Woodville Republican. (Woodville, Miss.) 185?-current, 1867-05-18

J. s. McNEELY, Manager.

Moses; nor was the truth that he be
cometh poor who dealeth with slacl
hand new creation when it was discos
cred to his cost by the first antediluvia
. fast young man. Both are parts of tn
E great order Of nature as it was establishe
and is supported by its all-wise, powerfn
and good Author. Like the subtle, inyi.
/ ible, and universal electrical fluid, the la
manifested and exerted itself the momer
: the proper conjunction of materials wa
made.
The rules ofmoral conduct laid down i
the scripture are not arbitrary. but are d,
clarations Of those fixed laws of natul
man was too deprsved tosee or observe
l.<evsfasions nlaGe uEcause God is wise a1di
good, and because (Ispeak with reverencesl
lie would, by manIfesting Himself direct
ly to His rational creatures, show them
how far short they come of perfection, and
show them. too. that He is not God who
has created and left the scene. and that
they must worship and obey as divine, not
nature, or an Idea, or an Essence, but a
Living God, who upholds and directs all
things by his infinite power, wisdom, JUS
tice, and love, now, as at this beginning.
The subject of the moral laws of nature
is Infinite, but | trust that the branch of
1t. / have chosen to speak upon to-day,
will not prove tedious. 1t is society,
and the duties of citizen" In treating
it, my design is to picture the nature and
general lineaments of society. and to touch
briefly and generally upon the duties of q
citizen under the peculiar institutions, and
IN the present extraordinary condition of
this country. And 1t seems to me that.
except the subject of religion, this is the
most interesting topic which can be pre-
sented to an enlightened audience.
Every nation is as it were, upon Jour-
ney through an untrodden wilderness, and
in the every day jog-tret of existence, men
are so intent upon the little scenes lust
around them, aud the thorns and BRAN
bles which impede them, that they are not
apt to look up and around and mark the
general direction OF their way. And as
each generation starts from where the pre-
ceding left off, and generally pursues the
same direction, nation may chance to
ind, and. Judging from our present state.
invariably does find itself after u while in
labyrinth, with destruction before it. 1t
behoov0s men. then. to look around. to
ascend the hills and look back and out
ahead over the face Of the country, at the
density of the forest and the direction of
the water courses. 1t is doing this which
makes the statesman.
1t does very well for people to make
great strides in the physical sciences !;
they should be enterprising and religious /;
;.fiEsu. Us wseFettne HlnesnIansf, DnU 50 soon
as they begin. as did the Athenians. to
spend their time in nothing else, but either
to find out, to tell, or to hear some new
thing or so soon as they become dis
cOuraged by the troubles of the govern
ment, and grow careless of their constitu-
ton, and neglect the ballot-box, and all
those duties imposed upon them as citi-
zens, the barbarians win be upon them,
and the good of all their labors will be in
the house of another. Nor can it be 9th
erwi3e. Such is the law of nature and
such nation has no warrant to call upon
its God in the emergency TO work mira
Gle to save it from the Just effects of His
natural law. He helps those who help
| themselves.
The question of the formation of socie.
! ty seems to have been as difficult prob
| lem to solve as that of Columbus egg
and many have been the theories advanced
| But the fact L., that it is the necessary re:
suit of mans nature. He naturally has
virtuous affections which must be exer.
cised' or he is incomplete and miserable
| And these affections can be exercised only
towards his fellows in the various rel;
tions of husband and wife, parent and
child. master and servant. alms-girer. cit
zen and neighbor The first individuals
of the human race multiplied into families
held together by mutual affection under
the Patriarchal government, which is the
natural government, aud is the most abso-
lutte despotism. In the olden time, when
the age of discretion was hundred years,
patriarch would live to see him elf the
loving head of large and respectful tribe,
which, when he was taken away, natura''.
ly elevated some one to his place, or SUI
fered it to be usurped. For union in So
ciety is, as | have shown, the natural ST Al .
of man j: and as naturally as children look
to father for counsel, Judgment and cor
rection, SO, natEs.aiiiy. does every society
! look 70 some superior to direct its way
to arbitrate its disputes, and regulate its
] affairs with other societies. So natura
is this dependence that, as DeLolme ha.
admirably said in his work upon the Con
stitution of England No people evel
yet gained their liberty bat either gave il
away, or suffered it to be taken from them.
1t was to be expected that as the ties o.
affection were weakened by distance ol
relationship, and by clashing interests be
tween the tribes. and between the cover
nors and governed, wars, tyranny. and civ
ii dissensions would arise-and so we fnd
it. BY treaty, by mere proximity, or by
conquest, the stronger absorbed the weak
er tribe. Tribes grew into large nations
and sent forth colonies which in time be
came their rivals. Filibusters fought bat
ties not their own, or vent after COLDER
1eeces and took focks and all. Predato
ry bands, under fierce leaders, ravaged AM
established empire over rich countrie
which had fallen into inanition under priest
and superstition. As populousness an,
interests increased. governments becam
more complicated and tyranical. And III
to this time the earth has seemed given III
TO murder and rapine. war and revolution
Tyrants have been overthrown by thos
who became tyrants in their turn. Th,
limits of empires, and experiments in gov
ernment, have been changing continually
Kings, emperors consuls, hierarchies, aris
tocracies, pure democracies, councils AM
assemblies, separate and combined, hav
all been tried, but in vain. All whicl
succeeded for awhile, struggled from ad
versity into power, became magnificent