Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1889-12-21
CHRISTMAS DAY.

1
| one perfect Man.
| Sprung from plchinn family and uned-
| ucatcd. he became the founder of the high
| est style Of aristUcracy and the Teacher OF
| teachers. He produced system adaptable
| to all times and all conditions Of men, but
| most perfectly to the most advanced cnliGht-
| eminent and best of humankind His pre-
| cepts, uttered more than eighteen centuries
! ago, are still far in advance of our civilian
| ton. and without His injunctionS the law by
| which mankind is governed would be- devoid
| of justice and mercy. Through the church
which He established His genius lit the torch
of civil liberty and individualizcd the per-
| feet freedom of humanity. And wherever
His influence has gone oppression has been
rebuked, violence repressed and vice abated
until people are civilized just in pro
| portion as they are Christian
| Modern civilization. is, therefore, the of
| spring of Christianity. All Just law, the finest
| arts, the purest morals, the heslthiest
| literature, the sweetest charities, the mos
| hallowed ties, refinement of manners Cour-
| tesy Of intercourse, cultivation Of taste-all
| that most conserve, elevate and purify so
| ciety owe their origin to that force which in
the beginning stretched its domimons be-
| yond the paths of the sun
With the growing popular apprehension of
| civil and religious liberty, thus awakened
and superinduced, men became inventors
| and explorers Aggressive spirits entered
| the domain of discovery in science and me-
| chaniCs, evolving every now and then con-
| trivances minimizing human labor Others,
| holder in conception and adventure, set sail
! in untraveled waters, and at an aye beIated
| in history added splendid continent to the
map of the world.
With the slow lapse of years colonies were
established upon the lands beyond the ocean,
| where, between struggles with the fierce ma
tives and the Unsuitable eXactious Of crowns,
they wrung precarious livelihood from the
virgin soil. 1t was difficult to determine
| which was the worse foe of the poor colonist
the Indian at his door, or the monarch in
Europe.
BY and by the brave pioneer came to love
the broad wilderness and primitive Nature
for the sense of freedom which they inspired,
and a little later the alphabet of sclf-govern
ment was set up for study in every cabin.
The New World had given him new in
stinct and new incentive, So rapidly did
he learn that he not only quickly acquired
the art of reading, but had outstpped his
transatlantic patrons i'll the sleght OF mrit-
ing In 1924 he framed the FIRST Bill Of
Rights, establishing the precedent for that
Original charter of constitutional liberty
which was four years later wrung by Brit
aims brave Parliament from Charles the
First.
Not only So. In 1917, when Sir William
Berkcly fled from the chair of colonial mag
istraCy the shrewd cOlonists declared that
flight was abdication "a notion SO odd that
the king rctalated with impositons more
burdensome than ever Eleven years after,
however, when James the First was scared
from his throne, and Britain was at her wits
end to reconcile the Fundamental doctrine of
hereditary succession with her craving for Il
new dynasty, she cunmngly cut the knot
which She could not unite and declared that
flight was ahdicntion."
But power, cntrenchedin the forms of law,
sanctihed by superstition and established by
venerable usage yields slowly. Liberty,
like the march Of God, steps by centuries.
Nearly two hundred years had elapsed since
Columbus had discovered the continent when
Nathaniel Bacon, in 1876 burning with re
sentiment against arbitrary rule and oppress-
i've taxation rebelcd against Berkeley He
was OverthrOwn, hut his struggle was not
bootlcss, The colonistS and even the royal
lists imbibcd relish thcrcfrum for civl free
dom which they never lost. Indeed, all
along the next hundred years, while the
Stuarts were passing away, and the childlesS
| Prince of Orange, the parricidc Anne and
| the first and second Georges there were fire.
| quent betrayalS of their independent temper
| These eliminated in l776 in the declaration
of colonial independence, and in 1888 in
| triumphant revolt.
1t would be vain to attempt an enumera-
| ton of the direct and incidental results of
that great conflict. BritainS acknowledge
mcnt of Americas independence, however,
virtually included that Of all other colonies.
SO much so that the abuses WHICH provoked
| resistance here were modified until her now
| oNied governments are practically indcpend-
cnt in their functions Our contest achieved
these privileges for her people and all her
| distant settlements enjoy the immumtcs of
home rule,
Elsewhere in Europe absoluti-m, under
the pressure of popular liberty upon the
limits of intolerance, has been well nigh
blOttcd from the face of civilization, and pub
lie opinion rules Under some form or
another the will Of the people drives. The
| chariot Of monarchy has been displaced by
the car Of democracy.
But ere the thunders of the revolution
along the Atlantic scaboard had died away
! serious problems confronted the architects Of
the new republic. Several years cnsued of
| Jealous discussion and patient effort Of the
! people to perfect the conditions of their own
| rule over themselves. These had walked so
! long in the shadow Of depcndency-had gone
| through long war with sword in one hand
and their doom in the other it was meet now
| that they should see that not even majority
of sovercigns should be clothed with absolute
| power. Hence, nearly six years passed be-
| fore the commander of the American armies
was trusted with the prcr"gativeS Of the first
citizen Of the republic.
While the great question. alluded to were
yet agtating the builders Of the temple Of
| orr liberty within the dominion Of law, the
people did not meanwhile forget to avail
| themselves of the advantages, economies and
especially the convenicnccs of home govern
ment. Hence, all over the hand the work of