The bee., 1883-01-06
Continued from first Pace. J

-ha" lNSiNVhl, am VllVoCu W Suoh
on occasions like this, and upon all
other occasions. While / would pay
honor to whom honor is due, / hold it
right to beget temperance in the use
OF supertatives. / would not give TO
an inch the Importance of mile, mag
Nifty mole hill into a mountain, or
paint the picture more beautiful than
the subject. "To gild refined gold, to
paint the lilly, to throw perfume
upon the violet, 10 seek the beauteous
eye OF Heaven TO adorn with taper
light were wasteful and ridiculous ex-
cess. Yet sir, shall neither under
value the grace or the significance of
the present graceful demonstration.
Sir, he would be prouder man than
! am, a cooler man than / am, man
incomparahly more indifferent TO the
good opinion Of his fellow men than I
am, a man far less alive to the senti-
ment of gratitude than / am, who
could listen TO the kind and compli-
mentary allusiOns which have reSound-
ed tonight through this hanqueting
hall, and be the recipient of the dis
tinguished honor YOU have conferred
upon me, without emotions of pro-
found and inexpressible gratitude.
Mr.President, gentlemen, one and all:
The best return / can make to you for
this ovation is to say with all my
heart, | thank you for this mark of
your appreciation of myself and of the
little work | have been able, in the
order of Providence, to do in the
world. You have given me tonight
every reason to he proud of my career
and my company. You have shown
that for an honest DAYS work you
are in favor Of an honest days pay.
OF course. Mr.. President, as l am
neither wood nor stone, | understand
the meaning of this complimentary
demonstration. 1t covers great deal
but it does not cover everything, nor
is it desirable that it should cover
everything.
have not the vanity to suppose
that the gentlemen who have invited
me here, meant by this entertainment
to approve everything which l have
said and done, written and spoken,
during more than forty years of my
public life. In fact. / know the con-
trary. There are gentleman now within
this hall. for whose character, intelli-
gence. experience and Judgment l en-
tertain the highest esteem and respect ;
gentlemen whose friendship and sup
port most highly prize, and yet. gen.
tlemen, from whom have been COM
PEELED by irresistible conviction to differ
! widely, and TO state that difference in
a manner as pronounced and striking
as could possibly command. In say
ing this, | must do myself the justice
however, to affirm that l have always
endeavorcd to act upon the principle
laid down 10y our martyred President
Charity towards all /; malice towards
none." and l can say with truth to
night, that it will be the aim of what
remains of life to me, to promote the
growth of this sentiment, so highly
creditable to the head and heart of its
great author. among all classes Of my
| friends and fellow-citizens.
And let me say just here, gentlemen
that when men can differ widely in
science, or religion, or politics. or in
respect Of anything else, without dis
/ rupting the bonds of society or the ties
of friendship, they have reached de
gree of intelligence and civilization
that places them high above the leve
of the crowd and among the elite OF
mankind.
Since you have taken me into you
confidence, my life, as most of yor
know, was begun under great shadow
Before / made part of this breathing
world the chains were forged for m.
limbs, and the whip of slave-mastel
was plated for my back, and while
have labored and suffered in the cause
of justice and liberty, i have no dolefu
words to utter here tonight. 1t wa:
said by great Irish orator, speaking
of Irish liberty, that he had rocked.i
in its cradle and had followed it to it
grave. can say of the colored man.
liberty, ] have rocked il in its cratlle
and witnessed its manhood, for Stan(
tonight in the presence of emancipateC
millions. He would he gloomy mar
indeed, who could live to see the desire
of his soul accomplished, and yet spen(
his life in grief. ! am happy to say
say now and here, that while my life
has been more of cloud than sunshine
more of storm than calm. it has, never
thelesS, been a cheerful life, with many
compensations on every hand, and no
the least among those compensation:
| reckon the good word and will which
have come to me on the present occa
sion. This high festival of ours il
coupled with day which We do well t.
hold in sacred and everlasting honor
a day memorable alike in the history oI
the nation, and in the life of an eman
cipated people This is the twentieth
anniversary of the Proclamation Of
Emancipation 10y Abraham Lincoln I; {
proclamation which made the name ol
! its author immortal and gloriou:
throughout the civilized world. THAI
great act of his marked an epoch in tht
life of the whole American nation
Reflection upon il opens to us vas
wilderness of thought and feeling
Man is said TO be an animal looking be
fore and after. To him alone is given
the prophetic vision enabling him K
discern the outline of his future
through the mists and shadows of hi:
past. The day we celebrate affords u
an eminence from which we may in 1
measure survey both the past and tht
future. 1t is one of those days which
may we'll count for thousand years