Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-07-04
The National Holiday.

AS the salutations of the morning
never weary by their daily recurrence
amid the ties of the family, 50 the an
nual return of this day can never fail to
waken associations that move the heart
to national sympathy.
Its coming reminds the people that we
have assumed the rank and responsible
ties of nation. 1t leads us to reflect
on what as people we have underta-
ken to do; to enquire how far our pres
ent position indicates success: and to
consider how much we are indebted to
those who have preceded, and what our
relations are to those who are to follow
rs. 1t is natural and profitable for a
nation in its swift career to power and
greatness, or to whatsoever destiny, to
lfnger awhile on the SUBMITS of its sue
cessive epochs of life-to learn wisdom
from the past-to gather hope for the
future and to grid itself afresh for the
race.
These national birthdays, as their joy
Gus chimes from bell tower and cannon
throat strike on our ears are fit occasions
-goodly elevations-on which to bring
in one horizon the memorials of times
gone by-and the presages of those to
come. Each joyous sound on this COM
memorative morning has its echo from
''seyenty-six, its reverberations lose
themselves amid the dim defiles of ages,
10 60 Of TnlN
come to us both as a historian and
prophet.
Its story is too familiar-the day ut
tiers itself on all our hills and in every
valley; childhood knows it as its own
household words. The present is too
stirring and eyentful-the auguries of
the future too momentOus. Enough of
it we must call back to honor the dues
Of Just commemoration and then yield
our thoughts to the mighty currents that
are bearing us aud our countrys fortunes
on their rushing highway to-the I'M
known future.
The position of our country is alike
proud and commanding. 1t now stands
the only truly free Republic in the world,
and the exemplar Of Democratic and
Liberal principles in the abstract-and
its commanding importance, has never
before been equalled in the history of
the world. Turn over the pages of his
tory or trace your finger on the map of
nations, either ancient or modern-not
solitary one either bond or free, stands
its equal in the eyes of the universal
world. Our nation stands pre-eminent,
for she has solved the great problem of
self-government, in the demonstration
Of which countless heads have rolled
from the scaffold, and rivers of blood
tricklcd from the headman's axe. The
will of the people is supreme, and here
their wish is supreme. 1t is this uni
versatility Of power and this generaliza-
ton of rule that makes us great and
powerful, honored and respected, and
also hated and feared by those who rule
by the divine right Of kings-the rotten
monarchies and crumbling aristocracies
of the Old World The down-trodden
masses of the Old World look to the
New, beholding nation that has grown
into power, trampling in the dust the
insignia of royalty and the CANDY trap
pings of dynasties that have so long
wrung the very life blood from their
heart. They hear the glorious truths
promulgated by our Revolutionary
fathers and have witnessed their growth,
till whole nation of freemen repose be-
meath the branches of the tree of liberty