The Portland daily press., 1876-07-04
Our National Birthday.

-tatlOnS may properly celebrate tnelr DlrLn-
day once in hundred years. Egypt and As
syria reached their twentieth before they
went down; Rome saw twelve;' France and
the Ottoman Empire have reached their
twelfth, which is probably the last which the
latter will see; England may fairly claim ten,
and this day ushers in our nations first.
Certainly no nation ever showed such grand
progress in its first century as that which
ours has to exhibit, and such has been its
happy lot that its greatness Is triumph of
peace rather than of war. If it be still an in
FAINT among the nations of the world, ID is an
infant Hercules, and its labors have begun
even in the cradle. The boldest monarchical
skeptic will hardly dare to claim now that
republic cannot be maintained, and the pre-
cepts of the great declaration made by our
fathers in 1776 have gone out to the utter
most parts of the earth 10 encourage and ami
mate all oppressed peoples. The growth of
population from three up to forty millions is
glorious prophecy of future greatness, and
the liberation of the blacks is a no less signif-
cant indication of progress towards public
virtue.
If our own city has not grown as rapidly as
the great cities of the West, it has at least
Kept pace with the world at large, and is one
OF the leading cities of the country in iniu-
ence. In 1776 there were lcss than three
thousand inhabitants, and only two hundred
and thirty dwellings, dozen wharves and
scanty surrounding population. If we recall
in Imagination the little town with its low,
dingy, wooden houses and shops, its country
like roads, the swamps, the gardens, the
orchards and the surrounding pastures, and
the few small vessels which carried its COM
merce at that day, and compare them with
the fine dwellings, the warehouses and the
splendid facilities for trade which we now
behold, we cannot feel that the century has
been wasted. Indeed, we may congratulate
ourselves that its growth has been sufficiently
slow to admit Of gathering up and preserving
all the threads of affection and sentiment that
link us to the past; that a mad rush and
whirl of business has not driven out the Old
families and the old familiar names and sup
planted them with new race; that exces-
sive wealth and extreme indgence, the two
giants, Cog and Magog, who rule so many
great cities, have not set up their reign among
us and driven out the happier middle class,
who are neither rich nor poor, but, contented
and diligent, can good-naturedly congratulate
their wealthy neghbors on their success, and
kindly compassionate and assist their poorer
brethren; that we have not grown so widely
apart but that every citizen may know nearly
every other; so that an old townsman who
has gone in and out among us for four-score
years cannot pass away unnoted, but the
word will pass from mouth to mouth, and
the whole towns-people, as in the o,den time,
will feel that friendly sympathy which is so
soothing to the grieving friends and even to
the man who lies adying. Neither have our
| citizens in their. devotion to public duty
| fallen short of their ancestors. They sent no
| larger quota to the revolutionary armies in
proportion than did we to the almies of
Liberty. That they made no more gallant
record in that war, bear witness the reception
| of the Seventh regiment:
"Sodiers from red Autietam's plains
Heroes of battles ten'-
| when they marched through our streets with
our brave Governor Connor at their head,
"Haggard with toll, fatigue and pain
| Soiled and smoky with battle-stain,
Coming back to their homes again.
Changed as by many years."
On April .4th, 1888, Parson Smith records
that they chad mad day of rejoicing"
over the news of peace, "fring cannon in
cessantly from morning to night, among the
houses, and ended in killing Mr.. Rollins,''
| (by the bursting of 3 cannon; but who can
forget that memorable ninth of April, 1865,
when the news of Lees capituation came
in fash of lightning from the Virginia bat
tle-field, and the midnight bells aroused the
whole city, while every street blazed with
impromptu bonfire and illumination.
When we visit the old burial ground be-
meath MuDjoy the record upon the tombs OF
Commodore Preble and his brave compan-
ions is almost ecl;psed by that upon the me-
mortal to the two "dead captains" whose
fame fairly belongs to our century, as they
were of new generation from those who
wrought at the first building of our temple
of Liberty, yet, when the next centennial
comes around, the pulses of our great grand
children will thrill more strongly when they
gaze upon the Tacony flag aud hear how
their grandsires rushed out after the stolen
cutter in unarmed steamers, determined to
| run her down. and by their bold action actu