The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1891-02-27

Eloquent Speech by william Il.
Cox, Esq.

II ~ Wy e@Prt Uoit otuoolr, uNuer IN
q superin'endence OF Prof. 4. X. Dougi
= erty, on last Friday afternoon, las the %
: fell on Sunday) by flag raising on ID
; school house and appropriate exercise
: by the pupils, among which patriot,
national and army songs. finely rem
.dcred, added zest to the occasion. TIL
, day was gloomy one, with rain com
| ing down steadily. so that the exercise
had to be inside the house. instead o
Outside Is WAS intended. The room
was we'll filed, Notwithstanding tn
downp0ur, and all who attended wer,
well repaid In pleasure for venturinl
out.
\ The orator Of the day, aside from th,
. school proper, the students Of which de
livered several fine addresses, was VIM
=, Cox, Esq., whose patriotic and elo
Quent ufteranccs met warm response
from ell his hearers, and the effort vii
surely result In stronger spirit OF pa.
triotism in the rising generation. HI
said
/ THE duty imposed upon me regard 4
pleasant task. Our country's nag, the
nations emblem. the object Of this
gathering. has been the subject
for ba-ds and poets to paint
In resplendent colors, fine flowing
language, and patriotic expressions. So
will Il ever continue 10 be, honored by
patriots as long as Its silken folds ex-
psnds itself In the morning and evening
breeze. To carry our minds back "a
the time when our country had no ma.
tioDal emblem with which TO represent
iis principles. except that representing
Iiis dependence upon other countries, e
10 carry Us back TO the colonial period
when we were but IS strangers in for
sign land. Tho principles represented
by the stars and str ipes have been gained
under clonds Of dust, and amidst seas OF
human blood. Wherever the Arian
race is found. its tendency has ever been
10 ward political freedom, from the
breaking up in the Hindoo Knsh noun
lains 10 Asia; their migration to the
shores Of the Mediterranean Sea, from
there treading the continent OF Europe,
our ancestors finally landing ia Great
Britain, their footsteps have been
marked with wars for liberty. Here
from history's pages We catch = glance
l0f como nf the heroic efforts made bv
her martyrs Tor popular freedom. Al
the battle OF Hartings the bine.syed
Saxon was doomed TO see the flag 0f his
country 90 down 10 black desp air, but
only 10 rise again.
The cterns. spirit of liberty, thar knew
no bounds while In shackies, and
submits &, no concucror's rules, cIthough
smouldering away for 240 years, thew
wrcuched from King John part Of
their political rights incorporated IL
Magma Charta. And again from King
Charles, together with other additions.
constitutes the larger part OF tbc popular
rights Of England, tbs home OF our Tore
fathers. Not crntent with this boon.
27l years ago l0l persons hosting their
sails, steering westward sought fortunes
snd liberty in foreign land. Landed
upon Plymouth Rock. truly place
where the "stsr-eycd Goddess az Liberty
could be worshipped 10 its full extent.
Tradition and history's pages show Us
how gallantly they did their work. The
most wonderful part OF the drama IL the
rspidity with which they cast of their
d0gmss, and superstition clinging to-
them ~ the fruits OF past generations. j
But that was period Of revolution, a
period when government monarchies
and dynasties we're hying asunder to the
four corners Of the earth. People were
rife for the formation Of new aud bct-
ter government; government not in!
which was to be found king and peasant.
lord and vssssl, hut q government
where the rights Of a lay man would be
projected; place where no dominecr-
ing lord could exact the rights. Iibcr- |
ties, and general pursuits Of happiness
OF his eubjects without due process oil
law and Just compensation; 9 principle |
upon which al Republican governments
are founded. but one that was reserved /
for our government to first evolve aud
to the civilized world. This
principle had been contended for bv
Greece, tho land OF soldiers and the \
nurse or arms. aud by the Romans with
valor and chivalry unknown 10 historical
Students Of any other country.
Though by far tho youngest Of them
IN. II WAS reserved for Amcrics 10 thor
,urhly prune every vostige and specios
,f slavery, Danish Il from human sight.
,ast II into oblivion, bury X forever in'
no archives Of the past. So thoroughly \
las the work been accomplished that no
nan can breathe the American air and
,e slave. All glory and honor 10 ibci,
,eroes who fret landed upon Plymouth
Rock, the mecca Of American liberty. III
vas there that the dragon Of tyranny
vas slain, shorn Of all the pomp and pow
4 OF which II was possessed the rays Of
light aud liberty began to g DOT them
elves hcavenward. shining rs beacon
ight 10 other nations cropping through
he darkness Of Oriental tyranny.
Lei ne not bc iorgetfuI, hut ever re-
niudfuI ol the fact. that our rights ana
iberties Or which we are now IN poses
ion have not been achieved by single :
,ound. But human tears have been
into lskes OF water, and hu-
nan blood hiss cncircled our country iol
ain wonders emblem, and 70 maintain IA
Is supremacy. n
when our country took its place
mong the nations OF the earth, II was q
without an emblem upon which cur
'ouored patriots could look and fnd
projections. Necessity invented our t.