The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1901-07-10
M'LAURlN'S SPEECH
AT SPARTANBURG

Maine 10 tho Pacific Golden Gate;
From Superior'e Crystal Waters to
the Evergreen Shores OF the Mexican
Sea, Brothers Arc we All's-ssAnd
tho Thoughts OF Men Are yyidencd. .
While the 4th of July, 1s76. was the
date of the Declaration of Independence,
the sth of July. 1901. was the time when
it was carried into full effect by the es-
tablishment of the capital. SO that this
country is really but q century old Union
and independence foreve- Is today the
watchword Of ~ million American free,
men. When the nineteenth century was
born. there WAS not nation In " .nicin til.
subjects had voico in the afRcirs of gov
ernment. The influence of the United
States has been such during the past CEN
tury that there is not civilized nation
in the affairs of which the people have no
voice. They vote evan IN Rn.:!s TThhs..s
are now five republics upon tae continent
OF Europe. There are no nations that ere
not republics in the western hemisphere
and there are two republics In Africa
Having repnhlicanized the world aud
made every ne ton recognize. ut least to
some extent, the principles outlined I'm
our declaration of independence. we now
open new century, as the beacon light
OF tho world, in bringing about the nat
ural sequences of this universal brother
hood of manhood. taught first by Christ
when upon the earth, and forgotten
through eighteen centuries, the dealing
together of the nations of the earth to
their mutual profit, in the advancement
of civilization, the promotion of peace
and the enhancement of their material
welfare.
Our forefathers pledged in g revolution
their lives. their fortunes and their ga
cred honor to secure for us this boon.
They fcrecaated the future, and builtthe
foundations Of our free government upon
broad and patriotic principles which in
their triumph would secure perpetual
union OF states and an enduring inde-
pendence OF the nation. The crises
through which we have passed. while
menacing the stability of the union, have
never imperilled oLr freedom The civil
war was II severe shock 10 the unity or
the states, but we have passed through
the fiery ordeal. and Today have Union
stronger and patriotism broader and
deeper than ever. In all this land, from
Maine to California. from the Lakes to
the Gulf, there is but one heart, one
country. and one people. all cemented
together, by the ties of true patriotism
and the love Of human freedom. Well
may the American people, North, South,
East and West, glory in this day, hal
lowed as 1t is by the associations and
triumphs of the past. and magnified by
the bright promises of the future. Our
past as nation ls safe, but it Is gone for
ever: we cannot recall or change it. We
can. however. seize the present, and wise.
ly use the opportunity to make our future
the realization Of the widest dreams of
the most optimistic American.
THE LESSONS OF THE PAST.
propose today to emphasize our pres
ent splendid opportunities as nation
and the grand results to flow from their
full appreciation and utilisation.f We ara
standing today with the vanishing shad.
ows OF the last century playing about our
feet, while the dim light Of the dawning
new century l. k'sses our brow. From the
top of Times ighest peak we can look
backward along The great highway that
all nations have Travelled, we can see the
steady footsteps Of the human race, as Il
has plodded on and on, making epochs In
earth's history and rearing monuments to
mark human progress. Let us, my fel.
low-citizens. learn wisdom from the past.
lts follies. crimes and blunders may bs
turned into sublime stepping stones, to
lift our generation to higher plane of
existence. Along the highway, where we
have passed. hate, sectionalism and blind
partisanship show where the road las
ifepned off into sssny an abyss, ragged
and deep. The torn garments and tha
whitened bones we; soc far down below
should warn us to turn and seek the BET.
ter path. Mt whose summit lie sweet pros.
perity. liberty, peace and justice. Step by
step the process of education and ad.
vancement has proceeded. Each century
has shown some progress in q certain di.
recticn in human Thought, In human en-.
deavor and In human Improvement
II doubt not thro' the ages one increas.
ing purpose runs,
with the process of the suns"
The thought SO beautifully expressed
In the parable of the sewers is true of ma.
tions as we'll as offindividuals. -
Behold there went out a, sower TO sow.
and he sowed. some fell by the wayside
and the fowls Of the air. came end ,devour.s :
ed 1t up" This was true right in Jerusa.
lem. sAnd some fell on Stony 1ro,n,4
where it had not much earth and immrleel.@
diately it sprang up, because it had no
depth of earth. but when the sun was up.
1t was scorched, and because 1t had no
root 1t withered away" This was true In
Rome. where Christians were put to death
in the Coliseum. "And some fell among
thorns. and the thorns grew up and
choked 1t, and It yielded no fruit, This
was truein Persia, which at that time led
the civilization Of the world. We get our
common school system from Prussia, who
got it directly from Persia. .a