Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1872-12-05
The Old South Church.

Tho Old South Church Of Boston
was spared from the flames the oshsr
day, whereat all Boston and all New
England r.joiced. For tho Old
South has a history. and it is thu. rs.
lated by the Now York Wortd: Tho
society o. the Old South church was
ono of tho ol 1sst congregations! bod
les IN Massachusetts, anj its first
building for public worship was ereo.
ted moro than two hundred years
ago, in 1869. This was DESTROYED,
we believe, by fire couple of gene.
rations later, and in 1929 tho house
which now stands in Its place was
consecrated, or, to use the Now Eng.
land phrase, dedicated, to divine
worship. 1t was used from tho first
as the place in which to preach the
annual election sermon delivered &C.
cording to Massachusetts custom, 10
lore the governor and his council up.
on the assembling Of the Great AMI
general court which degeneratcl
moderns call the legislature. AS the
ferment o! the popular mind increas.
ed Under Bernard and Hutchinson 1t
was found that Fanueil hall was not
always adequate to the accommoda-
ton OF the angry citizens bent on get.
ting their thoughts and purposes un-
derstooa by the royal government,
and the Odd South became rallying
point OF public opinion. There it
was that in March, 1772, Joseph
Warren li'tel up to himself the
hearts OF all tho people by his high
and passionate words on the anniver.
sary OF the massacre as they called
1t, OF the citizens in State street by
Captain Prsscott's aoldiery two years
before, it was striking and remark.
able scene OF which witnesses,
both British and colonial, have lett
us stirring pictures. Three years al.
terward the same voice rang out III
accents as tree aud bold under the
same root tor the last time, ard tho
speaker IN that same year, 1775, seal.
ed with his lite OIL Bunker Hill tho
sincerity OF his patriotic passion. 1t
is not to the credit of our British
klnsmen that during their occupation
OF Boston, while invested by Wash.
ington with the first Continental ar.
my. they w:eaked their wrath upon
the rebel meeting house by convert
ing 1t into riding school. Tha pcws
were burnt tor tirswood; the hoors
were broken and choked with earth
and sand. They made the Old South
stable, as they made Fanueil Hall 4
theatre. We have seen in our own
lays at the south how easily the
troops of 4 government may merge
all the ordinary sense OF right and
wrong in tho belief that rebels have
no rights which loyal men need re-
spcet. In liza the Old South was
restored and refitted. When sturdy
Samuel Adams had little difference
with the New South congregation
to whlct: he had previously belonged,
he LETT that body and joined himself
to the old South and his strong,
rugged face and his ample scarlet
cloak are part and parcel OF the best
traditions Of the sditice, which has
been brought by tho fire of 1872 into
such Imminent peril.
There is bat this consolation to be
taken, however, by those who care
tor American history and Tor the few
historical monuments which We still
possess, that If the Old South had
tallsn i'll the fumes, it would at least
have gone Ia a blaze OF glory. Tins
would have been better ending tor
the venerable piis than to bs pulled
to pieces sy the descendants Of the
revolutionary Nsw Englanders un.
der = pressure Of business exigcu-
ciss' and to make way for some new
brick block or colossal granite OF
stops and stores. That tho people OF
Boston should have suffered the
quaint mansion OF John Hancock to
DO demolished and its conspicuous
site in their most conspicuous street
to bs usurped by . huge, staring,
tasteless modern mansion gives US
small reason to believe that their .en-
terplise will much longer spare this
sanctuary OF colonial liberty aud in.
dependence. As it will il all prob.
ability soon be improved of the taco
OF the earth. it might have been -
well that the Bostonians should bs
saved from sacrileg. by conti.gration.
The Everstts OF ths future-and wo
dare SAY the future will deserve to
have its Everstts-woul,: have been
grateful, doubtless, for thu privilege
OF assuming that nothing less than AN
awful gcnara: catastrophe could ever
have deprived Boston OF : monument
so rich in high ana worthy assooia-
tions.
The tota! vote OF tho State OF
Ohio was 520. .0Jo. the largest evrr