The Peogkess or Civilization in the United States. 
 
 '^TERARY fioGIETIE8 
 
 )F riiK 
 
 ^Ittivevsiti) 0f f 0tttlt (l^av0Utta, 
 
 AT COI.UMBrA. S. C JUNE 80tli, 187], 
 
 IJV 
 
 HENRY W. MILLIARD, 
 
 . COLUMBIA, a C: ^ 
 
 I CAROLINA FEINTING COMPANY'S BOOK AND JOB OFFICE. ! \ 
 
 1871. 
 
Geo?^ge Washington Flowers 
 Memorial Collection 
 
 DUKE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 
 
 ESTABLISHED BY THE 
 FAMILY OF 
 
 COLONEL FLOWERS 
 
 Pamphlet Collection 
 Duke University Libmiy 
 
The Peogress OF Civilization u the United States. 
 
 DELIVERED BEfeORE THe" 
 
 JiTERARY. ■:SociETi:iiS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 AT COLUMBIA, S. C, JUNE SOtli, 1871., 
 
 BY 
 
 HENRY W. HILLIARD, 
 
 COLUMBIA, S. C.: ^ 
 CAEOLINA FEINTING OOMFANY'S BOOE AND JOB OFFICE. 
 
 1871. 
 
Pamphlet v^ulicction 
 Duke University Library 
 
o n A..T I o isr. 
 
 Standing here to-day, memories crowd upon me that could be 
 awakened by no other spot in the wide world. The genius of the 
 place asserts its supremacy over me. I can speak of nothing else 
 until I have paid ray tribute to it. Here some of the brightest 
 years of my life were passed. In these halls, consecrated to learn- 
 ing, I received instruction from men distinguished for their attain- 
 ments and their virtues — not one of whom survives. Through 
 these grounds I walked in friendly intercourse with those who, in 
 the strength of youth, and full of generous ardor, welcomed every 
 morning with joy, and saw every evening sun shed the glory of 
 hope upon the scene that it gilded with its beams. 
 
 The College was in its glory. It took rank with the noblest in- 
 stitutions in the land. It already counted among its graduates 
 men of renown — Preston, whose brilliant oratory has never been 
 rivalled in our times ; McDuffie, whose fier)^ eloquence recalled 
 the triumphs of Demosthenes ; Legare, whose rich and varied 
 learning was displayed in the forum, through the press, and in the 
 Congress of the United States ; and others who were accustomed to. 
 visit this great institution, to cheer us with their presence, and to 
 guide us by their counsels. 
 
 Columbia was not only the seat of Government — it was unri- 
 valled for the elegance, the refinement, the culture of its society. 
 It possessed every attraction. Men, eminent for their talents, their 
 learning, their virtues, their hospitality, their public spirit; women, 
 whose beauty was only rivalled by their grace and accomplishments, 
 and whose purity gave them a price far above rubies, walked its 
 streets and adorned its homes. AVealth, refinement, learning, elo- 
 cjuence and taste distinguished it, and made it as remarkable in this 
 country, at that time, as Athens was in Greece in the days of Pericles. 
 
 South Carolina shone with full-orbed splendor in the great con- 
 stellation of States that formed the American Union. Her public 
 men shed lustre upon her name, and took the foremost rank among 
 the statesmen who at that time filled the great places of trust in 
 the Republic and adorned its councils. 
 
 Since that time I have seen much of the great world — at hon|| 
 and abroad. I have borne my part in the discbarge of public 
 duties. I have experienced the vicissitudes of fortune. The lights 
 
4 
 
 ORATION. 
 
 and shadows of life have fallen across my path ; but my love for 
 this place has never been chilled. I come now, gentlemen, at your 
 invitation, to re-visit it. I thank you for the honor that you have 
 conferred on me. 
 
 I should be very insensible to what is impressive, if I did not 
 feel the ennobling influence of this scene. These classic halls, 
 crowning an eminence of one of our most beautiful Southern cities; 
 this brilliant assemblage, representing the whole State ; the presence 
 of those who have been fitted here for the varied tasks that await 
 them in the great world which they are about to enter; the recol- 
 lections that sadden, and the hopes that cheer this hour, constitute 
 a picture of far higher interest than any ever j^ainted by the hand 
 of Claude Lorraine. We shall never forget this scene ; but we 
 shall never take part in it again. It is one of those rare occasions 
 in human life when a goodly company stand for an hour upon some 
 eminence that overlooks the past, the pieseut and the future, and 
 then descend to the common plane of the world, to take their sev- 
 eral ways through untried and unknown scenes. 
 
