Monmouth weekly herald. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1854-1860, 1858-01-21
Our Strip &ook,
For the Monmouth Weekly Herald.
THE RISE AND FALL OF MA
TT0NS

-
with men. they have their infancy, and
their youth and they flourish in the glo
ry and pride4of their manhood. They
reach the zenitlrof their glory, and their
decay commences they grow old, totter,
and tremble. and fall into the grave
What has been the past fate of nations !?
Let us turn to the chronicles of history.
We will look at Babylon. 1t was the
capital of Bahylonia and one Of the
most magnificent cities Of ancient times.
The measure Of its circuit was sixty
miles and its walls were two hundred
cubits high, and fifty thick and they had
a hundred gates of brass. Does the
mighty city still exist? MOI Its Belus
and its Hanging Gardens are no more
Its brazen gates have fallen. and its state
ly walls have crumbled, and lie moulder.
ing with the dust and for more than a
thousand years, its very site was forgot
ten. What has become of the ancient
greatness of the Assyrian Empire? The
revolutions of its subjects lowered it in
the scale of wealth and power and it
was finally rseed to the degraded posi-
ton Of a P6fslahV%rovince. Who can
describe thef5he Of its city /? Minus. or
Ninevah, was one Of the greatest capitals
Of antiquity and its circumference was
between forty eight and sixty miles. Its
walls were Of brick, and their measure
was one hundred feet in height, and so
thick that three chariots could run abreast
on their summit. Its inhabitants consid-
cred it ~impregnable but it was not long
before its noble walls and its splendid
structures w~efsIeveled as low as the dust.
How was 1t with Tbebes? 1t was a
magnificent and powerful city, and its
walls were grdced by a hundred gates
Its population was greater than any city
that ever had existence. 1t could eeuip
seven hundred thousand men for war. at
one time, besides which, it could send two
hundred armed chariots from each of it's
gates. Where now is the grand city p
More than two thousand four hundred
years have relied away since it was de-
stroyed and the huge shapeless masses
OF It's ralasaw spread over the plain.
Look at ancient Greece. She too had
her days of glory and prosperity. Under
Alexander the Great, her dominion and
power extended to the most remote re-
gions then known. Her Capital. on &C.
count of its learning and arts, was styled
the eye OF Greece-also of the civilized
world !; and, for a time, her laws, learning
and language, prevailed from Egypt to
India. Her ancient greatness has also
departed. The Roman conquest ended
her political existence and the Turkish
or Ottaman Invasion extinguished every
spark that remained of her former great
ness. Where is Troy, Carthage, and
Palmyra? Like others that we have
named, they have fallen from their starry
positions, and they now live only in song,
and on the pages of history. How was
it with the Persian Empire? At one
time it wa the most opulent, potent, and
magnificent empire in Asia but its for
mer greatness IS all don8 away. Persip-
oils was itssc9sef city, and it occupied a
plain Of five and twenty miles in length.
1t was noted for its magniicence and it
contained the splendid palace of the Per-
sian monarchs. Yet, however beauti-
ful its.structufes, and however great its
wealth and power. its glory has departed,
and nothing is left standing but its fourty
columns, which remain like grim sentinels,
guarding the wrecks Of its departed
splendor.
We will now glance at the Roman EN-
pire. Romulus. with a band of Chepards
or Banditti, laid the foundations of the
city of Rome, thousands of years ago.
At FIRST, his authority extended only Eve
miles from the city he had built but,
being of a warlike character, he and his
followers soon began to enlarge their ter
ritory. Their success, as conquerors, is
to be attributed to their superior knewl-
edge of military operations, and the high
ability Of their commanders. AS it rose,
its potency was greater than any empire
that even<eA&tea. The surrounding ma.
tons stood in " of its power, and the
title of a Roman citizen was for centuries
q high and envied distinction. While
under the sway Of Trajhon, it had reached
the summit of its power; and it comprised
TIL finest portions of the known world.
It was at least as large as modern Europe;
with over one hundred and twenty mil
lions Of inhabitants. The splendor of
its Capital was beyond all description
Its victorious generals enriched it with
the spoils Of conquered nations and the
wealth Of Che most powerful monarchs
was poured into its Golfers. 1t had reach.
cd its most attainable eminence and it
began visibly to decline. Barbarous ma
tons, allured by its reputed wealth,
poared in upon it. The discussions Of its
people. and the accumulated wealth. in.
troduced such luxury, that the hardness
of its people we're yitiated, and its legions
could no longer oppose the hordes of bar
barians thsssended upon them and
the Roman Empire was destroyed. A.
u. 476, was the last year of its existence.
will not longer intrude upon the pa
tience Of the reader, by cnumerating the
rise and fall Of more powers but will
conclude with a few words in relation to
our own Republic:
A century will soon have rolled away
since we first declared ourselves a free
and independent people. The precious
blood ofour fore fathers was the price
we paid for our liberty !; and the numer-
GUS battle-felas Of our country, remain as
memorials-s9iemn and silent-to remind
US of the depArted heroes.
THE land il holy where they fought;
And holy where they fell;
For by their blood that land was bought,
The land they loved SO well"
Through all our wars we have main.
tanned ourselves with honor; and we