Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1889-05-01

uct, We udJ I6uhDlhlAtb luO Olu scenes,
but the march OF a century cannot be hal
ted or reversed, and the enormous change
in the situation can neither be disguised
or ignored. Then we were, though not
all of us sprung from one nationality,
practically one people. Now that steadily
deteIiorating procession against whose
dangers great thinker of our own genera
tiOn warned his countrymen ust fifty
years ago, goes on, on every hand, apace.
The constant importation" wrote the au-
thor of The Veal of Nations, ''as now in
this country, of the lowest orders of people
| from abroad to dilute the qualify of our
natural manhood, a sad and beggarly pros.
;itution of the noblest gift ever conferred
on 8 people. Who shall respect a people
who do not respect their own blood Aud
how shall national spirit OF any deter
inmate and proportioDste character, arise
out of so many low-bred associations anu
coarse grained temperaments, imported
from every climeP 1t was indeed in
keeping that Pan, who was the son of every
body, was the ugliest Of the gods"
And again: Another enormous difference
between this day and that of which it is
the anniversary Is seen in the foremost diff
/ ference in the nature and influence of the
forces that determine our national pOliti-
cal destiny. Then ideas ruled the hour
To-day there are indeed ideas that rule the
hour, but they must be merchantsble ideas
The growth of wealth, the prevalence of
luxury, the massipg of large material
forces, which by their very existence are a
standing menance TO the freedom and in
tegrity of the individual, the Infinite
sWagger of our American speech and man
ners, mistaking bigness for greatness and
sadly confounding gain and GOdliness-all
this is a contrast to the sustere simplicity.
the unpurchssed integrity Of the first
days and first men of our republic, which
makes il impossible to reproduce to-day
either the temper or conduct of our fathers
As we turn the pages backward, and come
upon the story of that 30th OF April in the
year of our Lord 1889, there is certain
stateliness in the air, certain ceremoni-
business in the manners, which we have
banished long sgo. We have exchanged
the Washiugtonian dignity for the Jeffer-
sonian simplicity, which in truth Is only
another name for JscksOnian vulgsrity.
And what have we gotten in exchange for
it. In the elder States they had the trap
pings of royalty and the pOmp and spIen-
dor of king's person to fill mems hearts
with LOYALTY. Well we have dispensed
with the old titulsr dignities. Let US
take care that We do not part with that
tremendous force for which they stood.
And so we come and kneel at this ancient
ard hallowed shrine where once be knelt,
and ask that God would graciously vcuch-
safe them. Here in this holy house we lind
the witness of that one invisible force
which. because it alone can rule the con-
science, is destined one day to rule the
world. Olt from the dens foul with the
coarse passions and coarser rivalties OF
self-seeking men, we turn aside as from the
crowd and glare of some highway swarm
ing with pnshing and ill-bred throngs, and
tawdry and clamorous with bediz ned
booths and noisy speech, in some cool and
shaded wood where straight to heaven
some majestic oak lifts its tail
form its roots imbedded deeper among
the uucSangirg rocks, It's upper
branches sweeping the upper airs, and hold
inc high commune with the stars; and as
we tllnE OF ulu iOA nbVA w A-N
thank God. we say: Such an one, IN ma
tive majesty he was a ruler, wise and
strong and fearless in the sight Of God and
men. because by the ennObling grace of
God he had learned, first of all, to con-
ouer every mean and selfish and seli-sesk-
ioe aim and so TO rule himself. "
Sach was the hero leader, ruler, patriot,
whom we gratefully remember on this
day. We may not reproduce his age, MS
Young environments, nor him. But none
the less may rejoice that once he lived and
led this people, led them and ruled them
p-udently like him, that Kiug'y ruler
and shepherd, of whom the Poalmist sang
with sll his power God gives us the
grace to pIiz9 his grand example and as we
NAV in our more modest measure to pro-
duce his virtues.
The service concluded with the reces-
sional hymn. The Presidential party was
then escorted by the vestry to the weS t
porch, where the President was received
bv the Centennial Literary Committee.
The Presidential party and invited guests
then proceeded to the snb-Treasury build
ing at the corner of Wall aod Nassau
streets, where the old Fedora. building
stood in which Washington took the oath
of Office in 17S9. Here the literary exer
cises were held