Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1862-06-27

the valley, add anything to the sweetness or
the power of the impression already created
in our hearts.
l shall not be true either to myself as one
of the humble citizens Of the commonwealth,
nor should | be true to the official relation
which am permitted to bear to the education
al institutions of this commonwealth, where
| to fail to declare how deeply | have been
| impressed with what to-day | have been per-
mitted to see and to hear. Embosomed with
in these circling hills, in this broad and beau
tiful valley enammeled with green, the honest
and industrious toll of the hus bandman about
| you, yourselves industrious and faithful stu
dents of science and religion, you find your
selves, my young friends Of this Wesleyan
academy the favored of the favored of the
earth.
When see the devotion to the interests of
education manifested by the patrons of this
school, rebuilding from its ashes now and
again another Phoenix, and as | have walked
about your walls, | see more evidences of
comfort and luxury, than | ever saw or
dreamed of at the college where | was educa-
ted. When | see the evidences of taste, not
merely what we are accustomed to see of ar
titicial and labored exhibition, but the fair
and graceful taste, and love of the beautiful
which always follows in the wake Of woman's
step; l am certainly very much gratifed to
have an opportunity of beingpresentand assist
ing in the Inauguration of this large and COM
modiOuS editce, which has been dedicated to
the comfort of many young people who will
resort to this place as their Alma Mater.
But friends and fellow citizens, sisters
and brothers, all these are opportunities eX-
ternal to us, providentally granted, but they
are not us-they are not IRE. What comes
from without Is only a means; what comes
from within is of ourselves, and all these
truths which God beStowS, these aids, and
tolls, and employments, and appliances, and
opportunities, only speak to us when thought
fully recognizing them, the voice of duty and
the voice of hope. And when | consider how
many there are of our fellow citizens in other
parts of our country, who lead lives of toll
some and often debasing exertion, unstimulat-
ed by example, and unassisted by the arts and
appliances of educational institutions, and
when | see how much of wrong and oppres-
sion, and poverty, and dishonesty, and woe,
and crime, are due to the enforced ignorance
of the people, | would to God that | had
voice loud as the thunder itself, that | might
speak words that might sink deep, never to be
forgotten, into the hearts of those present,
that they might bear with them from these
walls sense of duty to perform to this wide
land, of which they are the blessed citizens"
At this point his excellency uttered strong
words expressive of his joy at being where he
could speak his mind free from political criti-
ciSm, and untrammeed by the dictation of
wire pullers; and more than intimated the
ideas expressed in his noble letter in response
to the last call for troops by secretary Stan
ton. He continued: ''You are providen-
TALLY here, relieved from the temptations and
the chains of politics. Here you can be hon
est and true, here you can say what you
think, and study the will of God, and no temp
taton stands within your way, and no man
belying your course to have you bow to low,
debaSing, and dishonest policy. | bless
the Lord that there are places given to me
where | can speak out. You conquer earth
by toll, you conquer nature by the brain, you
= conquer men by the great hearts and the sound
heads; and the people of these United States
now devoted to the great duty Of opposing Il
rebelous war, are to do it, not merely by the
iron mail, and powerful hand, but by the
power Of faithful trust in immortal TRUTH re-
produced in the thought of Scheming brains,
and cultivated by the affections Of brave man
ly, and christian hearts.
Now, friends, | do not believe that the
work Of war can be righteOusly performed,
unless he who makes war means something
more than harm against the enemy; more
than triumph to his cause; more than victory
to his banner; more than success to the gov
eminent and the people No war can be just
in the eye of God, to the consciousness of
reasoning and religious men, which does not
mean more good to the enemy than hurt. |
don't know where the Almighty gave me
power rightfully to strike down my fellow
man to work my will know not whence
oil ri,rlt Il
the government may simply work its will and
it is given to us, among the sacred and dan
gerous trusts of our humanity, that we are to
WELD the scepter Of power. 1t has been given
to this great people of ours, to these United
States Of America, to WELD this tempting,
dangerous gift, the scepter of power But
neither to people more than to emperor, king,
or Caesar, has it ever been given by any reve-
lation of Almighty God, that they should eX-
ercise the power, simply that they might work
their will and have their way.
The governor then briefly spoke of the
causes Of the war, and declared that as we had
drawn the sword from its Scabbard his PRAYER
to Almighty God was that it might never
go back, though daily bathed in blood, till the
cause in which it was drawn was victorious
but yet the sword should not be drawn Sex
cepting for the purpose of doing good to our
selves, to our pOsterity, to all our people, to
all our peoples neighbors, to all these great
lands of ours, to all humanity, and for the SER
vice to be rewarded by the blessing here and
hereafter Of Almighty God. Nothing short of
that can satisfy the sense or the conscience of
the christian. War then becomes ennoblcd.
If war is a direful necessity it becomes duty,
and not the miserable game of men seeking to
have their own will, to have their ambition. 1t
is work Ia pprtprIu drpo1fll taSk of I'm