Orangeburg news and times. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1875-1877, 1876-01-22
A Centennial Vision.

y
lie, I, George Washington Greene,
depose md state as follows: That,
on the night of the 22d of February
last, [ attended a meeting Of the mem
bers of the Utopian Club, and that
there md then many patriotic speeches
were made and toasts drank and the
rosy circulated freely.
Late in the evening gentleman,
evidently thoroughly acquainted with
geography, arose and slightly leaning
upon the back of his chair, to add to
the grace Of his posture, proposed, in a
voice husky with emotion, The Uni
ted States Of America-boundcd on
the North by Canada; OH the South
by the Gulfof Mexico; on the Fast by
the Atlantic, md OIL the West by the
Pacific Ocean And that this stu
pcndous toast was received with great
enthusiasm by the club, and that
every glass was instantly empticd and
every voice raised III acclamation.
That immediately thereafter mem
Der with a bald head and philosophi-
cal face, and whose initials are G. w.
c., arose and said, Gentle and
U-tophians, l endorse the sentiments
of the preceding toastcr, but, in my
opinion, his toast ~as not sufficiently
buttcrcd; in fact he has con fined our
great country within such narrow
limits that | already begin to feel
crampcd for room, aud tlc-men;
with your permission Ipcopose an
amendment. This was greeted with
prolonged applause and cries Of The
amend mentH Give us morer etc.
The sage of the Utopian then pro-
cccslcd 'Thc United States of Amcri
ca; bound cd on nc Norts, by the North
Pole, on the South by the euth Pole;
on the East by the Rising, and on the
West by the Setting Sualr
That tremendous excitement en-
SUI: d, and that the members, all that
we're able, arose and gave three ines
three, and that ere the echoes had ex-
pircd, II young and ambitious man
who had apparently been suffering
ircm collie or II desire to be heard,
leaning across the middle OF the table,
gazcd into vacancy, and addressed ii
thus, Will, all the eyes that were not
closed in meditation were aimed ut
him;
Gentlemen, with all Difference to
the distinguished (hic) Utopians who
have spoken, must (,ic) express
myself dissatisfied. In fact. no Ameri-
can citizen has ever (hic), in my opin-
ion, properly conceived the extent Of
his country, and therefore I (hic) feel
it my duty opropose an amendment
to the last 7 With strong emphasis,
and i'll the midst of complete silence
the Utopians b cling filled with awe
ut the very thought of the unknown
vastncss Of their land Gentlemen 7
then rccommon ccd the young man,
speaking slowly and solemnly, an d
hcightcning the effects Of his words
by peculiar sound like the feeble
popping of cork-a sound which, l
confess, he emitted with great frequ.
cncy and skill, our magnificent coun-
try is bounded OH the north by (hic)
the Aurora Borcalis, On the south
by the (hic) professions Of the Equi-
nox-cs, OH the cast by Ancient (hic)
Chaos, and OIL the west by the Day of
Judgmcnt!!!' That then no sound
was heard, other than feeble pop
ping Of corks by several members, and
several other members were so much
overcome by the sublime nature ofthc
boundary that they sank exhausted
beneath the table; others were uncon-
scious in their seats. That then the
deponent arose to depart, but even he
staggered under the awful character
Of that boundary as he wendcd his
way to his hotel on Union Square,
while the hour of twelve doomed forth
from St. Georges.
And further, that he was much sur
priscd at bcholding a throng Of men