Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1865-1872, 1867-07-26
VOL. 6. NO. 81


pleasure Of some men TO donounce the
Minister Of God, who dared to preach the
unaduterated gospel truth, fearing neith-
CIR man nor devil. To such | commend
the example OF the Rev. Peter Mullen
berg, rector Of Protestant Episcopal
Church in Dunmore County, Virginia.
When the war broke out, he was on Sun
day morning administering the commun-
ion of the Lords Supper to his charge,
stating that on the forenoon Of that day
he would preach sermon on "tho duties
men owe to their country" At the ap-
pointed time the building was crowded
with anxious listeners. The discourse
was founded upon the text from Solomon,
There is time for every purpose aud
7 for every Work. The sermon burned
with patriotic fre;~every sentence ssd n-
tonation told the speakers deep earnest.
ness in what he was saying. Pausing a
moment at the close Of his discourse, he
repeated the words of his text, and then
in tones Of thunder, exclaimed: "Ihe
time to preach has passed. The time 10 fight
has come" and suiting the action to the
word, he threw from his shoulders his
episcopal robes, and stood before them ar
raycd in full military uniform. You may
we'll imagine the thrilling effect on the
congregation; the result was that almost
every male of suitable age present, enlist
ed forthwith, and the pious man of God
soon rose to the rank of General in the
army. We owe much, very much, to the
Christian ministry for the establishment
of free institutions oy our fathers, and
moro, immeasurably more, for their main
tenance and perpetuation in the recent
great struggle to coeree traitors and snp-
press their rebellion.
From thirteen States, we have grown to
be a giant Republic, SO boundlass in ex.
tent aud fertility as to bewilder the i'm
agination OF the most speculative. We
then boasted 100000 Inhabitants, and
now venture the estimate CT 80 900, 900,
scattered from the Lake OF the Woods TO
the Rio Grandc, on the South, and from
the Eastern Atlantic to the distant Pa.
eiic of the West. Cities, Towns, Villa
ges aud llamlets are connected by rail
roads and telegraphs, until space is com
I paratlyely annihiiated aud the genius aud
success Of man is bat seeming plane be-
low that Of the angels. In the Arts and
Sciences, as we'll as Mechanics, in Paint
ing, Sculpture, Education and all that
pertains to true national grCatness. We
take rank among the most favored nations
Of the Old World, and in the race that is
before Us, doubt not that we shall outstrip
them all.
In tho midst OF all this seeming pros
perity, the work of silent abnegarion Of
patriotism and love OF the Old flag aud the
Union, was going on in the Southern
States. The leprosy Of human slavery
wGs working It's silent but sure downfall.
Its contact with the superior genius Of
freedom, free speech, free press and free
labor, daily developed its dcformity and
wickedness. It's devotees and worshipers
were the first to detect its incompatibility
and in their malghity resolved on seif
destruction. For years, Calhoun and his
followers we're schooling the South to this
work Of deterioration, which eliminated
IN 1861, under the preience of resisting
the fairly expressed will of the people,
when eleetiug Abraham Lincoln of Hi
nois as President of the United States.
When our beloved and ma,yred Presi-
dent was called to the Executive depart
ment of the Government, the demon spirit
of rebellion had grown 50 bold and defiant
that, in The opinion Of those then high in
authority. but faithful still to the Cunsli,u-
tion and the Union, it was unsafe for him
to publicly enter the Capitol OF the Nation,
and in accordance with their advice did
actually in disguise enter Washington
without escort or public reception. Trait
ors were planning, scheming and hourly
connecting their hellish designs to break
up and destroy the best government ever
vouchsaied by God to man. On the day
OF his first Inauguration, in addition to the
tens OF thousands of loyal hearts that
were present to witness the ceremonies of
the installation of the peoples President,
the roofs of the buildings on Pennsylva-
MIA Avenue along which the President
elect was to pass, were patrolIcd by citizen
soldlery as indispensable to the safety and
order of the occasion. 1t was the first
time my fellow counirymen, in the history
of this proud Republic, that our President
had to be installed under the protection
OF American bayonets and foreskadowed
the coming results that have siuce astoun
ded the Nation and the World. " hen
Lincoln was inaugurated and took hold Of
the helm of state, what tempestuous sea
was before him, and in what condition did
he find the country? With State after
State "seceded or seeding" the master
spirit of the rebellion had so admirably
secured the control Of the government
during the administration of his immedi-
ate predecessor, that difficulties aud en-
barrassments bcset him on every side, that
would have appalled, the stoutest heart un-
guided and uninAuenced by firm reli-
ance on Almighty God and the unerring
instincts of the great mass OF our people.
The army, then mere hand full of men,
were purposely scattered all over Texas
aud through the Territories and Indian
country, to the Eastern base of the Rocky
Mountains; there were not within reach.
with all our railroad facilities, enough of
the regular army TO protect aud guard the
capital Of the Nation on that Inauguration
day, and General Scott had to call on the
citizen scldiery Of the District Of Column
bia to perform the task. The Navy was
displaying It's colors on every distant sea
Of the Christian world, and without appar.
ent object or purpose other than to be be-
yond tho possible reach OF tho administra.
ton, short of many long months, in their
efforts TO execute the laws in support aud
maintenance Of tho Constitution and the