Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-06-02

hearts with every return Of this day. shrink
from the path where must fall so far short ofwhat
| would say; and l have thought II not ill-tmed,
in this Centennial year. TO look back to the times
and men OF the Revolution, and TO compare them
briefly with those OF our war which, almost a cen
fury later, completed the work our fathers had left
imperfect and made their great declaration 3 liv
ing fact
Willie would rot with sacrilesious hand pluck
one leaf from the chaplet which the heroes
OF the Revolution molly earned. vet it would be
the worst detractOn ADMIT that the free nstitu
tons which they founded have fallen SO far short
OF the true ends OF all government, that the men
grown up under and formed by them, are q centu-
ry after unworthy TO defend and maintain the lib
critics their fathers achieved. No matter what ad-
vance a state may make in population and wealth.
in learning and art and all the ordinary meas
Of progress, we must count II worse than loss
If made al the expense Of the true manness Of her
Many things conspire to throw a halo around our
ideas Of the Revolution. l. the travail that
gave birth not only TO great nation, but TO new
ideas Of government and people. OF king and state
craft. The men Of that time builded better III an
they knew, as true men always do.
God lays with wiser hands than man.
The corner stones Of liberty"
They could not have toreseen the wde-reschng
influence OF their work, as we now see 1t. They did
dream that the old theory Of the divine right OF
kings would be compelled so soon almost the
worle TO yield precedence to their new doctrine
@. the diuiHer n zht % man We eve them credit
Tor results which they could not have ante psted,
and SO look upon them as not only apostles but
prophets OF universal liberty. They stand out be-
tore types Of all that IS worthy OF emulation.
We have drunk in this feeling OF seneration from
the very cradle. Our pride Of family and birth
first reused by some story Of the brave deeds
o. an ancestor who fought at Lexington or Bunker
HI. In our early school lessons our young hearts
were fired by reading the elcquenee Of Henry and
OTIS, and our patriotism kind4ed by the pictured
pa -e %. Wasangtou crossing the Delaware, OF War
ren's death. and Putnam ride, and Mad Anthony
charge.
But we see only the br ,ht shts in the picture.
Time has generously thrown It's mantle over all
that could shade the c0lorng. The greatest and
best men Of that time stand In our minds as the
representatives o. al. They we're heroes, every
one, and We can hardly ALLOW any admixture Of
common clay among them.
The War " the Rebellion was commenced with
IN the memory u most VI Us. We knew the men
in all tneir home relations. We had in our own
N nds fixed their marx with references to the
common level OF every day Affairs and II was not
easy 10 change our judgments.
We Them 90 away 10 the iront-possibly We
were quick 10 see that It was especially theT
cuty 10 g. We heard and were glad that they |
did vel in tie field. We saw many Of them
brought homo to lie in these quiet church yaTcs |
anon. Their native hills. We read long columns "
the names o. the fallen. We saw many come home |
INA med 10 body or broken IN health. We saw al |
this and much more. and yet u il had occurred |
to Is 10 compare these men " IL the men VI the |
Revelation, how many OF Us would have admitted |
tyes were As h-n their love % country unseli- |
ISL. their sacrifices great, " hardly that their
courage was quite true.
Let Us see which war really made the heav est |
drafts upon the patriotism OF soldier and people.
COnslGer first Tie state O! preparation aud read
iness ior u conf CT in the two cases The icea OF |
resistance to royal authority BY Al appeal to arms
At the most suspicious tine, had been IN the minds
o. the people for teE years before the outbreak o!
the Revolution, and they had been quietly pre-
parinz Tor H. statesmen had still earlier ioreseen
and pTophes ed lts coming and planned to have
the country ready when tho times we're ripe. The |
q acton had worked for L. the train bands
v err or ar IGer. he men
ready, arms and material Of war had been pro-
ylded. The men themselves had many OF them
seen service "a INST the French and Indians. They
were al :rontlersmen, ior the whole country was
frontier, nursed amid alarms, accustomed 10 hard
ship and exposure, skilled IN the pursuit OF game
and in al the expedieuts u wOcdcrait and camp
lie, quick and with the rllo. They
soldiers, ready 70 han1.
In our case, al these conditions were reversed.
We had heard mutterinSs Or a storm, but would
not believe iiH fse boom of faeir cannon eoHrIHesd
as, that our brethren would ire upon the old fla.
that had 50 long sheltered Us al. Our arms had
been stolen, and our Little army stationed that
i must iau into the hands Of our enemies or at
east not be available Tor ready help.
We, ourselves had not been trained 10 martial
pursuits Half century without a war Of any ma
iional magnitude and OF wonderful prosperity and
ADVANCE IA al the arts Of peace. had raised up 4
at the North who knew not the sound Of
and 10 whom It's very dea was abhorrent. The
men OF the south had a. the outset great advan- |
ages over Us rom their general habits o. out-oi-
.our life and practice IN the use OF arms and espe-
lA4ly rom the 4Act tlAt they were IN D!tter earn
81 from the very first, which we were SLOW pos
iole 10 recognize. We were absorbed in eur peace
u pursuits, in cur farms, factories and studies,
nd had gathered about the fruits OF our lAbors |
q pleasant hOmes flied with all the comforts and
1xuries VI our advanced civilization. We were
ariVins and prosperous, and, o. course somewhat
nclined 10 iruwn upon all serious political agita
on which threatened 10 disturb quiet, and TO
eject as prophets Of evil all who warned US OF dan
or 20 come. We had forgotten that eternal vgi
lnee is the price OF liberty. We were in danger
. a |
o man has any Just claim 10 a share in It, who is
OF ready with his life 10 defend his sovereignty
hen IN peril.
