Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1858-07-16
TbeGree 11:kss
EVERETT AND THE UNION.
BURLINGTON
FRIDAY MORNING, JULY l6, 1858

celebration OF the Fourth in that city. OF
course Union-saving was prominent feature,
and those distinguished Union savers, Messrs.
Rufus Choate and Edward Everett, were ap-
propriatey called into service. Mr.. Choate's
speech was the main event of the day. 1t
was marked by the characteristic merits and
faults of that gcnteman's oratory-brilliant
to cxcess-a discharge of mental rockets,
torbillions maroons, courantines, cath
arne wheels and fiery flying serpents. 1t
was in fact part of the fireworks, and of both
his speech and Mr.. Evcrett's it may be said,
that like many other roman candles and blue
lights, they were very good in themselves,
and Objectionable mainly because made to do
service for bad party. We give the nub
and concluding portion of Mr.. Choate's ad-
dress
But there is another condition of our na-
nationality of which l must say something,
and that is that it rests on compromise. -
America, the constitution, practicable policy,
all of it, are a compromise. Our public life
is possble-it can draw its breath for q day
only by compromise.
There is cant of shallowness and fanatic
ism which misunderstands and denies this.
There is distempered and ambitious moral
ity which says civil prudence is no virtue
There is philantrophy-so it calls itself
pedantry, arrogance, folly, cruelty, impious
ness. call it, fit enough for a pulpit, totally
unfit for Il people fiji enough for a preacher,
totally unfit for statesman which, con-
founding large things with little things, ends
with means, subordinate ends with chief ends,
one mans sphere of responsibility with an
other man sphere ofresponsbility, see .-time
with harvest, one science with another science,
one truth with another truth, one jurisdic-
ton with another jurisdiction, the span-long
day of life with the duration of states, gener-
ais with universals, the principle with the
practice, the Anglo Celtic-Saxon of America
with the PAYERS of Paris, cutting down the
half-grown tree to snatch the unripe fruit
there is philantrophy which scolds at this
even, and calls it names.
If you say that thus our patriotism limits
our philanthropy, answer that ours is Amer
lean philanthropy. Be this the virtue we
boast, and this the name by which we know
it. In this name, in this quality, find the
standard and the utterance of the virtue it.
self. By this, not by broad phylacteries and
chief seats; the keener hate, the gloomier
fanaticism, the louder cry, judge, compare,
subordinate. Do they think that nobody is
philanthropist but themselves? We, too,
look up the long vista and gaze rapt at the
dazzling ascent; we, too, See towers rising,
bend in the opening of later day o.s Dug ~ ~
see peace, order, reconciliati) IN of rights along
that frightening future. We trace along that
succession of reform, the presiding instru-
mentalitles of national life. We see our NOR
ality working itself clearer and clearer; one
historical and conventional right or wrong,
after another, falling peacefully and still; we
hear the chain breaking, but there is no
blood on it-none of his whom it bound none
OF his who put it on him; we hear the SWELL
ing chorus of the free, but master and slave
unite in that chorus and there is no discord-
ant shrek above the harmony; we see and
we hail the blending of our own glory with
the eternal light of God, but We see, too,
shapes of love and beauty ascending and de-
scending there, as in the old vision !
Hold fast this hope; distrust the philan-
thropy, distrust the ethics, which would
which must, turn it into shame. Do no evil
that good may come. Perform your share
for you have share, in the abolition of slave
ry perform your share, for you have q share
IN the noble and generous strife of the sec
tions but perform it by keeping, by trans
mitting, united, loving and Christian
America.
But why, at last, do e1hort, and why dc
| seem to fear, on such day as this? Is i
country of our love and hopes, which cele
brates it This music of the glad march
these banners of pride and beauty, these me
mores so fragrant. these resolutions of patri
otism, so thoughtful, these hands pressed
these congratulations and huzzaings ant
tears, this great heart throbbing audibly-
are they not hers, and do they not assure us
These forests of masts, these singing work
shops of labor, these fields and plantation
whitening for the harvest, this peace ant
plenty, this sleeping thunder, these bolts il
the closed, strong talon, do they not all tel
us of her health, her strength and her future
This shadow that fits across our grasses an'
is gone, this shallow ripple that darkens tn
surface of our broad and widening stream
and passes away, this little perturbation
which our telescopes cannot find and whicl
our science can hardly fnd but which w
know cannot change the course or hastel
the doom of one star; have these any terror
for us? And He who slumbers not, no
sleeps, who keeps watchfully the city of hi
love, on whose will the life of nations is sus
pended, and to whom all the shields of tn
earth belong, our fathers God, is He not ou
God, and of whom then, and OF what, shal
we be afraid?
Mr.. Everett followed in a speech at tn
banquet and did duty as a member of tn
Mutual Admiration Society" and
90 national " orator, in a strain of which tn
following paragraphs are samples
Justified by the character of your celebra
ton, have yielded without scruple to tn
wish-rather have found myself as littl
able as desirous to resist the all-powerfr
, temptation of listening to the great livin
master Of American oratory. And Sir, wi
S say, if the pure and exalted principles of NE
, tionality which he has this day unfolded an
} illustrated, under your auspices, are faitf
r full exposition of democratic doctrine, then
/ must be permitted to share the satisfaction
a the worthy gentleman in Molieres play, {
. finding, greatly to his astonishment and d
light, that he had been speaking prose a
: his life. The great founder of fthe democrat
: party, Mr.. Jefferson, in his inaugural addre
e ON the 4th OF March, 1901, said, we ha'
called by different names brethren Of OIL
e principle we are all tederalists, we are q
A republicans" If the orator of the day,
IT whom we have all listened with such admir-
!, ton, has truly expounded the principles
,e your association and your party, think ,
" must say, with still stronger emphasis, "V
r have called by different names brethren
IN the same principle; we are all wings, we a
e. all democrats.
When our friend concluded his supe
Grafton this morning, l was ready like N
d, Cruger of York (who stood with Bur
~ for the representation of BristoD "to 9
n ditto to Mr.. Burke" | was unwilling
at believe that the noble strain, by turns p
ey suasive, melting and sublime, had endt
&C., &C., &c.