The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1859-08-19

frrco,lfc. the couIItIV Of c0nvcnff0ns
They belong TO our Peculiar Institutions.
Eyery pursuit. and business Of life, every
subject Of speculation OF thought whstiis
crit be agriculture, trade OF oofumeree.
the soionces the useful or the iino arts,
government, politics or religion. the al.
fairs Of earth, He'll. OF Heaven es,cIl has
~ convention, whore all that rclatcs to
i II discussed. just now The conVon-
tons are in full blast, and in a low weeks
the agricultural gatherings VIII take place.
kvcry State has its agIicultuFal fair. and
there Is one national fair for tho whols
Union These gatherings appear to have
done some good for aericiltlire. and hnye
accomplished something in the way Of
producing mutual admiration
There have been railroad conventions
without end, and the more we have had
o. them the more bridgez we have bro
ken down and the more lives have been
sacrificed tot the Juggernant Of gain. There
have been Southern commercial oonVon-
tions, in which the most arrant nonsense
has been ventilated and evervweli estab-
lished principle Of commerce. ignored. ~.
There have been political conventions
without. number; and what good. we
would like TO know, have they done for
the Community, or in how much worse a
condition would the political affairs Of
the country be II there never had been a
convention Of wings, or democrats, or
black republicans, or Know Ncthines, or
abolitionists, or hrc-eatersl There has
been iately negro convention, stwhich
George Downing presided. Docs any one
suppose that will contribute to the aboli-
|tion of slavery or the elevation of the
colored bretifrenY sat'fs ~
There have been free lovers convef-
tions women's rights Conventions. in
which the dimensions Of the cfinolino and,
the liberty of wearing breeches have been
the important questionsunder consiera-
ton; and there. have been {" BABY Con-.
ventions, TO exhibit the best specimens
Of native human manufacture By way Of
illustrating the art of breeding the genus
homo. How FAR the Information derived
from these assemblies has been prodic-
tive OF a healtllflll race Of children we
VIII not undertake to say. The discus
sion would be ratherreyoiting 70 our rea-''
ders.
There have been temperance conVeri-
tiohs IN vast numbers the principal effect
OF which has been TO promote the liquor
tfade--for instance, at Auburn. where the
firm ofsIihodes 4 Seward has done such
q thriving business
At Springfield is now being held the
Convention of the Association for the
Advancement Of Science. When they
succeed in squaring the circle, or in solv-
ing the problem of perpetual motion, or
in explaining the connection between
body and mind, or the law of volition, or
the principle by which the like begets
like, the world shall hear OF those dis
eoyeries through the colums of the Her.
aid. This day the spiritualists. meet in
convention. at Plymouth Rock, with
Judge Edmonds, ex-senator Talmadge,,
and the other leaders of the sect, all glow
ing with prophetic fury to make known
their revelations to mankind. At the
late meeting held there to-day the foun-
dation Stone OF the national n1Qnunient
to the Forefathers, there was dispute as
to which of two families belonged the
honor Of having the ancestor who first
pot hisfoot out of the Mayfiower on "the'
Barney Stone of New England" Now
the spirituhlists, with Judge Edmonds at
their head, can easily settle that lnotty
question while on the spot. We under
stand that enormous quantities Of tobac-
co and brandy. are to be consumed at
this convention, it being among the doc
trines of the spiritualists that we can eat
drink, and do many other things for the
use and benefit Of the spirits ia the 9th
er world Accordingly, some indulge in
numerous drinks from conscientious and
religious motives, and not foln the love
Of the liquor, They drink merely be-
cause the tongue of some thirsty soul in
the spirit world, Ike DYES in tic parable.
Is parched and cleaving to tho roof OF
llssmouth, and though there L. water all
aronnd he cannot get drop to drink
Judge Edmonds inaastrimisly chews to-
baceo from morn till night. and froms
night till morn. for the qualification Of
some friend IN one of the spheres who
delighted IN the weed when hero below, /,
bot otcmnot get quid nthe realms above.
The Judge hates tl,e dirty thing buts
zcalously performs the disaeTeeabls tluty
Could the assembled spirits Just inform
us who Is to be the next President Of tho
United Statesl Bydoing dis theywould
do o very generous act, and save a world
Of trouble. There would be no necessity
for any OF hepolitical conventions which
are to be held with a view to the solution
Of that question: ~ , a.1t a.sss,a -
Last OF all, we are TO have aconyention
10 settle the basis and the superstructure
of the new Catholic religion, which Is to,
remodel the old and absorb all the SCAT
tered fragments into which Protestant
ism is split We trust that in this move
ment the leaders will be succesrful.; Cor
though it Is TO be discussed in conven-
ton. 1t is the great idea Of the ago, both
in the Old World aud In the New. We
hope Archbishop Hughes win attend and
look after the interests of his Motropoli-
tan Archdiocess in the new arrangement.
Ma. BRicHr on riiE AmERIcAs USIoN.--
The London Star publishes a full re-
port of Mr.. Bright's speech at the Ameri-
can banquet, celebrating the anniversary
Of our national Independence; and it
may stir our pride and patriotism 70 read
the following noble and eloquent Lam
guage with which Mr.. Bright closed that
speech. -
With some 1t is a favorite saying that
the Annerican Republic is but an experi-
ment, and that II ID has not yet fOundered
it may do so when the night Of storm and
adyersity comes on. But you have had
adverse Winds cloudy skies and political
tempests--almost hurricanes and you
have yet great questions 70 be solved by
great people. / am bound 10 say that, In
my opinion, you are notnn experiment
merely--you are an accomplished. a pro-
claimed AN admitted fact. know not
whether there boa man In England, or
Europe or the world who would DO re-
|joiced to see your great fabric of freedom
destroyed, Il there be such man, he IS
no br0ther or FREUD of mine, Such q
man, .slloaid Be slu,t out hom human so
ciety and brotherhood- Surely, II there
be athing for man to hope or pray Cor
ia connection with the political oondi-
ton OF any part of the world. il is that
when centuries have rolled away, when
generations Of our post0rity have follow
| ed Us 10 the tomb. that then your great