 Very few, if any, of us saw the opening of the present century; 
 but some will 4oubtless witness the glowing orb that lights it 
 descend beneath the horizon that bounds it. Is the race advancing 
 in civilization with the march of the centuries? 
 
 In sixteen hundred and thirty-three Galileo was in Rome. He 
 had vindicated the truth of the system long before taught by Co- 
 pernicus, known as the solar system. The sun, in the centre of 
 revolving worlds, holds them in their orbits, and they move about 
 him, each in its respective order. This theory was in conflict with 
 popular opinion, and was denounced as a flat contradiction of the 
 teachings of the Bible. Did not the whole world see the flaming 
 sun sweeping about the globe ? Did not the Scriptures speak of 
 the rising of the sun and its going down ? When Israel fought 
 with the Amorites, and the victorious troops of Joshua were driving 
 the enemy before them with great slaughter, did not that great 
 Captain command the sun to stand still over Gideon, and the moon 
 over the valley of Ajalon ? It was rank heresy to believe what 
 Galileo taught. Arrested and imprisoned in the dungeons of the 
 Inquisition, the great philosopher knelt in the presence of an 
 assembly of ignorant Monks, and, with his hand on the Gospel, 
 made a solemn renunciation of the astronomical truths that he had 
 so clearly taught and so vigorously maintained. His voice, sound- 
 j||g in the sombre hall of the Inquisition — " Corde sineero, et fide 
 nonfida ahjuro, vialedico et detestor sujoradictos errores et hereses" — 
 had in its deep tones a ring of suppressed passion. He rose, and, 
 
ORATION. 
 
 5 
 
 no longer able to control his indignation, he stamped his foot and 
 exclaimed: "And yet it 3I0Ves I" He was condemned to suffer 
 an indefinite term of imprisonment, and to repeat every week for 
 three years the seven penitential Psalms of David. Subsequently 
 banished, he took up his residence, under restraint, in the neighbor- 
 hood of Florence. 
 
 Standing here to-day, in the presence of this great assemblage — in 
 the midst of objects that remind us of ruined hopes and the failure 
 of grand enterprises — under these Southern skies — looking out 
 upon plains so lately desolated by the rude hoof of war — I take up 
 the words of Galileo, and, applying them to the progress of civili- 
 zation in this country, I assert that " the world moves.'" 
 
 There is an unceasing conflict between the Present and the Future. 
 Surrounded by objects that we recognize, we are reluctant to ad- 
 vance. The unknown is strange, and we question it at every step, 
 just as a child fears to enter a forest. The dominion of ideas is 
 sometimes absolute. There is no despotism so despotic as public 
 opinion. The world has more than once stoned its prophets. Still, 
 we must advance. Shall we seat ourselves at the base of the Pyra- 
 mids, and refuse to believe that, under other skies^ there exist fairer 
 architectural structures than these ? or shall we linger upon the 
 banks of the Nile, and await its annual overflow, fearing that 
 nowhere else, in all the world, the earth will yield its increase ? 
 Marius, seated upon the ruins of Carthage, finds consolation in con- 
 templating the desolation that is in harmony with his own broken 
 fortunes. But must he rest there ? or shall he rouse himself to new- 
 exertions, and dare the future ? Shall he waste his life in exile ? 
 or shall he return once more to Rome, to crush his enemies ? 
 
 " Why sitt'st thou dreaming o'er the ruins 
 Of a noble Past, made helpless 
 By the bitter wreck of all its grand interests ? 
 Up, noble soul — bereft and exiled 
 As thou art — go forth, and meet thy fate 
 % "With courage, patient and supreme ; 
 The gods may yet accord to thee 
 A Future, in whose grand fiaiition 
 Thou shalt forget e'en the lost 
 Aspirations tliat now so wring 
 Thy bold, heroic heart. ' 
 
 Shall we in these Southern States sit down, like Tennyson's lotus 
 eaters, and say: 
 
 " Let us alone ! Time driveth onward fast, 
 And in a little Avhile our lips are dumb. 
 Let us alone ! What is it that will last ? 
 All things are taken from us, and become 
 
 Portions and parcels of the dreadful Past. # 
 Let us alone !" 
 
 This is simply ignoble. Let us advance ! The whole world is 
 
6 
 
 ORATION. 
 
 in active movement. The march of civilization — sometimes hin- 
 dered by adverse events — is still onward! The world is yet young. 
 I believe that it is but in its spring-time. Those who would teach 
 us that it has almost run its race, and predict a speedy termination 
 of its course, will not number us among their disciples. Some cen- 
 turies have gone by since, seated upon the plains of the East, under 
 the serene sky, the patriarchs looked up to see Arcturus and his 
 sons go out upon their golden courses, and the Pleiades burning in 
 their ample circuit; and yet the world has the dew of youth on its 
 brow. There are no signs of decay. Not only has Time written 
 no wrinkle on the azure brow of the ocean, but the great mountains, 
 and the illimitable forests, stand out beneath the stars in the 
 strength of their prime. 
 
