Ii discourages necessary noble, and
generous efforts, and is chief among the bulwarks
of superstition and despotism. The energies of
men can never remain stationary. A nation that
will not tolerate the activity of intellectual energy
in the pursuit of political truth, must expect the
study of that truth to cease. \ nation that has
ceased TO produce original and inventive minds
restless in advancing the landmarks of knowl-
edge, virtue and freedom, from that moment has
begun TO recede towards ignorance, crime, and
slavery. Every stage backwards renders its re-
turn more hopeless.
am sure that this great error will not last
always, and yet do not think it is near its end.
How long 1t shall endure, is known only to Him
who, although he commands us to SOW and to
plant with undoubting faith, that we shall reap
and gather the fruits of our culture, reserves to
himself, nevertheless, not only the appointment
but even the knowledge of the forthcoming sea-
sons.
Ii Is because j am unwilling to forego proper
occasion for disavowing that error, that am here
to celebrate the graves of the Forefathers,
this day devoted 20 their memories, the virtues
the laborS, and the sufferings, of the Purtans of
New England and Old England. Ny interest in the
celebration is not, like your own, a derived, but
only reflected one. am not native here nor was
born TO the manner of this high and holy observ-
ance The dogmatical expositons of the Chris
ton scheme by the Puritsns have not altogether
commanded my acceptance. | shall, therefore,
refrain from even approach to those finer parts
of my great theme, justly familiar to your accus-
toned orators, which reach the profOundest
depths of reverence and love in the bosoms of
the lineal descendants of the founders of New
England. Not many years after the death of Ma
poleon. | stood before the majestic column in the
Place Vendome that lifts his statue high above
the Capital of France. When | asked who scat
tered there a thousand wreaths of flowers, freshly
gathered, that covered its base, the answer came
quickly back, Z" All the world" SO |. one only
OF the same vast constituency, cheerfully cast
my garland upon the tomb of the Pilgrims,
and lend my voice TO aid your noble purpose
of erecting here worthier and more deserved
monument to their memories. Ii is indeed,
quito unnecessary to their fame yet it is, alas,
only too necessary to correct the basis of tho
worlds Judgment Of heroic worth. Make its
foundations broad as the domain which the adj
venturers of the May Flower, peacefully and with
out injustice, rescued from the tramp of savage
tribes! Let its material be of tho imperishable
substance of these everlasting hills! Let its de-
vices and inscriptions be colossal as becomes the
emblems and tributes which commemorate a
worlds everupheaving deliverance from civil and
religious despotism Let its shaft rise SO high
that it shall cast its alternate shadows, changing
with the progress of the sun in his journey, across
the Atlantic and over the intervening mountains
to the Pacific coast! 1t must even then borrow
majesty from the rock which was the first foot
hold of the Pilgrims on these desolate shores in
stead of imparting to il sublimity.
But MAY not touch the domestic story Of your
ancestors Only Jewish hand could strike the
cvmbals with the boldness due to the theme of the
march of the host of Israel under the guidance
of its changeful pillar of cloud and of fire. while
pursued by the chariots and horsemen of Egypt,
through the divine!y divided foods of the Arab-
an Sea or, without temerity almost sacrllegous,
lift from the waving boughs the harps which
the daughters of Jerusalem hung upon the will
lows, while by the side Of the rivers of Assyria
they sat down, and wept the piteous captivity of
their nation, beloved, but temporarily forsaken of
God.
Ii is sure way Of promoting knowledge and
virtue, "a well of rising to greatness and good
ness TO study with due care and reverence the
operation of sublime principles of conduct in ad-
vsncing the progress of mankind. desire so to
contemplate the working of the leading principle
of the Puritans
! confess that the Puritans neither disclosed
nor discovered any new truths of morals or of
government None such have been discovered
at least since the Divine Teacher set forth the
whole system of private and public ethics among
the olive groves, on that one which was his favor
lite among the mountains that look down upon
Jerusalem.
progress of mankind. Although the Eastern ma
tons, the first to enjoy the light of civilizations
had, long before the age of the Purtans, sunk
into that deep sleep from which there is "a vet
awaklng yet Europe was even then full of energy,
enterprise, and hope. The better elements of the
Oriental and Mediterranean civilizations had sur
vived and cooperating with the pure influences
OF Christianity, were enlightening and refining
the southern and western nations The Western
Nrhi l. AZ.
had long defended the faith against the Saracens
and protected feeble States against the agrees
sions OF ambitious princes. Ii still held the ma
tons in the bonds of a common fraternity Nor
had it forgotten to proselyte, after the primitive
manner, by intoxicating morality and charity. II
had, by its potent command addressed to the con-
science ofChristendom, abolished throughout Eu-
rope that system of personal servitude in which
large, perhaps the largest, portion of every com
munity had been hitherto held under every form
OF government. 1t bore its testimony steadily
| against that system everywhere, declaring that
| "od and Nature equally cry out against human
| slavery; that serfs and slaves are a part of the
human family which Christ died to redeem; and
| that equality is an essential incident of thai
| brotherhood which he enons as q test nv which
| his disciples shall be known"
The foundations of that comprehensive inter.
national code, which is now everywhere accept.
ed, were broadly laid. Ii was then clearly taught
that there are in nature certain fountains o.
Justice from which all pure civil laws flow. vary.
ing only III this-that as waters take tincture.
ana tastes from the soils through which they
| run, so do civil laws differ according to the re-
| gions and governments where they are planted
Luther had already summoned Europe to new
| and more vigorous morality, and Calvin's sharI
voice was ringing through the continent, cali
ing the faithful away from all destinations wor
ship, to that pure and spiritual one which Coo
prefers before all temples" The feudal policy
although founded in very imperfect conception
of civil Society had savad throuob fha vacant a