New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-07-05
TIE ADVANCE OF 4 CENTURY.
TIE REV. HENRY WARD BEECHER AT
PEEKSkILL.

OF all the places on this Continent whero
from political considerations, vast assemblies should
gather to-day there is place that equal Phlade
phia, where that orator and statesman ana civilian,
Evars holding IN rapt attention the great crowds
But IL he not question ~ po ttcai interest, bot Of
military, 7 know OF other point through0ue
the land where the people may more Gtly
assemble for retrospect aud for pr1de than IN
this goodly place Of Peekskill lAppausel For We
stand In the very OF the military operations thst
we're conducted in the northern part OF then country
The great terrytbe Kings Ferry-by which chief com
ununeaton was had between all New-ER gland and New
Jersey and Pennsylvania IN which bounIs there was tho
greatest part OF the population Of the county lies right
opposite This the OF that sphere OF that
Jast drama (At this point the cannon the adjacent
hin was cred DIR. BeecLer stopped for Instant
but he immediately said. 81 have SPOKEN
very often, but never have been punetuated
with the cannon be.ore."1 lGreat laughter and
sppause1 But - was saying, around this region
was that great drama payed-the treschery of Am9Id
and the recompense upon Andre. In these stree,
our armies have trod this town Washington dated
indeed the nmissIoD which was last received by
Arnold at che hands OF his countrymen on upon thia
bay lowered British Beet The again gays
daaenng report, causing Mr. Beecher 10 say al have
no objection being csnonzed. but dons Ike to be
canuonaded" lGreat laughter.I
hundred years have passed since tEis regon was tho
theaer CT such stirring scenes and vicssitudes hun
dred years long eriod In the life OF short
period in life OF a nation. hundred years. 10 is
s0o since the Advent thousand years scarcely take
us back beyond the beginning of European nations in
their modern form hundred years is scarcely the
teen which nations come. And II seldom happens
that any nation has thousand such hundred years
as that which has been vogchsafrd 20 From popu-
arion $1,000 0OC including the slave population
we have swelled to more than 4o,O0O,OOO Be- ind
small strip Of settled territory lining the Atlantic coast
almost no one except the pioneers foot he'd trod tho
mountain path had pressed the soil Of the country be-
yond Now the Atlantic and the Pacific Joined BY
the iron road and that has come TO pass In reality
which in the Scripture is spoken OF IN poetry" deep
answers unto deep" aud the ocean breaks upon one
shore to be answered by the other; aud all the way
across are thicky-settled communities end cities
innunerable. And yet this is but small compared
with the augmentation OF material interests TIE wealth
that scarcely is computable. te industries that
thrive the inventions, the discoveries, the ORGANIZATIONS
and OF capital the vast spread Of the industries
over the valleys and hilis-who can estimate that
of the early day which was but rs n seed compared
with that Of our day which Ike Lobanonl And
vet what are the sheen aud ships and rails and what are
granir.cs ana roads ana csaalswlat herds upon
thousand Lnls-what are an thrse in Comparison
with man! All labor and tie products OF
labor are valuable only they promote the
virtue ard tie comfort Of Lanare valuable only they
promote the manhood which IA IN man. Though We had
cu.erblcd, what would property ne worth Not
worth the assembling here to look back dpOn or TO loo
orv ard TO- The value of material Towt3 Is 10 30
estimated by its etircg Gpon the people.
What has been the history o' hundred years n re-
gard 20 the people OF America Are they ~ virHs 10
they we're hundred years agoi Are they ne manly as
they were hundred years agot Are they as lniclis'h
are they religious ty were hundred years aso'
Not only thatare these individuals that are peraisa ~
we shah examine more or less religious. moral, inet
gent happy-na they learned anything 10 the shes'
of all arts the Grt OF man TO live with mani lhe
art OF organizing society, Of conducting soverauie"'
the promotion the veal through broad spaces
and through vast tltudes What is tie history OF o
peopel what are we to-dayt VIVA: cur fathers we'e"e
know Their life splendid; their history was
registered. We read what they were, and iofil q"
estimate OF them with gratitude to God; Dur what arc
We their sonst Uaye shrunki Are We unworthy U
their names and places, and functions, which oaNe Oo
transmitted from their hands TO ouFs' We"
are tho laws, what the Institutions wa:
"a the Government, what are tho ponss' -
this great nation redeemed from foreign thra 20 n0"'