 Our race has much to learn, and much to do. In every depart- 
 ment of life the way is open to exploration. If Columbus had 
 listened to the counsels of the timid, would he have spread his 
 adventurous sails upon unknoAvn seas ? or still dared the untried 
 and unknown solitudes of the ocean, where he was compelled to 
 keep two reckonings — one for his mutinous crew, the true one for 
 his own inspection — when he observed, for. the first time, the varia- 
 tion of the needle, as if he were sailing into realms where the 
 known laws of nature did not prevail? Courage ! Let us go forward. 
 
 Great progress has been made in civilization ; but nothing, in 
 this world of ours, is complete: Neither science, nor art, nor politi- 
 cal economy, nor that highest of all arts or all sciences — what we 
 call Government. Everything may be searched, questioned, ex- 
 plored, in the hope of making new discoveries, and advancing the 
 outposts of civilization. I say everything. Of course I do not 
 include the department of moral truth. There can be no discove- 
 ries made in that domain. Everything that is known to us of our 
 relations to the invisible world is a pure disclosure. The most 
 powerful glasses may be turned upon the heaven of divine truth, 
 but they will bring to view nothing new. "We may frequent solitary 
 places, and bend the listening ear toward the world that lies beyond 
 the boundary of our globe, but the silence remains unbroken. 
 Revelation makes us acquainted with all that we know of the 
 invisible. " Canst thou, by searching, find out God ?" ^Ye may sit 
 down and learn what is taught us. We may look deeply into the 
 great disclosures. Like the ambassador of Queen Candace, we 
 may spread out the pages of inspired truth, and, if ignorant of 
 their meaning, ask : " Of w^hom speaketh the prophet thus ? of him- 
 self, or of some other man?" But our feet may not pass that 
 boundary. "We may dream dreams, and see visions, but that is all. 
 
ORATIOX. 
 
 7 
 
 We may indulge in speculations, and construct an ideal world, and 
 linger upon the boundary that separates the visible from the invisi- 
 ble ; we may, like Manfred, 
 
 " Breatlip tlie difficult air of 
 The iced mountain tops, and 
 Outwatcli the stars 
 
 we may invoke the inhabitants of that undiscovered country to 
 speak to us; but that is the utmost that our enterprise can accom- 
 plish. No authentic voice breaks the silence that reigns over that 
 region. If we would aid the progress of moral truth we must be- 
 come disciples of the Great Teacher, and contribute what we can to 
 spread the influence of the inspired writers over human thought 
 and human life. He does most for civilization who is most success- 
 ful in extending the lines of that great kingdom destined to attain 
 complete supremacy over the whole world, and to erect trophies 
 of its resistless power that shall survive the proudest monuments 
 of earthly glory. But in all else — all that belongs to the heave"ns 
 above us, or to the earth beneath our feet, or to the waters under 
 the earth — we may push our inquiries with unmeasured boldness, in 
 the hope of making discoveries far more important than any yet 
 made known to the world. 
 
 I have spoken explicitly, because, while I wish to rouse my 
 countrymen to an energetic participation in all that concerns the 
 progress of civilization, and to inspire them with hope for the future 
 of our country, I would give no encouragement to that audacious 
 spirit which assails everything that is venerable — which fears not 
 God, neither regards man — and which would spread over society 
 a confusion so utter as to cause us at once to lose sight of the mon- 
 uments that protect liberty, and of the landmarks that show us the 
 way to heaven. Let us take part in the great movement that is 
 going on all over the world. Is the eagle to rest upon the crag that 
 shelters the nest from which he ventured forth ? or shall he spread 
 his stroiif wings and soar heavenward until they flash in the sun, 
 and unscale his eye, that he may look out upon the wide landscape 
 beneath him, and startle his prey with the wild scream that makes 
 the rocks reverberate, and learn to battle with the storm, and to 
 take the lesser creatures, upon which he feeds, in his talons, and 
 tear them with his fierce beak ? 
 
