The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-12-22
NArInNAI nREATNnss

weapons OF attack and having on It's body
amor of defense; but IL enters weak, help
less babe, asking as a suppliant to be admitted
/ into the family Of nations. II the first breath
/ that strikes it be that of freedom, beneath its
/ iuyigorating influence the muscles are de-
/ yeloped, the heart expanded, the brain per-
/ icctcd; and heroes and sagos, statesmen and
warriors, stand forth to represent it in the
| congress Of genius. But If it draws q breath
| of the sirocco OF tyranny beneath its parching
/ power the lungs are contracted, the heart
| palsied, the brain weakened, and the nation
becomes a fitting prey for The British lion, or
an acceptable Offering to the shrine Of some
| French despot.
Ninety years ago thirteen weak, di,ointod
colonies broke forth from the tyranny Of Great
Britain, and launched upon the tempestlous
sea Of national existence. From thirteen help
less colonies she has grown to be one mighty
nation. A nation stretching from the pilo-
clad hills of Maine TO the grassy plains Of
TeXas-from the busy marts ofthc Atlantic TO
the golden gate Of the Pacilc--bearing the
fruits of every cline, abounding in the pro-
ducts Of every zone, this delightful home Of
man welcomes to its shores the oppressed Of
every land, and adopts as its children all the
dOWn-trOdden Ofearth. Her commerce whitens
every sea, and anchors in every port Her
sons eaping over mountains, crossing oceans,
have unsealed the closed ports Of Japan, have
passed the Antarctic, and planted the Stars
and Stripes on the glistening iceborgj of the
frozen north.
Is l,n lDr,1 wa
pampered slaves of daspotism dare to call
across the waters and tell us we are not great
Their very actions belle their words. Can we
not, by simply closing the mouths Of our grain
bags, cause the British lion, carnivorou5 beast
though he is, to open his mouth? Can we
not, by Withholding the sickle from those
fruitful crops that now wave in our fertile
fields, cause the cry Of "Bread or blood" to
rise from the oppressed working-classos of
England-a cry which will culminate in the
overthrow OF their naughty oppressors? Do
we not owe our peace with France to the in
vontiye genius Of an ERICssoN? Had we not
our monitors would we have NAPOLEON for
our friend?
But America has other claims to greatness
than her power. She has sons who, while Win
ming immortal honor for themselves, cast a
lustre on the country Of their birth. She has
warriors, statesmen, and authors of whom any
land might be proud. When some subject OF
monarchy asks for her Napoleons and. her
Cnsars, she may with pride reply that she
7 has no Casars, no Napoleons, but that she has
/ WAsHEGToN, a PUTNAM, a SCOTT, and
1 GRANT. Venice kept golden book, in which
were inscribed the names Of her greatest citi-
zens but it is in the hearts alone Of her vo-
taries that freedom records the memory of her
heroes. In the civic arena she has her cham
pions-her intellectual giants-her HAsuL-
TON, her JEFFERSON, MADISON, and MAR
SHALL, while in the forum she is ably repre-
sented by WEBSTER, with his rigid logic, by
CLAY, with his burning eloquence, by the
talented yet erratic RANDOLPH. They are
the CHATHAM and MTRABEAU Of America.
In the walks Of literature she has distin-
guished sons. Is not every American proud
of PRESCOTT, OF BANCROFT, Of HEADLEY,
their representatives in the grayer department
of letters while in the lighter cannot the origi
nality of HOLMES, the pathos of LoNGTEL-
Low, and the purity Of IRVING, be ranked as
corals in her diadem OF fame? Let Greece
have her ALEXANDER, her DEaoTHENEs,
her HOMER. Let Rome have her CESAR,
her VIRGIL, her CICERO. Let every land
have It's planets in the galaxy Of genius; but
deny not to young America some star more
permanent than a COMETS some luminary
more original than satellites, in the univer-
sal armament Of mind.
But the brightest page OF Americas history
remains yet to be written. After eighty-iye
years Of peace and plenty, years during which
her soil was but once polluted by the foot OF
an armed enemy, and then an indignant chas-
tisement rewarded the daring invader,-sfCer
so many years Of happiness, she suddenly finds
herself face TO face with a powerful internal
foe. The question Of peace and degradation
or war and honor was presented for her choice.
Without pdslsing for an instant to count the
amount Of dollars and cents involved, that
nation which, foreign writer's say, has no God
but gold, rushed at once into the conflict on
the side Of justice, Of liberty, and right.
Let us pass over the three years that sue
ceeded the attack on Sumter; let us
not record among the nations jewels the
actions Of the thousands Of brave men who
have yielded up their lives in her defense. Let
US consider as no sign of power the million
who have gone, and the millions who are
ready TO go, to protect our country's life; but
letting all these facts speak for themselves,
let us examine the position in which we stand
to-day, and see If we have lost our claims
to national greatness. The progress we have
made towards subduing this Rebellion, not
withstanding the taunts Of foreign foes and the
sneers Of internal traitors, has been great. We
need not recount to the people who follow
with trembling hearts the march of every
army and whonote with joy the Victories gained
in every State, the advantages we have ac-
quired, and the States in which the Govern
nent rules supreme. We all know Of the vic
tOrious generals we weep for the great who
have iallen, and we all turn with anxious yet
hopeful gaze to the leaders OF the great armies
Of the North.
In the centre Of Rome stood a golden mile