The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1872-08-16

ion, characterized the royal prerog'
tive. until the liberties of the peop.
were lost in the necessities of til
monarch and the demands of til
! throne. Taxes were imposed witt
out the consent of the nation or il
representatives, warrants of impris
onment, without accusation or tria
deprived subjects of their freedom
and committed them to the dungeon
and the baStile; criminal commits
sions appointed by the crown, sat i
Judgment upon the rights and! liber
ties of the people ; debts, whose an
nual interest absorbed large portion
of the revenue of the State, wer,
contracted without law and increas
ed without knowledge. Corruption
tainted the court and parliament
while the favor of royal mistressei
distributed the civil and military of
fees of the State. Such was the
condition of France, when the storm
of revolution burst forth in wildes
delirium, overturning thrones in 1T
fury and consigning Kings and no
bles to exile and TO death, ~
But why appeal to history,to day
for information upon the rise and tal
of empires because ''history (a'
has been well said) is Philosophy
teaching by example," Shall heI
lessons be taught in vain Shal
the "Ili,em tait' written upon the
mauseleum of the nations, awaken
no serious apprehensions for the fu-
ture of our country? Do not the
commissions of the past, the surround
ings of the present, darken with
their shadows the dial of the future
Do not the partisan strifes, the thirst
for place, the total disregard of the
rights of the many, by the concen-
tration of power in the hands Of the
few; the corrupt selfishness of rulers
and the utter generalization of the
ruled, (sure precursors Of a nations
Decline appear equally patent in
our government ? The war, through
which we have passed, has resulted
in the wealthy ACKNOWLEDGMENT Of
one section and the pauperism OF
another, Power, vibrating between
constitutional restriction and parti-
ian necessities, has settled outside
of that great chart of our liberties
our "day star from on high" Usur'
patton, prompted by the ambition o.
rulers, is tyranizing over the liber,
ties of the people, and will continue
its encroachments, until that people
guided by an enlightened patriotism
and christian experience assume
again the powers and control of the
State and guide it through the
breakers, that threaten its safety
Does not patriotism sound the alarm
to-day? Will no one drive the
money changers from the sacred
temple of liberty? Young men, oil
the nineteenth century, upon you
(who illustrated upon the bloody bat
tie fields of your country, the nobili-
ty and grandeur of the Anglo Saxon
character,) rests to-day the perma'
nency of republican institutions, the
last hope of Constitutional liberty
History teaches, profit by her les
sons: wisdom admonishes, heed her
warning. Directed by the expert
ence of the one and the light of the
other, initiate the virtues and shun
the vices of the nations, which have
fourished and fell. In them, we
have witnessed high degree of in.
teIlectual culture; the arts and sci
ences were, encouraged and fostered ;
Poesy attuned her Tyre to sweetest
song; Philosophy jewelled her heav-
ems with the brightest stars in the
constellation of her glories; yet, in
their bodies polite, were the eIe-
ments of weakness. The seeds of dis
solution knowledge has spread, but
it had been misguided and misdirect-
ed. Civilization with its arts and
sciences, had kindled her signal fires
upon every hill and mountain, but
national cupidity, furnished the fuel
licentious luxury, kindled the flames
infdel unbelief, fed the consuming
fires; human corruption, poisoned
the fountains of society and govern
ment intellectual cultivation was
marked by moral neglect; the spread
of knowledge was diffused with Ii
centious proaigacy; the arts tri-
at the expense Of human
character; while religion, in the
race for improvement and power
was totally ignored or consigned to
the tender mercies of an educated
infdeIity. 1t was national sin, that
brought about national dissolution,
luxury corrupted the virtue Of the
people; ambitious desires, alleged
their patriotism; accumulated wealth
enervated their habits selfish vans
ty obIiterated their dependence upon
their God. And history will repeat
itself in the decline of that people,
who would eclipse the truths of rev.
citation by the conceited pretensions
Of infdel learning, or obscure the
light of Divine intelligence, by the
sordid teachings of worldly philos
ophy. Listen then to to the voice o
history, as it peals through the Ions
aisles of the Past. The sad recita
Of the nations who have thus passed
e,,os,, Al otoo.a &C action Rohxyioy