 Does any man doubt that the world moves? Let him stand here 
 and throw a glance over the centuries that have gone over it since 
 men began to gather into communities upon the plains of the East, 
 and observe the progress of society. The characteristics of the 
 civilization of even the later periods, which are set down in the 
 
8 
 
 OEATION. 
 
 annals of the world as particularly bright and fortunate, are in 
 broad contrast with our own time. No longer is an age baptised 
 with the name of an illustrious person. No longer do we speak of 
 any modern period as identified with the name of a liberal patron 
 of learning — as the Augustan age; or with the splendor of impe- 
 rial rule — as the age of Charlemagne; or with the glory of a 
 long and prosperous reign — as the age of Elizabeth. All this 
 has gone by. It would strike the ear of the world now as strange 
 to hear this time of ours called by any man's name. The age 
 belongs to the people — and the great characteristic that distin- 
 guishes it is the advancement of the masses in the march of civili- 
 zation. In the patriarchal time the authority of an individual was 
 potential. Not only flocks and herds belonged to him, but, as far 
 as the eye could reach over the outspread plains, his dependents ac- 
 knowledged his sway. Even in the civilization of Greece, the 
 influence of an individual was powerfully felt, overriding the for- 
 tunes of the people. The great object of popular favor w^as either 
 the Hero or the State. The people toiled in peace, or went to the 
 battlefield, to magnify the one or the other. There was no barrier 
 set up for the protection of personal rights. What we call, in 
 modern law, political liberty, was unknown. There was no general 
 diffusion of humanizing influences which ^ might ameliorate the 
 character of the people, and encourage the growth of domestic vir- 
 tues. The Athenian might go into the street and listen to an 
 oration from Pericles — liberty was lauded ; the glory of the State 
 was recited in glowing terms — but Aspasia could drive Athens 
 into war the next day, and sacrifice the people to her passion. 
 
 Rome was, for a great while, little more than a military camp ; 
 and throughout the successive periods of its history — republican or 
 imperial — the stern qualities of the soldier were nourished. The 
 steady courage which bore the eagles of victory over the world ; 
 the hardy virtues which enabled the legions to confront armed na- 
 tions, and to defy inhospitable climes, and plant their Standard 
 upon the distant shores of the Atlantic — these were nurtured. 
 
 The peculiar characteristics of these ancient States, in the devel- 
 opment of popular taste and manners, were widely different. In 
 Greece the love of the beautiful prevailed. The architecture was 
 absolutely perfect. The temples erected under the clear skies were 
 faultless in proportions and adornments. Forms of life-like and 
 inimitable grace were chiselled from the purest marble. Its 
 poetry rivalled its architecture and statuary ; but the finest and 
 noblest verses recite the exploits of heroes. Homer's great men 
 are men of war. It was not enough to describe Ulysses as wise ; 
 
ORATION. 
 
 9 
 
 he was so strong that he could hurl a huge fragment of rock fur- 
 ther than other men could throw the discus. Its oratory was bold, 
 impetuous and stormy; but it vindicated the independence and 
 glory of the State, itither than the freedom and happiness of the 
 people. 
 
 In Rome the elements of character were exhibited in forms of 
 sternness and strength. From the capital the chariot wheels rolled 
 out over a subjugated wwld ; yet little was accomplished for true 
 civilization. Its proudest works of art were triumphal arches ; its 
 far-stretching roads were highways for heavy legions ; its bridges 
 were colossal structures, for the use of great armies. The very 
 sports of the capital of the world were fierce and cruel. The Coli- 
 seum could contain one hundred thousand spectators — 
 " And here the buzz of eac^er nations ran 
 
 In murmur' d pity or loucl-i-oar"d applause, 
 
 As man was shiughtered by his fellow-man ! 
 
 And wherefore slau£,ditered ? Wherefore, but because 
 
 Such were the bhjody circus* genial laws, 
 
 And the imperial pleasure ? " 
 
 Coming to later times, we observe that, on the continent of Eu- 
 rope, the power of the people was unknown until within a recent 
 period. In France, more than once, the people have sought to rear 
 free institutions ; but war has desolated its fair plains, and it is 
 impossible to read its future. Throughout the continent the ves- 
 tiges of vast military power are still visible. The Baron built his 
 castle, and his vassals crowded into villages under its shadow. 
 Upon the banks of the Rhine these ruined structures — half palace, 
 half fortress — are yet to be seen — stern relics of an iron age. 
 England, proud, potent, free as she is to-day, felt too long the weight 
 of the feudal system. 
 
