Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1865-04-14
THE NEW EPOCH-THE ADVENT
OF PEACE.

THE NEW EPOCH-THE ADVENT
OF PEACE.
Now il the winter Of our discomfort
Made glorious summer by this sun of York;
And ali the clouds which on our country lowered,
In the deep bosom of the ocean buried.
Now are our brows bound into victorious wreaths,
Our bruised arms hung up for monuments,
Our stern alarms, exchanged for merry meetings,
Our dreadful marches to delightful measures
Grin- -visagedwar has smoothed his wrinkled front.
This continent quivered on Monday last,
as never since its npheaval from chaos. The
lightning flashed peace, and from ocean to
ocean, all minds thrilled with the sense of a
new order of things. No more deluge of
blood. No more whirls of ruin. No more
brooding darkness. The republic rested
again, and upon foundations as eternal as
the hills. The whole heavens were spanned
with the rainbow of promise, and every eye
saw it.
This tremendous transition has been beto-
kened latterly by many signs, yet its coming
was sudden. The terrible trials of the war
have weighed so heavily upon the land, and
the people have peen SO often deceived by
false appearance, that a confirmed impress
sion existed that the deliverance, if it ever
came, would come only with protracted trib-
ulation Even now, in spite of all we see
it is hard to realize that the rebellion has
vanished But just now it threatened to
engulf the nation.
"Glory to the Lord of Hosts, from whom
all blessings are IF ever people under
heaven was bound to PROSTATE itselfin graft
tude, it is the loyal people of this land
Had it been foretold to them four years ago
what trials awaited them, there would have
been a universal cry of despairing agony
Human history affords no instance of such a
national ordeal. Never could we have en-
dured it but for the strength given from on
high, as we had need. The most capacious
minds of Europe, schooled TO the uttermost
limit in all the wisdom of th8 past, called this
war madness 1t was madness, if esti-
mated by any material standard. Eight mil
lions of Anglo-Saxou rebels compacted as
one man, brave to the last pitch, inhabiting
a country peculiarly defensible, having the
encouragement of untiring faction beyond
their bounds, and moral alliance with near
ly every Power in the Old World, according
to all the ordinary rules of Judging, would
surely prevail. But we hada hidden strength
which the world did not understand 1t was
Faith-a faith that first broke upon us with
the first fash of Sumter's guns and that
ever afterward went on widening and deep
ening The people came to feel as by an in
spiration from heaven, that the moral ele-
ments of the national cause made it irresisti-
bic. They were penetrated with the feeling,
that as sure as there was an Almighty Fa-
ther, He could not permit the success of a
rebellion that was made only for the benefit
of human slavery. 1t was this which car
ried them through the struggles Ten times
their physical strength would not have kept
them up, in the absence of this sovereign
faith. The race of Titans could not have
maintained this war, if too, they had been a
race of atheists.
That religious faith is itly followed now by
religious gratitude. 1t is wonderful to
mark the solemn character of the joy that
now spreads the land There are waving
flags, ringing bells, booming cannon, and
other national tokens of public gladness.
But yet it is plain to see that the dominant
feeling of the people is no ebullient exhili-
ration over human achievement, but pro
found sense of Divine blessing. The pop
ular heart relieves itself, not 50 much in
cheers and hurrahs as In doxologies.
The enemies of this Republic may talk as
they please Of its materializing tendencies,
may to their hearts content stigmatize our
people as worshippers of the almighty dol
lar, they but waste their breath Business
activities, strenuous as they are, have not
stihed the religious sentiment of the Ameri-
can heart. This has been demonstrated in
ways without number, but never so grandly
as now
With this gratitude for deliverance is min
gled fresh assurance that Heaven has re-
served our republic for destiny more glo-
rious than can yet be conceived. Ameri-
cans now feel that it is less than ever pre-
sumption in them to believe themselves a
chosen people, appointed to school theworld
to new ideas of mancapacities and human
rights. The monarchs of the Old World
are trembling with apprehensions lest we
shall be moved torepay our injuries by turn
ing against them our arms. They have a
thousand times greater reason to fear the
moral foreeof our new position. We stand
living proof of the matchless potency of
popular rself-government 1t rivets the at
tention of the whole civilized world. 1t will
start new thoughts, will generate new pur-
poses, viii nerve to new acts. This is as
sure as that the human reason shall contin-
ue to exist. 1t is this that the dynasties
have need to fear; il is here that we expect
our sweetest revenge
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RIsEs-The hopes of the Democracy
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