The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1876-01-05

indomitable courage and their great power
to meet any nation upon earth. After having
spoken of the population and the wealth
and the domestic influence of our 1nstltu-
tions, will speak Of
THE INFLUENCE OF AMERICAN SENTIMENT
and American institutions upon the institu-
tions of the world. Will you 60 back
Ia history for q moment and contemplate
the condition OF the nations OF the world
at the time our fathers uttered the senti-
ment that the powers of government depend
upon the consent and Will of the governed.
When that sentiment was utte red u was
! recognized no where else upon earth that the
/ past powers of government are derived from
the consent of the governed. And that
sentiment being uttered would not
rest. It would not fall dead
upon American soil, but commenced
| being felt everywhere else in the civilized q
| world. Aud now, at the end OF 100 years, In
every monarchy in Europe, in every repub-
lie, the sentiment is respected, ana tnsI 3I
/ sentiment being recognized everywhere will
make man everywhere free. And OIL If 1t
shall result that from American ideas
and American institutions freedom shall
go everywhere and man shall be respected
| for what ne is, and If it shall be held that
the officers of government, whether they
be presidents, or governors, or kings, or
emperors, hold their power from the con-
sent OF the governed, and that their power
is exercised for the happiness and
blessing of the governed, then man
everywhere will be free. [e pplsuse.] There
was among the Greeks division of time
into periods OF four years, known as the
OlJmpisd, every four years the different
states of Greece coming together and
celebrating their gains, and holding
contests in all athletic sports. We have no
Olympiads. We have no such division OF
time here in America, but the celebration OF
1876, in every city and town of our country,
and fiually the great celebration at Phila-
delphis, where the declaration was made
that the just powers of the government are
derived from the consent of the governed,
this national celebration this year) divides
time not into Olympisds but into
centuries. And the cycle of time
institution will be the cycle of CEN
turies. And as the Oympiad is ineon-
siderable as compared with the century, so
America in respect to all those great ele-
ments which tend to promote the prosperity
greater than the nations of antiquity as the
cycle of the century is greater than that of
the Olympiad. Continuous Applause.l
AN EXCITING EPISODE.
The programme then provided for
the recitation of brakes Amerl-
can Flag. Mr.. IOliver Doud Byron,
the well known actor, who had been re-
quested to favor the citizens with some
scintillstions of his genius, was unfortu-
nately compelled to decline the invitation on
account OF sickness, and the flag had to be
postponed till later in the programme. After
more music, his honor announced Maj. w.
Gordon to discourse on Indianapolis las it
was, is, and will be-" From a back seat in
the balcony circle, the orator arose, hat iU
hand and the fire of liberty in his cleaning
eye, and raising his voice to the desired al
titude, thus addressed the meeting:s
Mr. PRESIDENT AND FELLOW CITIZENS
When L had first consented to speak on this
subject to-day, I went TO work to
heart as 1 tried to do everything.
II had commenced writing and was
anxious to present something to you worthy
of the theme and the occasion. 1 was, how
official authority, that / would have to con-
fine myself to twenty five minutes. Feeling
convinced thas could not In such a short
space of time do justice to you and to my
) subject, l az once sent word to the manager
of this meeting that declined to speak. /
requested that notice to that effect
might be furnished the papers so that no
misundeIs anding might arise, and now
L must positively abide by my resolution.
The gentleman then politely but firmly re-
. sumed the recumbent, amid calls OF "Gor-
don! Gordonn aud remained unmoved.
Here Mr.. Greene addressed the chair and
explained matters as follows: "Mr. Presi-
dent: must be allowed to assure the audi
ence that Major Gordon, who was selected
tor his fitness 10 speak OF indianapolis, past,
pre- sent and future, Is laboring under q
toId IdiAHsi officiaIiy that i'A he must Ms come @
down to a llmis Of twenty minutes, and on
; the contrary the other gentlemen who were
to speak, realizing the greater Importance
of his su ject, had agreed to give him the
ms iority OF the time. [Cries of Gordon y
But the major again rose, waved his wand,
that is his beaver, over the audience, and
refused to crowd Olympus into nutshell,
as ne expressed it, aud contribute to the
prevailing habit of sighting a subject in the
Centennial year of his life. After the band
played the Star Spangled Banner the presi-
dent announced X. j. l.. Matthews as the
} next speaker, who addressed the audience
on The
CENTENNIAL OF THE FLAG.
Mr.. PRESIDENT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN:
After the address OF the distinguished gen.
tleman whom on have jnst heard. L could
scarcely hope to enlist your attention, were
it not that talking upon the theme assigned
to me by the committee of arrangements,
but respond to the patriotic emotions that
already stir your hearts. You behold the
flag of our country, that speaks in its clus-
terIng stars the union of our glorious
American states, that speaks in its his
tory the early sacrifices, the continued
prosperity aud present glory of the
American nation. The God of nations hath
implanted in the breast of man a love for
his native land, and when that native land
secures to him the inalienable rights of hu-
msnity, this love increases and grows up
into the higher and nobler emotion of pa
triotic devotion. Being so constituted that
we are readily moved by sights and sounds,
whenever this emblem or our nationai
glory is named, or this pledge of national
protection is brought before us, the zeal
OF our hearts is straitened within
rs, and word of grateful emotion
trembles upon the tongue. One hun
dred years that flag has been the ensign
of political and religious liberty in
the world. One hundred years ago to NOR
row WASHINGTON Il rsr rataed the m niOn fiao at