Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1885-01-03

ins AnBiFereary exercises Of shs
Observation-Disclosures Lycean sooh
place At the University assembly hal
last evening. A large nanher Of %.
reuts, friends and students we're pres
ent, and the yousr men Of the sociesy
acquitted themselves admirably. Met
vim K Crawford vAs the orator o; tbs
occasion. and opened the exercises in
the foEloviaR carefully prepared and
veil delivered
LI,fi,s pssd y,nfisBssE, fsilole stsatents -
iOu have conferred 1pOu ne tue honor
si delivering the initial Grafton for the
year 1885. While y0a might have cho-
srn one more capable you cJuid not
have found one more willing. Whatever
ability may possess, 70 amass or In
struct my fellow members, hold ever
at y0ar disposal.
Two thousand yeaFs ago Rome, the
Eternal City, on Der ssveA bills, was in
ths zenith Of her glory, mistress Of the
world. Ge be Roman vas an honor
Is be Remsn vas to be a freeman
When Paul was draws iu the Temple
In the presence of the multitude, TO be
sconFQed at the hands Of baEbarians, he
cried, 81 am free born Roman and
ths thongs were cut from his tmbs
LATHE did the Roman dream that ruth
.ess time would 30 soon render his eter-
aal city q broken monument Of her de-
parted QiJry. One hundred and eight
years ago the American people, through
their Continental Congress. az Phiiadsl-
phia sssemblsd, eDunciated 10 the world
the eternal principle Of human equality.
II It had fallen 10 our lot to have lived
u the time when this Rreat principle
was enunciated, and bad ve stood on
this grand pedestal of human equality
and peered into the dark, tmpepetrabls
future, With vision strong enough to
bear us TO tbs depth Of a hundred years,
We would have been Astounded at the
wealth, magnitude and grandeur Of oar
glorious America Of today. While We
have surpassed Ia many respects the
fondcst hopes and brightest dreams Of
the founders Of this Government, esr-
tain things have grown up among as
and inWsven themselves within the
frame and fabric Of our Government
that poTtend of Imin9 evil. They are
identical With those which pres cd upon
the vitals Of fallen Rome. The gulf
that sepsrat's today the poor, ignorant
and vicious from lolling, iuxurious and
ex'rlvaQAnt wealth, 10 growing wider
than that which separated the plsbian
from the patrician in ancient Rome !;
this has been Augmented in q great
measure by the creation Of heartless,
souiless. Rraspin0 and eternal corpora
tious. They menace and make rietous
the labOrer by their greed while they
debauch men, corrupt politics and blight
faith With their wealth and cupidity,
they are the cause Of the Communist,
,he enemy Of the socialist aud the prey
of the Hihilist; they foster q class
forming an aristOcracy, which threatens
10 haEish every species of republican
virtue from our land. The distinguished
divine. Lyman Beecher, said We must
edueate,--we must educate or perish by
our own prosperity" We have trusted
too long TO tae deceptive . snacea c
cation 10 - ~ pOweriess 70 sive us as
the British we're TO destroy ~; eduoa-
tion oonld not saws Rome from decay,
aud will not save rs. / would ask 700,
il those who occupy municIpsi and fed
eral offices are not educated meu? Are
not those educated men who nanipn-
late our eaaeusss and conventions, ~ho
conduct the campaigns with all their
blackmail and slandes Are no. those
educated men who corrupt iGFies,
Indohase legislation and soil the
Judicial ermine with. their uncl-an
hands Does eduoAtion prevent
men from entering our Congress
TO serve the selfish ends OF capital aud
purchase privileges from the ex cativs,
whinh should be held sacred TO the peo-
pie Are things not nov about the
same as they we're Ia X Rbme when Cato
observed, "that he Whs stole from pri.
vate person ended his days in chains
and feGters bat be who robbed the pub-
lio ended his days in gold and parple ."
Alas the tipe may come When our Con-
gress will be no more th IN shadow of
what u was intended 70 be by the fran
srs of the Constitution, no more than
the haasted Senate Of Rome in the time
Of Tiberius.
lhe character Of a government dc
pends upon the character OF its people
The fitness Of citizen to discharge his
political duties depends mere npon his
moral character than upon his educa-
tion. We can never Lave moral gov
srument before we have moral paople
We can never have q substantial gov
ernmsns before 9e have Substantially
moral people. Americas happiness and
success as government of the people,
for the people, and by the people, re-
maias still 10 be accomplished. We have
reared Republic in defiance OF a chap
ter Of the worlds history, which 10 preR-
uant with the downfall Of Republics
We ere protected from all formidable
enemies by vast ocean on either hand,
20 that oar destiny is truly in our own
hands, making our duties more impera-
tive, our obligations more sacred. and
our destiny more certain. The histories
Of Repablics teach a. that II Is NOT the
enemy from without that ve should fear
80 much ~ the enemy OF our ovn crea-
tiau frOra within Republican Rome.
whose victorious banner waved
over the whole civilized world.
from Britain's rock bound coast.
across the giittering sands OF Asia 10
the broad Pacific. capable of Withstand
log the tneursiops Of che world from
without, developed by her immortality
foe within 10 which she yielded up
her victsrieus legions. ~ the forest
Yields up her foliage 10 the autumn
blast. The strength OF governments
does not depend upon the range OF It's
empire, the power Of les navy, or the
furcs Of ~ Standing armies. bat upon
the morality Of ia people taken In its
bread and comprehensive sense. Auneri-
ca. the eountry that gave refuge 10 the
Pilsria and Hugnenot, the PAGES OF
q - l.