The Newtown bee., 1880-07-14

has been exerted by the many thousands who have had their homes here! What revelations would be made if the Past should speakof them and tell us the story of their hardships and trials, their sor- rows and joys. Think of all these wao erst have been IlVing where thou art even now, Looking upon life busy scene, With glance careless and light as thou. All these like thee have lived and moved, | Have what now thou lookeat upon. Have feared hoped hated mourned, or loved, And now from mortal sight have gone. We do think of them to-day, and think ing We are made solemn by the thought that we are but part of the long process sion-that we, too, are passing away i; h tt we soon shall be numbered with the generations that are gone, and our sue cessors will sometime be asking "the days that are past" about us.
 I have now reached point where our local church history begins At this point which is the most convenient and natnr- al division in the subject-matter of this discourse, pause and shall resume and finish this afternoon-the great length Of the discourse, as whole, making this ar engagement desirable.
 Permit me to close(since this mornings discourse Is introductory and historical without being limited to local history with brief statement of the various i'm portant events in the world at large, con- temporary with the founding of this town and its early history. Queen Anne was on the throne of Great Britain during most of this period, and in the vvry year the town was founded viz, 1705, J Joseph became King of Germany. The famous war of the Spanish Succession, the bril- liant victories of Marlborough and the peace Of Utrecht were the leading events of the opening century. Queen Anne died at the time this church was organiz- ed and was followed by the Hanover dy- nasty, which still occupies the throne of England. The other more celebrated sovereigns of the period we have been considering, from 1700 to 1715, were Pe- ter the Great, of Russia, Louis XIV, of France, and PhilipV. of Spain. The pro- gross of civilization was marked by such discoveries as the thermometer and ba- rometer, porcelain, window glass, chro- nometers and spinning iennies, etc.
 h our own country, Jas I need not re- mind you), Indian wars, especially Queen Anne'5 war, as it is commonly called, alarmed the colonists. The French, Span ish and English were continually disput- ing about the boundaries of their respec- tive possessions in America, and indeed these disputes continued till the RevoIu- tion and might have continued till now had it not been for the Declaration of h. dependence and Its results which this day celebrates. The thirteen original states Georgia excepted) wero organized as now, and the foundation laid for the glorious superstruc cture of our Republic which we so justly praise.
 It will be fitting conclusion to this brief sketch, and to this mornings dis course, if l call your attention to poem in honor of these thirteen states and of this dey-new, perhaps, to most of you certainly not as we'll known as its merits deserve; it is entitled
 THE FOURTH OF JULY, and introduces each of the Thirteen States in order, thus: MAINE from her farthest border, gives the first ex-
 ulting shout, And from New HAAPsHIREs granite heights, the
 echoing peal rings out; The mountain farms of stanch VERMONT prolong
 the laundering call; MAssAcHusErrs answers ,-"Bunler Hill !" watch
 word for us all. RHODE ISLAND shakes her sea-wet Iocks acclaiming
 with the free. And siaid CONNECTICUT breaks forth in sacred har-
 mony.
 earthquakes roar, Is heard from Hudson's crowded banks to Erie's
 crowded shore; NEW JERSEY. hallowed by their blood, who CTS: in
 battle fell At Monmouth's Princeton's Trentoa's fight, joins
 in the rapturous swell; Wide PENNSYLVANIA. strong wide and true she
 is strong. From every hill to valley pours the torrent tide
 along.
 Stand mp. stout little DELAWARE. and bid thy vol
 leys roll, AuouSu Least among the old Thirteen, Judge
 thee by thy souli Hark to the voice of MARYLAsDi over the broad
 Chesapeake Her sons valiant their sires in csnnonadings
 speak. VIRGINIA. nurse uf Washington and guardian of his
 grave.
 Now to thine ancient glories turn the faithful and
 the brave; We need not hear tne bursting cheer this holy day
 inspires. To know that in Columbia's cause. Virginia never
 tires" Fresh the evergreen that waves above hsr sunny
 soil, NORTH CAROLINA shares the bliss, as eft the pa
 triot's toll. And aEonerA. by the dead who lie along savannah's
 biun.
 we'll enough; From thy wild northern boundary. to thy green
 isles of the sea- Where beat on earth more gallant hearts than ROW
 throh high in thee3 On. on. cross ALABAMA's plains, the ever-fowery
 glades. To whore the Mssssipprs flood the turbid Gulf in-
 vades There, borne from many mighty stream upon her |
 mightier tide, Come down the swelling long huzzas from all that
 valley wide. As wood-crowned Alleshany's call rom all her
 summits hi 4h. Reverberates among the rocks that pierce the sun-
 set sky. While the shores and through the vaies 'roand
 tie vast inland seas,