Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1856-07-09
ORIGINAL PAPERS.
Written gor the Spirit of the Age.
URTH OF U.LY.
INSCRIBED no MATTE MAY.

INSCRIBED TO MATTE MAY. "
HalN2ll hail to the glorious anuiversS- A
~ OF Nountry's birthday. The crim- a,
son east pouS its sunny treasures out on b
those bright Naters cradled beneath the G
dark raylnes asA hostile cliffs, over which f
the dusky tribeSpf Nebraska noIsyander 5
OverloSkipg tins region of wildwood gran I
deur rtses ono sesty summit cEarling 4
seehe OF subEmer DeuSy sh1r-ster salil{d !
Ida looked dowb upon. Here amid love !
illness thst mightagNQ inspire ssthe MORN 8
ing stars 10 sing togeRer," the muse of /
Arnsrieaa history pause\ in her westward t
night With the eye 70 seraph she /,
spanned with one bright g\nce the hem !
isphere, that liloa visionN nronbecv !
haunted the life-dream of CdEdbns I'D
was a view. that would'have am Noted 4r.le
great Genoese to contetd joyfully r;ivl the
warning clements Of ah hundred voyages.
The Queen Of CASTLE would cheerfully
have girded the Atlantic with chain Of
royal jewels If thereby she might link the
glory Of its discovery with the name of Is
abel. The eye Of the Goddess beams with
radiant JOY as she surveys this cradle Of
the Futures Song and atory" of which
" two oceans chant the lullaby" Thought
fully she turns leaf after leaf VI the imper-
ishable records Of our CountNs annals,
and musingly writes Nearly klr centu-
ries have wheeled their flight $ Ace from
the Panta's soa-born crew the thriAng cry
of Gland Land Y reverberatedplong
these shores. The cry borne by the rAurn-
ing bark to the shores of Spain, was Aaft-
ed from lip to lip, from the Gallo tdthe
Euxine sea, from the rocks of GibrfA n
to the mountains of Caledonia. The man
ly tones Of the Anglo-Saxon and the smooth
accents OF ne aoul, the musical notes o.
Spain and Itqly rsnerated the wonderou.
tidings of neWw0rld in the occidentl-
The imagipation Of the restless spirit of ad
venture 1w revels in new fields of DARING
and expl0it The devotee of learning turn,
from ldfmusty tones to catch some glimpse
beyopFthe rising 'urtain Of the future
TH9hgious enthusiast now no longer di.
Ftsshis eyes towalds the Holy Land. OF
<seeks by pilgrimag thither to win with
Z hls sWord the passing honors of this world
and open to his soul the golden oates ~
another The genire of Columbus had
and eoIi,ees%e s regions of fable
ty, surprising in grfndeur and novelty the
widest fictions of Eastern romance. Inc
song of the TrouhaIour, or the heroic tale
of the repowne6Crusader no longer sways
the Imagination of Europe The bow of
promise now kindles its brightest hues in
the western horizon. A leaf, pebble, OF
a feather from the future Columbia are OBJ
iects of eager interest, for which brave
knights contcnded with lance and helmet
that they might lay the trophy at the feet
of their d" Ladye Love" but lance an6
helmet as we'll as hood and cowl, must give
way to more significant tokens of new
era. The Mariners compass and the
Printing press now come, "but not as thu
conaueror comes to sway the destinies o
E,,rono Il y The
musing eye of the Goddess glances along
the path Of three centuries and pausing oil
these characters of living light in on
Country's auuals-4th of July, 1776, sh
thus resumed Thrice ten thousand time
has the golden tide of morn ebbed an,
flowed between these shores since the faith
ers Of this Republic pledged life, fortun
and sacred honor in defence of belove
Freedom. BY all that is earnest in pun
pose, by all that is inspiring in faith an
trust in tie strength OF Heaven, by all tina
is powerful in united and courageous aC
ton, did they redeem this sacred pledg
and turn back the dark waves Of tyrann
that threatened the cradle of the infar
ceuius of AMERICA. The Shuttle of de-
tiny now began anew to weave the woof {
civil and religious freedom; swiftly an
INCREASINGLY has it threaded its fight
Each declining day illumines some ne
drawn thread spun from the golden fibre
ofunfettered thought. The beautiful fal
ric first woven 10y Humanity and Religio
along the Atlantic borders now extends
the homes and hearts Of continent B
the breath Of freemen whom the tut
makes free is the low, sad murmur of Hi
manitv waited from ocean TO ocean, ire
men whose hearts are strong as mountai
oak 10 resist oppression and injustice, b.
pliant ms the aspen in the summer breez
when the sigh OF misfortune or the song
innocent JOY breathes its gentle appeal
From the trying furnace of human wo,
have the golden threads been gathered tn,
now weave the happier destinies of Elal
kind. From the broken chain Of avaric
from the dread experience of want and i:
norance and despair, have the principles
truth come forth with new power to pr
claim the glad tidings of peace and goc
will to men. For every breath Of huma
woe uttered in the ear Of Him who is ne
er weary, has some link been severed
the chain of human suffering. From IL
death Of every Martyr Of truth and rigl
has kindlcd famcs'of hallowed light in tn
western world For every weary victi
Of hopeless toll, to whom the sweet light
day brings no joy, and shades of night |
repose, thousand champions of justi
and mercy have made these cliffs to echo
Whatsoever ye would that men shou
do unto you, do ye even so unto them"
For every tear Of want on the cheek
childhood, for every prayer Of mother
wretched and helpless infancy, for. eve
famished gave of unhappy Iceland, have
thousand homes been reared in the gre
valics of America. Like the tabled bi
Of ancient Myth, life, joy and beauty ha
risen from the ashes of desolation and d
,o;r Tins hath II ever been. thus sh