New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1863-05-01
tArus. upon him in the shape Of brutal bloody and


thrust upon him In the shape Of brutal bloody an
blind Rebellion. El I
Bowing under burden. which human strength III
aided by Heaven il insufficient to carry, the Pres
dent bss all along in secret daily prayer sought th
help Of the Divine Spirit. Aud he has now, by b
proclamation, asked the people to humble tpemseiyt
in the sigbt Of the Lord, tha, peradventure be ma
lift item up, and grant them speedy end large az
lIversnce from the Affections Of their present state
The Proclamation itself was conceived In the pes
spirit, and is expressed in terms most becoming !
bears internal evidence OF sincerity IN It's author
For the President evidently felt that the nsllo
ought to do precisely what be recommended 70
The public Christian mind Is in happy, spop'anoyu'
accord. We feel, and all who reverence ano ioa
the Great Ruler Of Nations feel, that we ought Z
humble ourselves in the sight Of the Lord no. y, ~
ostentatious exhibition OF mock bumih'y, wnic,
may compliment form by committing crime, ~
with q real sorrow Of so1l and profound Pen;'es
grief, as before the Ssarcher OF Hearts, in'sn'
| in this discourse,
F,y,t. To speak Of the way in which our national
sins have humbled In own eyes and before INC
Second, OF how we ought to humble ourselves In
the sight of Co.. If wish to be lifted up ana pre-
served from destruction. What nato'.ai siu
nstion i, itself an organic unity. As suoh IL nas
life and character Its.e bege.s its institutions,
and laws and cuetoms These react upon the people,
and the people in using abusing their institutions
laws, and Customs aggregate national character
There are indeed artera transmissions OF character
which distinguish races from one another. But H.
sti.utions are more potential than blood II they be
good, and the people be loyal and faithful to them,
then the national life II wholesome. IL the people
are unfathfu to them, then they ain against them
selves and nfict dreful injury, which spreads with
dreadful energy through the entire wealth Of
the world.
Now, history attests that It has ever been exceed
iugly difficult TO Keep nation having good institu.
tions faithful to them. The jews received repub.
lcsn form OF Government by divine revelation and
legislation. They wesried Of it, asked king, got
him, aud entered upon career Of royal glory and
q graveyard Of free institutions buried BY genera
tions Of patricides; Rome mausoleum, under which
lie ashes whose epitaph was once title OF gran
deur Senatps Populasque Romonoram. The
priestly pedder Of euperetitous trinkets, aud INT
cowled parrot who mumbes masses for purgatorai Ell
sad moral-,ha. grand old Roman epic, dying out II
the nournful eeg1es now chsnted beside the Capito
line Hill lis moral enforced BY the national tatu
ty of other peoplss Holland conquered the sea for
country and by deeds OF unmatched heroem wreslet
q free government for her itself from tue oioodI
hands OF Philip, and then deliberately committed po
ltcA suicide by destroying the republic it had reared
The American people, too, have aposiatized II on
the faith spirit and purposes OF the founders OF GU
Government. Long years ago they began TO for
swear the principles Vi Warrington, Hamilton
: Marshall, and others. They ren9unced she path
y age, and chose instead ways which have LED y
shame, Materiasm .coffed ct morality; gain de
rided codhness; success usurped the place OF night
the END allowed no scrutiny into means; and % w
grew RICH and proud aud boastful, and forgot God
But there is terrible thing In tas oig ohiVe1s'
I which is everywhere and always present. W.
mans it la,o but 1t Is In fact the onnipresent jus
tioe of an Omnpotent Sovereign, who has ordained
: thst the nation which will not serve him-tbat 49,
acknowledge and obey the laws Of justice and ner'
cy-sball perish. History permits no doubt OF tnA..
The dreadful civil war which desoases oar county
il The legal resul, Of our national spostasy. We ore
returning, indeed, through the valley Of humiliatioo
in tears and the world mocking Us with cruel jes'i
snd malignant rHilery.
Yes, we builded cities and founded States and
can't oct our arRosies to every ocean vainy dream
Ing that God had forgotten TO be just: little sort
may infame and poison slt She blood In human
: body. How much more, then. may great wroni
u corrupt whole nation Our National sin wa
this-thst the people came 10 believe and acted upo
the belief that eoeryt'ng must BE- risAt, and o~sh
= % be right, 1h,ck Worid pay in material gais
- This once accepted broadly, as it was, and then fo
!, lowed swift corruption OF morals, politics, an
;, religion. We had thus sunk to about the last an
!. lowest stages of national degeheracy snd decay
broke that accursed spell which had long been upol
u.s. which no Balssm, nor any other son Of Bosor
: will ever again be able 70 reuors.
have repeatedly said 10 substance, here and else
where, since the day that Rebellion broke upon the
land, that the war which is upon is hot sectional
nor geographical. nor political In any party ssDse
but II IL IN reality war Of inciples irreconcilabs
Of ideas spternslly antsgonistic; Of civilization
diverte which can never DO hsrmolized, Of pur
poses which will not parley, nor eompromiss with
each other and 70 still believe, with al increasing
conviction, that the Lord does not intend that WI
shall have peace until it sbsll come by righteous
pess, and the people have learned that King Cotton
King Iron, aud king Mammon cannot deliver then
from their present troubles, nor preserve them il
the futare. We must retreat from our apostasy, ADJ
retprp 10 the old paths the old opinions aud the Oh
principles Of our Fathers. ...,.szg,is,- 8, -