Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-06-04
3..5iCoLUMBUs.So. TUESDAY MORNING,


We cannot giveup yourselves every moment
to the recollection of particular things.
This makes 1t proper and expedient to set
apart certain days, in which we may live
exclusively in the contemplation. of the
thing thus designated; and on such 1occa-
sions, the object which we commemorate
acquires an additional degree of Interest
from our witnessing. and sympathizing
with, large multitudes of our neighbors
and fellow citizens participating in the fes-
tival.o t.ls -. - al
Nothing connected with the early settle
ment. of our country, or with its subse-
quent history, is subject-matter of deeper
regret than the fact that up to this time, no
thorough, didactic, and well-written' his
tory of Ohio has been accomplished. / do.
not make this remark as reproach to the
praise worthy efforts of DR.. Hildreth,
Judge Burnett and others. Their several
works are well enough in their way; but
they have only been cleaners. 1t vet re-
mains to some modern Polybius or Herod-
titus to garner the full harvest Of material,
and produce such book as will be worthy
of the subject. Our history, as nation,
has been better supplied by Bancroft and
others Though even as to. that, it is a
rather singular fact that the most accurate
and best considered history of our Revolu-
tieR was produced by an italian. 1t has
been observed as another striking pecu-
| in relation to the elements of history, that
their origin, as Colonies or as States, as
well as the origin of their institutions, local
| or general, are matters of positive record.
In this they present a. striking contrast to
the ancient dynasties of the old world
Nothing of consequence in our history, as
a confederation, has been forgotten or
nigted in our public archives; and
nothing in our history, colonial or inde-
pendent, is sufficiently remote to have felt
the effect of. distance in time, which gives
room for, the invention of tales and fables,
and renders the early history of almost all
| other nations mere tradltionary romance.
The founders of our Government were
neither giants or demigods. Among the
| lclear-minded, earnest and matter-Of-faet
men who landed at Plymouth and James
| town, there was not one who was either
begotten by river-gOd, or suckled by a
wolf, as, is tabled OF the founders of two
great ancient powers. Neither distance of
time, any more than distance OF space, is
altogether favorable to the contemplation of
an object the size, the color, and the form we
| wish to ascertain; and the historian who
waits until the shadows of time have settled
on the events he is about to record, in or
| der that he may come nearer the truth, will
be very apt to fare like him who expects to
find in the dimness of twilight an object
which eluded his search in the broad light
of day. Nothing is more clear than that
much which makes all history more or less
lapocryphal and contradictory, arises from
the delay occurring in the col ection of its
materials. A few years are sufficient to OBJ
| literate or destroy what the labor of a whole
i life would be unable to collect or recover,
and to extinguish those lights which so
materially assist in the search and elucida-
ltion of truth. Daily experience demon
Istrates the obstacles which time throws in
the way OF discovery of some fact which
once every body knew; and how much cas-
ier it is to preserve the memory of events
THAN to recooer it when once it is lost. As
i sociations, therefore, like yours, may do
lmuch to relieve this difficulty, if their aim
shall be to collect and preserve the materials
(which belong to a history of their respect
live counties. A system has long since been
adopted in England which might be imi-
tateda by us with advantage. There is
scarcely shire in that kingdom but what
has had its local historian !; thus wrestling
from the greedy jaws of time the events
which constitute It's history. But we should
never forget that the true use of history ''is
philosophy teaching by example" We
Jshonld so endeavor to mould the future as tC
prove that we have avaiied ourselves of aful
experience of the past. The fate of Ameri-
can institutions, it not the destiny of con.
lEstitutional liberty TOR long time to come
Twill depend upon the use history shall bE
called upon to make of the next few years
In faithful delineation of what Deity shall
permit to occur on this continent within
chat brief period. One of the profoundes
thinkers among the English. statesmen 20
the last century has said: "Weodo not draw
the moral lessons we might from history
On the contrary without care ita may b.
used to vitiate our minds and to destro,
our happiness. In history great yolum
is unrolled for our instruction, drawing tn
materials. of future wisdom from the pas
errors and infrmities of mankind Itmay
| in the perversiOn, serve for magazine
furnishing offensive and defensive weapon
for parties in church and state, and supply
ing the means of keeping alive, or reviv
ing discussions and animositiess and add
ing fuel to civil fury. History consists, fo
the greater part, of the miseries broagh
upon the world by pride, ambition, avariet
erned zeal, and all the train of disorderl
appetites, which shake the public with th
same .9rsa SD Eia sa- la a1tiyo p .I..-l sr'
60 troublous storms that toss
IN The private state, and render life unsweet-"
These vices are the causes of those storm
Religion, morals, laws, prerogatives, priv
1ileges, liberties, rights of men, are the PR
terts. The pretexts are always found in som
lspecious appearance OF a real good. Yo
would not secure men from tyranny an
sedition, by roofing out OF the mind th
principles to which these fraudulenteprt
texts apply If you did, you would roc
out every thing that is valuable in tt
human breast" In the present critical an
profoundly dangerous condition of OF
country, which. all acknowledge, howevt
much they may differ as to the cause or I'll
; remedy, let US hope that American state
man will not have read kindred history
vain-that the great rights, as well as I'll
great interests Of the country, will be pl
upon that broad, and catholic, and Chri
tfan basis, contemplated by our fathers, al
that the country will itself once again
''High Ger the world exalt its brows sublime,
And lift its pillars through the storms of Time ]!
Immortal be the memory of that state
man, or number of statesmen, who shs
OF the hour, with the single and undi
turbed instinct of an unseltish patriotism
and who shall, in the midst of the cart
quake of passion, of hatred, and of prejl
dice, which is heaving the ocean of po
ular feeling, be able to devote hinge
perpetuation of the Union of Stat
built up and transmitted to us by o.
Pioneer Fathers To hope for this, and
3 work for the common good of all in spil
of Christian brotherhood, and in a cri;
when all must be saved or all is lost, w
: be the fittest return we can make for &
) heroic sufferings, the sublime self-deni
: and the herculeau labors of our great a
t cestors, in sub1uing the bowling wilde
4 ness from the savage state of nature. al
handing down to us and to our childr
e quiet homes and all the comforts and lu
t ilries of civilized life. They not on
Y handed over to US ready made to our hanC
: these choice and inestimable social blessiT
: but they done more; they gave US civil al
n religious liberty, and a written Constit
f tion able to secure both they gave us
f Union of all the States, and all the par
d phernalia of cheap, well-defined and b
nornt mn Ia