, 1863-07-04
TIE DAF WE CELEBRATE,

communities who. saw the light Of that first
day. God grant that none Of us may live
to see, and to say, that "tllis is the last"
TIE present is full Of grave and solemn
portcnds. Thefuturc looks dark, and men
gaze wisttully back to the sunny past Of
our national existence as the traveller snow
bound in winter, calls up visions Of the
green fields and mild Mrs Of midsummer.
We arc in the midst Of the stern-work Of
war, war tor our national existence,
Those Independence days Of old, with their
citizen-milita1y pomp and parade, the
burning Of peaceful powder, the boom Of
noisy but 1nnocuous cannon, the process
Eions, the feastings, the soaring in
rocations to the American Eagle, the
lofty apostrophes to the flag, the
reading Of the Declaration, the mag
nifcent mout1aings Of the orators Of
1hc day, the joy OF the little folks, the re-
pressed hilariousness Of the elders, are gone
forever. We have entered upon a new
age, and opened a new page in our na-
tioual history.
In This third year Of the war, We wait
To-day TO hear from our armies. Thou
sands among US sit with grave anxiety md
drcad, eager to learn Of some glorious feat
pt arms which shall aid our holy cause,
and yet counting the cost that is to be as
sessed upon so many homes and hearts.
The nation will rejoice at victory gained,
Tor our civilization, our institutions, our
national existence are staked on the stern
wager Of battle.
Thus we celebrate to-day, a nation en-
gagged in the mightiest of wars, a people
embarked in a struggle which will live in
all time, as the greatest Of human contests,
anu which is to develop those who will
Ehlne imperishably among earth's great
captains. We look back longingly upon
the peaceful rast, whose pleasant fields
Rhine green and fair beyond, and remote
hom the smoke Of battle. Our path lies
onward to new peace, the price Of which is
now set before us. And yet this is not tue
occasion tor regret, the hour is one that
1orbids repining, the duty that is laid upon
lis is one the performance Of which is only
consistent with manly courage, and stout
heart.
The old style orator On the Fourth Of
July gave only gl1ttering gene1aliies of
patriot privilege and duty. In their ora
hcns the sacrifices for the country were
all with the men Of '76, and tor Us only
the full fruitagc Of their 1abors. We be-
Game spendthritts Of our patrimony, we
deemed our heritage securely entailea to
rs, cnd all generations to come after Us,
and bcthought ourselves how we might
best use our own share. We grew
1rodigal and careless. A new age has
opened upon us. To Us it is given to try
titles for the possession of all we hold
dear. Hthe hour is full Of shadows it has
It's light also. The pure and unselfsh
patriotism already brought out in our. .peo-
pie il is worth while to have lived to see
We have seen our sons and neighbors step
boldly forth to die in behalf of their coun-
try, end patriotism in the light Of our bat
ties shines hallowed and sacred thing.
five are oppressed to-day with sadness
and anxiety, for individual and national
sorrows, it will nevertheless be impossible
for the truly patriot heart not to borrow
nobler and purer glow from the fire that is
purifying us rs nation. The processes
now going On will not leave us as We were.
To 60 back is impossible. To pause is not