, 1874-07-06
CHARACTER OR GENIUS.
Sermon by the Rev. Itol,rrt Collycr ut Trinity
Church.

Sermon by tAG Kew lt6nefI l0!yCf III Iflt1lty
Church.
The Rev. Robert Coyer proaclcd yesterday
morning at Trinity Church. taking aa Ills text:
Anl he measured Tho will thereof, M hundred md
forts nnl four cubfts. according to tho measure Of
| niali that H. Of thu ango.-HeVt[ation a1t, 10.
Thoro is IN idea growing up in tho n,iud of
or pcoplo wherever you turn, TINT the old
fashioned Fourth Of July has soen Its best days,
and think TINT idea ia truo. Since CANA to
this country tho tonor Of the day has changed
totally, 80 TINT ii a man should now attompt to
mike such speoch as every man felt called
on to make who ndds essed his telow-citizeus
fifteen yoars ago, lis speech would be received
At the best with a quiet disdain. So tho old ora-
clcs aro silent, the eagle screams and boats Ills
wings no more, tho flag lies to new story. over
new race aud before a century has rounded
| itself from tho old anniversary Of tho Dec
] laration. While mon aro still in tho
| world who wero hero when the sun rose OIL
| Independence Hall 10 witness tho birth Of na-
| ton, the nati0n looks OIL tho time with httlo
| more Interest thnn England looks Oh tue time Of
| Alfred.
But while this ID true, 1t is not and cannot DO
true that Americans aro forgetting those things
| for which this anniversary stands, or the men
| who woro tho great nctors in tho drama that was
| written in Heaven before the curtain lifted, aud
| tho first sceno opened on tho stage OF new
| world. For "a few weeks ago we saw apple
| trees white and crimson with blossom, that ar
] rostod our attoutfoI mud touched us with de-
| light as se swept across the land, while now we
| haro to take good qllct look at them in
order 10 mako sure that tho woalth Of thcir
| prouiso has not gone out, and loft nothing but
| leRyos, 80 those days, Of Which ! saw only the
laat, wore tho b1ossoming days OF tho old era,
easily arrosti'!g U.s. and, by their flaming glory,
| Htorn1inK Our hearth but now We hnvo to. look
| clnspr, aud with q kooher attention, to ECO
| whether tAoro il anything loft. And tilere are
t1oso among us, of M aarnest aud napful SORT
who nro about ready to conclude tint in truth
there il to be no fruit worth gathering after all
| TINT teeming promise.
They Bay-l haye heard them say--shat no are
drifting back TO- solno such thing 40 tho
| Fathcra ra1somol us from with their mort
| Term for President Grant they say moanH
fourth. ana that q Presidency for lifo, aud IN tho
end King, aud n King despot who may harry
uB aud letter lis IN more fatal fashion than wo
we're over llnrried mud fettored BY tho King and
Parliament OF England. And the nower to pro"
| want such disastor, being now and always iu
| the manhood Of tho nation, will not be found,
they fear, w!!on it III needed. because there aso
| not enough men anywhere who caro- moro for
tho Commonwealth than thoy caro for their own
private wealth, mud what 1t stands for. / eau
trankls say INIT this soems to mo to DO al
| together q mAtako. No such thing can
happen in our ,tin'e, or, in any tlino to
might, COMO to such 4 conclusion II tho matter
wnB entirely III our own selfish llnts and llcnrts !;
wo might thou, indeed. bo oyorhorne by potty
aud local things to tue ruin Ut all Our hopes, but
as IN those trees touched for illnstratou, tlloro
il invoatcd not merely tho elill aud caro- Of tho
AusnAnaman, but the purpose and power or
heaven, Which, wllilo tho man seops rs whlo ho
wakes, works oil to tho perfect frultase OF Oc-
tober, from the blosso!'ll'B of June. ~ heaven
own in tho flnitago, Of tbis trooe the
fathers planted, mud must lring by It's