The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1896-05-20

AL harvests. Scenery displaying au-
tumnal pageantry that no land on
earth pretends to rival. No South
American earthquakes. No Scotch
mists. No English frogs. No Eyvp-
tian plaques. The people Of the Uni
ted States are happier than an people
on earth. It is the testimony of every
man that has travelled abroad. For
the poor more sympathy. For the
industrious more opportunity. Oh,
how good God was to our fathers, and
how good Sod has been to US and our
children. To him-blessed De his glo-
rious name. To him of cross and tri-
umph be consecrated the United States
of America.
There are three great reasons why
you and l should do our best for this
country-three great reasons: Oar
fathers graves, cur children birth
right. When I say your fathers
graves. your pulses run quickly.
Whether they sleep in city cemetery
or country graveyard, their dust is
very precious to you. I think they
lived we'll and that they died right.
Never submit to have any government
over their tombS other than that gov
ernment under which they lived and
died. And then this country is our
cradle. 1t may have rocked us very
roughly, but it was a very good cradle
to be rocked in. Oh, how much we
owe 10 it. Our boyhood and girlhood,
it was spent in ia this blessed country.
I never have any patience with a man
who talks against this country. Clio.
rious place to be born ia, and glori-
Gus place to live in. 1t has been our
cradle. Aye! 1t is to be our children S
birthright. You and | will soon be
through. We will perhaps see few
more spring blossoms, aud we will
perhaps see few more summer har-
vests, and we will perhaps gather a
few more autum2al fruits, but we are
to hand this government to our chill.
dren as it was handed to us-a free
land, happy land, a Christian land.
They are not to be trampled by despot-
ism. They are not to be lacerated by
cruelties. They are not to be fright
ened by anarchies. We must hand
this government to them over the bal
lot box, over the school desk, over the
church altar, as we have received it,
and charge them solemnly to put their
life between it and any keen stroke
that would destroy H.
And thou, Lord God Almighty, we
put, with thousand armed prayer,
into thy protection this nation. Re.
member our fathers bleeding feet at
Valley Forge; remember Marion and
kosclusko; remember the cold, and
the hunger, and the long march, and
the fever hospital; remember the fear
full charge at Bunker Hill; remember
Lexington and Yorktown and Kings
Mountain and Gettysburg; remember
Perry's battle on the lake, and aamp-
ton Roads, where the Cumberland
went down; remember Washington's
prayer by the campfire; remember
Plymouth Rock, and the landing amid
the savages; remember Independence
hall, and how much it cost our fathers
to sign their names; remember all the
blood and tears Of three wars-1776,
1912, 1S62-and more than all, remem-
Der the groan that was mightier than
all other groans, and the thirst that
stung worse than all other thirsts, and
the death that was ghastlier than all
other deaths, the mount on which
Jesus died to make all men happy and
free. For the sake of all this human
divine sacrifice, O God, protect this
nation. And whosoever would blot it
out, and whosoever would strike il
down, and whosoever would turn his
back, let him be accuresd.
Go home today in high hopes OF the
future. The Eternal God is on the
side of this nation. Our brightest
days are yet to come.
He hath sounded forth the trumpet that will
never call retreat,
lie is sitting out the hearts Of men before the
judgment seat,
Be swift, my soul, to answer him, be jubi-
liant my feet. Our God is marching on.