The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1866-04-14

! Methodist Centenary Meeting.
Speech by Chief Justice Chase.
He Demands Suffrage for the Freed
men.
At meeting Of the Ladies Central Cen
tenary Association, held in st. Paals N. E
Church, New York, on Monday night, Z,
celebrate the Centenary Of American Meth
odisne, and help the raising Of a fund I,
build a mission house in New York City
Chief Justice Chase presided, and made thC
opening speech, a. follows;
am told that on taking the chair ough
to address a few words TO the people here
assent led. My engagements have been
such, and so arduous, that 1t has been i'm
possible for me to prepare anything like a
a regular address and you will not expect
that. l shall accomplish all that is neces-
sary, hope, if express the earnest SYM
patny | feel in the work that hes called you
together tonight. Ii leads US to look back,
and it bids us to look forward hundred
years ago, and hundred years hence. The
speaker proceeded to dwell briefly upon the
work Of the church during the last hundred
years in the various departments Of human
improvement, drawing the contrast between
| its position at that time, and its present p0-
sitiOn, and noting its amszing progress in
/ numbers, wealth and influence during that
time. He spoke of the church as synony-
NOUS with liberty and the regeneration of
man; as having been coeyal with the estsb-
lishment of our Government, and rs stand
| ing in the vanguard Of all great movements
of reform, and the loyal church as aiding
| greatly in bringing our late conflict to n
| successful end. He proceeded to speak Of
| the reforms wrought by the war. He con-
| tinued: a slave is represented upon the
Roman stage in a play written by Roman,
who was himself a slave, uttering eighteen
hundred years ago these woros, stand
/ ing in front Of r man audience: 81 reckon
/ nothing that is human as alien 10 me-"
| Think of the force Of those words in
| that day Roman citizenship EN-
| braced all there was that was considered val
liable in the world; and here was man out
side the pale Of Roman citizenship standing
up 10 say, 81 reckon nothing human alien
70 me-" And thunders of applause greeted
/ that sentiment from Roman lips. APP
plause.l Then it was nothing in which
men thoroughly believed; nothing for which
any man was willing 10 die. But now thai
principle comes down from Heaven; comes
down from Him who shed his precious blood
| for all men, now has breathed upon the
heart Of this great nation, so that it has
come to acknowledge nothing human alien
to it, and that il is willing and ready to do
all its duty TO the humblest Of mankind. ]
shall never forget with what sentiments !
learned that one great act Of justice was put
forth, by the American people, in the name
OF him who, through an assassln's hand,
has been sent TO his home, we trust in
Heaven, and to be perpetually rendered
among men for his kindness of heart, his
eonscieutiousness and his goodness. He re-
solved, as he told me himself, one night
lying in his bed meditating upon the state
Of the country, that if it should please God
to drive the army Of Lee from Pennsylva-
MIA, that he would proclaim freedom TO the
slave. [APplause.l Lee was driven from
Pennsylvania. Mr.. Lincoln said to me
81 wish he had been driven further, but
have got TO do it, and | will issue the pro-
clamatiOn." Applause. And the pro-
clamation was issued, how cautiously guard
ed, you know, at first; but the ninety or
hundred days rolled on, and the LIST Of Jan
uary came, and the proclamation made q
great fact in American history. Every hu-
man being throughout the length and
breadth OF this land received from the Amer
lean nation, through its bonored head, a
their freedom. And now this proclamation
has been contaminated as part Of the Ameri-
can Constitution, as part Of the American
system. But there is more work 10 be done.
Slaves to be emancipated are but half men,
They must be educated. They must have
the Gospel preached TO them, aud we have
missionaries going abroad through the
length and breadth of the land, preaching
TO them and everywhere noble women and
/ noble men are concentrating their energies
! to work to their interests. But this is not
all that is necessary. The faith that has
been pledged TO them by the nation, that
they shall be maintained in freedom, must
be redeemed; and to-day we have the INTEL
ligence that the Congress Of the United
States, representing the hesrtfeltsentimenls
/ and the fixed resolves Of the whole Ameri-
can loyal people, have declared that these
emanicipated slaves shall be equal in civil
rights with all other men. Applause.
a step further, and many steps further are
necessary, for it is long work, which is to
raise whole people; and one Of these steps
is, that they to whom you have given free
| dom must be permitted to defend it BY the
ballot. Feeble applause. Aud speaking
| here, between the Two centuries, l should
be pnialIhiul to my own convictions if re-
| Trained from uttering that word before you.
Then let us look forward This work is all
to be done. Civil rights are to be secured;
| fraternity is to be establishes, we are 10
| feel that every man that wears the image Of
God is entitled to all the rights which God
has given his people. Everything is to be
left there for the operation OF those natural
| laws by which men raise themselves in So
ciety, each selecting those whom he prefers
for his associates, and no man dreaming that
any other man has less right TO life, liberty,
and the pursuit. Of happiness, and the means
by which lite, liberty and the pursuit of
! happiness are guaranteed and defended
I than he has himself. And now, my friends,
50 much for what the influences Of the
| church have done thus fer. A hundred
| years to come-when we look back and
see what God hath wrought, when we look
/ back and see what be has accomplished
| through all these latter days, through all
| this work and Observation-Disclosures can
/ we think of the hundred yearR 10 come
| Who can tell what this nation is to become,
/ If il is only faithful to itself2 Who can
measure the work this church has put forth
| in making this nation true to itself aud true
10 its Cody l verify believe that, but for
| this church, nothing Of that which We have
thus far realized could have been accom-
| plished. verify believe that God, in his
| providence, raised up this church. | do
not say be did not give appropriate action
| 10 other churches, but do verify believe
that God raised up this church for the pur-
pose Of leading this nation TO these grand
| results. And nov this church is celebra-
| ting her centenary. She IL calling upoa
members Of other denominations, and am
| glad that others and their households are
| ready to come forwsrd, recognising what
she has done, sympathiaing with her, and
| ready TO aid her in still greater measures of
usefulness. This church IS preparing, thus
aided, 20 take her place-Dot 10 take her
| place as she has taken it, but 70 keep her
1 place, and 70 move forward Ia the van of
| Christianity and mo-sl regeneration. And
/ then shall net undertake 70 portray the
/ future as It rises dlmly before me, and / see
/ the great multtudes now filling the land
| becoming doubled and Quadrupled, and /
| see such churches az these rising eli over.
| and vessels propelled by steam, bearing the
/ messengers Of salvation 70 earth's remotest
| corners, and te egraph wires girding the
/ earth IN every direction, and more hume
rous round the world than they are to-day
/ through New York, Sc that every pulsation
| Of every heart IS respo aided 10 throughnut
| the world, and the church multiplied In her
| nun bers, purified in her faith, standing be-
| tween the world aud God, bearing aIoff The
| standard Of regeneration and salvation.
| The powers Of language fsil, the paWeFs Of
/ conception fail ne map Knows what the
century shall bring forth. Il j. ia the
| hands Of God. He who hiss wrought thus
/ Far will work still. Only be it our psrt,
/ however humble, to % something while we
ret live that these glorious hopes may be
! realized Tor thole VINO are TO come slier us.
/
CuSaREss ANp she NEro- The Senate
of the United States consists properly
of seventy-two members The House
of Representatives Of two hundred and
thirty when every State IL repre-
l Ar.l-. a gak-ae opo hr.-l -