The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1863-12-12

I -
Aud when we leave the homes we love-
Removed by tate's decree,
Nav our more favor'd children prove
better race than we.
Worthwhile, 1863.
HON DANIEL :. DICkINsON, HIS
LECTURE, ANDTHE PEOPLE ~ II(
HEARD 1T.
Rightly considered, and closely observed
no drama ever acted on the boards could
excite more profound reflection, than this
real drama enacted by Mr.. Dickinson, and
listened to by very large, a very appre-
ciative, and as the world goes, very IL
telligent audience. To reach such Ieilec.
tons you are to consider who Mr.. Dickin-
inson is, what he said, and what sort OF
people they were who listened to him last
Monday night
Daniel S. Dickinson is an old Senator of
the United States sent by the State Of
New York to represent its dignity and
interest in the most august branch of the
| government, at a time when other States
could send to the Senate, a Webster, n
| Clay, a Benton, Calhoun, and lastly, when
| the State of New York herself could match
them all in dignity and honor with the
name Of Silas Wright, disciple Of Jack
sou, an associate Of Van Buren,. What a
college of craftsmanship, what a school Of
politics, this man has passed through -
His natural faculties are bright, and though
he Is an old man they are evidently unim-
paired. What he don't know now, it is
quite evident he never knew. At once ven
erable and intelligent in his aspect, grace
full in his manners, holding at the present
moment high office, the duties of which
are of a most laborious character, what
may you not except to hear! Well, y.u
shall hear, and truly, you shall hear that
which you did not expect.
But the Pc pc w!.o heard Mr. D:ek;n-
son. 80 justice can be done to the sub
ject withou; considering who they were
In Ottawa or out Of it, you shall rarely
see Il better looking crowd. Well dressed,
extremely well hammered, they were sure
lv people who had heard lectures before,
had seen great men before, had been TO
the theatre, had studied the poets, and
attended church regularly They were
nearly al hopefully pious. They were
conscious that they possessed grea; advan-
. tages over the rest of mankind, and wha;
they did not know, cannot be worthy of
much account.
The men were brought by their wives,
their daughters, their sisters, and their
sweetheart for over the whole, the dyin-
ity Of woman presided. Aud surely, it
was the nob!est paIt Of woInars divinity
tina. presided there; it was an apothosis
to the dIviuest affections of mans or wo-
mans heart, struck down by the bloody
sword Of war tender ministration to
the SICK, the wounded, the dying. gasping
out their breath in defense OF their coun-
try's honor. Much right had these noble
danes, and their devoted daughters 10
feel that they had claim to the blessings
OF heaven, and the respect o: men
The aspect aud manners of the dis
tinguished lecturer, as We have seen, were
in harmony with the occasion, and seemed,
before he spoke, to Re an emit odied ex-
preston of the sentiments of those before
| whom he al peared.
| Well, he proceeded to speak, and tneu
was the spell dissolved, and was the reality
| of different type? That is as you think
! dice, are not amensble to reason, and as
most opinions have their origin in that
! source, it is as well to take them as they
| are, without seeking to modify them
The subject of the distinguished lecturer
was; The rights ard duties Of citizens
| towards their country and their governs
| ment, and the rights and duties of gov>
ernment over and towards citizens The
cause of the rebellion, the course of the
| rebellion, the consequences of it, and the
! future of the nation after the rebellion Is
terminated. Here is vast subject in
volving interests the greatest ana most
prefouad of any in the world, and upon
which the anxious regards Of the whole
world are now attentivelv fixed.
Craftsmanship the most comprehensive,
reason the most profound, wisdom the
most enlightened, subduing passion, and
| illuminating truth, were the utteranct s
that might seem to be expected from tt e
lips of this Supposed to be) great scholar
in, perhaps apostle of craftsmanship, and
this is the way in which he acquitted b i'm
self of that expectation:
The lecture was read apparently from
printed pages. 1t occupied about two
hours in being read
About one third of the production was
just that sort of composition which
young gentlemen read on exhibition days
at the academies and the colleges 1t
consisted III that train Of ideas which first
| suggest themselves to young gentlemen of
genius at twenty years old. Man is chies>
est among animals he is n mysterious
being; there is something inscrutab,e in
both his mission and his destiny, tn g mis-
sion is greater than he has yet fulfilled,
and his chief duty is to try and fulfill it
better. HIS destiny ah Ee Will know
better what that is, perhaps, when he has
elevated himself to a complete fpltilln1ent
of his mission.
| The subject was treated with elegance
and taste. The amplifcations were well
sustained, in short, it was just such pro-
duc:ion as with just parental pride you
would praise your son for, as he read 1t to
ysu of a long winter evening, the first on
which you could make yourself at leisure
after his return from college
| The political part of the discourse, all
its maxims and principals OF statesman
ship, with their illustrations, may be ems
braced perhaps, In less than half dozen
| short sentences.
The government, and the administration
of the government are two different enti-
ties; nevertheless in war, the power of
him who is at the head of the gover- ment
has no boundary except his own will and
discretion, honestly exercised, and his il,
lnstratinn was, land in all respects it
was witty and excellent one) stage
coach running away down hill, the passen
gers in fear of their lives, the driver