Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1876-07-13

land. who in their day and ge.esat;oa
revolutionised the political ana eAaaeed
the civil and ecclesiastical polity e he
province whenever the same eon6icted
with the organic law Of the charter.
The social history Of that generatioa
Of men by whom great political changes
in country are effected, must ever Gre
ate singular interest in the hearts Of
their descendants.
But when that revolution il tie start.
ing point Of great principle of political
action. by which the destinies Of unborn
nationalities are to be controlled and the
fate of millions ameliorated, its memo
ries come down to US filed with the sol.
emn grandeur Of = sacred era in the
worlds history.
The annals of Saint Mary's. however
overshadowed by the cotemporaneous
history Of the Fatherland. present.alI
the glowing incidents which constitute
the romance Of history-all the martial
virtues which give poetic inspiration to
the deeds Of heroic age-all the un.
bridled passions which darken human
records with their crimes.
Upon the historical panorama, in char.
acteristic light and shade. typical en-.
bodiments Of principles, passions and
powers, We behold the defending and
ife-sacri6cing devotion of Leonard Cal.
vert. the persevering energy and blasted
ambition Of Clayborne, the sublime des-
pair of the Indian warrior as he turned
his back upon the setting sun, the haugh.
ty sorrow ofthe prosecuted Catholic, the
silSptssartyr to the political blunders Of
kiskiag, the grim, stern, unfaltering Fen.
dali, the turbulent and seditious Coode
he Rienzi of Maryland, who first upon
the streets ofSt. Mays taught "that in.
surrection is the sacred duty of man, -
words which one century later deluged
France with the noblest blood of Europe
the bold Buccaneer, the oceans darl.
ing and the oceans curse, grand and
gorgeous in his one virtue and q thou.
sand crimes. the stealthy and astute
smuggler. the sublimated fanatic, with
all the events, passions and interests Of
which they are the agents and the ex.
ponents, all pass in review upon the
glowing canvass. and then comes the
final struggle Of antagonistic creeds and
dynasties with which the seventeenth
century closes upoa the world.
1t had come to pass that in the day,
Of 1889 William and Mary ascended the
throne Of England, a great political rev.
olution had been contaminated, the or.
ganic laws Of a realm had been changed
the representative. after . struggle Of
FIVE centuries, had become the supreme
power in the land of the Anglo-Saxon.
An era IN the annals of mankind had
been opened in which 4 new principle
Of government had acquired the ascen.
daney to begin its course of empire, to
run its race through a series of triumph
and disaster, Of sorrow and crime fol-
generations to come-new ideas of &c.
clesiastical Poiity were incorporated into
the constitution Of q nation for the flu.
ture veal or woe of its unborn millions.
The powers and principalities of earth
had drawn the sword Of sectar;an war.
fare in the 18th century, and the map OF
Europe was their battle -field-the torch
Of the " Reformation" had L ,dled the
war between two ideas called " liberty
and ab.olutism" and the Christian world
was in q blaze.
Marshaling the forces and controlling
the operations Of this war Of opinion.
there appeared in these days Of 1853
two embodiments Of the belligerent pow.
ers-William III. Of England and Loui.
XIV. Of Franee-governed BY the an
tagonistic principles Of action which
drove their people to arms. The one to
sustain the spiritual infallibility Of an Ell.
der creed for which martyrs Of early
days had died and in which 90 many
holy men had lived. The other, to main.
tain the rights Of men in q simpler faith,
which in its turn presented long cal.
endar ofmartyrs sealing with their blood
and ashes the faith in which they lived.
The one, with the ambition Of Cesar
the craft Of Maeehiavelli. the grace Of
Antinoas. the eAeminacy Of Sardanapu.
lus. made religion the pr-text to grasp
the crown Charlemagne. With the 9th.
er. the zeal Of antagoaistic creed "a.
the inspiration Of stern unbendins will,
IN ialaxible purpose. IN unfalterins pol.
icy. never had Rome 30 magnificent ,
champion - the eldest con Of her IN.
Gent faith. Never did the 3" Refo, ma.
ton" rally around its standard . eaptaiu
OF such eonsummate ability q the mon.
arch Of England.
Both were served BY the spost.te in.
telleets and prostituted faculties Of II
Who were eminent among men-bosl