The Placer herald., 1865-01-14
NUMBER 90.
The Dawn of Another Year.


As the curtain is drawn which separate es
us from the measure Of time known as eigh-
teen hundred and sixty four, we all turn our
eyes to the events of the future, and would
tain attempt to pierce with mental vision the
deep, dark and impenerable mazes in which
it is shrouded Thepast year has been one
fall Of great events in the history of our
country; and if the mighty energies which
thirty millions of people have put forth had
been directed in the paths of peace and de-
voted to the culture of art, of science, and
the noble purposes of civilization and hu-
manity, what tongue could tell or pen lie
scribe the advancing career of the American
people! Bat alas. these energies in the place
of creating, have been devoted to destruc-
ton; and whenever we draw aside the cur
tain. the scene is red with blood and the
lurid flames of burning cities. But if our
conntrymen had done no worse; if the mate.
rial creations of two centuries had been
swept away by the iron hand of war, and
yet the individual liberty of the citizen,
guaranteed by Magma Charta, had remained,
there would have been greater hope for the
preservation of Republican government and
a brighter prospect for the future. The
friends OF civil liberty made one great appeal
to the people to stand bv those principles
and maintain the Constitution Of our fathers:
to close this awful drama of blood, and re-
construct the Union, founding it, as of old
upon the consent of the governed; but they
failed. Eighteen hundred and sixty four not
only filled a deeper golf of human blood,
making louder the wall of the widow and
the orphan, but it sealed bv the popular
,t TON, lo oc 81,
nation, the old book dedicated to the sover,
eighty of the citizen, and opened new one
entitled "the new natiSn to come out of the
war;" dedicated, this time, to central des-
potism.
To our question, "What will eighteen
hundred and sxtytive bring forth!" there
comes back no answer. The Recording An,
gel WILL in due time, enter up the record.
and an allwse Providence will surely order
all things right. What there may be in
store for our country we know not; but. as
was' said by a great writer, "the deepest
philosophy of man is to live in hope" So
we may say of nations. There is hope for
twenty millions of people dwelling on the
garden spot Sf the earth, in whose veins runs
the blood which belongs to the highest
type of humanity master race who,
battle-axe in hand have hitherto never failed
to beat down despotism and vindicate their
title to freedom. Patiently therefore we
await events, firm in our belief that although
liberty and civilization may for time be
engulfed in the mad waters of fanaticism and
sectional hate, there is yet enough of the
spirit of our Revolutionary fathers left to
save US from utter destruction.
But let no one be deceived with the syren
voice of those who talk Of peace-a peace
out of conquest. There will be no peace
If 1864 was a year of blood, this will be
still blooaer Where as in the past, one
valley has been desoated by war, hundred
vaes will be desolated. Where one city,
has been burned, a hundred viii! disappear
in smoke and flames Everything is working
to intensity the war, break down all the
barriers that christianity and civilization had
erected against barbarisn, and make this
such war as never, in the history of man-
kind, has hitherto scourged this planet. Let
us do our duty as American citizens, unawed
by power and uninfluenced by patronage,
maintaining what we believe to be right, >,
and with the proud consciousness of having
done our duty, we can say-let the panorat
ma move on. MarysviWe Express,