Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1910-06-17


ing vivid appreciation of the signers
Of the Declaration of Independence is
taken:
Let us turn for a moment to the Con-
tinental congress assembled in INDIE
pendence hall In Philadelphia on the
Fourth day of July, 1776. One act OF
insult and oppression upon the part Of
the crown toward the colonies had fol-
lowed another In rapid succession I'M
til the time had come when the repre-
sentatives of the colonies were to de
eide In favor of abject submission to
tyranny or to resolve to be forever free
and independent. Upon the n side
were the ties of country and a com-
mon ancestry, upon the other rebellion
against the mother country and he
commencement of a struggle the end
of which no man could foretell;
upon the one side unqualified submis-
sion to the dogma of the divine
right Of kings" upon the other wal
with the greatest nation of the globe,
with independence as the prize of VIC
tory and with defeat as surely the
~forerunner of infamy and death.
The men who signed this Declaration
were not unmindful of the grave re-
sponsibilities which they assumed. 1t
was no rash act upon their part They
well knew that Great Britain would
never permit these colonies to be
wrested from her grasp without a
struggle. They well knew England,
with her untold wealth, her powerful
army and a navy that made her mis-
tress of the seas, was a foe to be re-
spected even by the strongest govern
ment upon the earth. To the imper-
ishable honor of the signers of this
Declaration be it said that they did not
hesitate when the dread issues OF that
hour were to be decided.
The gospel of universal liberty had
been proclaimed to the world. For
ages mankind had believed there was
"a divinity which doth hedge a king"
The world was now startled from its
lethargy by the declaration that ire
sistance to tyrants is obedience to
God" The new gospel proclaimed by
the signers Of the Declaration of In
dependence was in conflict with that
by which the world for generations
had been governed. Boldly and IN
equivocally it challenged the doctrine
of the divine right of kings. The
barons of England at the point of the
sword had wrested from an unwilling
tyrant that Magma Charta which for
ages bad been the PALLADIUM Of English
liberty. Again and again during rhe
reign of the long line of the predeces-
sors of George Ill. some darling of
prerogative of kingly power had been
grudgingly conceded to an exasperat-
ed people. But these were mere eff
forts to restrain within bounds, not to
destroy, the n man power.
Our Declaration of Independence sol
EMMY announced as q self evident
truth that all men are born equal 1t
proclaims as the cardinal feature or
the social compact, as the very con-
nerstone of civil government the abb
solute equality of all men Govern
ments were declared to have been es-
tablished among men for the benefit
of the governed. What a glorious In
heritance is this Declaration! What
lofty craftsmanship is breathed In its
every utterancel Well did the great
commoner Of England exclaim. 1.-The
men who can so write deserve to be
free"
Whence came the men who signed
this Declaration? In what school of
politics or philosophy did they learn
these great truths? Who taught them
the science of political government?
From what loyal line of lawgivers did
they spring? Unskilled in the d1plo-
macy and craft that control cabinets
and govern empires, they were the
people raised up by an all wise Provi-
dence to overcome the obstacles and
grapple with the dangers that threat
ened their liberties.
From the earliest struggles for the
freedom of mankind to the days or
Thomas jefferson he men who in The
halls of debate or on the field of bat
tie have been the eloquent advocates
of human rights or the bold defenders
of human liberty have sprung from
the ranks of the people.
Fellow citizens, the calm dignity
with which this Revolution was inau-
gurated, the ties of allegiance sunder-
ed, the solemn declaration made that
henceforth these colonies were to be
free and Independent states and the
solemn appeal of the representatives
of the people to %posterity for the
rectitude of their intentions is n Of
the grandest and most imposing events
In history. When In all time have any
other people inaugurated revolution
and confronted death with such fear
less dignity? No bravado or violence
marred the grandeur Of this great act.
but a calm recital Of wrongs and OPP
pressions is followed BY the decisive
step ana the, solemn appeal to the
Supreme Judge of the world
How striking the contrast with other
nations when in the throes Of revolu-