The Morning herald., 1876-07-05

uiehts the constant tendency by which par.
TICS decline into factions and end In con.
spiracies; all these miscriefs beset al
governments, and are part Of the life of eacf
generation. To deal with these evils-tht
tasks and burdens of the immediate future
the nation needs oother resources than the
principles and the examples OF our past his
tory supply. These principles, these exam
pies OF our fathers, are the strength and tht
safety OF our State to-day.
Union, liberty, power, prosperity-these
are our possessions to-day. Our territor,
is safe against foreign dangers: it's com
pleteness dissuades from further ambitions
" extend 1t, and it's rounded symmetry dis
courages all attempts to dismember it, Nc
division into greatly unequal parts would be
tolerable to either. No imaginable union
e1 interests or passions, large enough to in
clude one-half the country, but must en-
brace much more. The madness of parti-
t1on into numerous and feeble fragments
could proceed only from the hopeless degra-
dation OF the people, and would form but an
incident in general ruin.
The spirit of the nation is at the highest
Its triumph over the Unborn, inbred perils
OF its Constitution has chased away all
Tears, justified all hopes, and with universal
Joy we greet this day. We have not proved
unworthy of great ancestry; we have had
the virtue to uphold what they so wisely,
SO firmly es ablished. With these proud
possessions Of the past, with powers mat
ured, with principles settled, with habits
formed, the nation passes as it were from
preparatory growth to responsible develop-
ment OF character, and the steady perform
ance OF duty. What labors await it, what
Trials shall attend it, what triumphs for hu-
man nature, what glory for itself, are pre-
pared for this people in the coming century,
we may not assume to foretell. Gone gen
Grafton passeth away, and another genera
lion cometh, but the earth abideth forever,v
ana we reverently hope that these our con
stituted liberties shall be maintained to the
ending line of our posterity, and so long as
the earth Itself shall endure.
lime makes no pauses in his march
Even while l speak the last hour of the re-
cedlng is replaced by the first hour of the
coming century, and reverence for the past
gives way to the joys and hopes, the actiyi-
Ties and responsibilities of the future. A
hundred years hence the piety of that gen
eratlon Will recall the ancestral glory
Wnicn we celebrate to-day, and crown It |
Win the plaudits of vast population which
no man can number. By the mere circum.
stance Of this periodicity our generation will
pe IN tile minds, in the hearts, on the lips of
our countrymen at the next Centennial
commemoration in comparison with their
own character and condition, and with the
great founders of the nation. What shall
lhey say OF us? How shall they estimate
Inc part we bear in the unbroken line of the
natlon's progress! And 80 on, in the long
feach OF time, forever and forever, our
Piacel - secular roll of the ages must
'iWayS bring us into observation and criti-
ism. Under this double trust, then, from
ne past and for the future, let us take heed
Q our ways, and while it is called to-day,
esolve that the great heritage we have re-
elved shall be handed down through the
ong line OF the advancing generations, the
ONE OF liberty, the abode of justice, the
trongnold OF faith among men, "which
lolds the moral elements of the world to-
;etner, and Of faith in God, which binds
hat world to His throne.
Concluding Exercises.
Mr.. Evarts' Grafton concluded. the uHa1-
elujah Chorus" from Handel's Messiah !,
'as performed by the orchestra and chorus.
nd Inc ceremonies concluded with the sing.
~ OF the doxology, "The Old Hundredth s
salm," In which the entire assemblaoe
)ined. '"s'
Ovation to Distinsuished Men.
The echoes of cold Hundred, had bare
dled out when the audience began calling
'udly for General Sherman, and that ais.
nguished military man came forward. IA
e Greeted with lusty cheers, which were \
;kno .lcdged by = graceful bow, and the
enera! resumed his seat. Generals Sheri- 2
ln ana Hooker, the Governors Of Michi- 4
y, Kentucky, and New Jersey, were then q
ll!ed out 10 order, and also made the re- 0
ptents Of loud cheers. 80 - Q
Erof Archer, Of Great Britain. Hon =
Aliem "A. Evarts, and Dom Pedro were n
" cnee RED; and then the assemblsee pro. j
edsd'to disperse. p'o a
The Doxology. q q
it MAs curious to notice how MANY peonla Il
sre n we're n the crowd who did not seem
~ 70 comprehend what the Doxolorv =
4ns ee. Ihe aunouncement WAS m936 4
y Snls closing exefclee Wa abeut "a ~ =
=. and ~ wsre requested 70 join ii ths 81
~. AZ - :cnce 1hsse No. : eoneral ~