Year: 1865

! the human mind in ignorance-enVelope
I the deathless soul of man in a maze of
/ intellectual darkness, denying the mari
4 tai, paternal, flial, and fraternal relations
that system which ignored common
! brotherhood of man, and to the command
of God to let the oppressed go free, hurls
| back proud and impious deiance-that
this system Is the cause of the present
| distress that fills the land with gloom and
sorrow. All our efforts to try to deceive


ourselves or others, to divert the thought
full mind from this ever present truth, is
worse than folly. Like the Ghost of


Banquo, 1T will not down." but is ever


shaking its CORY locks and proclaiming
itself the fruitful source of all Colum-
! bias woes.


Not only is this truth with fearful pow


er forced upon the hearts of our own


people, but the nations of the earth, who
have beheld cur greatness and prosperity,
our rapid increase In population, knoWl-
! edge and wealth, as they hear of cur dis


tress, see our desolated fields, and our
cities burned with fre-those nations all


descry in slavery, ''soul-crushing, God
dishonoring slavery, the fearful cause of
all this woe. This system, barely toler-
ated, but carefully ercIuded By name in


our fundamental law, which the founders


of our government hoped in time would
peacefully expire-this system which
grew with our growth, and strengthened
| with our increasing strength-sought to
shape and control the destinies of our
nation and rear its horrid form in all our
national domain This system in all our
history, fearful disturber of our peace
and at times cOnvulsing our nation from
center to circumference, at length IN its
| folly and madness, grasped our nation by
the throat and with hendish hate aimed
its blows at the fountain of its existence.


To bring into existence a nation, the
chief corner stone of which should be
the tears and sighs, the blood and groans
of Gods children, doomed throughout
all generations to unrequited toll and
hopeless slavery, was the motives prompt
ing to seek the nations life and throw
the pail of death DER all Columbia's S
land. That these are facts, is known to
all who have taken the pains to inform
folly to attempt to prove them to any who
know them not. The wise man tells us
that if fool were brayed in a mortar
with pestle, no good could possibly re-


suit from the operation. l need but
scarcely refer to the history of the last
four years. Who will ever forget the
fearful state of suspense in which every
one was plaeed?-the hopes of to-day
swept away by the fears of tomorrow
w uO VIII ever 1OI8SG Gudb pST10S1 VI dA4-
iety and more than Egyptian gloom when
treason went unrebuked in all the land?-
when it seemed that our governments was
feeble as a rope of sand-and that the
fabric of our nation, with the hopes Of
millions clustering around it, was tum


bling to a mass of ruins. National au-
therity was ignored; forts and arsenals,
mints and custom-houses, the property
of the nation, falling into the hands of
traitors, and no effort made at resistance.
Who can ever forget the deep solicitude
pervading every heart during that period
of UNCERTAINTY and suspense1 At length,
the eyes of the nation are turned to Fort
Sumter, in which the brave Anderson
and his noble band, surrounded by the
enemies of their country, were found
faithful among the faithless. Though
surrounded by traitors, he refused to sur
render that committed to his trust. Then
were "let slip the dogs of war" Batter
les and forts opened upon him the iron
messengers of death. Fearful was the
eonfiet-the result known but too well.


The threat was made by traitors in
high official position that the flag of
treason should ere long wave in triumph
from the dome of the Capitol, and float
from Independence and Fanieul Halls
Then our nation awoke from her slum-
bers-then the loyal heart was fred-then
forgetting parties and creeds everywhere
there was union of hands and hearts
then the nation threw off its weakness,
and like mighty giant sprang to its feet
and girded itself for the mighty conflict.
Departed years frequently make but lit
tie impression on the mind, they pass
away and are forgotten. But who will ev-
er forget the scenes of April, 1861, then
the cry to arms rang from our hill sides
and reverberated through all the land
The sound of National music everywhere
fell upon our ears-eagerly as our rev.
olutionary fathers responded to the
%roans of those who fell at Lexington,
rushed mighty host of patriot heroes
to rescue the country they loved so well
from the grasp of traitors; wickedly seek
ing its destruction. Companies we're
formed. Regiments sprang into exis-
tence. Brigades organized and armies
rapidly marshalled.


The nation lately devoted to peaceful
pursuits became one vast camp. Perhaps
since the commencement of this war
nearly two millions of Colum bias sons
have rallied around her flag, and at the
risk of their lives pledged themselves to
her defense. With the rapidity of steam
we hyve seen them hurried away, we
have cheered them on and bade them
God speed but as we have done so amid
the excitement, we have afterward indul-
ged in reflection and pictured scenes that
wrung our hearts with sorrow. Who but
the infinite being whose eye looks down
ward into every heart, can form any con
ception of the deep sorrow of those who
have gone and those who have remained
at home. We have seen regiments of
hardy men, heard their merry laugh, the
brilliant sally of wit and jocund song
This was the bright side among them,
was the affectionate husband separated
from his companion? among them the
kind father who had impressed upon the
lips of his children, for aught he knew,
the last parental kiss Among them was
the only sons of widowed mothers; and
how many of these braves will never re-
turn again; mangled on the battle field
they sleep in their CORY beds, or starved
to emaciatiOn they suffered on in filthy
prisons till death put them beyond reach
of their tOrmentors. Where is the fire
side now which does not show a vacant
chair? Where is the family in which
some loved ones voice is not heard; and
where the circle of relationship which
has not been rudely sUndered? Picture
to your mind the lone mother who has
laid the companion of her youth in the
chambers of death, at morn, at noon and
eve, thinking of her noble boy, her only
child not present to comfort her in life's
declining years and smooth her pathway
to the tomb Behold the sad eontenanee
of the mother as she hears her little ones