The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-04-20

u W.
unknown before aud ripened the colonies TO IN
evltaole decision -
inis sharp beginning Of real war was followed
Sky days later by the battle 81 Bunker HUI inen
By General Washing on's arrival IN Cambridge
and 5 redoubts on Dorchester Heights. In one
year and twelve days rom ne death OF Isaac
DAVIS aud ADner hosiaer 10 vessels loaded
Wltn General Howe ana MS army. 900 men, and
al Ehelr effects sailed our Of Boston Haroor never
10 return. IL IS proud and tender story. cna-
lenge any lover or MASSACHUSETTS TO read the SIX
TEEN cnapter q Bancroirs history without tears
OF JOY.
poem was contributed bY James Russell
Lowen, and an Grafton by George William Gurus,
VINO spoke in substance as loHows:-
GEORGE WILLIAM CURTIS oRA1Ios
we are fortunate that oeno.d TINS day The
heavens bend oenlgnly over, tine earth blossoms
with renewed htc and our hearts beat loyuiy
together with one emotion of iiial gratitude and
patriotic exultation. Cttlzens or a great, ree
and prosperous country, we come hltn err 70 honor
the men, our fathers, VINO on this spot and upon
tais day, q hundred years ago, struck the nrst
4 blow IN the contest which made that country IN
\ dependent Here beneath tine hills they trod. by
\ the peaceful river whose shores they dWelt
/ amid the fields that they soHed ana reaped
proudly recalling their virtue ana their valor, we
4 come TO tell their story TO try ourselves by their
lofty standard 70 know II we are their worthy chill.
dren; and. standing reyerenty where they stood
1 and fought and died, TO swear before God and eacn
4 other, in the words or him upon whom in our day
the spirit OF the Revolutionary fathers visiby de-
/ seemed, that government or the people by the
| people for the people shall not perish nom the
earth.
This ancient town, with Its neighbors who share
its glory. has never Jailed 1tly 10 commemorate
this great DAY or Its history. Fifty years ago,
while some soldiers or the Concord light were yet
iiglng-twenty.nye years ago. while still few
venerable Survivors llngered-witn prayer and
eloquence ana song you renewed the pious VOW.
But the last living link with the Revolution has
long been broken. Great events and mlghtier
struggle have absorbed our own generation. Yet
VINO stand here to-day have q sympathy with
the men az the old North Bridge which those who
praceded US here At earlier celebrations could not
know. With them war was q name and O tradi-
ton. so swift and vast had been the change and
the development or the country that the Revolu-
| tionary CLASH OF arms was already vague and IN
| real, and Concord and lie xington seemed 10 them
almost as remote and historic as ArDela and
/ Sempach. When they assembled 20 celebrate
this DAY they saw little group OF tottering
\ FORMS eyes from which the ngny was fading,
\ arms nerveless and wlthered, tnin white hairs
that 1uttered in the wlnd-they saw few vener-
able relics Of vanished age, whose pride was
that before living memory they had been minute
| men or American Independence.
BUT WITH Us HOW CHANGED
| War Is no longer tradition half romantic and
obscure. 1t has ravaged how many OF our homes
1t has wrung how many OF the hearts before me |
North and south we know the pang. Our common
liberty Is consecrated by q common sorrow. We
! do not count around US lew feeble veterans or
the confess, but we are grit with cloud or wit
nesses. We are surrounded everywhere by multi
| tudes in the vlgor their prime; behold them
here to-day sharing in these pious and peaceful
rites, the honored citizens, legislators magIs-
trates-yes, the Chief Magistrate or the Republic
whose glory It is that they were minute men OF
American liberty and union These men or to-day
interpret TO US with resisless eloquence the men
and The times we commemorate. NOW, II never
before, we understand the Revolution. Now we
know the secret OF those old hearts and homes.
