National Republican., 1876-01-01
REVIEW OF THE YEAR 1875.

The events of the year 1875 which cbal-
lenge the attention of the historian are
numerous, all of them important, and many
of them transcendenuy so. From the great
mass which crowds like an avalanche upon
the brain only few can be compressed
within the limit q newspaper of to- day can
afford to any one article. 1t has been a
year of tremendous interests to nations and
rulers; to men living in the realms Of
science and art; to pdilanthropists and
scholars. The richly -colored history of
our own country, with all its varied hues,
lights and'shades, offers study as profound
and beautiful as our strength and progress
We may sweep back in our vision to the
"glory" which belonged to Greece and
to the grandeur that was Rome's," and
trace the illumination of Empires to the
present day, and at no point can we pause
to read page more entertaining than that
which covers American achievement since
January !, 1875; and when to this is added
the mighty events which have transpired
in the Old World during the same period,
the student of the times may well shrink
from an attempt to anslyze their meaning
and comprehend their significance. Fo.
the close of the Nineteenth century God
reserved one of His most glorious gifts to
men-thst of permitting them to live in
the present generation, and to grow up
under the influences of attrition with minds
clear as q crystal, blazing with the light of
diamond, and sharp as a sword-st a
time when men walk the earth whose heads
are on a level with the stars, and whose
arms stretch out into eternity-at a time
when the shores of the infinite sea between
God and man are coming closer together,
and when keen visions are being caught of
the mysterious truths concerning life and
death and nature. Presidents and Kings,
prime ministers and warriors, merchant
princes and the controllers of commerce,
nerved explorers and dwellers on the
threshold of the unknown" laureates of
kingdoms and creators of romance are
the friends and companions of mankind,
because their deeds and words are gathered
up every day and given to the world
through the enginery and power of the
press. 1t is its record which enables us this
morning to recall for reference and refec-
ton few of the more striking events of
the past twelve months; how in January,
1875, Prince Alfonso peacefully returned to
Spain and was crowned King at Madrid,
and had the full adhesion of the Spanish
army and navy; to remember with pain
the accounts of the terrible famine which
was spreading at that time throughout Asia
Minor, and caused the death by starvation
of more than fifty thousand souls; to recol-
lect that January President MscMshon
requested the French Assembly to make
provision for the maintenance Of the
the stdtu quo until 1880, knowing
as he did the fckleness of the French
people and the power of their revolu.
tions. 1t was in this month, too, that
Prince Bismarck's opposition to the Pope
was clearly manifested, and that ball set in
motion which wlll require all the cunaing
| of the Church Of Rome to arrest. Alfonso
XII is now determined that his mother, the
ex- Queen Isabella shall return to Spain,
but January ii, 1875, powerful and very
loyal Spanish junta made movement to
| have her reside ct Barcelona. -a Er 7
These events were but trifes, though,
when cortrasted with the stirring political
| events in our own country. Last January
witnessed those exciting scenes in Louisi-
ana 50 familiar now to every politician. At
9p. m. January General Sheridan as
sumea command Of the Department Of the