The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1896-05-20

toured that extreme weather hardly ever
lasts more than three days-extreme
heat or extreme cold. Climate for the
most part bracing and favorable for
Drawn and brain. All fruits. All min
erals. All harvests. Scenery displaying
autumnal pageantry that no land on
earth pretends to rival. No South Amer
lean earthquakes. No Scotch mists. No
English fogs. No Egyptian plaques.
The people of the United States are
happier than any people on earth. 1t is
the testimony of every man that has
travelled abroad. For the poor more
sympathy! For the industrious more op-
portunity! Oh, how good God was to
our fathers and how good God has been
to us and our children! To him-blessed
be his glorious name! To him Of cross
and triumph be consecrated the United
States of America!
There are three great reasons why
you and I should do our best for this
country-three great reasons: Our IA
thers' graves, our cradle, our children's
birthright. When I say your fathers
graves, your pulses run quickly. Wheth-
er they sleep in city cemetery or coun-
try graveyard their dust is very precious
to you. Wink they lived well and
that they died right. Never submit to
have any government over their tombs
other than that government under which
they lived and died. And then this
country is our cradle. 1t may have rocked
us very roughly, but it was a good
cradle to be rocked in. Oh, how much
we owe to it'll Our boyhood and girl
hood, it was spent in this blessed coun-
try. Inever have any patience with a
man who talks against this country.
Glorious place to be born in and glo-
rious place to live in. 1t has been our
cradle. Aye! 1t is to be our children's
birthright. You and I will soon be
through. We will perhaps see few
more spring blossoms, and we will per-
haps see few more summer haryests,
and we will perhaps gather few more
autumnal fruits, but we are to hand
this government to our children as it
was handed to us-a free land, happy
land, Christian land. They are not to
be trampled by despotism. They are not
to be frightened by anarchies. We must
hand this government to them over the
ballot 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 it.
And thou, Lord God Almighty, we
put, with thousand armed prayer, in
to thy protection this nation! Remem-
Der our fathers bleeding feet at Valley
Forge. Remember Marion and Koscius-
ko Remember the cold, and the hunger,
and the long march, and the fever hos
pital. Remember the fearful charge at
Bunker Hill. Remember Lexington, and
Yorktown, and Kings Mountain, and
Gettysburg. Remember Perry's battle
on the lake, and Hampton Roads, where
the Cumberland went down. Remem-
ber Washington's prayer by the camp
fire. Remember Plymouth Rock and
the landing amid the savages. Remem-
Der Independence hall and how much
it cost our fathers to sign their names.
Remember all the blood and tears Of
three wars-1776, 1912, 1862. And
more than all, remember the grcan that
was r1ightier than all other groans, and
the thirst that stung worse than all 9TH
er thirsts, and the death that was ghast-
lier than all other deaths-the mount on
which Jesus died to make all men hap
DIV and free. For the sake Of all this hui
man and divine sacrifice, o God, pro-
tect this nation! And whosocver would
blot it out, and whosoever would strike
it down, and whosoever would turn his
back, let him be accursed!
Go home today in high hopes OF the
future. The eternal Gcd is on tho side
of this nation Our brightest days are
yet to come.
He hath sorrded forth the trumpet that will
never call rntreat,
he is sitting ont tho hearts OF men before tho
Judgment scat.
Be swift, my soul, 70 answer him. be jubllsnt,
my feetl Our Gcd is marching on!
Eoy's This!