The Morning herald., 1876-07-05
|THE DEMONSTRATION
AT CITY HALL.
Grafton, Prayer, Music

with fiags and bunting, which softened the
hard lines Of the platform and gave relief 10
the deep green Of the trees. 1t was fair
and brave sight to view the platform crowd
cd with the intelligence, wealth, and of1ciai
dignity Of the city; but fairer WAS the
wealth Of beauty which filed the windows
and every niche adjoining: blonde and
brunette, matron and maid, alike seductive
in their beauty. It was sight enhancing,
and when their soft hands clspped almost
musically in appreciation Of the patriotic
periods of the orator, or their shapely
forms bent in unison with the prayers OF
divines, 1t made one feel that such women
would perpetuate Q race certain to hold
freedoms fort In this land for another cen
tury. -,
His Honor Mayor Whitley presided with
dignity and grace, and carried out the pro-
pramme Of exercises with the quiet tact 90
naturally his. The Rev. George Kramer
opened the proceedings with heartfelt and
touching prayer followed by
"THE STAR sPANGLED BANNER"
sung by the Millard Club, with soul-stirring
power. .......
THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
was read, and read with meaning and true
emphasis, by Professor Wiley. Music
again enlivened the audience, which by this
time were very numerous, filing all the
space in front of the State House, and al
most across Market street. The Mayor
then introduced John O'Byrne, Esq, who
was warmly aud rapturously applauded.
After few Introductory sentences, he
spoke substantially as follows:
Mr.. Mayor, councilmen, citizens and Ia
dies
One hundred years have come and gone,-
and in some land the waves of time have left
no impress. Not so with US. A century
ago what were wee To-day what are we
We were then 3,OOO, 900 of people, we are
now over 40,0QO,0O0. What does this mean,
what wonderous national tale is this 2 Is it
not a mistake. In all the annaled past
the story is matchless. Go back to the
frontier line of fact and fable, begin at the
misty border which marks tn. boundary of
exact knowledge, and Gull out the most ex-
traordinary stories of national progress;
parallel them with our tale of century;
and how dry and insipid are they, how def
cient in dramatic force, how slow and limp
ing in gait, how denuded Of the element
of human happiness, when compared with
the marvellous, and benefcent growth of
our Republic.
The glamor of history, is thrown around
a Cyrus, a Leonidas, a Miltiades, an Alex
ander, a Charlamgame, or Napoleon, and the
glowing mind of the student, drinks in the
glory OF their career as they rise up in
dsmi-god proportions to the Imagination.
Their glories are written in the blood sweat,
and woe of the conquered. The wall Of
the captive, is heard as the cadenced, an
swer to the shout Ct triumph. Herein our
history differs from that of all others. Our
growth is wreathed and entwined with mems
well being, and wOman's exaltation. 1t is
poem of happiness conferred, mot of suf-
fering; endured. This alone max es our ca
reer, as blessed among all the peoples.
Upon the border land of the Atlantic,
bounded by the coast range, or the Allegha-
ny and Appalachian mountains, three mil
lions of chooses people dwelt, an hundred
years ago. They were chooses people,
culled from the best blood, of the Norman,
Saxon and Celt, men whose conscience were
their only monitors, whose ingrained sense
of equality, was crystalized in the answer
of the New-Englsnd leader, that che knew
no Lord, but the Lord Jehovah" In this
fringe of our continent, there were no castel-
lated towers, no ivy crowned turrets, no
baronal keeps, no gothic churches; whose
foundations were laid in the cleaning of
the Myen age; all was new-all were work
ers, all were protected. The compacts of
the Puritan Mayfower, and the Catholic
Dove, resting upon the great charter Of
John, were palladiums of America rights.
Mighty was the power of these conpacts and
charters; as they gave to the world repub-
lie, which has already overshadowed in
freedom, might, glory, and prosperity, all
the political creations of man, and COM
pared with the sheen of which, all others
are opaque.
This is seemingly exaggerated, but it is not
80. England is held to be, the formost in
the race of progressive national develop
ment' A century ago, the fisherman, far
mer and planters, Of this land, met her,
beat her, trailed her flag in the mire OF 8ar-
atoga, and Yorktown. She Nv as then triple
our population,-with the gates of India,
the Spice Islands, and the pearly Orient
open, through which untold wealth was
poured into her exchequer, with the Ger
man and Sclave tributaries to her indus
tries. She is now 30, ,000, ,00e-we are now
10000, OF the great drama of the Reve-
luton will not speak, 1t is the sunniest,
and brightest spot In history, it's triumphs
are jewels, fit companions for those contests
which saved our Jathetic clvivilization from
Semetic barbarism, civilization thrice
endangered by the Persian, the Carthage
nian, and the Saracen. Our municipal life,
was early freighted with precious cargo.
Onward, through the passes of the Ale
ghanies, the precious bur den is carried. The
riven pathways are avenues through which
the founders of more than Imperial States,
have passed. The Ohio Valley swarm with
frontier men, the resonant axe, the mufiled
rumble Of the wagon, the curling smoke Of
the settlement, the tapping Of the wood
pecker, warn thd huntsman and trapper
that settlers with customs codiAed into law
have occupied their haunts, land their
tents and wigwams must be carried onward
i IA fh0 MlaalnalY,xsA ~ .,slnh