The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-04-16

war ana the following independence were the
predestined sequel Not quite month later as
you remember on the 10th OF MAY. IL
conderoga and crown Point were taken uy the
Pr0ylncltlsi ana on the very day OF tnelr cap
ture--as n 70 iu9tny the name ''Caron,n given
~ the FreIch 10 Ticonderoga, and MAKE ~
seiztre IT, @riklng VI chime Of bels-the
I0ntlnculai CONGRESS reassenlbied Ut Phlla-
Ueionia. ga the prescribed Jonn Hancock
~ II, neni,. ana entered on the exercise or It's
long s4a.aorty-an authority vague and unde-
hne,', as suCh al occasional authority
MA be- but made Ieellllnate ana made
mission OF those whom the Congress repre-
sented. Washington was appointed COMMANDER
in-Chcf. AS indicative oi the tendencies 81 puDnc
opinion on the 2lst 81 MAY the cltlzehs OF Aeekeu
burg county, on the borders OF virginia and North
CarOua, Dy corporate acton renounced allegiance
10 the British crown and adopted their Decla-
ration or Independence, and on the lIth or
TO throw up redOubls under tue cannon fire Ot a
neet. aud ~ make grass fences, with men behind
them, suniclenL barrier TO repeated cnarges OF
British veterans, WAS luliy proved and the great
drama Ofour seven years war was finally opcued.
TUE REVOLUTION AND THE FORCES BEHIND II.
During tue year immediately before these
events and those wnscn succeeded VIII be Iu.lY
reclted, and eioquence and poetry the picture
ana bronze Will AGAIN make iamlliar "hat
the bulk and tue prominence Of In
tervenng events had parity niduen from
view the evacuation OF Boston by tho British, The
bloody 1ght on the heights behind Brooklyn, SO
nearly latal 70 the American cause, tue crossing
OF rhe Delaware, the night attack on the Hesslans
ut Trenton, Princeton aud Germantown witn
the IrtghLlul winter az valley Forge the battles or
Monmouth saratoga, Camden. Kings Mountain
wallis aI YorGtown-aIl these viii IN their turn be
descrlhea al their centennial anniversaries occur
The past will come back TO US.
Next week, 1T Lexington ana ut Concord, elo-
quent voices VIII open tue story, others WIN Iol-
principal aet mas found celebration. Ny ONCE
Is merely preparatory To theirs. The sub
hardly admits OF any entertaining or graphic
treatment. Bur 1t nevertheless Is OF primary I'M
porlance, and AL VINO follow VIII have 10 assume
what would exhibit. There was a certain ener
qlzng splrit, an impersonai but inherent and
UBIQUITOUS temper IN the people the col
onles, which lay behind TINS wide ana sudden Rev
outionary movement. wncn pushed that
moment TO unlureseea ends and wnlch Guilds
Republic wnere the only result sought at the out
set was renel FROM tax. Burke dlscerned &c
before 1t had been exhibited on the field or
mad Zone more tnan give us own tone 70 DEBATES
ana State papers From that time on 10 the emu
or war u was always more distinctly
declared, prooding and brlghtenlug III the
ooscurest AIR, giving Congress lis authority
giving conflict Its meaning inspiring lead
ers restoring always the shattered ard the scanty
ranks. Ii was the lnvulnerdDie, IneXpunge-
able lorce which no calamltleS ever over
whemed when was sure rom the start
OF the Ultimate victory. IL surprises us
10 remS.nper how small were the forces
when uuesQons SO vital 70 us aud TO mankind
were submitted TO the arbitration OF battle;
tnaG Burgoyne's army numbered at Its sur
troops, and mad never contained more
tnan 5000. an uncertain number contingent OF
Canadians and Indians; That a. camden
Gates mad only 6,O00 men, only oneiourtn vi
tgem ContInentalS ana Cornwalls only 1000;
was only 1000, ana that Tue Whoe humoer
OF troops sent from England to this country DUR
IN the entire continuance 81 The war was less
than $4,000. Compare these numoers with
those OF the armies which Frederick IL.
twenty years earlier had encountered az
Rossback and ut Lenthen compare
them with those winch. tslrry years alter,
sailed iortn from France under Napoleon,
aud they were the small dust OF the balance;
compare them with those Of France on the one
hand or oil Germany on the otner Ia the tremen-
aous ununlsaed duel, and the largest battles IN
forces from Inc Nortn ana south walc1
fought each other Ia our late civil war and the
revolutionary nuslers become lmperceptlble. 1t
the spirit behind the efforts which welded the
instruments anu compelled the events. whoa
gave them any Importance IN history. lmpapa-
bic. indestructib!e. omnipresent inactivity, self
Temper, common 10 so many, superior TO all,
wnlcn taught and fought from nrst TO last IN the
Congress ana ON the 1eld.
caARAoTERIsTIcs OF THE EXTRAORDINARY
PERIOD.
