The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1878-06-26

repay your kind welcome with a proli
speech, but there are some thoughts i
connection with this occasion that | hav
condensed As time and space" would al
mit-and which as we say in the news
papers are Tin substance as follows:"
The printing press and it, grandes
achlevement,-The newspaper has lai,
at the foot of this generation the riches
inheritance ever bequeathed tn any PEG
pie. The wisdom aud the learning OF al
| past ages, by these means, have COM
down to US But the world grew old be
fore men caught the secret, and dscov
cred this the richest OF mental blessings
Flttv-iour centuries passed before sue
ces-tul effort WAS made to achieve drliv
erance from ignorance Nations rose an,
/ lived, and persisted, but left behind them
no heritage for the mental wants of III,
masses. Egypt aud Assyria, Greece
Rome and Carthage, sank into the com
mon dust, and left 20 the world but {
memory and name Their vauntet
glories shed no lnstre on the dark path
way of the gropng multitudes. Tn,
wrangles of Aristotle and the dreams o
Plato, the Cush of Homer. and the ran
OF Demosthenes, the vagaries OF Caller
and the danes OF Appcilcs, might serve &c
utillate the cravings of an aesthetic vo-
luptuary, but to the worlds millions they
are OF less moment Than the most trifling
improvements in the useful arts.
Al length came the deIuge of fero-
cIous harharism, whelming in its vortex
the last vesIIges of lettereA barbarism
scarce less CHASTITY than it's own. A
long, long sleep snpervened. The weary
world slept the dull. heavy sleep of lassi-
tnde. 1t was the night.tim OF intelli.
gence. But, a. in the period of night and
rest, Nature nurtures the germs of new
ife-so IN this lie which was TO burst
forth into the bright spleadoIs Of cIviIi-
cations morning
From the cavcrns and the hermitages
of the wilderness, from clOistcr ani from
cell. were first discerned the faint streaks
of the dawn-the day of universal pduca>
ton. The hour OF mankind deliver
ance was struck on the great, solemn
alarm clock of Time Book and bell.
sceptre and corOnet, sword and chain, still
struggled for the Old mastery, but spirit
OF inquiry was abroad, and reason divid-
ed empire with force New philosophy
marched forth with giant strides. Utility
became the grand object ofrrsearch, aud
mans highest mission was TO obtain do
minion over ignorance, and conquer the
forces OF nature. New arts were intro
Su el-agriculture acknowledgement
lent ill., aid to mechanics. asirologv and
old wives fables buidrd into astrono-
my. alchemy ceased TO be "A trditless
search for the elixir Of lite ripened in'o
chemistry was discovered.
ard to crown all with the diadem OF
deathlcss beneiacDion. the art of printing
forty years since Gutrenburg and Faust
unbrdled the great tongue of the uni
verse, and divulgtd the grand secret first
in the list OF the world educators. IL
was the baptism of human intellect into
a new existence. Ii was the ehtrench-
ment OF immortal intelligence in the iort>
RES of immortal souls II was the birth
OF LIbertv's twin sister, and many ma
tons hailed the nativity with glad thanks
giving One little natinn-a mere speck
on the worlds map, seized the darling
NiNiShlt did uuSEfh u W lCI Ebhl I4lD~
'rty and popular education clasped hands
and swore eternal allegiance, the one to
the other. The star chamber, the tower
the block, went down before the sturdy
blows of a tree people. The banners Of
The conteuding hosts surged to aud fro.
The common frontier shifted back and
forth. but when the crisis was passed.
W hen the smoke and the dust OF the bats
lie had lifted, there, on the forefront of
The field, was planted the standard +, { Lib
prry, always and. there lowering as a
guardian angel, was the genius OF the
tree press-armed like the soldiers of
Nehemiah when constructing the walls Of
Jerusaltm-in one hand the sword of
popular will. in the other the ringing
Irowel OF popular education.
The truth then, that | wish to impress
ls this; popular education means popular
liberty, and popular education is safe
evermore with Tree aud untrammelcd
press Our country has i'll erIted this
boon which cost our ancestors So many
ears OF strife The blood which flowed
down the weary ages from Greasy 10 Long
Marstou TO Moor. has kindred drops in
The veins OF every true American For,
" hile this conflict was going on-IhIs
conflict between Prnscrip'ive forms and
human rights. "A new hemisphere emerged
from the western sea II virgin land as
! ct uncursed 10y the blight OF old>worid
tyranny, ] had almost said like the my
theological goddess of batIle, springing
from the head of Jove, armed cap pie.
~ al II al. Il. "A A.
Of men Al that was noblest and best
the brave, the enterprisng, the adventur-
their steps toward the untrod-
den chores A glorious vision opened be-
fore them They no I'D here found nation
in which liberty should be the birIhrig ht of
all, and true manhood the highest test
of worth Despotism stretched forth his
Briarean arms and sought to manace her
free limbs, but the young republic burst
the sLackles asunder, as awakened Samp.
son shook offthe green withes thai bound
him
An era of prosperity commenced suca
as the world had not seen. Intellect no
longer disdained the task of ministering
TO the wants of man. Brain aud muscle
were free. and freely they allied them
selves in a crusade against the viS iHertiG
of nature Young giants with unleitered
strength they went forth conquering and
TO conquer. Victory followed victory
The winds and the tides we're suhjugated
mountains were pierced aud rivers
spsnned-the red lightning WAS chained
time and space we're annihilated-the
hidden treasures OF the mines were dug
up -ocean's depths were exploded-the
wilderness burst into bloom, the " dark
and bloody ground " became the land of
the leal, and the domain of the cultured,
towns and villages sprang up i'll the boz
som OF the dessert ~ from the stroke OF
some enchanter's wand Beyond the dir
ofgreat cities gaunt hunger was unknown.
for the tatness of the land was the spoil
OF honest labor And yet it seemed that
the nation had but entered on the first
stage Of ner brilliant career, for each
achievement was but the stepping stone
to something greater.
Thus the mental man went on disppn>
sing with his animality. The world st, o |
off with ihrobbing heart and gard with
nndIsguised rapture at the onward march