Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1882-07-27

HtntS Oh our foremost statesmen, nave
been the nations safety in the past, are
its brightest hopes to-day. Who can
estimate the value 10 this nation of the
patriotic literature enclosed within the
lids OF those old leather-bound school
readers in use for third of century
prior to the rebellionp IL taught
the youth of that era the lessons of free
dom. As they read the Declaration of
Independence they are inspired with
love of freedom, and as they read those
brave, eloquent words of Patrick Henry
in its favor they We're ready to say with
him: "Sink or swim, live or die. sur
vive or perish, am for the Declare
ton, and when the dark cloud of dis
union came, remembering what they
had so often read. that mastery Grafton
of Daniel Webster in reply to Hayne.
fired with patriotic zeal at the thought
of those memorable words: - Liberty
and Union, now and forever, one and
inseparahle, the youth, boys from their
desk at school, young and middle aged
men from the counting house, the pillow.
the workshop, sprang TO the battlefield
with an invincibe determination to pre-
serve the union,
81 in the future rs in the past, femem-
beriug that we are all students in lifo's
stern school in which the one great prob
lem TO be solved is how best 10 secure
the greatest sum of happiness To man
kind, we must educate tho youth and
ourselves not only in ripe scholarship
but IN patriotism; not only in the arts
and sciences but also in the school of
equal rights; not only to bisect
with accuracy line in geom-
etry but also to draw line with equal
accuracy between right and wrong
We must teach ourselves To believe
that that which is best for tile country at
large, although il may not I've To our in
dividual advantage, is best for us, that
while IN our form of government politi-
cal parties are "A necessary agency with
which TO organize government that tow
ering above party above all parties is
country and humanity. We must learn
that the saying SO prevalent that "all IS
fair in politics, however feasable IL
may be- from partisan standpoint. Is
nevertheless hardly IN accord with that
code Of morals written upon the tablets
of stone amid the thunders of Mount
Sinai that while from the standpoint
of the party boss and the machine poll
ueian IL may be commendahlo. that from
hestandpoiut ofhim whuhas the good Of
his country and its perpetuity nj heart
IL Is abhorrent. We must educate our.
selves entirely away from the idea that
this government owes las honors. emolu-
ment. anything except the right to life,
liberty and the protection OF property;
the rlght think and vote and act In mat
ters of conscience for ourselves, I'm
word be more the patriot, less the par
tlsan aud more the man; and then when
issues such a civil service reform. uni
versal suffrage, prohibition any issue
comes up for consideration. remember
ing that the victories OF free ballot are
not less renowned than those Of the
sword with spirit Of exact Justice TO
all, vote for that which we believe will
make our country better and happier
Thus alone can we bo good citizens
of free republic. Thus alone. can We
make probity. broad philanthropy aud
love Of humanity our individual aud na.
tional characteristics Thus alone can
we rise 70 higher plane u individual
and national moral excellence. Let as
so do, and then, should grave dangers
come. notwithstanding the pessimistic
cry 50 oft repeated Of the decline in
craftsmanship, that mankind is degen-
Grating, that q republic form of govern
mcnt, owing 10 tho corruption Of
parties, IS failure, we need not fear
The nation that took from the noun.
tains Of Virginia the poor surveyor who
was placed al the head Of the armies Of
the Revolution, who led those armies 10
victory. was made twice President
the father of his country; the nation
that furnished Ia the world the ripe
craftsmanship of Franklin a Jefferson
and Madison; the nation that took
from the Hermitage in Tennessee
that man who brought Great Britain u
second time to the feet Of this Republic, |
who was the terror of nulitiers and
by his iron will won himself the cogno-
men of Old Hickory; the nation that
brought from the back woods of Ken
lucky the rail-splitter who was later the
tiatboatman of the Ohio river but who
developed into a noble manhood, his |
country's best and truest statesman; It's
savior, honest Old Abe; the nation that
in the recent past took from the obscur-
lty OF log cabin near the wave washed
shores of Lake Erie the orphan canal boy
who by his own energy made of himself
ripe scholar, noble man, christian
statesman. a nations pride. How sad
its second martyred president whose
fair fame will be his country's legacy
when the graveyard ghouls of to-day
who prowl about his grave to blast il
will be Wondering in graves unknown,
forgotten. The nation that has produced
men Of such unexampled heroism, ripe
craftsmanship and noble manhood, if
we are but true to ourselves, be assured
will not be found wanting in any emer-
gency. Let us so do and this fair fab
re OF elf-government whose foundation
was laid amid the throes and cemented
with the blood of the Revolution, that
was regenerated and renewed by the |
lives OF brave men of the present gener-
alton, having for its base eternal Justice,
for its walls equal rights, for its canopy
liberty, towering magnihcently amid the
ruins Of monarchies, will outlast the
wreck of ages and the flight of centur-
les And when the present shall have
lapsed into the far distant past adown
the corridors of time will be heard a
countless posterity singing those songs
of freedom, Columbia aud America
and the oppressed of every nation and
cline. inspired by the glad strain, will
unite their voices TO swell the chorus into
grand anthem of universal liberty.