There was certainly nothing OF the ideal,
heroic, among the ante-reyolutionGry people
OF the country. They old not i've for seutl-
ment. II. Taey were not doctnnares,
though they are sometimes 80 represented aud
no LnIng could have 0een Iurther iroa their plans
than make themselves champions or what
did not concern them, or 10 GO crusadlng
Tor iancllul theories ana Imaginary prizes. Tney
were for tue most part Intelligent, Conscientious,
GOd-iearing people-at least there were sucn WAC
gave tone 10 tuelr communities, and others either
accepted the impression or achieved tue Imitation
OF the governing spirit but tneJ were pam,
PRACTICAL people, almost wholly vi the middle class,
who uVed, Tor tue most part, 10y their own
labor, VINO were intent on practical advan-
tages. anu wnO rel0ced IN conquering tue wilder
ness. IN making tue marsh IntO q meadow, IN
seeAIng 81 their nsnerles OF the abundance or the
seas, and In seeing the first houses OF logs with
mud mortar anu OILED paper Tor giass Ia the win
dow, giving place 10 houses OF hnsned timber or
imported Dtick, Win sometimes even mahogany
THE BIRTH or FREEDOM ~ EUROPE.
Tne invention 81 the movable type. hundred
years earlier, at Harlem or at Manu- nad maze
books the possession Of many, where manu-
scripts before nad been tue exclusive pryi-
lege of the few. Knowledge was distributed,
aud thought was intercnanged on this
new vehicle vitn q freedom 70 breadth before
lArgement or universities bad given opportunity
Tor liberal studies. ana tue ancient world Drew
nearer to the uoaeru as the elegant letters OF
Greece ana Kome made the genius and the action
again lamliar vita when their times had been
tnis Coutlnenr mad senarated me ulooe 70 the
minds ol Europeans, aud had opened areas ne
more exciting, because unoennea 70 their enter
prise aud nope. Ice popular imagination ia
the early part or t0at age was
stirred BY tales Of sea-laring adventure as IL
full OF romance aud wOnoer, AS savage forests.
dusky ngures, leatneTed crests, ornaments OF
OF populations. were lifted BEFORE the gaze
oil Europe. Almost nothing appeared increu-
iD!e. IL was al age. ne SAID. not 50 much or de-
strlctlOn ~ Of vide Impulse 70 the largest up
building. Vast hopes. vast works, Imperial plans
we're native y t.. A. was an age u detonating
thought VI the MODEST poetry, the most
eOp4Ous learning, long INDUSTRY. dis
Surslve PHILOSOPHY, q sagaciOus StatesmanshIp;
wnen astonishing discovery stimulated iresn, q
magnificent enterprise; when great acrlon5
crowded upon eacn other; when the world
seemed suddenly TO have turned plastic aud
10 ODER ltsclf Tor mans REBUILDING In Northern
Europe great clusters or names shown
tue century VI men nlustrous IN science, letters,
or tue line arts-kelper, IycM0 Brake. Ao.ler,
haclne. Kocheiovcauid, Parcel. Rn0eus, Rem
brandt, Van Dyke. Lorraine, Edmund spencer
Prince OF Poets,u a. his monument describes
him-nlled his corner ia II, Richard HOOKER,
PnIip sidney, Walter Raleigh, Francs Bacon,
dom Selden and Isaac Casau00B.
Az ENERGETIC AND SOVEREIGN CENTURY.
ADOtper century 80 enernzed by great erner.
gent opinions. 80 suddenly fau Or "a vehement aud
cOnquerlng pubic lile 30 prUlihc IN enterprise, 20
swarmtng 1tn productive force, one must
look long ~ ina. Tue descendants or the
Bat4vlAns made the scauty lands which they mad
rescued from tbe marsh Oi the sea, tue seat or
4 history more majestic IN IT'S clements DOtn or
tragedy and vi trGumpa, tnan the Continent mad
seen, al9 tue centre VI a commerce which nung
rs lenac4es round the giODe, TIE English fleets,