New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-07-08
ORLEANS SATURDAY, 1876

trines. I believe in law Of progress fol
the race as believe in Q law OF crystallza
ton. There ia law of capitalization whlct
brings particles of matter, if suspended in 9
fluid that remains quiet, into regular and
beautiful forms. So there is law OF pro
gress for the race that will ultimately
bring society into permanent and beautiful
community shall be intelligently pervaded
| by the influence of the religion of Christ.
| We may either regard the law OF pro
| gress as applying to the race as whole, OF
to its successive generations, or, as more
| appropriate to the present occasion, to that
| particular form of civilization and govern
| ment whose centennial We now celebrate
OF these the first is by far the grandest
| sphere. Progress here will consist in q
movement toward the whole end proposed
| by God in creating and carrying forward
| the world. What that end is the Scriptures
| explicitly informs US. 1t is social pertec-
| tisn through the moral perfection of the in
dividual. The problem Of progress here iE-
| cludes the others, on the principle that the
higher presupposes the lower. With indi-
viduals formed to perfect manhood for it's
60 up like that of Solomon Of old, in which
there was no sound of the Ak or the ham
mer.
The second problem respects the success
sive &c II sratioss OF the race and their re!a-
tive condition on the earth. Progress here
will result from obedience to the two com
mands given to man when the earth was
| originally intrusted to him-to replenish b
the earth and 20 subdue it. 70 replenish
the earth would be to fill it with inhenit-
ants up to its capacity Of maintaining them
in comfort. To subdue the earth would be
to bring it into such q condition as to fur
nish a comfortable subsistence and home to
the greatest possible number. These two
commands, it is needless to say, have not
been Obeyed nor has there been such an ap-
Proclamation toward it that any Malthusian
theory has been able to convict Providence
of mistake. Progress there has been, but
what men have done toward the results
contemplated by these commando has come
mainly through their instincts and passions.
acting, like the laws of nature, as blind
forces. Instead of intending to repi snish
the earth men have made it . main bus;-
ness to kill each other. War is the great
theme OF history. The destroyers of human
lite have been the heroes of the race. In
stead Of subduing the earth men have given
themselves up to the uncertainties of the
chase, or the Incidence of nomadic life, or
through licentiOusness and the various
forms of narcotic and Intoxicating stimula-
ton have become dead weights on society.
The third problem is much narrower. It
respects the future of this country, and
especially of that free and representative
people, and for the people," whose centen-
NAL we now celebrate. That our expert
ment has thus far been success can not be
denied. Since l776 four great crises have
been passed, each of which has tested the
capacity of the people for free government;
the war of independence; the formation of
the thirteen independent colonies into
confederation; the adoption Of the constitu-
tOn by which the confederation became the
United States of America; and the war of
the rebellion-one of the most tremendous
civil struggles ever known. Under this
form of government, and partly as its re-
suit, there has been the most intense &C.
tivity, both physical and mental. Methods
of tillage have been revOluti0nized; here
foated the first steamboat; q network of
railroads to which there is no parallel every
where quickens enterprise; here originated
the cotton gin, the sewing machine, the
Corllss engine, and the most marvellous
carpet loom on the globe, and here was
heard the first click of the electric tele-
graph. Here originated the Atlantic cable.
and the Berkshire boy who laid it is with
US to-day.
Nor has our activity been wholly in the
line of physical improvement. Here origin
ated the common schools, and from the
high level of average intelligence resulting
have arisen men eminent in science and in
Prescott, Palfrey, Sparks, Motley and Park
man, ell natives and most Of them residents
of Massachusetts; in poetry, Bryant, Dana,
Longfellow, Whittier, Sprague, Willis.
Holmes and Lowell, all of Massachusetts,;
in fiction, Hawthorne and Mrs. Stowe; while
in lexicography We have taught the Eng
lish English, and in metaphysics, morals
and theology, in general science, and in
medicine and Jurisprudence there has been
an immense and fruitful activity.
On this ground, where foreign missions
in this country had their birth, and where
the missionary monument lifts the globe to
our view as the field of work. it can not be
necessary to cay that there has been among
US an intelligent and wide sympathy with
all Christian effort, and much active and
self denying c0nsecration in spreading a
pure Christianity among the nations.
In connection with these general results
there has been nowhere so much individual
independence and self-respect; 80 much
social equality; SO much respect for the
rights of the individual; or so much liberty
of speech. of the press and of religion, as
here.
The best test of the hold of free institu-
tiOns upon q people and their fitness for
them, is to be found in their free will offer
ings in support of the underlying condi.
tiOns of such institutions-religiOn and edu-
cation. In connection with our religious
liberty there is q more intelligent and gen.
erous support of public worship than else
where. So also has civil liberty resulted
in ampler provision for schools and col
leges. and q more extended and careful re-
gard for the wellbeing of the poor, the un
fortunate and the vicious classes of society.
During the years 1914 the gifts for edu-
$35, ,495, ,796. Progress in other countries
has been great, doubtless, but not so great
as in Ours-and it has been partly result
of ours.
These results have come under free instis
tutions; have they come by them? Yes,
but under conditions go exceptional as not
to insure our future. These conditions re-
spect the first settlers of the continent and
the continent itself. The true origin and
type of our institutions was in the May
flower and with the Pilgrims rather than
ligion, based on the Bible, with them was
intelligence and the right of private judg-
ment; equality of social condition; religious
federation, for they never persecuted; and
civil rights secured by written compact.
Before this band there lay, as the second
peculiar condition, continent with the
slumbering capacity of maintaining at least
100000, 900 of people-a continent in which
there was all that could be needed to etlmu-
late enterprise and test the power of q free
people for expansion and self government
In all this there was safety valve: with
wide openings for enterprise the explosive
materials of society do not become concen-
trated. They have not for another reason.
There has not yet been time for any an,