Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1886-07-05
THE DECLARATION OF INDIE.
PENDENCE AND WHAT
1T MEANS.

w nat memorahle scene was that
when one century and decade ago
the Revolutionary fathers gathered
to sign The Declaration of Independ-
ence? Their patriotism was sublime.
They knew well enough that their act
would make them IN the eve of Great
Britain rebels and traitors, subjecting
them to the loss of property, life,
and good name in case of failure.
And yet they felt jWpelled by 10y.
atty to human RI higher than that
due to king, and Ky a love of free
dom stronger t41 experienced
for any other eaf possession to
proclaim the immofSal Declaration
''with firm reliance on the protection
of Divine Providence, while mutually
pledging to each other their lives,
their fortunes and their sacred
HONOR
Did any hand hesitate or tremble
as it took the pen to endorse such a
tremendous and perilous document !?
Hancock of Massachusetts realizing
the critical Importance of the situa-
tiOn was constrained to remark by
way Of caution: 1--WE must be unan-
imous; there must be no pulling diff
ferent ways all must hang together. -
Eyes" replied Franklin. with a wit
ticism as grim as it was determined,
'We must indeed all hang together
OF most assuredly we shall all hang
separately -
From that moment the die was
cast. Either the struggle for liberty
must be fought through to trium-
plant independence; or treason and
worldly ignon.iny must bangle at the
end of rope for the conquered lead
ers of rebellion. The Declaration
was, however, far greater than even
the signers dreamed. Bancroft well
says:
sit was the genuine effusion of the
soul of the country at that time the
revelation of its mind, when in its
| youth. its enthusiasm, its sublime
confronting of danger. it rose to the
highest creative powers of which man
is capable. The bill of rights which
it promulgates is of rights that are
older than human institutions, and
spring from the eternal justice that
is anterior to the state. Two polit
ical thrones divided the world; one
founded The Commonwealth on the
reason of state, the policy of expe
diency; the other on the immutable
principles OF morals. The new re-
public as ii took its place among The
powers of the world, proclaimed it
faith in the truth and reality and I'm
changeableness of freedom, virtue
and right. The heart of jefferson il
writing the Declaration, and of con
gress in adopting it, beat for all hu
mainly; the assertion of right wa
made for the entire world of mankint
and all coming generations, withou
any exception whatever; for tn
proposition which admits of eXcep
lions can never be self-evident. A
it was put forth in the name of tn
ascendent people of that time, it wa
passing everywhere through the DIES
potic countries of Europe; and tn
astonished nations as they read tina
all men are created equal, starte
out of their lethargy, like those VIII
have been exiles from childhood
when they suddenly hear the diml
remembered accents of their mothe
tongue
: With every recurrence of I'll
] fourth day of July there ought to /
9 a revival of the fathers faith in tt
5 truth and reality and unchangeabl
t ness of freedom, virtue and right
+ and this faith ought to take pra
t tical form. Surely, if our ancesto
e fought and risked everything Fl
J, these principles, we should be willir
: to vote for them, and to dischar.
It all the duties of citizenship console
j. tiously IN their interest. What +,
s need is new baptism of the patrio
y ic spirit which expresses itself not
! mere words, but deeds.