Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1861-02-09
nrIarntInn Of Anoestry.

American people, unbiased by any previous
acquaintance with mundane affairs, and
then should travel in China, would find the
religions of the two peoples identical Both
! have gods, more or less numerous and dt-
4 vided, which they set up as entitled to wor-
ship; but in both, the gods which have the
most influence, and are most quoted, are
their ancestors.
We set mp Constitution made by our au-
cestors as work of such wisdom that it
| could not choose but have had divine aid.
| From that We call it a work of divine wis
| dom; and it necessarily follows that our an
I cestors we're inspired by divine wisdom;
that is, they were, for the time being, wise
| ike gods.
By this rapid process we have succeeded
in making a set of at least demi.gods after
our own image; just as the Hebrews did
when they set up calf Naturally we pay
more worship to the visible or material gods,
or which have been visible and material.
Human nature ever seeks an embodiment of
its deity. Thus, in time, our ancestors be-
come in their practical influence on our
society and institutions, our principal deities.
If we want TO establish thing beyond all
question or peradventure, we quote the say
ing of some dead man. That is thought to-
be the end of strife, even though one reviled
him when living.
When the Prince of Wales was in this
country, he and his suite were put through
the ritual OF genuhexions at the tomb of
Washington, and three times In passing the
tomb, on the river, such as they would have
rebelled against if imposed by the religious
ceremonies Of any foreign country. The
British in Catholic countries habitually re-
fuse to follow the custom of the whole peo-
pie, in kneeling while the Host is passing in
procession. Yet they were put through
their facings three times in passing Mt. YER
nop, when the funeral tolling of bells, and
dropping of flags, and dirges by the band,
and uncovering of heads, and all the num-
nery that is the established ritual on that
occasion, were performed.
When the japanese visitors were coming
up the Potomac, on their first arrival in a
Christian country, the farce was played with
extra solemnity, and with additional pro-
peItes, to show them how we worshiped
our ancestors, and what great ancestor we
had 1t was the only worship they saw in
this Christian country. They could under
stand this; for dedication of ancestry is the
chieffeature of Oriental religions; but they
probably were skeptical about any Western
barbarian having done anything that would
be called remarkable in this country.
When the lately quickened John Tyler
made his speech on taking the Chair in the
Border Convention, he thus referred to their
duty
"Our godlike fathers created-we have to
preserve. They built up, through their
wisdom and patriotism, monuments which
have eterRdlized their names. You have be-
fore you. gentlemen, task equally grand,
| equally sublime, quite as full of glory and
Immortality. You have to snatch from ruin
great and glorious Confederation, 10 pre-
serve the Government, and to renew and in-
vigorate the Constitution. If you reach the
hight of this great occasion, your children's
children will rise up and call you blessed"
1t will be seen how the process of making
gods becomes shortened under the modern
Improvements. "Cur godlike fathers Gre
ated." Tie Border Convention finds the
work of the aforesaid godlike fathers incom-
plete, and has met to perfect it. Therefore,
they have made themselves superior to the
godliBe fathers, and are very gods in
tie flesh. The OTientals only enshrine
their ancestors after they have been
dead some time, ard when the odor of their
humanity has become dissipated; and their
good deeds, by the constantly magnifying
process of tradition, have acquired mirac-
ulous dimensions. We revive a fossil pol.
itician, and straightwsy, like a afiiar from a
box, Lc springs up into methipg more than
godlike. And they propose when they die
to il fiict themselves on the memories of our
"children's children" like horrible night
mares. The Union has no right to be recon-
stIucted on such terms. Nor has any body
or convention right to impose new set Of
fathers on the country. Nor has company
of invirile fossils q right to pretend to pa
ternity.
But it seems by this speech, that our god
like ancestors committed godlike bluAder
sour ancestors probably committed a
blunder in not having fixed upon every fifth
decade for call of general Convention to
amend and reform the Constitution. On the
contrary, they have made the difficulty next
to insurmountable to accomplish amend
ments to an instrument which was perfect
for 100000 Of people, but not wholly so a:
to 30,O00,OOO"
A Constitution, it seems, is outgrown, lik,
pair of boys breeches. Eternal principle
run out every fifth decade, "Divine wisdom
runs to seed in fifty years, and requires
change of crop. To find political wisdom
explore the tombs. Really, if our ancestor
committed such palpable bluRders, and
their work drops to pieces so that every pol
itician, dead or alive, kicks it, and regard
himself competent to become a new fathe
to it, there is danger that the national faitl
in its godlike ancestry will be Shaken an,
what danger can nation incur so great a
to be suddenly cut on from the religion ol
which it has placed its chief dependence.
A Dead Body.