.B9 WIS Copy 1 ADDRESS BEFOKE THE iitnlicr Jill Poimmcnt |^s$0ttation AMUAL MEETING, JUNE 17, 1865, G. WASHINGTON WARREN, President op the Association. WITH THE RESOLUTIONS PASSED AT THE MEETING. BOSTON: liUNKER-IIILL-MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. MDCCCLXV. •.^^/^->/ ////// /r /// /y//^/// r/ ///r O-^^e^i^^f-^ Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2010 with funding from The Library of Congress http://www.archive.org/details/addressbeforebunOOwarr CZi^y^-r^ Ck/^^^^rf^^ ■ , fl WufTflr'JliC l.iUi Bo; ADDRESS BKKOISE THE wnher IHI Hlonument Association AMUAL MEETING, JUNE 17, 1865. G. WASHINGTON WARREN, President of the Association. WITH THE RESOLUTIONS PASSED AT THE MEETING. BOSTON : BUNKER-HILL-MONUMENT ASSOCIATION. MDCCCLXV. PRINTED BY ORDER OF THE ASSOCIATION. V Press of Geo. C. Rand & Avery, .3 Cornhill, Boston. A considerable portion of this publication is occupied with commemora- tive notices of Edward Everett, who was not only one of the founders of this Association, but was the only one of the original associates who contin- ued his official connection and rendered to it his invaluable services up to the recent period of his death. It was proper, therefore, that extended notices should be taken of him by the Association on their anniversary, which his eloquence has so signally illustrated. Would that the tribute were worthier ! The resolutions in memory of the late President op the United States and in honor of the present distinguished incumbent were cordially adopted, as expressing not only the united voice of the Association, but of the nation also, in this portentous period of its history. CONTENTS. Page. ADDRESS OF HON. G. WASHINGTON WARREN, PRESIDENT, 9 MR. WHEILDON'S MEMOIR OF SOLOMON WILLARD, 10 DEATH OF JAMES K. FROTHINGHAM, 11 DEATH OF EDWARD EVERETT, 12 HIS LIFE AND SERVICES, 13 HIS CHARACTER, s, WEBSTER AND EVERETT COMPARED, ;.'8 OBLIGATION OF THE ASSOCIATION TO BOTH, 29 RAISING OF THE NATIONAL FLAG FROM THE MONUMENT BY GOV. ANDREW, JUNE 17, 1801, 30 DEATH OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN, 31 THE PERMANENCE OF THE UNION, 32 RESOLUTION ON THE DEATH OF JAMES K. FROTHINGHAM, 35 PROCEEDINGS ON THE DEATH OF EDWARD EVERETT, .39 MEETING OF THE DIRECTORS, JAN. 18, • 41 REMARKS OF HON. G. WASHINGTON WARREN BEFORE THE AMERI- CAN COLONIZATION SOCIETY, 42 RESOLUTION BY THAT SOCIETY ON THE DEATH OF MR. EVERETT, . 44 EXTRACT FROM MR. EVERETT'S SPEECH IN RICHMOND, FEB. 1858, . 44 RESOLUTIONS ON THE DEATH OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN AND PRESI- DENT JOHNSON, 51 REMARKS BY HON. ROBERT C WINTHKOP, 52 Sildfj^ssi ,® HON. G. WASHINGTON WARREN, PRESIDENT OF THE ASSOCIATION. ADDRESS. Gentlemex of the Bunker-Hill-Monument Association, — Our anniversary recurs to us under auspices more fjivorable than could have been reasonably anticipated a year ago. We are assembled under the bright prom- ises of Peace, and amid the shouts of welcome extended to our armies, returning victorious from the field of un- natural strife. We are in the midst of a revolution of public sentiment, brought on by the inexorable logic of great events following in quick succession : the most opposite extremes of opinion have met in the accepted conclusion ; and, behold ! an era of harmony and good feeling. A nation's convulsion followed by glorious tri- umph, and a sudden grief chastening the general exult- ant joy, have made us all of one mind and heart. The affairs of the Association continue to be prosper- ous. A larger number of visitors have made their pil- grimage to Bunker Hill this year than ever before. The register shows the whole number to be 26,126. The gross receipts from this source have been $4,764.73. We have invested within two years, in our National Securities, the best securities in the world, the sum of 10 PRESIDENT warren's ADDRESS. $4,600.00. At this rate, our treasury will be rapidly accumulating a fund sufficient to meet the wants of the Association in carrying out the improvements long in contemplation, and to subserve the purposes of patriotic commemoration in the most appropriate and enduring manner. Our grounds never looked more inviting than at present. The spring, earlier in its advent than usual, clothed them in its most attractive robes, as if the har- binger of coming events. The memoir of Solomon Willard, architect of the monument, has just been completed. The work has passed through the press, and copies will soon be ready for distribution. Mr. Wheildon, the Chairman of the Committee appointed for that purpose, has availed himself of the materials which his associates and the friends of the deceased have been able to furnish, and has produced a book which will be of general and per- manent interest. The author states in his preface that the setting up the type of the whole volume was per- formed by himself, and a considerable portion of it with- out copy ; our literary printer having composed both the matter and the printing form at the same time. For this labor of love — an appropriate compliment to our architect, himself a practical mechanic, by a kindred mechanic — we owe a grateful acknowledgment. Com- menced at the breaking-out of the Rebellion, contin- ued from year to year, and now completed when the Rebellion is quelled, this publication is one of the many instances afforded by the various institutions and com- DEATH OF JAMES K. FROTHINGHAM. . 