Year: 1875

but, after all, they will include nothing
more than merely the lighting Of the fires
on patriotic altars for the magnificent rites
and spIendors of the Centennial celebration
of next year. The most superficial OBJ
server of the action of men and the sig
nifcance of events cannot help realizing
the fact that as America grows older Ameri-
cans grow prouder of its history. and hold,
in increasing veneration, the men and the
deeds that constitute the foundation of our
imperial strength and glory.


On the Fourth of July, 1776, revela-
ton from Heaven to earth disclosed to the
world the purposes of God to make the
home of Washington the Temple of the
Spirit of Freedom. of Progress and of
Majesty. The ministers Of prophecy, the
pioneers of progress, the exemplars of
power were all designated by Infinite Wis
dom, and from the date OF the revelation
to this the work has evenly and steadily
gone forward, so that now we can compre-
hend something of the grandeur of the
which the Almighty Architect has framed !;
and how becoming it is, while surrounded
by the rays of the dawn of our second CEN
tury, to sit down and reverently contem-
plate the blessings we have enjoyed, and
our duty as a people and, though re-
minded by the voice Of inspiration that
I" the nations are as drop of g bucket,
"and are counted as the small dust of the
balance" we can group innumerable
evidences of the favor and protection of
Him who holds the universe in His palm.
AS memory sweeps back this morning over
all our richly jeweled history to the 4th
Of July, 1776, what is the inspirstional
voice we hear from Independence Rallt
1t is this: "AIl men are created equal :"
from the sky we hear the descending re-
sponse, ''Render therefore to all their
dues" Liberty is due to all, for all are
s'created equal" and under the Constitu-
ton all enjoy liberty, and 30 great is the
power of this liberty that it invests the
humblest citizen with the same political
prerogatives belonging to the highest. The
source of all liberty is in the generous
bosom of the Infinite. From that source
our liberty as nation is derived. Its con-
tinued gift will be commensurate with our
own generosity to the oppressed and the
weak. When we seek its boundaries and
attempt to hedge in its blessings, then the
flow from its divine source will be checked,
for we shall cease rendering ''to all their
dues" we shall become deaf to the voice
of the Declaration, and disobedient to the
mandate of Heaven. The punishment
will be the removal of liberty from US in
the same degree we circumscribe that of
others. How important it is, then, for our
continued prosperity as a nation that all
constitutional laws concerning liberty and
all its safeguards be kept inviolate by those
who have been influenced by the spirit of
freedom to create them, and how de.
termined the American people ought to be
to witness the erasure of the last statutory
provision in any State that interferes in any
way with the liberty of a citizen. The
purest, highest, noblest forms of liberty are
in natural harmony with the most humane
and tender laws, as, on the other hand,
despotism demands for its protection des-
potic and cruel legislation. Forward,
march, ye soldiers of liberty % is the COM
mand Of God.


Listening again to the voice of the fathers
we hear the enunciation of the solemn
agreement Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof" and
from on high, like note which fills the
world with melody, comes the response:
'tBut they shall sit every man under his
viae and under his ig-tree." In these re-
Elections, appropriate to the day, we have
nothing to do with the details of progress,
but here cannot help recurring to the fact
that in 1775 the total number of ministers
of the gospel in the United States
was scarcely fourteen hundred, and
the number of congregations was
not more than two thousand, and it would
be liberal estimate to say that the sittings
numbered six hundred thousand. In 1870
there were in the United States 72, 459 re-
ligious organizations, 63, ,0S2 religious edi-
fees and 21, 665, ,062 sittings. These facts
alone prove the wisdom. of the provision,
and how gloriously the spirit of freedom
has been lifted up in this regard. The
broad, the comprehensive mind, sssimilat-
ing itself in the slightest degree to that of
aIl-seeing perception, can understand what
would have been the result if religious
faith had been regulated by law. The
thousand bubbling springs and rills on the
mountain side make, at its base, the deep
broad river, and the river, uniting with
others, flows on and rests in the ocean; so
all religions, having their source In funda-
mental truth, unite and bear the believer
out into the broad and peaceful ocean CT
infinite love, and on its bosom all rest in
safety. Experience teaches us, as a ma
ton, not to interfere in an arrangement so
clearly fashioned by the Divine will, but,
on the contrary, to foster liberation,
TO protect religious liberty, and thereby
promote the continuance Of religious pros
perity. There are some things we can do
as people, in return for the favor and
affection shown us. Whatever advance
we have made in art and science is, like
liberty, the gift of the Almoner of all
things. Great brains have been worked



upon to do great deeds. Painting, sculp-
ture, music, the drama, invention, science,
have all had American exemplars and dis.
ciples who have crowned our country with
laurels, greener and more fragrant than
those worn by any other nation. The
glory Of people, their dominion and
power, is extended by every new achieve
ment in the realm of art and science. It's
recognized teachers and prophets ought to
be literally supported. They ought not
10 be cramped. Poverty may be the
mother of industry, and necessity the
mother of invention" in some cases, but
they are more often the mothers of dis
codngement and absolute failure 1t
would be in accordance with the spirit
of the nineteenth century to create
a great fund, and sppoint CON-