, 1875-07-03
4 RETROSPECT.


anniversary Of our nations natal
day some allusion to the stirring
scenes connected with its nativity
is not only just but pre-eminently
opportune. One hundred years ago
England's flag Aoated proudly over
her colonies in North America.
She was then the greatest nation
on earth. In wealth, in arms, in
commerce, in all that constitutes
the strength of nation, England
stood unrivaled. Surrounding pow
-ers feared her colossal strength;
her bayonets flashed wherever a
fortress uprose; the winds ofevery
sea and every continent famed
her banner; the prestige of victo-
ry hung around her legions and
her fleets; and united Europe
dared not invade her shores.
The weak and remote colonies,
without ship on sea, or a regi-
ment on land, without hope of
foreign succor, undisciplined, half
armed, and scant in numbers, rose
up and dared to cope with this
formidable power. Our sturdy
sires disputed her sovereignty and
prepared with all the power at
their command to beat back her
invasion on our shores, and de-
fend to the last their God-given
rights. Men arose who were not
.afraid to stand in the breach be
tween the battalioned ranks Of ty-
ranny and the people. The orator
with the sword in his hand, called
upon the people to arm, and the
minister of God blessed them as
they went to the field. Men came
gathering from all parts, arms
were manufactured in every town,
the land became agitated from
end to end, and leaving the wo-
men to pray and weep, our ances-
tors went forth to battle. They
waited for no foreign power to
aid them, they had grown tired of
presenting petitions for rights to
which they. we're entitled. Trust
ing in the righteousness of their
cause, and invoking the blessing
of God upon their effort, they
marched to battle.
The veteran grenadiers who
had come to subjugate and plum
der, surveyed with scorn the un-
disciplined ranks of the patriots;
and even Pitcairn had boosted that
with one battalion of English
troops he could march across the
continent, and sweep with his
bayonets the undiscipIined reb-
els into the sea. The boaster
fell on Bunker Hill, and his vet
eran battalions were trampled on
and decimated. England was
taught the lesson, that brave men
struggling for the right are irwin
chile, and that tyranny cannot
pierce their ranks. The leaden
slugs of Putnam stung as deep
and deadly as the imperial bullets
ofroyalty, and the Febelshot-guns
could fash as fierce a fame and
scatter death as fast, when aimed
with steady hand, as could the
shining rifles in the drilled and
disciplined ranks of monarchy.
Infamed with hatred and revenge
the mother country had prepared
with the vast resources at her com
mand to crush the struggling pa
triots. Single handed and alone,
without aid or comfort from with
out, they fought for years against
the power of the mightiest nation
in the world, and not until they
they had shown, by their bravery
and devotion on the battlefield,
that they were ft to be freemen,
did they receive aid, comfort and
succor from a friendly power.
The 6ght was at length brought
into Congress- There, on the
Fourth of July, 1776, was pro-
claimed the immortal Declaration
of Independence, and there, on
that day the Americans unrolled,
for the first time, the Stars and
Stripes, and struck for liberty and
nationality.
There isa lesson to be learned
from the above that should sink
deep into the hearts of struggling
communities, as well as national
itics. 1t was only by unAinching
perseverance and zeal that the