11 munities in the loj^il States, of that perfect fliith which all had in the ultimate result ; those scenes of strife having been all the while regarded as a passing storm in the political atmosphere of a great nation determined to preserve and perpetuate its existence. Through the efforts of the Committee appointed at the last annual meetino^ concernino; the re-erection of the historic monument on Beacon Hill, an act was passed by the Legislature, at its late session, au- thorizing the Association to take the necessary steps for this purpose, and to receive from the Commonwealth the original tablets. This act should now be formally accepted. While it aids in the proposed design, it may be regarded also as a complimentary recognition by the State of the services of this Association as a permanent corporate body, established for patriotic and commemo- rative purposes. On the thirtieth day of July last, the Association met with a loss by the death of James Kettell Frothingham, of Charlestown, at the age of seventy-nine years. He was a gentleman of the old school, a descendant of one of the earliest settlers of this region. In his native city, he was highly respected as an exemplary municipal officer, as a citizen and a friend. He was a recipient of many important trusts, both public and private ; and was for many years in some official station. In 1830 he was chosen Director of the Association ; and, with a 12 PEESIDENT warren's ADDRESS. single exception, was re-elected every year. He took an active interest in its affiiirs, attended the meetings almost constantly, and occasionally took part in the discussions. His character was above reproach. His long life of industry and usefulness was an example to the community, and its honorable close was marked by tributes of respect and esteem. On the fifteenth of January last, the country was star- tled with the sad announcement that Edwaed Everett was dead. He was one of the founders of our Society. In the original agreement to form this Association and to organize a corporation, his name stands the fourth on the list of subscribers. For forty-one years he was one of our officers, serving the whole period of our history, with the exception of a single year, when he declined the office of Secretary ; and rendering, for a considerable portion, most laborious and most efficient service. In a peculiar sense, therefore, we claim him as our own, more than any other society or institution. No stronger claim to his memory and renown can be made, except, indeed, by the country, to whose interests and preserva- tion his whole life was devoted. It is appropriate, there- fore, that the Association should pay suitable homage to his memory, and that we should all, on this occasion, once more contemplate his eventful career, — familiar incidents, but worthy of frequent rehearsal, — and should again essay to form a still higher appreciation of his exalted character and services. EDWARD EVERETT. 13 Edward Everett was born on the eleventh day of April, 1794, during the presidency of Washington. He was in his sixth year when the Father of his Country died ; old enough to receive the deepest impression of that lamented event. In his oration delivered in his native town on the Fourth of July, 1855, he refers to the eulogy which his flither delivered before his fellow- citizens on the 22d February, 1800. And in his address at Richmond in 1858, when he received from the ladies of the Mount -Vernon Association Washington's cane as a testimonial of his services, he referred in a touchino; manner to the effect which the death of Washington, told to him by his father, had upon his youthful mind. We may well understand how studiously he was taught the leading incidents of the life of that great man, espe- cially his early history, and those remarkable rules which in his boyhood he adopted for his conduct. And as we now look back upon the uniform beauty, dignity, and self-control displayed in all Mr. Everett's life, we may believe that, by his excellent father's injunction, he se- lected, as the model for the formation of his own char- acter, that illustrious exemplar, the frequent contem- plation of which engaged his ardent admiration, and enabled him afterwards to exhibit it in all its magnifi- cent proportions with a master's hand. By paternal affection he received the noblest patri- mony