 The great feature that marks modern civilization is the increased 
 importance of the people. We have reached the era of the masses. 
 Within the present century there has been a wonderful improvement 
 in their condition — physical, social and political. The distance, 
 between tfie privileged classes and the great body of the people is 
 less to-day than it ever was. Those who live to see the close of the 
 nineteenth century may witness the complete enfranchisement of the 
 human race, and the overthrow of every throne under the whole 
 heavens. The great truth that lies deep in the heart of the people — 
 that found utterance in Magna Charta — is becoming vocal in all 
 the languages spoken among men : that the rights and duties of 
 sovereign and subject are reciprocal; and that the failure of the 
 government to protect the people absolves them from their allegi- 
 ance. Any government that lays its hand upon the liberty of the 
 citizen ought to be subverted, and will be, sooner or later. The 
 
10 
 
 ORATION. 
 
 spirit of liberty cannot be cl'^stroyed. Deep waters cannot quench 
 it; mountains may be heaped on it — it will yet heave the ocean 
 and the land, and flame up to heaven. 
 
 It is to our own country that I propose to limit my observations. 
 The influence which the United States must exert over the fortunes 
 of the human race gives the deepest interest to an inquiry into the 
 elements that constitute our civilization. Our geographical position 
 is commanding. Our possessions stretch, with unbroken continuity, 
 over the continent of North America. On the Atlantic we con- 
 front the civilization of the most cultivated nations on the globe. 
 On the Pacific we look across to China and Japan. Their teeming 
 population begins to feel the current of modern civilization ; and 
 their long closed gates are thrown open to admit the commerce of 
 the world. We have just completed a highway for the travel and 
 commerce of Europe and Asia. 
 
 In the United States you may pass, w^ith perfect security, from 
 one extremity to the other. A package, marked with your initials, 
 may be sent safely from Boston to New Orleans, or from New York 
 to San Francisco, without its wrappings being disturbed. A letter, 
 conveying the most important intelligence, under the cover of a 
 single envelope, flies across the continent, to the hands of the person 
 for whom it is written. You travel from State to State without 
 passports, your trunks free from inspection, and without molestation 
 of any kind. Steam obeys your wishes, and you are borne with a 
 celerity that rivals that of the enchanted horse, described in the 
 Arabian Nights, which was exhibited at Schiraz to the Prince of 
 Persia. Electricity records for you messages every day from all 
 parts of the world. The price of stocks in London at noon to- 
 day, and the arrest of a leader of the Commune in Paris — an 
 event that occurred at Constantinople, or at Alexandria, in Egypt, 
 this morning — you may know before sunset. The result of the 
 late election for President was known by 10 o'clock in the evening. 
 
 Families in moderate circumstances enjoy luxuries wholly beyond 
 the reach of wealthy households in Europe, until quite recently. 
 There are more comfortable residences — more cheerful homes — 
 in the United States, than in any other country on the globe. Our 
 laws favor the distribution of property, and discourage the accumu- 
 lation of great" estates. This creates a boundless activity in all 
 classes of society, in every pursuit, and in every department of life. 
 Every man in this country is engaged in money m.aking. Agricul- 
 ture — the purest of human pursuits; the mechanic arts; the pro- 
 fessions — including lawyers, doctors and teachers — all feel the force 
 of the current that sets in from the commercial world. It flows 
 
ORATION. 
 
 11 
 
 through society with the power and warmth of tlie Gulf-stream. 
 Everywhere we see a splendid material civilization. The angel 
 that stands in the sun, and surveys the successive periods of human 
 society, never looked down upon anything like it. 
 
 There is great danger that the commercial spirit will acquire a 
 complete ascendency ; that the laws of trade may come to decide 
 every question that affects life, and subordinate the heart and intel- 
 lect to its metallic sway. The utilitarian philosophy may over- 
 master us. We may address to every generous scheme and noble 
 enterprise the inevitable cui bono f The sublimest objects of the 
 world may fail to impress us : the outspread heavens, the immeas- 
 urable ocean, and the great mountains lifting their ice-clad brows 
 to the skies. Standing in the presence of Niagara, we shall pre- 
 sently begin to calculate its importance as a water-power. If every- 
 thing is to be estimated at its market value, what is to become of 
 the graces of life ? How is the soul to vindicate its divine origin 
 by impelling us to self-sacrificing tasks for the good of others? If 
 each one is to look upon his neighbor as important only so far as 
 he may be useful to him, who does not see that the better qualities 
 that adorn, and dignify, and ennoble humanity, will droop and 
 perish ? The Priest and the Levite will walk along our highways, 
 and the good Samaritan will never be seen there. What is to be- 
 come of the fine arts? of poetry? of oratory? of heroism, in every 
 form ? Was Apelles thinking of the price of his picture when he 
 replied to a friend who, entering his studio, inquired why he be- 
 stowed so much labor on it: "I paint for eternity?" Was Phidias 
 speculating as to the sum he should receive for his work, when his 
 chisel cut from the marble block Lacoon and his sons writhing in 
 the folds of the huge serpent just come out of the sea? Did De- 
 mosthenes find his inspiration in the hope of preferment, when he 
 denounced, with terrible energy, the advancing Macedonian? Did 
 Milton compose that most glorious of all poems, Paradise Lost, to 
 sell it in the market? Alas! he received but five pounds for the 
 manuscript. 
 
