Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1871-02-09

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Our Dutysas Citizens.
An Address delivered to the Mul.
berry Lyceum Debating Society,
Tuesday evening, December Goth,
IS7O, by Hon. JAS. I'll. Burnam. ="
YOUNG GENTLEMEN - Perhaps
if, the united energy and ingenui.
tyiof your entire society had been
taxed in one concentrated effort
of mental research, a more COM
prehensive theme could never
have been begotten than the one
you have selected as the fonnda.
ton of the address, l propose to
submit to you this evening"
When you make. the inquiry
"Wbat isrny ddtyJas a .citizen,' >
you at once present query that
admits volume of answers, and
would challenge n thousand sepa.
rate tongues and each the master
of q thousand different branches
or purposes of human existence
and yet the full measure Suf that
duty would be untold. The
statesman and the philosopher, the
patriot, the l,hilapthropist, and the
divine might each claim it as bis
peculiar province to answer you,
and do no serious violence to truth,
SO varied and complex are the
relations of life and so intimately
connected with and dependant
the one upon The other. The du-
ty of a citizen comprehends, eth
er intimately, or remotely, every
step from the cradle to the grave.
Nay more, the,reaeY of that duty,
pohdered and performed is only
lost in that refulgent blaze of glo-
ry and light that crowns mans
immortal destiny. To contem-
plate q subject SO vast, we can
only approximate an examination
of the theme by .generalizipg. 70
particulurize would be as difficult
as impossible, as exhaustless as
counting the fands of the sea
shore. As citizens, we owe allie
glance to our neighborhood, our
village, our town, oue eeantyss our
State, our nation. AS citizens we
owe,duties as children, as parents,
as neighbors, as friends, as rational
men. And lastly, the sum total
of all obligations, is our duty to
our God. Just as varied as the
relations of men, as motionless as
the wants of society, and as nu-
merous as the dependencies of
human life, are our duties as citi.
Gems. The term and idea of citl-
zenship necessarily implies govern.
ment. The fundamental prlnci'
pie OF government is protection,
protection to life and property, and
the ultimate aim Of human gov
ernment is human happiness
Whether these ends be attained,
either of protection, or happiness,
depends rather on the citizen,
than the governing power--the
permanent stability of all just
government reaching back and
finding deep root alone in the
virtue of the governed. The cit
izenI is the pillar Of State, the
bone and sinew Of corporate
strength, the life blood of perma,
nent nationality. The common
wealth is always the reflex image
Of its citizens. Divest the latter
of honor, and the former but re-
fleets their degradation OF course
we speak OF government that de-
rends upon tue will of the gov
erned.3 Not d monSte,. mongret, q
hideo1s cross betsceen e'aUy and san
--prejssaics and the der1- : ia,
from it. This is subyersive of
all government. We consent to
restrictive rules and laws, from
the fact of our weakness and de
pendence. Some men are stron
ger than others, some more intel
ligent than offers, and a large
portion of men would do wrong
rather than right if profit or ad
vantage would tempt them
Therefore government is but al
alliance entered into. by the vir
tuous and good, to overawe th'
wicked, and prevent their en-
eroachments upon good men,
The relation Of the. citizen to- th'