The Coolidge examiner., 1935-03-22

struggle In which We have been 50 long engaged
and which we have pledged ourselves never 10
abandon until the glorious object of our contest
shall be obsalned--we must fight I repeat H.
sir. we mus, Hghtl an appeal to arms and TO
the God OF Hosts is al that Il left u.s."
II Is easy TO Imagine the Intensity Of that
moment in the little white-palnted Richmond
church as Patrick Henry's fellow Yirginians lis
tened 20 him utter the words which they knew
In their hearts we're true but which. so far. they
had been unable to bring themselves to use
I'VE mus, fight repeat Il. slr-we mus, hght 7"
Up to this time. according 10 the eyewitness al-
ready quoted. Henry hud spoken with great
ealmness and restraint Iut now, as he drew
near the conclusion of his speech his passionate
earnestness mounted to this stirring climax:
They tell Us. sir that we are weak: unable TO
cope with 50 formidable an adversary. But when
shall we be strongerf VIII Il be next week. or
the next Year, WIN II be- when we are totally
disarmed, and when British guard shall be sta
toned IN every house7 Shall acquire the
means Of eTectua resistance by lying guplnely
on our back and huggIng the delusve phantom
OF hope. until our enemies shall have bound ms
hand and foot? Sir, We are not weak, II we make
a proper use OF these means which the God OF
nature hath placed In our power. Three millions
Of people armed 10 the holy cause OF liberty.
and in such a country as that which we possess
are Inynclble By any force which our enemy can
send against Us Resides sir We shall not fight
our battles alone. There is just God who pre-
sides over the destinles Of nations, and who VIII
raise up friends 10 fight our battles for US. The
battle sir Is not TO the strong alone; it is TO
the vlgilant the active. the brave. Besides. sir,
we have no election. II we were base enough TO
desire Il. Il is too late TO retire from the
contest There Is no retreat but In submission
and slavery Our chains are forged! Their
clanking may be heard on the plains OF Boston 7!
The war is ineyitahle-and let ii come! re-
peat sir, let IL come.
1T is in vain. sir to extenuate the matter.
Gentlemen may cry, Peace peace but there is
no peace The war is actually begun The next
gale that sweeps from the North viii bring to
our ears the clash OF resoundng arms! Our
brethren are already In the heldl Why stand we
here idle? What is Il the gentlemen wish? What
would they have7 Is life so dear. or peace so
sweet as to be purchased at the price Of chains
and slavery7 Forbid II, Almighty Godi know
not what course others may take: but as for me,
give me liberty or give me deathl'
Such was the speech which, according TO one
OF Henry's bIographers CMoses Colt Tyler In the
American Statesmen" series, published by the
Houghton MifTlln company. has been committed
to memory and declamed by several generations
OF American schoolboys, and Is now perhaps
famillariy KNOWN 10 Mrser huhoeI Vi uhe
American people than any other considerable bit
of secular prose in our language The old church
al Richmond, In which he made this marvellous
speech Is in our time visited every year, a
| patriotic shrine, by thousands Of pilgrims, who
seek curiously the very spot upon the floor
where the orator Is believed to have stood when
he uttered those words of fame 1t is chiefly
the tradition OF that one speech which today
keeps alive, in millions OF homes. the name of
Patrick Henry and which lifts him, in the popular
| faith almost to the rank of some mythical hero
of romance"
C by Western Newspaper Unisz-