We can measure the sacrifice. the courage, the
devo ION. Tor have seen them all. Green NUS
OF concord, broad neids OF NIddiesex, that heard
the voice or Hancock and OF Adams yol heard
the call OF Lincoln ana Or AndTew,
anu your LAID anu Whitney, your Pres
colt ana Ripley aud Melvin, nave revealed
70 US more truly Jue DAVIS and the Buttrick,
the nosmer aud Inc Parker OF i hundred years
ago. Ine story Of This ola town Is the history Of
New England. IL shows u the people and the in-
sItuuons that have made The American Republic.
Concord was the first settlement III New Engian
ABOVE ude water Ii was planted directly rom
the mother country, aud was wnat called a
motaer town, the parent OF otner settlements
IN King Pnillp's war, and zoo years sgo-jnst
century before the minute men wnom We com
memorate-tne militia OF MddleseX were organ.
lzed minute men against the Indians. IL - q
Concord TRADITION that IN those stern DAYS, when
Mary Shepard, a girl VI fifteen, watching on
one OIL tue nils Tor the savages wuIe her brothers
tnreshed III the barn. suddenly the Indians APP
peared, slew The brothers and carried her away.
In he night, wne the sayages slept, she united a
ole from under tue head OF one OF Ger
captors, mounted, ned. swan tue Nashua River
was the true ancestor Of tne Concord malrons
VINO sHars the fame of tnis daY-o Mrs. James
Barrett, o. the widow brosn, VI Mrs. Amos " oOd
aud Hannah turns, vita the other ialta.ul women
whose sel-eommand aud READY
snow taat the mothelF u New England were like
The lathers anu .nat equally IN botn their cnIl-
oten nav reverence thsir own best virtues. a
little later than fnipis war; lso years ago last
nght, while some. VI the nrst settlers OF MassA-
ehusetis Bay stu fingered. when tue news came
tnat King James IL. had been detbroned, con-
pany marched irOm tnIs Town and joined that
general uprising OF toe colony wbieh tne next
day-thls very qay-wlth old Simon Braustreet at
It's head, deposed sir Eamund Andros. tue Kings
Governor, and restored the anclent charter VI sac
Engllshmen, said tue EpGllsh MOBILES, as they
seated William aud Mary upon the throne. We
ask nothing more. said the ireemen OF Concord,
as they helped 10 Dissolve royal government IN
America, ana retornsa 70 ther homes. klghtg-
gress winch had been called to meet AZ Concord,
II Tor any reason the General Court AZ
salem were ohstructed, assembled in tue Old
meeting house on tue iltn OF october. liza toe
hrst Jude peGdent Legislature IN Massachusetts
and America: and from tnat aOur 10 thls Tue old
Inotner iown has never forgotten tue words nor
orsNoFn the faitn VI the Revolution whicn ngd
peea proclaimed here slx weeks before i-"No
Danger saal alright, no difficulties intlmIdats ust
and Il 10 support VI our EiRnm We ars called %
encounter eYen oeAth, We are vet uhdsunte0,
scnsIBle that be oan never die 500 soon wno lays
uown ms lie "a support o. tRe laws anu Aoeftles
ol his country
pUr TUE TnuE 0LonY OF CONCORD,
as OF all New England, MAS the town meeting, The
uursoIy OF American independence Nbcn sac
Revolution pegan, oil toe 5000 600 VI people tBeu
living 10 Old Eugend only 200 we're voters,
nnllo Va New EnglAnd the great mass OF Tree male
aduIts we electors. And they haa been 80 lrUGn
the laadlng a. Plymouth Here ia the wilderness
the settlo.a were lOrosd to govern themselves.
1hey could not constantly refer and appeal to
anOtneT authority twenty miles away thr0VEh ne
WOODS Every day brought ia duty that lEust ue
done before sunset KOaas must % MADE. scnOOis
built, young men trained " arnls against the
saVages and the WNd cat taxes musg
be laid and collected Tor AL common purposes,
preaching must Oe maintalnedj anu who could
Know tue tune, tue means aud tle necessity ~
well as the community ItsefY r4us eacn town
was little anu a perfect republic, as SOLITARY ana
secluded in tue New Enalsnd wilderness As the
pautyns among A pruCtI.