The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1889-05-11

driven to the sub treasury building, II
front of which the literary exercises of the
day took place. AS soon as the Presi
Dental party reached the platform
Hamilton Fish, Sr., opened the exercises by
introducing Elbridge T. Gerry us chairman
The latter announced that 100 years ago, on
that very spot George Washington took the
oath of Office as the first President of the
United States and then introduced Rev
Richard T. Storrs, who delivered tho invoca.
tion. Clarence w. Bowen, secretary of the
| Centennial Committed, was next intro.
! duced He read J. g. Whittiers poem
which had been composed for the occasion
1t is as follows:
| The sword was sheathed; in Aprils sun
Lay green the fields by Freedom won;
| And severed sections, weary OF debates,
Joined hands at last and we're United States
o City sitting by the Seal
How proud the day that dawned on thee,
When the now era long desired, began,
| And, in its need, the hour had found the man
One thought the cannon salvos spoke;
The resonant bell towers vibrant stroke,
Tho voiceful streets, the plaudit-echoing halls,
And prayer and hymn borne hoavenward from
st. Paul'sl
HOW felt the land in every part
The strong throb OF Nations heart,
AS its great leader gave, with reverent awe,
His pledge to union, liberty and lawl
That pledge the heavens above him heard
That vow the sleep of centuries stirred;
In worldwide wonder listening peoples bent
Their gaze on freedoms great experiment.
Could it succeed? or honor sold
And hopes deceived all history told.
Above the wrecks that strewed the mournful
past,
Was the long dream of ages true at last'
Thank God! the peoples choice was just,
The one man equal to his trust
Wise beyond lore, and without weakness good
Calm in the strength of fiawlcss rectitude
His rule of justice, order, peace,
Made possible the worlds release;
Taught prince and serf that power is but q
trust,
And rule, alone. which serves the ruled, is just;
That Freedom generous is but strong
In hate of fraud and selfish wrong,
Pretense that turns her holy truths to lies,
And lawless license masking in her guise.
Land of his love, with ono glad voice
Let thy great sisterhood rejoice;
century's suns o'cr thee have risen and set,
And, God be praised, we are one Nation yet.
And STILL we trust, the years to be
Shall prove his hope was destiny,
Leaving our flag with all its added stars
Unrent by faction and unstained by warsi
Lo! where with patient toll he nursed
And trained the new-set plant at first,
Tho widening branches of a stately tree
Stretch from the sunrise to the sunset sea.
And in its broad and sheltcring shade,
Sitting with none to make afraid,
Were we now silent, through each mighty limb,
The winds Of heaven would sing the praise OF
him.
Our first and best!-his ashes lie
Beneath his own Virginian sky.
Forgive, forget, o true and just and bravo,
The storm that owept above thy sacred grave /
For, ever in the awful strife
And dark hours of the Nations life,
Through the fierce tumult pierced his warning
word
Their fathers voice his erring children heard |!
The change for which he prayed and sought
In that sharp agony was wrought;
No partial interest draws its alien line
'Twixt North and South, the cypress and the
pine!
One people now, all doubt beyond,
His name shall be our Union-bond;
We lift our hands to Heaven, and here and
now,
Take on our lips the old Centennial VOW. &.
For ru lie and trust must needs be ours;
Chooser and chosen both are powers
Equal in service as in rights; the claim
or duty rests on each and all the same.
Then let the sovereign millions, where
Our banner floats in sun and air,
From the warm palm-lands to Alaskas cold,
Repeat with us the pledge century oldl
Then followed the grafton by Chauncey
NJ. Depew. In the midst of the enthusiasts
tic cheering which followed Mr.. Depew's
Grafton, Mr.. Elbridge Gerry arose and said:
1.-THE President Of the United States will
now address you"
President Harrison then arose from his
seat, placed his hat On the chair in which he
had been sitting, and advanced to the
front Of the platform. This was the signal
for grand outburst of cheering He be-
gan before the cheering died away and
spoke as follows:
"These proceedings are OF very exacting
character and make il quite impossible that 1
should deliver an address on this occasion. AT
an carly date / notified your committee that
the programme must not contain any address
orator on this occasion made further speech
not only difficult by superfuous. He
has met the demand OF thes oc-
casion on its own high level He has
brought before us the incidents of the
ceremonies Of the great Inauguration of Wash
ington. We seem to be part of the admiring
and almost adoring throng that filled these
streets 100 years ago to greet the always inspir-
ing presence OF Washington. He was the incar-
nation of duty, and he teaches us to-day this
great lesson that those who would associate
their name with events that shall outlive
n century can only do so by the highest conse-
Grafton 10 duty He was like the captain