The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1883-12-20
The dwelling Of WashingtOn's Statue
In New York.

from george w. curtis Grafton at the
unveiling of the static of George Wash
ington on the recent hundredth anniver-
sary of Evacuation Day in New York
City:
"The great series of Revolutionary
centennial celebrations end fifty upon
this day and upon this spot. The mo-
mentous events that marked the opening,
the elimination, and the close of the
conflict have been duly commemorated,
aud for eight years the full-strctchel
memory of the country, harp of Il
thousand strings swept by patriotic emo
ton, has reSOunded with the heroic mu-
sic of the Revolutionary story. To-day
the Revolutionary story ends. At this
hour hundred yeas ago the last Brit
iSh sentry was withdrawn. The impe-
rial standard of Great Britain fell at the
fort over which it had tloated for 12O
years, and in its place the Stars and
Stripes of American Independence
flashed in the sun. Fleet and army,
royal flag AMI scarlet uniform, coronGt
and ribbon, every sign and symbol of
foreign authority, which from Concord
to Saratoga, and from Saratoga to York
town, had sought to subdue the Colonies,
vanished from these shores. Colonial
and provincial America had ended
National America had begun: and after
lapse of Il hundred years, the cradle
song of the hope and promise of our
National nativity is still the ppan of our
mature power and assured prosperity :;
glory to God in the highest, peace on
earth, GOOD will to man.
1.-The times that tried mems souls in
this country were rather in 1856 than in
1776, for the colonial ability to win in
dependence involved neither the right
eOusneSS Of the cause nor the character
OF the people. The revolution had
proved their yalor, the new situation
tested their wisdom and without wis
dom the revolution had been in vain
BY the common cXcrtion, sacrifice and
suffering, independence hal been
achieved, the enemy had been expelled
and the younger England of the West
had humblcd the crowned and unnatur-
al mother England upon the sea-girt
throne. In this crucial moment, neg
lect or ignorance Of the obvious and in
diSpcnsable means of securing the COM
mon safety, strength and welfare, the
apparent revelation of American inca
pacitv to build national American COM
monwealth, might Justly fill every gen
erous and patriotic heart with dismay
Yet if any American deSpaired during
the gloomy years from 1888 to 1889, and
doubted whether the men were e1ual to
the task, so had John Adams doubted
and despaired on the very eve of the
assembly of the Continental Congress.
I'VE have not men fit for the times, y
he exclaimed; .'we are deficient in
genius. in education, in travel, in fort
unc, in everything" But scarcely had
he written the words than he fastened
to take his part in that immortal as
sembly, and to do tho very thing that
he feared no man was strong enough to
do. Well did Jefferson call him the
Colossus. for upon his mighty and in
dOmtable will he lifted the country to
the Declaration of Independence. Why
then doubt. s.ncc Independence had
been achieved, that National Union was
possible? The leaders of the rcvolu-
ton, the chiefs of the Cont mental Con
gress, still lived. Age had not dmmcd
Their eyes nor chilled their hearts, nor
wlhcrcd their faculties. The work
they had begun, surely they were ready
to complete, and the men who had
made the English colonies American
States, were wise enough and strong
enough to bind the American States
into Il Nation.
''DOubtless the American revolution
was the work of the people; but it seems
the work of man. How can we con-
ceive its heroic prosecution, its trium-
phant issue. without It's lcaler? Had
he fallen at Trenton, had he been capt
Urcd by Clinton, had intrigues of sell
fish ambition prevailed against him,
had he not nerved-he alOne-thc
hesitating army at Newburgh, who
dare doubt that the vision of the one
far-off Divine event that drew the
country through the war, would still
have been fulfilled !? But what Amcri-
can does not know, and proudly own,
that the perpetual and inspiring assur-
ance of that event. the cheer of the
weary march, the Joy of the victory, the
confidence of Congress, the pride and
hope OF America, was the character
of Washington
"Among the most imposing events in
history must always be accounted the
simple ceremony which was transacted
here. The human mind Graves lofty
figures for memorable scene, and
loves to decorate with fitting circum-
stances the fuliilment of great affairs
For this event all such conditions were
satisfied The scene was set with every
ample preparation of historic signifi-
cance and patriotio association, with
the most eminent actors, with the most
auspiciouS antlcipations For the Occa-
sion itself America offered no place
more becoming, for no spot is more
conspicuously, more honorably, or
more closely identified than this with
the history of American liberty. The
scene around us is marvelously changed,
indeed from its aspect in the
Colonial, the Provincial, the Rev
olutionary city How transformed
this street from the resort of
fashion, the seat of the State Govern
ment, the modest residence of mer-
chants, diplomatists and statesmen,
which was the Wall street of a century
ago! Then the social and political
heart of small and struggling COM
munity, it is now the financial nerve
center of a continent. But if the vast
competitions and contentious of capital
and enterprise which involve the pros
perity of States and nations have over
laid the plain scene of political strife
with u field of cloth of gold, yet still
the hallowed soil is here. The swarm
ing street is but picture painted over.
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