Again. compare other conditions Of the service | :
nd the objects fought Tor IN the two wars. c
The men u the revolution enlisted mainly for
hort terms and served comparatively near their
lmes. They early expected uf they should 50
induct "a to deserve ~ that generous aid from '
rance which they Afterwards received, and they ,
Ad from the first the sympathy and moral support q
leading minds the world over, even in the .
'gislative halls OF their adversaries. And VINO {
N doubt that the ringing words Of Chatham and 5
urke IN the Brush ParliamsLt were worth resi- ,
ents to the patriot cause Their enemies were b
reign, and 10 large part mercenaries Of another a
ngua-e and race. forced 10 come here hy the most
ssraesul means, which AN glad 10 believe
Ould now be Impossible anywhere IN the civilized
orld- Every colony and almost every communi- | =
was actually invaded, often menaced, and the =
ldiers were hzhtlng Tor their homes and all they l.
I'd scar. They lad the advantage o. q thorough | .
owiedse Of the country aad the encouragement Of q
sins tnlt the ey oi t0elr friends and neighbors
re upon them. Every condition WAS calculated | -
rouse the sluggish confirm the wavering and ii
rye the cOwardly. 4.
The soldier of the War of the Rebellion enlisted j
serve ior a long term far IRON his home, an
ir endly climate whose victims tar outnumbered
bee Of the terrible battles. lie was in the enemys NJ
lntry, which had great natural advantages for =
iensve war' and It's people were united and de-
mined in its defence and il must be admitted with
intense faith in the justice Of their cause. u
The force Of these considerations OF the nature and
alton OF the conflict, will be ielt by every soldier
he Army the Potomac when he remembers how b.
'b3 win every step northward his heart beat -,
onger and every nerve was tense, and how this III
nit made itself felt in that great eliminating Iii
tie where the tide Of rebellion was rolled back :
IN Northern soil. W
Washington wisely led defensive war, saving o. >,
od and treasure. The changed conditions made IL
5 an aggressive one tie attack and OF
4uent assaults upon strongly fortified positions
"a the resultant loss OF life. Compare II you will "
ratio OF killed IN battle in any three years of
Revolution and IN that three months fight from
wilderness u Petersburg. hn
he Revolution was inaugurated TO resist -
aten so unjust, that Burke characterized IL as sp
n attempt made TO dispose Of the property -
whole people without their consent" The co
se appealed directly TO the personal interest Of on
ny man. Success, too, promised them indepen- ap
Ice and Independence that growth and devel- fo
nent OF resources which they could not hope for Al
ne their commercial relations were held tribu- III
y 10 the mother country. -,
ur war promised NO increase OF wealth or other Vi
ect material benefit to soldier or people. Our We
les were not III danger-we had no yoke OF taxa -,
To throw of. On the other hand war was sure WI
'rlng heavy taxation aud great loss oflife and DR.
perry. We might have let the South go in .
ce and still kept on about our affairs with IN,
ividual loss disturbance Cf local institu- -;
IS. In other words, we mi ht have admitted Ju'
the wOTK Of the revolution was in vain-that col
,ublcanism Il iailure-that it lacked the
nents of healthy growth and self-correcton and ma
'ervaton-that it had bred degenerate race of
/, unworthy of the responsibilities devolving
u them-HOHe OF which, thank Heaven, We
Q ready to admit.
egun, On our part to sustain the authority OF
dag TO preserve the integrity OF the Common Lie
18th and to vindicate those principles of SELF
bequeathed to us by our fathers it soon
lme evident that we were combating not q re- to
ion OF men or OF States, but false principle az;
Oh our fathers had tolerated in the body po- oio
as they believed for n short time only. 1t rad
Q evident that in a government founded upon :.
principle that "all men created equal and mi
wed by their Creator with certain inzlienable Do,
Is and among these lberty"-it became evil ~o'
, | say, that in such a government, any system of
arsry was in itself rebellon-that the conflict a.,
one Of opposing principles, either Of which We
= true the other must be false that they could |
exist together, and that their antagonism must Pie
v stronger and stronger til one or the other res
shed.
no that believes that an overruling Providence ma
Dis every honest blow struck for the right, could
It the issue.
tn wars will stand together in history as wagsd EN-
or the ambition OF kings or lust of power, but
reat principles involving human rights and lar
iberties OF a whole people and far-reaching "a,
cir effects, may we not add, affecting the des-
8 Of all mankind. They will take their places thi
by SIDE as alike in their spirit and final results.
easy and natural to speak Of the good old ore
: N disparagement OF our own. 1t 10 true Va,
were giants, and many brave, earnest men in w.
early days. Have they been wanting In hon
Can the impartial historian Of = hundred M.
and even the great Nsshinxson SsSsr rank ,I
y thoss who loved liberty and their fslloW'
and dsssrvsdswsu Of the Rspublis. than b. app