The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1875-09-30

South, all at rates within the reach Of the
humblest day laborer. OF wheaton bread
such as is on your table every day, many of
your fathers and grandfathers never ate ex-
cepton festive days. Such salad as grows by
your door the queen of Henry VIII.
could not find in all the realm, and for it
she must send across the channel. As for
corn, turnips, cabbage, carrots, squashes and
potatoes, they were found on no table in
Europe before the sixteenth century. For
quart of your wheat you receive pound
of table salt and for bushel you receive
dress pattern, which for fneness of tex
ture and beauty of design queen need
not ,despise. On your table lies news
paper which cost you but five cents. 1t
gives you in condensed form the condition
of the civilized world on yesterday morn
ing,-the debates at London: Paris and
Berlin, the insurrectior in Turkey, the ar
rival and departure of vessels at Liverpool
and New York, together with the discus
sions of problems Of the day by master
minds. On your shelf stands volume
which cost you days labor; it contains
the very essence of great mans thought
and experience for a life time, all carefully
written, printed, bound and put in your
hand, model of beauty and a storehouse
of thought. The education which your
boy gets at the common school would have
entitled him in Shakespeare's day to the
''bene6t of clergy" or exemption from Ger
tain punishments because of his ability to
read. Add to these princely luxuries the
superior facilities for the employment of
natures forces as servants Fill modern
times masters know noservants, but fellow
men. While the winds wereblowing over
the continents, AMI the rivers flowing idly
along, and the mechanical forces like treas
ure houses of power remained hidden, hui
mainly was enslaved to serve the few
With few mechanical appliances, with little
help from cattle in the field, and horses in
battle, men did all service by hand, in
sowing and reaping, in bearing burdens
and grinding corn. Now, humanity has
been fed, and the elements made the SER
want of freedmen. To-day the wind and
water grind the corn, spin the cotton, drive
the shuttle, tunnel the mountains and carry
the burdens of the great world. In these
days of peace the horse is taken from the
war chariot to serve at the pillow, the reaper
and the thresher. And to-day, the COM
mon farmer does more work and better
work with less vexation. than could the
proudest planter with his hundred slaves.
But some will say that there should be
some dark lines to this bright picture, that
we should make the Offset of remaining OBJ
stacles in increased expenses, taxes, mo-
nopolies, hard times, adverse seasons and
uncertain harvests. Let US allow all that
truth demands, but let me ask you, what,
after having allowed fairly for unreasonable
expectations, wastefulness and thriftlessness,
for extravaganza and the labor unproduc-
tive because ignorant, and especially for the
appalling outlay of more than thousand
million of dollars for drunkenness, what, I
ask in all candor, remains to hinder every
citizen from the possession of all he needs
for the support of his family, for the in
struction of his mind and the delight of his
taste?
That is thoughtless mind and an un-
grateful soul that never cares nor ever in
quires for the secret of all thi 8. What is
it, do you ask? Free thought, virtuo US lives
and proportionate rcward. In Gods i'm
nense treasure house of laws, forces and
wealth men are free to ask whence, hou and
.ohy, and to experiment and utilize what
they find for their own advantage. Thus
Colum bus thought and standing on the
coast Of Spain, with imagination kindled by
sanguine faith, he could all but see the
shores of new world. Barely hundred
years ago Watts thought upon the power of
steam, and as by magic the world was Civ
en- giant slave of unmeasured power to
serve on land and sea, by night and day
The half century is not yet complete since
Morse gave the world the fruit of his pa
tient study upon electricity, in the magnet
ic telegraph. And now mems thoughts, like
beams of light dart over mountains and
continents, and through the oceans shiny
depths to the earth's limits. The patriots
Of the Revolution thought upon the problem
of human liberty and gave to the world the
truth buried for ages that all men are Gre .
ated free-free to be and do all that man
as man may do-and equal in all
that belongs to man as man. And in
this truth they laid the foundations of
government which has grandly borne the
test of its first century. The secret lies not
in free thought only, but in the award as
sured to every man after the just standard
of usefulness and virtue. In our land no
crowns nor titles make vile men masters of
natures noblemen, nor the recipients of the
ruit of their toll. The bright names of
our history, and those whom kings delight
to honor, have not gathered luster through
long genealogies, but are they whose
own souls have been great in comprehend
ing great ends and doing noble deeds
This, then, is the propitious day, this the
free air, in which tho industries thrive and
peace reigns.
And now with the increase of our wealth
in garnered crops and cultivated fields,
what have We for our new year in lessons
of experience?
l urge as first, the all-comprehending
duty of stern allegiance to our government,
and loyal defense of our free institutions.
There remain enemies still, who would
make merchandise of your iberties,-men
who, if they cannot enslave by conquest,
will mislead the ignorant into willing
servitude with brides and falsehood.
External vigilance is, the price of liber.
ty." The banner of our freedom floats
only for those who are ever armed for its
defense. But ignorance and vice are the
only dangers that threaten our union. For
eign foes will never subdue US. Only a.