The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1864-08-24
sseligious.
N Att ONAL FAST.
2-l'Sgfaslrsa o's GRse Presidents
Presbyterian Church, Perrys-
burg, Ohio, AUg. 4, 1861.


The worlds history is marked by periods
TO which the genius Of each successive age
has given charity. Lights and shadows
fit alternately across its pages. Far back
i'm the dim twilight of civilization, philoso-
.phy was the first star that dawned ON the
east. The golden age of Egypt was char
octerized by the cultivation of the arts,
The genius of poetry cast the first light
on tie dark chaos Of Grecian mind.
Whether the age gives birth to events,
CT events give color to the age, there are
periods that stand out conspicuous for
their wonderful events. There are ages
of revolutions and progress, contrasting
strongly with the ages when tho worlds
mind sleeps. One of the brightest periods
that ever dawned on the world was the
birth dag of American liberty. Eighty
eightyears ago, amid political convusons
which shook despotism from its throne in
the New World, and ushered in amid the
storms of war, reign Of freedom, our ma,
ton was born. The guardian Of liberty,
| lllO blcIi VI lluulduilD ulQ lNilSIOl, tilG
patron of letters and the arts, she took
rank at once among the first nations on
the globe. For nearly four score years,
her growth and prosperity were unparal,
eled in the history Of nations
But the wise man tells us that "to every
thing under the sun there is a season and
a time" And so we fnd, that to this ma
tion there was time, not only to be born
and time to grow--a time of prosperity
and peace but also time Of trouble and o.
; war. We trust that her time to grow viii
yet be the long summer of ages, and hel
time to die will be when all nations shall
die in a day. Since time began, the ma
tions of the earth never witnessed an even
more terrible than the rebellion of sixty
one. Whether viewed in q political o
moral aspect it has no parallel in the his
tory Of crime, 1t will ever stand out ol
the worlds history, as the darkest blood
lest deed, that traitors hands ever wrough
) Mems sins and passions as l. ignited by
spark from the pit below are blazing on
k in this rebellion as through the ori6oe of
|, volcano. Humanity stands aghast at it
T own wickedness. 1t shudders at its ow
shadow. Il shrinks back with horror fror
the sight Of its own deeds, and would fai
wipe them from the memory Of the worl,
The cold blooded murders of Lawrenc
the pangled bodies Of Fort Pillow, tn
ghastly skeletons OF Belle Isle and I.ibb
Prison, carry us back into the darka
: ages Of harbalism, TO ind "a parallel in coy
ardly meanness and iiendish crime. III
is one Of the severost satires on our h
tnanity, and teuds strongly, to make
& ashamed Of tie species to which we .
long
Believing as we 90, that tb9re is iu
!, God inheayen, who is the ruler among a
q nations Of The eartlii and that an his va.
~ are right, aud all his judgments are iui
whether we look upon our present oaa
ily as inflicted or permitted ~ tho
plene RuNS Of the Universe, we must
gard il as one ottho punitive acts Of D
Is, admiustra on-a chostismcui for our sil
itwpeiu this ligAt that le esarress
!. OH natiop regarded It, And thus &
= Chief Magis'rmp regarded Itwh5n ho ma