The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1875-12-31
1875.
1776.
Centennial Gossip.

dence was not acknowledged by the
Mother Country until several wears af-
ter the commencement of hostilities; but
during their continuance, the mass Of
the people were steadfast in their attach
ment to the great principles which in
due time were formulated in funda-
mental instrument by their chosen rep
resentatives;-and to these the greater
portion of the citizens of the Republic,
have ever faithfully adhered. During
the hundred years jnst closed, the Re
public has passed through two periods
Of trial: the first, that of fully cast
ing off the foreign yoke" and harmo-
nizing the diverse ideas of its represen-
tative men, so as to secure system of
government which would most likely
guarantee IT. q durable form that for
which the battle had been fought and
won,-liberty in its broadest sense; and
the second, that of preserving it from
dissolution after 30 years of peaceful
and prosperous existence. Through
these ordeaIs the Republic passed tri-
nmphantly, and to-day holds rank az
one of the great Powers of the earth.
That Spread -Eagleism is peculiarly
characteristic of the American, none
will deny; nor will Il be gainsaid that
the derision which its frequent exhibi
tion has elected from foreign crit
ics, was, in large measure. natural, and
to be expected. But, still, il is some
what singular that SO many foreign wri-
ters, especially those whose province il
was to note and remark upon the affairs
of the world at large, should have failed
to discover that along with the spread
eagleism of the American, his country
was making progress in all things that
pertain to national greatness, far beyond
that ever attained, in 20 short space
of time, by any other people. Yet,
certainly, it was doing this, Great cities
were being founded on its coasts and
great water-courses, and beside its great
inland seas; the forests were rapidly dis
appearing before the sturdy yeoman
constituting its agricultural class; its
buried wealth in the form of minerals
was being raised for use in the manu-
factories, whose tall chimnies were to be
seen in all parts of the conntry-as on
ward, from the comparatively narrow
confines of the Atlantic States, over the
eastern chain of mountains, into the roll
ing and valley lands of the Middle
States, and still on, to the broad, and
beautiful, and wonderfully productive
prairies of the Valley of the Mississip-
pi. unchecked by the great "Rockies,"
but over them, and beyond to the gold
en- shores of the Pacifc-its enterpris-
ing people, in a ceaseless tide of emi-
grafton, were moving, exhibiting the
while an energy and skill in "subduing
the country" absolutely characteristic
OF no other people upon the face of the
earth. That all this should be accom-
plished-and 40 well and 30 substantial
ly accomplished-in the comparatively
short time of one hundred years, with
out corresponding amount of self Iau-
dation by the people whose work it is,
would be only little less remarkable
than the huge energy essential to so
grand development" And this. our
foreign critics are only now beginning
TO appreciate.
1t may be said that other portions Of
the civilized world also progressed in
rnarkod da0roa. anI ,h.t o,,. -1.~.-L-Ll
advancement is not so much attributa-
Bile to the system of government which
is our pride, as to the fact that the
world at large, has recently entered upon
a career of progress hitherto unattained
and in which all peoples laying claim
to civilization participated in greater or
less degree, accordingly as they were
favorably or tolerably situated as to mat.
ters of locality. and extent of territory. |
This, in a measure, is true, but while |
we claim much for the great country |
which we possess, we maintain that on |
ly through the system of government |
which our fathers founded, was it posi-
Bile to accomplish so much. Our Union |
Pacific Railroad alone, is greater work |
than was ever before undertaken and
completed by men; while the system of
railroads in all the States is SO much |
more extensive than that of any other
country, that by comparison, theirs
seems trifling. So with nearly all our
other public works. And our private
or individual enterprises are SO vast in
numbers and extent, that no require
ment of any branch of industry, or
calling, or profession, must needs be
sought beyond our own shores. In a
word-the American Republic is a
great, stupendous, and wholly unparal-
leled affair. Things and enterprises
which, in other countries could only be
exPerimentally tested, and worked in
miniature, were here brought ont in
dimensions commensurate with the i'm
mense area of onr country; and what
ever of greatness other nations have, is
the result of many hundred years of
opportunity, while that which distin.
guishes ours is the result of but one
and no patterns worth having,
from which TO copy.
Therefore, let us trust that our star
may still climb towards the zenith, and
that the mission of the Republic is but
fairly commenced. All haili 1S76l The
Centennial year of the strongest, the
freest, and altogether the greatest Re-
public that ever existed, or ever will!
The only one Of its kind in all the
world, and in all time: the first, and we
fear, the last, when it ends, however far
in the remote future be the day of its
fall
Col. Darlington, says the Philadelph- {
Ia Praas hna haar fnr no,.o ..aa-. -. 4