Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-07-02

| son, another signer, we find him the
| father Of William r. Harrison. the
| ninth president of the United States,
and the great-grandfathc Of BENJAMIN
| Harrison, the twenty-third president of
the United States. The name Of Philip
Livingston among the signers suggests
those Of Robert X. and Edward and
william. Roger Sherman, who was
| one of the great speakers at this CON
vention, was member of the distin-
| guished Connecticut family Of that
name, among whose descendants Is the
| present able senator from Massa-
chusetts George Frisbie Hoar. Ell.
| bridge Gerry's name suggests not one
Elbridge Gerry, but many Elbrldges.
Motifs not only means Lewis Morris,
but also that of his great brother,
Gouverneur Morris. The recounting
or these family names alone would
prove conclusively that there Is some
| thing In heredity. 1t would provo that
when man comes from a good ances-
trail stock 1t is not as difficult for him
to be good or great as If he were born
nobody. the grandson and the great
grandson of nobodies.
An Encouraging Assurance.
My friends, in whose veins flows the
blood of ancestors who fought at Bun
ker Hill and Brandywine and Saratoga
and Princeton shall you not serve your
country as nobly and faithfully as did
the soldier boys and statesmen OF 17IG
and 1888; Gan 1t be that we. whose
forefathers had so glorious n share in
the struggle for national independence
shall ourselves have no part, no honor
able position in the struggles that are
going on in 1903 to keep our nation
pure and good and true? In olden
times the Scottish youths were lnspir-
cd to deeds of valor by the knowledge
that they were members of the clan
MacGrcgor or Campbell or Stuart or
Mccoy. They were Inspired with the
determination never to disgrace the
family name. 1t is recorded that in
one Of the northern battles the Mac
Gregors were being driven back. Their
chief rallied his followers and led them
forth to n victorious charge with the
cry: "My men, come on Come on.
Fight like brave men. Your ancestors
are today watching YOU" So let US be
brave and true to Americas best inter-
csts, not only for our own sakes but
also for the sake of those illustrious
ancestors who are watching us. Let
this national anniversary be to US
day Of conservation to the cause Of
right and freedom. As the mother OF
Hannibal led her son 10 the grave OF
IIamilcar. his sire. and there made him
swear unc"asing war against the en-
emieS Of his country. so may we, re-
membcrlng the graves of the sgners
of the Declaration OF Independence,
pledge ourselves anew to the struggle
against the evils which menace the
greatness and righteousness of the ma
ton that they established.
The Declaration of Independence Is
an encoura ging assurance that in ev-
cry crisis Of our country's history God,
If we trust him, will always raise uo
the right men for the right place. Who
was Thomas Jefferson, the penman of
the Declaration of Independence?
oh" you answer, "he was one Of the
greatest Americans who ever lived. He
was the third president of the United
States. He was a man at whose men,
tai acumen and noble. patriotic pur-
poses the more you study him the
more you marvel. He was not a
cringinS politician. but a statesman
who could discern the future with the
farSeeing eyes of prophet and seer
True; all that you say in reference to
the sage OF Monticello is true. There
was not at the time of his death a
name more revered than that Of Thorn
as Jefferson. But who was Thomas
Jefferson in 1T76? He was only thirty
three years of age. He had just en-
tered public life and had become Il
member of the Virginia delegation but
a few months before. In the realm Of
debate he could not be classcd among
the great advocates - John Adams,
Roger sherman. Oliver WalCott, Lee
and George Wythe. AS writer he
bad no such influence in fostering the
Independence idea as had Samuel
ADAMS. For the most part, in the de-
libcrationS of the Continental congress-
he sat as n sphinx with closed lips.
Yet because Richard Henry Lee had
proposed the resolution of secession
and also because Lee was compelled to
absent himself from congress on &C.
count OF his sick wife and as congress
wanted to honor Virginia by appoint
ing a Nirginian in Lees place this
master mind, the young and compare
lively unknown Thomas jefferson, was
pushed forward. and he became the
author of the famous Declaration Of
Independence.
Trust In God.
I repeat, in the great crisis of ma
tional affairs God. If we only trust
him, will give us the right men for the
right places. Did he not give the right
man for the right place when he gave
Thomas Jefferson as the writer of this
immortal document? Did he not give
the right man for the right place when
George Washington became the head
Of the American armies? Did not God
give the right man for the right place
when, at the breaking out of the civil
war. Abraham Lincoln became presi-
dent of the United States? Did not
God give us the right man for the
right place when William Mckinley
sat in the White House and calmly and
bravely guided the affairs of state
during the SpanlshAmericnn trouble?
And shall not God raise up and inspire
our future leaders IL the American