The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-10-17
CENTENNIAL REVERIES.

CENTENNIAL REVERIES.
And The Lord spake unto Moses in Mount
Sinai saying.
Speak unto the children Of Israel, and cay unto
them,
Ye shall hallow the fifieth year and proclaim
liberty throughout all the land unto all the Inhab-
itants thereof: it shall be Jubilee unto you. In
the year Of this jubilee Is, shall return every
man unto his possession. Ye shall not Cypress
one another; but thou shalt fear thy God: for
am the Lord your God.-Leraicus FRO.
Such Nas the old Jewish law, received di
rectly, according to Biblical testimony, from
God-the Jewish law that taught can eye for
an eye, q tooth for tooth" What, then,
shall we expect from Christianized republic
in its hundredth anniversary? Throughout
our land there is the rolling sound of the
drum and the uufurlipg of gaiy-tinted flags
The brilliant sunbeam and the laughing
breeze play lightly with our national emblem,
and at their caressive touch the stately flag
unfolds its vivid beauty. The little seed that
winds and waves waited to Plymouth Rock,
the little seeds that,
"Moord in the rifted rock,
Was proof to the tempest shock,
has grown as fabulOusly as Cld the famous
bean-stalk in the fairy tale, and now soars to
the clouds. The land where liberty is q fact
and not fable will in q few months be an
hundred years old. One hundred years for
history, through the medium of humanity,
to repeat itself, and many hundreds years of
the worlds experiences to guideit. Has this
republic of the world fulfilled its destiny ?
Can it stand before the educated and mon
archical tribunals of the world with pure
record? In the great republican system has
our land revolved 10 law and order in its
rightful orbit ? Has it fulfilled the promise
of its ancestry Echo softly, sadly repeats
HAS it ?"
All the known world is to be taxed to rem
der homage to true liberty. There is a
tumult throughout geographical limits. The
whale skurries off to deeper depths in his
bripy home, lest he should be pressed into
grazing this American triumph Che having
once had nauseatipg dose of humanity
the camel welcomes the binding sands and
moves patiently away from America; but the
eastern palm, with feminine vanity, fans her
self softly with her broad, green leaves, and
whispers to the glowing, jealous, soil: " am
going to the American Centennial" Let none
doubt my patriotism. 1 have long since
purchased one gross trumpets one gross star
spangled banners and 1 practice blowing Of
an evening.
Last evening was requested to desist by my
neighbor, cher mother was sick" l remon-
strated, 81 am practicing for the Centennial.
"Bother the Centennial" was the vulgar,
slavish reply, and this in the land of liberty.
mo, madam" said l politely, you CAM
bother the Centennial"
She was rude enough to say something
about policemen, and in deep disgust l re-
tired All testing aside, 1 am troubled. Shall
this land stand in the coming National Jubi-
lees, great in its ma ional government and
crowned with the diadem that sovereign States
shall lend it? Shall we find the crown jewels
all there and all perfect? Far back as | can
remember, there was mingled with my
alphabet the beautiful story of this country
/ hear my father quoting from the Constitu
ton cf America, and telling me, his little
daughter, how State rights made nationa
honor and glory.
am growing speculative Is this to be al
honest Centennial Is it to be an honest fel
lowship, or a sectional aggrandizement ant
national humiliation Shall the result Of tn
centennial celebration be an infusion of Vi
tality Into the PROSTATE and bleeding bod
polite of Ame1icl?" Shall it come like tn
good Samaritan, and bind up our wounds
State and national? Lst us hope SO. Bsfor
the celebration of July Ali, 1876, the last Con
gress of this century shall have assembled i
solemn and dehberative conclave. Toward
this Congress the patient, wistful, wishfu
eyes of the South are turned, and its pulse
grown feeble with long waiting, BEATS quicker
If the unmerited misery and poverty of th
South, political and social-the scattere
homes-the broken hearts-the undeserve
reproach from our traternity-the hopeless
appeals made through the rightful laws, to III
rightful tribunals can have any power, the
will sir and thrill and animate this new Cor
gress, and the melody that Clay, Calhou
and Webster, and hosts of others sang sha
re-echo in Congressional halls. and like th
tabled story Of Illium, great wall Of defens
shall arise, and
s.Public wrong shall crumble into dust.
A peoples voice we are people yet.
Tho al men else their nobler dreams forget,
Confused by brainless mobs and lawless over
a We have voice, with which to pay the debt
OF boundlees love and reverence and regret
10 those great men who fought, and bepti our
And keep It ours. o God from brute control;
- statesmen, guard US, guard the eye, the sou
And save the one true seed Of freedom sown."
XII