 There is great danger in this rank utilitarian spirit. Men may 
 deal so much in money as to estimate everything by it: friendship, 
 love, liberty, religion. We have made such a rapid advance in 
 material civilization that w^e seem fairly open to the criticism of 
 Burke upon his own time, extorted by the fate of the lovely Marie 
 Antoinette, Queen of France: "But the age of chivalry is gone; 
 that of sophisters, economists and calculators has succeeded." We 
 are in great danger of meriting Diderot's celebrated hon mot, ap- 
 plied to another people: "They rotted before they ripened." 
 
12 
 
 ORATION. 
 
 Wealth is entitled to consideration when it comes to reward honest 
 
 toil and honorable enterprise. It is worthy of all praise when it 
 
 is employed for the advancement of the happiness of our race. 
 
 George Peabody rivals John Howard in the veneration of mankind. 
 
 Both will go down to the coming generations with the noblest of 
 
 earthly titles — Philanthropist. But nothing is so vulgar as 
 
 wealth, when it is hoarded with meanness, or lavished to pamper 
 
 pride, or exhibited with insolent ostentation. The social position 
 
 which it enables one to attain who lacks true nobleness of nature 
 
 only exposes him to contempt. The lines of Burns still thrill the 
 
 heart of every true man and every true woman : 
 
 The rank is but the guinea stamp ; 
 The man's the gowd ibr a' that." 
 
 No man, who deserves the name, will seek his friends among the 
 
 rich, merely because they are rich ; nor will any woman, whose 
 
 heart is pure, sell her person to the highest bidder in the market, 
 
 when he has won neither her respect or affection. Wealth is an 
 
 accident that may be won or lost; but a true man is of inestimable 
 
 value ; and the price of a virtuous woman is far above rubies. The 
 
 most ignoble of all servility is that which we pay to Mammon, 
 
 " the least erected spirit that fell 
 From heaven — for, ev'n in heaven, his looks and thoughts 
 ^Yere always downward bent, admiring more 
 The riches of heaven's pavement — trodden gold — 
 Than aught divine or hoh- else enjoj^ed 
 In vision beatific." 
 
 He who falls down and worships him may receive his reward, but, 
 sooner or later, the victim will throw down the pieces for which he 
 sold himself Avith a despair too deep to be ministered to by human 
 skill, and over which the rustling wings of no angel that visits the 
 world to cheer the unfortunate will ever be heard. The philosophy 
 that scoffs at love and religion, and looks with contempt on the 
 beautiful; that surveys the glorious works of art that genius has 
 produced, and asks, " What is all this worth?" is at once the mean- 
 est and the most demoralizing spirit that ever undertook to instruct 
 mankind. The want of the faculty that enables us to appreciate 
 anything good or beautiful is to be deplored. The greatest of all 
 dramatists has said : 
 
 "The man that hath no music in himself. 
 Nor is not mov"d with concord of sweet sounds, 
 Is fit for treasons, stratagems and spoils ! 
 The motions of his spirit ar.e dull as night. 
 And his aftections dark as Erebus ! 
 Let no such man be trusted." 
 
 But the utilitarian spirit that so demoralizes a nature originally 
 
 noble as to bring it to count nothing of any worth that does not, in 
 
 some way, yield gold, is as dangerous to society as the presence of 
 
OEATION. 
 
 13 
 
 Satan in the garden of Eden. It scoffs at all generous emotions, 
 and finds its true impersonation in him who, standing by when the 
 w^eeping Mary broke the alabaster box of spikenard, very precious, 
 and poured it on that Divine head so soon to droop under the 
 weight of the world's sin and woe, cried out: "Why this waste?" 
 "VVe must subdue this spirit by encouraging the arts that refine and 
 the studies that ennoble, and by bringing our hearts under the in- 
 fluence of the teachings that find their inspiration in the words of 
 Him who, seated on the Mount of Olives, uttered truths more 
 beautiful than any ever heard in the schools of antiquity, and doc- 
 trines so full of divine authority that we listen to them with 
 blended astonishment and adoration. 
 
 Here, upon this broad territory of ours, with a wonderful aggre- 
 gation of all the elements of wealth, and an increase of population 
 more rapid than any country at any period has exhibited, the 
 problem of society organized under the theory of self-government 
 is to be worked out. It is impossible to regard it without the pro- 
 foundest interest. Stupendous problem ! 
 
