Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1865-1872, 1867-07-19

tneir greatness snail De lnscIiueu uPOu
tablets more enduring than brass. While
the muses. of Homer and Virgil pour out
their sublimest notes over their mighty he
roic dead, so the hearts of succeeding gen.
erations shall ever be jubi.ant with songs
of reverence and love for those who have
fallen in our country's cause.
"How sleep the brave who sink to rest,
, BY all their country's wishes blesu
BY unseen hands their knell is rung,
BY unseen forms their drge is sung,
And honor comes, a prilgrim gay,
To bless the turf that wraps their clsy;
Aud Freedom shall a while repair.
To dweel a weeping hermit there"
The deaths of these brave men shall
conduce to the well-being of mankind and
the freedom of the nations. Through
their yalor and their blood, our nation has
been emancipated they have nobly main
tanned the great faith Of our fathers, and
sustained the supremacy of the best gov
ernment on the earth.
You may trace back the pages Of history
until the mind is lost in the dim twilight
of antiquity-you may linger among the
glories of Egypt, Greece, and Rome tarry
awhile among the colossal pyramids of the
Nile-the gorgeous temples of Athens
and the marble columns Of Augustus, and
you cannot find nation worthy of being
compared with our own.
Go hold communion with the mighty
dead-with the eloquent Demosthenes-
the mighty Cicero-talk with Lycurgus.
Solon, Themistocles, Leonidas, Brutus
and Scipio;-gatber all you can in regard
to the mighty past from the muses. of
Homer aud Virgil, and then tell me, was
there ever as free, as great a nation as
ours? Survey the nations. the Kingdoms
and empires of the present go to England,
the most enlightened, the most religious,
the greatest of them all; examine her aris-
tocracy in community, her monarchy in
state, her hereditary rank and artificial dis
tinctions, her learning for the distinguish
ed few, her mental illumination for the
nights of society, but not for its lowl
vales- see how man there has no right to
Transcend the accidents of birth, examine
her laws. Contrast all this with our De-
mocracy in Society and in State; with the
opportunity every man has here in being
the architect of his own fortune and posi-.
ton. with our free schools for the
masses. aud our just and humane laws
aud tell nc, where is there as great aud
good government as our own2
Then in view OF this unparalleled and
priceless value Of our government, COM
pute if you can our Indebtedness to the
men who saved il from the destructive
hand of the rebellion. Through them we
are enabled to sing in truth tho anthem
song-the jubilent song of the nations
freedom. Theirs was n struggle for peace
permanent peace. Their great work
under God was TO remove the cause Of war
aud commotion. The retina of the ma
tional eye, aud that Of the most clear yis-
ioned individual, was too limited to re-.
ceive upon it the grand results and glories
Of the struggle. II was not marvellous that
our national vision was darkened. Great
mountains cast shadows of leneht and
darkness in proportion to their greatness.
SO the mountain sin Of slavery cast its
long dark shadow over our country and
obscured our vision. But now it has dis.
appeared. and the nation sees with clearer
vision. The cloud-fall which hung over
US for five long years has passed away,
aud the Republic rejoices in her serenity
as nature smiles after the rocking tempest.
Our fathers left US a rich inheritence,
consisting not only Of an arena rich in The
gifts Of nature, but of civil aud religious
freedom. This Inheritance was transmitted
to US through bravery and blood. We are
its present defenders; and it desolves upon
US also to transmit to future ages.
Nay more-it is our duty to hand this
legacy to posterity greatly augmented. We
should not be satisfied with simply being
free ourselves, but should make our free.
dom means of securing Crater freedom
aud happiness to succeeding general ions.
The true greatness of nation does not
consist in its material wealth, the vast
ness of its population; the extent Of its
territories, nor in its agricultural and in
ternal improvements, but in its mental
culture, and moral elevation--in the de
velopmept of its affections, reason, con-
science justice, and love in its triumphs
of benevoence aud truth-the succession
Of noble deeds. AS a nation we have
made but our incipient achievements our
grander triumph are reserved for the
future. There is manifest tendency in
the enlightened public mind to ascend ia
first principles as enuneiated by the foun-
ders of the Republic. The national mind
being emancpated, is advancing to 0
! higher level is sweeping a broader horizon
The eternal principles of universal justice
and freedom are stirring the masses. The
reign of freedom has come. AS nation
we have paid tribute at the shrine oi
Slavery for the last time. and for the las
0 time, the foul systom has been con.
secrated at the altars of our religion.
: The present is an eveutful period il
$ the history of our nation it is luminou.
] page and discloses to distant nations tn,
! secret store house Of our power as fire,
c people-our boundless power of self-gov
n ernment and self preservation. Freedom
! reigus to day as queen in her majesty.
il The brazen front of Rebellion all brist
Q ling with murderous bayoneis aud fortified
e with terrible batteries may be arranged
d against it, the red sea may be spread be
o fore it: it may be surrounded by higl
o mountain ranges, and heartless traitors il
9 the rear may plot its overthrow, but i
IS leads its exultant hosts to victory Let il
IS honor be involved, or its life assailed thei
i the sun must stand still over the nights o
IT Gideon, and the moon over the Valley o
= Ajalon until the enemies are swept away
6 and It's reign sublimely yindicated. Th
wild hurricane Of rebellion and treason ma,
IS sweep over our land upon their mission
" OF wrath the covert intrigues Of corrup
II human policy may be employed, but still