Year: 1874

The infant colonies standing alone
in the face Of the world gathered
closer together as the storm came on
Mercenary soldiers came to plou
with cannon the fields where peace
and plenty had reigned, but the
threatened devastation only united
more firmly Gods Israel in the wilder
ness. They sternly faced the contest
with strong fsith.but at first with va
rying success. The ablest pens ol
the country were now used-teaching
the people thro' the papers and maga-
zines that As the world was against
them, their only hope of success Law
in putting themselves on the side of
the Almighty bv declaring in favor
Of justice, liberty and independence.
Ministers of the Gospel with the
open Bible before them, declared
from the pulpit that the cause Of
American independence was the
cause of God. William Henry Dray-
ton, Chief Justice Of South Carolina,
in his charge to the Grand Jury At
the April term 1s76, uttered these
prophetic words. 81 think it my duty
TO declare from the awful seat Of JUS
tice and before Almighty God that
in my opinion the Americans can
have no safety but by divine favor,
their own virtues. and there being so
prudent as TO not leave it in the pow
er of British rulers to injure them.
- The Almighty created America
to be independent Of Great Britain.
Let US beware Of the impiety Of be-
being backward as the instruments
in the Almighty hand now extended
to accomplish his purpose, and by
the accomplishment of which alone,
America in the nature of human sf.
fairs can be secured against the Graf
ty and insidious designs Of her ene-
mics who think her favor and pros
perity already far too great. In a
werd, piety and political safety are
SO blended that to refuse our labor
in the divine work is TO refuse TO be
a great. free, = pious and q happy
people,


At this stage of the contest-at
this point of the march Of human
events, the political vampires who in
times of peace SO persistently thrust
their pssfiotic (fl services upon the
people, took their well filed but still
capacious carpet sacks, and quietly
retired to the rear, ready like the il
lustrious Ward to sacrifice the lives
and fortunes and sacred honor of all
their relatives for the benefit of
whichever side beat. Then it was
the arrant coward who had SO long
and industriously blown the horn Of
his own greatness, subsidized into a
beautiful silence and halted to note
carefully how he might gain some
credit on account of the victories
others might win. But if you imagine
this class Of men extinct, let us speak
of another class-true heroes, who, in
the even tenor of their way, quietly
and unostentatiously came to the
front in the hour that tries mems
souls-Men who believe,


.'rhat to side with truth Is noble when we


share her wretched crust,


Ere her cause brings fame and profit,
and tits prosperous to be just;


| Th.n II IL the brave man choose while
the coward stands aside,


Doubling In his abject spirit till his Lord


is crucified,


And the multitude make virtue of the


faith they had denied"


"By the light of burning heretics Christ's


bleeding feet we track,


Toiling up new Calvaries with the cross


that turns not back,


And those mounts OF anguish number how


each generation learned


One new word of that grand Credo which


In proper hearts hath bhrned-


Since the nrst man stood 0od-conqnered


with his face TO heaven turned


With such men as these to lead,
and with such an occasion as that just
referred to in the language Of the
poet, we come to grand crisis in the
history of the world. The morning
OF the Fourth Of July, A. d. one
thousand seven hundred and seventy
six comes in bright and smiling with
the radiance of heaven. The repre-
sentatives Of the colonies have assem-
bled in the old hall at Philadelphia,
to decide the destiny of America and
the fate of the world. The old bell
man not content with the end Of the
rope that swings below, has gone to
the steeple that he may more effect
ually WELD the iron 'ogue of the bell
on whose lips the British founder un
willingly csat the prophetic sentence,
"Proclaim liberty to the land and to
the inhabitants thereof A large
crowd believing that the prophetic
hour has come have left their various
avocations and are surging about the
closed doors of the hall. Within
stand the signers of the Declaration
of Independence, calm as the right
eous soul in the presence Of the Most
High. These representatives from
various walks of life, farmers, me-
chanics, doctors, and lawyers, all en-
inent because Of their industry and
integrity, united by common object,
and forgetting all save the duty OF
the hour, stand there upon the 18TH
mus between the old and the new,
while the breakers of passion, avarice,
and war vainly threaten them on eth
er hand. British gold has sought to
corrupt them. but could not. British
bayonets has sought to intimidate
them, but failed. Steadily they &c
forward with their eyes on the bea-
con lights of peace and prosperity
pointed out in the distant future by
the hopes Of their philanthropic
hearts. The deed is donel The Dec
laration is adopted. The doors are
thrown open and large, loud, JOY.
Gus shout rends the heavens. The
old bellman, with his silver locks
floating upon the breeze, stretches
forward to gather the meaning Of the
sound. A small boy stationed for the
purpose representative Of coming
genera.ions--claps his hands with
childish glee and shouts, Ring! Ring!
Ring!!! The old man with the en-.
thusiasm of the hour, and the energy
of youth tingling through his aged
form, hurls the iron tongue an hun
dred times back and forth with a Wig
or that sends the reverberating tone.