The daily gazette., 1878-03-30
The Bayard Taylor Banquet.
FULL TEXT OF MI. TAYLoR's SPEECH
ON THE OCCASION.

FULL TEXT OF Mn. TAYLoR's SPEECH
ON THE OCCASION.
Below is the fun text Of the speech
delivered by Hon. Bayard Taylor, the
new Minister to Germany, at the BAN
quet and reception rendered him by the
citizens of West Chester, Pa, on Thurs
day evening. Mr.. Taylor said:
JUDGE LEWIS, FRIENDS AND FELLOW
CITIZENS OF CHESTER COUNTY The
sight of SO many well-known faces, the
clasp of friendly hands, and the sound
of familiar voices, relieve me at once
from any feeling of oppressive formal
ity. L understand more deeply and
truly, than ever before, that 1 am at
home, and that l am privileged to re-
ceive the rarest and best of all honors-
those which come to man voluntarily
from lifelong friends and associates
lcheers). will frankly say that 1t would
have grieved me if Chester county had
given no sign of sympathetic congratu-
lation after an appointment implying so
much national rust; but l could never
have dared to hope for recognition so
liberal and whole-hearted as this. To
be here tonight as your guest annuls
every fancied wrong of time. 1t carries
me back by natural impulse of men,
ory to the past when, as a boy, / first
saw and knew so many Of you, and
Whtu Wdlhtu tntSt SbIGtlS WIFI d HllA-
ture of hope and restlessness in regard to
the future which / no more comprehend
ed, myself, than you could have done
then, had you suspected it. 1t was forty
years ago, and l was thirteen years old
when | first came here to live for a
while. l remember that the youths of
my age endeavored to make IRE feel that
a "country boy" was, in some mysterious
way, the inferior of the "to wn boy" but
it never became clear to my own con-
sciousness. Afterwards, when l made
my first essays in literature, l found no
lack of kind interest. Washington Town
send may perhaps remember that he de-
voted several evenings to the patient
revision of an early poem in which the
crude conceptions struggled desperately
with the laws of poetic form. John
Hickman and John FL. Brinton offered
me the use of their libraries, and Henry
S. Evans surprised me by asking me 20
publish my lyrics in the Village Record,
rather than send them to any other pa
per.
/ have not forgotten single particu-
lar connected with that youthful history.
Looking back, L can see that received
quite as much encouragement as was
then healthy for me-that is enough to
give me hope and smoral support, and
not so much as TO Inislead me into a false
estimation of abilities.
have always been very free in speak
ing of our country and its pecullarItlcS,
because have always felt free to do so,
take the liberty which one member OF
| a family assumes in speaking to the other
| members. The fact that my permanent
and only home is here, will assure you
where my heart is. L possess feeling
which, / am sorry to say, is growing
more and more rare i'll the United States
l inherit the sentiment of local attach,
mcnt in such degree that / cannot
| transplant my feeling of home. Year by
year, the features of our county, the eli
| mate and landscape, and individual char
acteristics grow more beautiful to my
eyes. Our clear, winding brooks, our
| numberless cool fountains, leapIng to the
| sunlight, at the foot of every hill, our in
| terlacing valleys, growing mellower
with the pastoral peace which they have
enjoyed for nearly two hundred years,
| our blending of North and South in a
Vegetation luXuriant as that of the trop-
les, as sturdy and venerable as that of
England,-all these are the charms which
find nowhere else in the United States.
A prominent New Englander has said
"America is only splendid exile for the
European race" L forgive him he new
er saw our country he never knew this
ldllu Vi iONtlN nOultb, DtlOHBlnR W d DtO-
pie who forgot their exile generations
ago,-who find their own past sufficient,
and whose aspirations are turned toward
| that higher culture, that wiser freedom,
that broader intelligence, which we be-
lieve await not only our own home, but
| our whole country.
Now, what shall say to each and all
of youin return for this honor? cannot
give you any return In words, aud it is
best not to speak of unperformed deeds.
Let me say, however, that 1 cannot and
must not accept it for myself alone, but
gratefully take whatever share may
justly fall, and allot the rest as bestowed
also upon you and every man who seeks
success through faith, and labor and
patience. Yesterday young man wrote
to me asking me to communicate to him
the secret of my success. L answered:
"There is no secret" but there are laws
which govern success and whatever /
may have won in the battle of life, has
been owing to an instructive observance
OF those laws without comforting their
application solely to my own personal
aims. / hope and believe that they are
true and eternal. l have always reveren-
italy accepted them; first, labor; moth
ing can be had for nothing; whatever a
man achieves, he must pay for it; and
no favor of fortune can absolve him
from his duty. Secondly, patience and
forbearance which is simply dependant
on the slow Justice of time. Thirdly ,and
most important faith. Unless a man de-
lieves in something outside of himself,
something far higher than himself, some
thing infinitely purer and grander than
he can ever become, me,-unless he has an
instinct of an order beyond his dreams,
of laws beyond his comprehension, of
beauty and good and Justice beside
which his own ideals are dark, he will
fail in every loftier form of ambition,
and ought TO fail. If this occasion shall
truths upon other minds, cannot think
you better by declaring them.
FIremen's Convention.
Last evening delegates from the WASH