 The institutions under which we live are new. They are essen- 
 tially free and popular. It is quite an error to suppose that they 
 were formed upon any model that ever existed. The Government 
 of the United States was a creation. The men who established it 
 were acquainted with all that history could teach. In Asia the 
 government was a simple despotism. In Greece the democratic 
 form had been tried. Kome was, for some time, republican in 
 name. In modern Europe a limited monarchy had been adopted 
 as the best attainable form. Our system, the most complex ever 
 organized, differed from all these. The people of States already in 
 existence established a Government to embrace all these — a Fede- 
 ral Republic. Great powers were conferred on the Federal 
 Government ; but all powers not delegated to it by the Constitution, 
 nor prohibited to the States, were reserved to the States respectively, 
 or to the people. 
 
 The Republic was capable of the widest expansion. Objects of 
 national interest were under the control of the General Government. 
 Every other interest was to be protected and regulated by the 
 States. The will of the people was to be expressed through their 
 representatives, in certain prescribed forms, and subject to clearly 
 defined restrictions. The States were to be States still. Every- 
 thing was subordinate to the Constitution — that Avas supreme. 
 Massachusetts, or Xew York, might legislate for her people just as 
 she saw fit, so long as her laws did not infringe that. So, too, 
 might South Carolina, or Georgia. A tier of Northern States, 
 
14 
 
 ORATION. 
 
 united in support of a common policy, might undertake to control 
 the Government ; but they had no right to drive it beyond the well- 
 defined limits *traced for it ; nor had the Southern States, bound to 
 each other by a powerful interest. The political system organized 
 by the Federal Convention was not a compact, but a Government. 
 
 It is not my purpose to-day to discuss questions so lately decided 
 by the arbitrament of war. So long as the contest raged, while I 
 deplored it, and was not in any way responsible for its inauguration, 
 I stood with my people. It is ended. Our banners are laid aside. 
 We mourn our dead heroes. I turn to the South — my own 
 Souths — my stricken and bereaved mother — ^^and, taking up the 
 lamentation of David, I exclaim; "The. beauty of Israel is slain 
 upon thy high places !" I honor the men who stood for us in bat- 
 tle; "they were swifter than eagles; they were stronger than lions." 
 Our noble women, efiiulating the constancy of Rizpah, will protect 
 their remains, and with every returning spring scatter flowers upon 
 their graves. 
 
 But, my countrymen, the great tasks of life lie before us, and we 
 must address ourselves to them. This great country is our country. 
 The Government of the United States is our Government. The 
 mighty problem that is to be worked out on this continent involves 
 our fortunes and the fortunes of those who are to come after us. 
 So long as I live I shall try to do something for my country. I 
 know that many are despondent. I know that many have given 
 up all hope of restoring the Government to what it was in the bet- 
 ter days of its history. There has been so much of wTong, and out- 
 rage, and ruin ; so much wickedness in high places; so much pros- 
 
 •titution of political power; such a wanton abuse of public trusts; 
 
 ' ^uch an outgrowth of gross corruption in all the land, that men's 
 hearts are failing them for fear. All over the country men begin 
 to cry out for change, for relief, for protection. Some demand a 
 master. They invoke C^^esar! They would have an Empire. Now, 
 I wish to say for myself, I have not despaired of the Republic. 
 Let others forget the past; let them ignore history ; let them con- 
 sign to oblivion the names of the illustrious men who, grouped 
 about Washington, laid the foundations of this Government ; let 
 them clamor for the throne, and the scepter, and the stars and gar- 
 ters, and ribbons; but I take my stand for the Republic. Since 
 the close of the dread drama which this country has so lately wit- 
 nessed, some men have come to think that the ascendancy of mili- 
 tary power is complete; that the Constitution is forever buried; 
 that the people will bow their necks to a master, and shout when 
 the kingly crown is offered to some chieftain. Let them not deceive 
 
ORATION. 
 
 15 
 
 themselves. The spirit of liberty has survived the shock of arms. 
 
 It will yet assert its majesty, and drive before it the insolent minions 
 
 of usurped power, as Milton's fallen angels fled before the flashing 
 
 sword of Abdiel. 
 
 ^' Fond, impious men — tliimk ye yon sanguine cloud, 
 Kais'd Toy your breath, hath quench' d the orb of day? 
 To-niorrow lie repairs his golden flood, 
 And warms the nations with redoubled ray." 
 
 The world will not go back upon its course. It yet moves 1 
 
 The traveller in Switzerland sometimes sees the Alps swept with 
 
 the fury of a summer storm, when 
 
 . " Far along, 
 From peak to peak, tke rattling -erags among, 
 Leaps the live thunder !" . 
 
