Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1876-06-29
FOURTH o. July.

On next Tuesday, Shenandoah vii!
celebrate the centennial anniversary OF
the Declaration Of Independence An
old time enthusiastic celebration is exs
pectcd. Prof. Salyards, of New Mar
ket, will deliver the address, ard the
occasion will be enliyeneG by the
presence Of the New Market, Strasburg
and Woodstock Brass Bands 1t is
our duty to be enthusiastic in the cele-
bration OF this great day. Some, it is
true, will Gnd it difficult to warm up
those fires of patriotic enthusiasm which
this day used to inspire, when they
know that the government under
which we live, as it has been admins
tered during the last ten years, is no
better than, and pcsaaps not as good as
that of which we we're declared indie
pendent enc hundred years ago. We
are the living witnesses of repeated acts
OF tyranny more calling and more op-
presive than were those which drove
the colonies from the mother country.
Even during the centennial celebration
of our National Independence. we hear
threats of enslayiug by military power
several Of the States OF the Union. But
these petty acts Of tyranny and usurpa-
ton are but the dying throes Of party
whose services we propose to dispense
with after the fourth day Of next
March. With all effrontery peculiar to
themselves they have appropriated all
the honors from the landing of Colum-
bus to the opening Of the Centennial
exhibition.
We, of Shenandoah, do not propose
10 give up these honors. The fourth
of July is day which we claim 10
celebrate and we propose to celebrate
it almost upon the identical spot where
the first American declaration of In
dependence was read for, before jeff
erson gave expression to the ideas
which were engrafted into the declaras
ton of Independence and even one
year before the celebrated Mecklenburg
declaration was written, and when it was
treason to speak, ShenaHdoah's sons, in
the town of Woodstock, at q meeting
called for the purpose, by resolutions
gave expression to the ideas which af-
forwards formed the basis of the nations
al declaration of Independence. Upon
the grounds where Muhlenburg, the pa
triotsmeacher Of the revolution, delivers
ed .his remarkable discourse from the
text.TsIhere is time for every purpose
and eveW work, and at the close of his
sermon exclaimed in thunder tones ::
''The time O preach is past; the time to
fight has comes" and suiting the action
tion to the words, threw off the Episco-
pal robes and stood before his congrega
ton arrayed in military uniform and
transformed into recruiting officer for
the revolutionary army: upon the same
ground that the hardy yeomanry of
those days enlisted under the banner OF
their country and by their CALAMITY and
patriotism won the name of ''rebel," we
propose to devote day in commemora-
ton of their virtues, and in celebration
of their daring deeds We can admire
their heroism, we can rejoice in the
courage that quailed not before royal
edicts, we can glory in the. name Of
'rebel' which they won by fighting
against tyranny, andtransmitted to
their posterity with the dispose
tlon to respect the very name
when its opposite means humble SUBJ
ission to or craven cowardice before
tyranny. 1t is our d ay and we propose
TO celebrate 1t in our way. Let all who
cherish the spirit of our revolutionary
fathers and who have inherited the same
love of liberty, which is native of the
mountains of this Valley, join with us
in good old fashioned FOURTH OF JU>
~.
Mr.. BLAINE or, at least, Mr.. Blame S
friends, it appears were well acquainted