The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1858-07-21


bliss of heaven.-[[ Mothers Magazine.
HON. EDWARD EVERETT ON THE
t. FOURTH OF JULY.
At the dinner at Faneuil Hall, Hon.
Edward Everett responded to the toast,
To the memory of WAsHrNGroN:"
MR MAYOR: feel greatly IGNORED
BY the manner in which you have called
upon me to respond to the toast given to
the memory y of Washington. I have else
where thought it right to say that to be
named in conBection with him is an
honor so far beyond any desert of mine
that there would be a degree of vanity
in thinking it necessary to disclaim it.
You will give me credit, if not for the
self knowledge and humility, at least
for the good taste, which would lead me
to put far aside any such association
with that great name, which more than
any other name of human renown has
drawn to itself ineommunicably the graf
itude and affection of his own country.
men and the admiration of mankind. -
But may, without presumption, return
you my thanks for affording me the op-
portunity of giving utterance, on your
behalf aud on behalf of the city of Bos
ton, to the emotious with which the
mention of that illustrious name, ever
honored, ever dear, must warm the
/ bosom of the true patriot on the ami
versary of our National Independence
I feel, sir, more and more as 1 ad
vance in life, and wstch with mingled
confidence, solicitude and hope the de,
velopment of the momenious drama Of
our national existence, that it is we'll
worth our while, that it is at once one
of our highest social duties and import.
ant privileges to celebrate with ever in
creasing gsolemnity-with annually aug
mented pomp aud circumstance of festai
commemoration--the anniversary of the
ma tion's birth, were it only as affording
fitting occasion to bring the character
fresh recognition, to the public notice,
as the great central figure of that un.
paralleled group, that - noble army" of
chieftaius, sages, and patriots, by whom
the Revolution was accomplished. This
isthe occasi n and here is the spot, and
this is the day, and We, citizens of
Bus On are the men, if any in the land,
to throw wide open the portals OF the,
Temple of memory and Fame, and there
gaze with the eyes of reverent and
grateful Imagination on his benignant
countenanee and majestic form. This is
the occasion and the day, for who needs
to be told how much the cause of inde-
pendence owes to the services and char
actcr of Washington, to the purity of
that stainless purpose, to the firmness
of that resolute soul ? This is the spot,
this immortal hall, from which, as from
an altar, went forth the burning Goals
that kindled into q consuming fire at
Lexington and Concord, at Bunker
Hill and Dorchester Heights; we citizens
of Boston, are the men, for the first
great success of Washington in the Revo.
lutionary War was to restore to our
fathers their beloved and native town.
This is the time-the accepted time
when the voice Of the Father of his
Country cries aloud to US from the sods
of Mount Vernon, and calls upon us,
East and West, North aud South, as
the brethren of one great household, to \
be faithful to the dearbought Inheritance
which he did so much to secure to MS.
Nor is the fame Of Washington con
fined to our own country. Bordaloue,
iu his eulogy on the military saint of
France, exclaims-"The other Saints
have been given by the church to France;
but France, IN return, has given st.
Louis to the church." Born in the
family of nations in these latter days,
receiving from foreign countries, in
heriting from ancient times, the bright
aud -i,Istrnetise- -exrmpfe- all their |
honored sous, it is the glory of America,
in the very dawn of her national exis-
tence, to have given back to the world
many names Of which the lustre will |
never fade; a name of which neither |
Greece nor Rome, nor republican Il.
ally, Switzerland, nor Holland nor con:
stitutional England, can boast the rival:
"a character of virtues SO happily tenn
pered by one another" use the lam
guage of Charles James Fox, and SO
wholly unalloyed by any vices, is hardly
to be found on the pages of history"
1t is delightful to witness the gener-
Gus recORuiIi0u OL w SbHiHgboH D nerlL
even in countries where, from political |
reasons, some backwardness in that re-
spect might have been anticipated. II
n his leading agency in
wrestling a colonial empire from Great
Britain, England was not slow to ap-
preciate the grandeur and beauty. of
his character. Rufus King, in writing
to General Hamilton in 1897, says
''No one who has not been in England
can have just idea of the admiration
among all parties for General
Washington. It is common observa-
tion that he is not only the most illus
trious, but the most meritorious char
acter which has yet appeared" Nor
was France behind Eengland in her ad-
of Washington. NotEithstnnd
ing the uneasy relations of the two |
at the time of his decease,
when the news of his death reached
Paris, the youthful and fortunate SOL
dier, who had already reached the sum-
NIT of power by paths which Washing.
ton could never have trod, commanded