, 1876-07-03

Government that should, above al1 other peo
pies, exalt the Wo-thiest men and rise above the
| Old World statecrast OF intrigue and force to
something like the ideal of q fine Christian
| craftsmanship. But this won't come vi itself.
| this, which alone can make real national great
| ness, this won't come OF ITSELF. There is no
more nliscnievous dclusion than that comfortable
idea which SO many people seem to have, that
the great issues OF national life work themselves
out automatically; that what q few individuals
can do cannot possibly matter In the long run,
IS simply lost in general sweep Of eEen4s, and
that, therefore, the individuals only concern Is
! to take care Of himself. History, al through,
| shows the utter fallacy Of this. It shows it
| failures; alike by what few have done, and by
| what has gone undone for lack even OF few!
] Would Christianity have made the way it did
il those few who at first were all that cared for
it, had shrank back from their hard service, If
Peter had stuck to his fishing and Paul had pre-
ferred to "add house to house and field to
field u by tent-making at Tarsus2 Yet every
one Of those first disciples might we'll have
thought himself too humble for it to matter
which way his life was given: Would the
that held Europe down,-if not :Huss and
Luther,-but tile nameless burghers OF the
German and English cities who were the real
strength OF the Reformation, had held their
peace and preferred gain to duty! Would your
own INDEPENDENCE hare been achieved if those
citizen-leaders and citizcn-soldicrs OF a century
agohad not set public spirit before private gain!
Those are instances in which men have been
found faithful, and the great, good work has
been done. But history has many another
crisis to show in which tile possibility, the op-
portunity, the need have been as striking, as
urgent,-but the men have not been found.
sellshness has been too powerful, and
the right has failed. It was euch
4 crisis when that old prophet whose
wora is sn ours today strqys but strGvs vany
d crisis whea Socrates strove rs nobly, ana alas
as yainly, to breathe manlier spirit into the
ctfeminate Atheninns OF his day. It was such
crisis when Renzi, with lofty dream Of pat
crate Italians the hcroism and loyalty of an
cient Rome It was such crisis when the
RuguenotS, who MIGHT have breatbcd into
FRANCE a strong Puritan life that would have led
her On by steady progress, instead Of fierce and
own before they were ruthiezsly7 crushed IT she'd out out.
Why has the wrong triumpEel in these and
other dark episodes Of history2 Why? Has it
been because there were few on the side Of right,
and the rest were definitely against it? MOI 1t
reused into taking sides, the right always tri-
umphed. No! but because the many have not
been hostile, but Indifferent. They did not take
the wrong side, but they did not actively take
the right side. All the side they took was the
side of their own profit. Let Elisha look after
the Lords word and the Lords work If he liked.
What they cared for was the chance Of another !
charge Of Taiment and another talent Of silver. I
Let the right conquer or, go to the wall; let
Christ be crucitiel, or Barabbas; let the Pope
burn Luther, or Luther overthrow the Pope
it has been all one to then SO that they could /
get in their crops, md go IN laying house to |
house and field to field Thus it has been |
with 1nn1titudcs, even in the worlds sorest |
eous men might have saved a. city, and g dozen !
fearless, outspoken, public-spirited men alight |
have turned whole uation's future! And SO |
history, oil through, confutcs that ignohlc fatal
ism which regards the tnture Of people as simply
must = work out their salvation"
And new, dear friends, standing on the |
threshold of your second hundred years of na-
tional life, put it to you to ask yourselves very
earnestly What can you dc, what ought you to
which is so jllnstrious5 And the answer is not |
far to seek. The whole great need Of the time
is oil summed up in That one phrase, public
spirit before priVute gain: "Pnb]ic spirit"
don't need me to instruct you on public policy
no people in the world, probably, have SO uni
rersal and intelligent an interest in the ques-
ions Of the time. You don't need me to stir
rou up to seek for larger 1iberties-you have
more liberties already, aud you give them more
han any other nation under the s1n-more in
Iced than are half put to their true use. Nor
10 you need me to teach you honesty. The
london 1inaes said, q while since, speaking OF
some Of the frauds that have come out OF late,
md that make many people ready to despair,
hat there was not the least occasion for such |
despair, because, behind all that, the great life
# the American people was thoroughly honest +
md sound. And SO 1t is; but can that great
mass OF sound and honest life be reached and
ouse1? That is the question. Public spirit
lie earnest doing OF public duty-that is what
layo been preaching Ill my life in England, and
,ow come over here and I find it is your Que
,reat need as we'll.
Oh, friends, it is not I who plead
nth you for this. It is those mem
rics which I am trying fecbly to recall
t is those memories which speak to you In the
IGNORED names of those who fought that good |
ght hundred years ago! It is the priceless
oon Of national unity, and free, living institu-
ions which they obtained with great price,
ut into which 1aou are t'frce born" All, yes
nd it is the countless graves, still fresh and |
rcen, Of those who in that later, terrible strug-
lc, fought and died to keep that national life
nbrokeIl, and to make it still more free! It is
IL these which plead with you! It is their :
pirit-hands which point you to the opportuni-
les and duties OF to-day. It is their silent ]
oiccs which call on you to be strong, and watch /
nd quit yourselves like men!