 The cloud hangs upon their icy pinnacles, and shuts from view the 
 
 green slopes, and chaos seems -to have engulfed the landscape. 
 
 Everything is lost in night, and storm, and darkness. But the 
 
 morning comes with its peace, and the sun sheds a golden glory 
 
 over the mountain sides, and touches their peaks with dazzling fire. 
 
 Men are sometimes tempted. S<$, too, are nations. They seem 
 to stand on a high mountain, and see the kingdoms of this world, 
 and the glory of them, in a moment of time ; and they may have 
 all if they will only bov^' down and worship the great fallen arch- 
 angel. There are in this country men v-zho call good evil, and evil 
 good. We are in the midst of great perils ; but we shall come out 
 of them. It was when Satan seemed t© be in great power that our 
 Lord saw him, like lightning, fall from heaven. 
 
 I have been accustomed to think, and I still think, that, in the 
 order of Providence, we have a great work to do for ourselves and 
 for the nations. We must accomplish it. We must not go back 
 upon our steps. The name of Commonwealth., gone over half the 
 globe, must not be lost here. 
 
 There is no man so strong — no party so great in numbers and 
 resources — as to be able to tear down the great ensign of the Re- 
 public, as it streams in the winds of heaven to-day, and run up in 
 its place a banner emblazoned with imperial arms. 
 
 There is danger of consolidation — the Empire, under the name 
 of a Republic. The late contest decided one question — the perpe- 
 tuity of the Union. That will stand. It will cover this continent. 
 Our eagles will fly throughout the length and breadth of it. There" 
 is another question: Shall the States stand? We must look to that. 
 No really free Government can exist in this country unless we pre- 
 serve the great structural peculiarities of our political system. The 
 States must assert their dignity and authority, and maintain their 
 sovereignty inviolate. 
 
16- 
 
 ORATION. 
 
 Let there be dq Empire I Let there be no CoLisolidated.GQverii- 
 mentl Let the Kepublic Stand, embracing free, powerful, sovereign 
 : States ! Do not attempt, to embhizon upon its gorgeous" baqher .a* 
 ■■"central sun, flooding our^broad territory witU its dazzling gplendo'r ; 
 but let each' bright/'partictilar star stand, the ' whole. •fOTming-a glo- 
 rious CopstelLatian, thfe ethbleni at once of li^bi^rty and iPow"er. 
 ■ In the^South '\\;e live under new -conditions. 'A jieople, lately our 
 slaves/have been;. suddenly emancipated.. ' Society^ .of Qourse-, feels 
 the'shock. I^ev^r haye.aii]^ people experienced so gpeat a change 
 in theitf* industrial and social pursuits. The history • of the Avorld 
 TQCords no such pliehomenon. These people — a large proportion of 
 our'population.---,are set free" they. are. made citizens;' they enjoy 
 • the pr6tfecti6n of 'equal laws, and participate in our elections. 
 
 •Now, ift' my judgment, the future of this race must be what we 
 ■'choose) to m.ake it. They look to us as their friends. Let us accept 
 .riie trust confided to us. Without regrets.' or resentments, let us do 
 ",^vhat ^ve can to'encourage them to fit themselves for the new condi- 
 , tion to' which' they are . advanced. AVe must antagonize them, or 
 ..■we-tnVist rule them by kindness. Surely we need not hesitate as to 
 tlje wisei; or.iiobler course. We must not abandon our homes, nor 
 must we thrust these people out from among us. Li this great ag- 
 ricultural region there must be no conflict between capital and 
 labor. .... 
 
 We shall advance to a higher plane of civilization, and a more 
 abounding prosperity than we have ever yet attained. We shall 
 not, own the laborer, but we shall control labor. The laborer 
 wilf receive compensation for the performance of his tasks, and wall 
 become a responsible worker, doing his part intelligently toward 
 making the* community richer and happier. 
 
 §uch is the horoscope of our country, as I read it to-day. Here 
 wiU' grow up the mightiest nation that has ever existed. The great 
 Empires of Asia are gone; .the States of Greece have perished; 
 Rome— .republican and imperial — lives only in the ruins that 
 crown the seyen hills; Carthage is destroyed; the monarchies of 
 modern Europe are perplexed with fear of change; here is the seat 
 of a Government at once jwwerful and free, whose standard is 
 gilded l>y the beams of the sun as he rises from the Atlantic waves, 
 and bathed in his dying splendors as he descends beneath the Pa- 
 cific Ocean ; a Government yet destined, we may ho^e, to be what 
 the earnest; and faithful friends of humanity of all ages have 
 longed to see — the desire of nations ; the abode of Law, of Liberty, 
 of Religion; an enduring Republic! 
 
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