Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1857-10-15

intimately connected with, and forms part
Of, its constitutional history.
There are important reigns in the history
Of this State to which your attention should
be specially directed for learning the history
oivilly and enthusiastically. The reign of
Henry H., [ think it is, will be specially in
structiye You will learn there what
fierce warfare was waged between the two
powers, civil and ecclesiastical; and the
latter triumphed, although the monarch HIM
self was man prominently of talents and
decision Of character.
The events of the reign Of John are i'm
iportant and instructive. It is perhaps for
tunate for us and for the human race, that
he was man of weak mind and active in
decision of character and consequently in
capable of maintaining, with irmness, posi-
tion and power, Magma Charta was wrung
from his reluctant grasp and adopted at the
point of the sword: Study it closely and
Intimately as an evolution of the principles
sowed and matured by Alfred, and as a
novel, interesting and instructive monument
of the first successful, sensible and perma-
nent establishment Of free principles in
modern times.
Wicked and profigate agencies may, un
der a fortuitous juncture Of events, be pro-
ductive of great good. The reign Of Henry
VIII. should be read with great care and at
tention and it's results, in connection with
| the pacific and virtuous- reign Of his son,
marked and preserved IN your memory.
Study well and intimately the reign Of
the great, the renowned Elizabeth. She
was one of the greatest monarchs that ever
sat on a throne; and Notwithstanding her
reputed arbitrary character and career, she
did much, very 1nuch-more, perhaps, than
any other English monarch-to perfect the
purposes Of the great and wise Alfred, and
give stability and progression to the British
constitution. The English State, [ think,
may truly date it's expansive, and expand
ed, and expanding greatness and excellence
to this active, strong and glorious reign ;
and then and there it was, peacefully, tho
decidedly, the ecclesiastical power was SO
crippled and crushed that it was ever-after
incapable Of a successful ana-ncrlnanent
ffsrruggru:- u----
The reign of Charles l. is important and
instructive, as furnishing an example Of a
fierce and bloody struggle between the pop
ular and despotic power-between the crea-
tor and the rebel; and it is particularly in
structive for this fact, that it furnishes a
signal Illustration Of the incapacity Of the
creator, through perversion of its organic
clements, for self-government. The old
dynasty was ultimately recalled to restore
order and preservepeace and quiet, because
the creator had shown itself incapable Of ex-
ercising these attributes. The reign Of Ann
is interesting for its history of stirring and
attractive events, and has sometimes been
called the golden age of English literature.
But the reign Of James L., in connection
with that of William and Mary, will furnish
you with the most wholesome and nutricious
for the mind for it was during these reigns,
as the offspring of a mparatiyely peaceful
though decided and successful struggle be-
tween the civil and ecclesiastical, and des-
potic and popular powers, that the British
constitution was established on durable and
definite basis; and it was during these reigns
that the creator first caught and held fast to
clear insight into those inherent and ele-
mentary rights with which he was primarily
endowed Read and study the history Of
-civilly, enthusiastically and constitutional
; ly; and for this purpose, perhaps Hume's
and Macauley's histories, and Hallam's con-
stitutional history, will be enough for you.
[ come now to the third master State Of
the world-the United States. The stand
point for the study. the accurate, intimate,
and profound study of it's history, is the "a
doption of the Declaration of Independence.
From this point, you can readily survey, and i,
with intense pleasure and great profit study
and understand and treasure up, the impor-
tant and instructive events Of its history -
You cannot too intimately acquaint yourself
with the character, the principles, and, above
all, the genius of this State. The great err
ror in the education of all our youth is, that
they treat as of secondary Importance the
history of their own country and attach a
primary Importance to that Of other coun-
tries. They travel into the remote regions
of antiquity to learn these, while at home all
is largely unknown Or permitted to be for
gotten. Learn we'll and accurately the his
torical settlement and progress of our own
country; and learn it constitutionally.-
Every private citizen in this country ought
to be a constitutional lawyer. Always, in
reading it's history, bear in mind that the
people are the creator and that the govern
ment is an agency, clothed with limited
and well defined authority; and in this as
pect contrast it with the other governments
of which you have read Remember always
that in all your other reading you have found
the rebel the ruler, and that here, for the
first time in the progress of nations, the crea-
tor rules
The mode by which to acquire an original
. and self-relying knowledge of constitutional