with which he could possibly be endowed, — a thorough education. In Dorchester, as he says of him- self, " In my early childhood, I acquired the first ele- 14 PRESIDENT warren's ADDRESS. ments of learning at one of those public schools which are the glorj^ and strength of New England." At the death of his father, in his ninth year, he was removed to Boston. The schools which he attended here have become famous in history. One year at Exeter, and four at the University, all most industriously employed, find him, at the early age of seventeen, a Bachelor of Arts in truth as well as in name. In two years more he is ordained in Boston to the Christian ministry, as successor to the eloquent Buckminster. He not only meets the public expectation as a pulpit orator, but he unexpectedly appears as a successful critical author. From the brilliant reputation he so early achieved for ripe scholarship and profound learning, his Alma Mater claimed him for a professorship, the transition to which from pastoral duties has ever been a matter of common occurrenc(\ This step, however, changed the whole course and tenor of Mr. Everett's life. Before entering on the duties of his new position, he made the greatest preparation by spending more than four years abroad, partly in travel, and partly in foreign universities. He learned every thing then to be taught, saw every thing to be seen, made the acquaintance of the most eminent men, and '' Wandering from clime to clime, observant strayed, Their manners noted, and their States surveyed." How faithfully on his return he discharged his duty to the University, what zeal and enthusiasm he kindled EDWARD EVERETT. 15 in professors and students, is one of her proudest tradi- tion*. At the early age of twenty-five, he was not satisfied with fulfilling in the most acceptable manner the duties of a professor's chair, and of raising the standard of college performances far beyond what it had ever before been with us, but at the same time he was the con- ductor and also a most liberal contributor to the leadiny; Review of the country. While he became celebrated for his eloquent lectures to students upon Grecian lit- erature and art, he impressed in his own essays the stamp of a higher culture upon American literature. In this connection he was bringing forward to promi- nent notice the heroic deeds of the Revolution, and the events of our earlier history, as the best subjects for illustration by American authors. It was no won- der, then, that when the suggestion was first made, that the field of Bunker Hill should be commemorated by a fit and enduring monument, his counsel and co- operation should be first solicited. Before he entered public life. Harvard College gave him to us. With Daniel Webster, Joseph Story, William Tudor, John C. Warren, Francis C. Gray, Theodore Lyman, Jr., Ben- jamin Gorham, George Ticknor, Samuel Swett, and a few others, he assisted in this great patriotic undertaking, — the youngest of all the associates, and yet inferior to no one of them in the enthusiastic ardor with which he embarked in it, and in his constant devotion to its successful accomplishment. 16 PRESIDENT warren's ADDRESS. Although our records show that there were two gentlemen chosen to the office of Secretary before him, yet he frequently acted for them in their absence ; and in 1825 he was himself elected to the office, which he held for four years. Engaged in a very extensive correspondence with the most eminent men of the country, he took occasion to elicit their interest in the objects of the Association. A few years since, he se- lected, at my request, from his private papers, those which related to this subject, and placed them in my hands. He was on many very important committees, the duties of which he discharged with the most scrupu- lous fidelity. Even while Governor of the Common- wealth, though his official duties might well be pre- sumed to be a sufficient excuse, if he was not able to attend a stated meeting of the Association, of the Di- rectors, or even of a committee, he would invariably address a note to them, explaining the cause of his necessary absence, — a trait characteristic of the man, and uniformly exhibited in every relation which he bore to his fellow-men. During the suspension of the work on the Monument, he wrote addresses and made speeches in various places to arouse the popular effi)rt to the desired completion. In a most eloquent appeal, uttered in Faneuil Hall, at the request of the Charitable Mechanic Association, he defended the course of the Directors, which had been censured, alleging that he was willing to take his full share of the blame that might be cast upon them in EDWARD EVERETT. 17 their arduous but thankless efforts ; and he successfully combated the utilitarian notion then prevalent, that so costly a structure " would do no good," furnishing, with prophetic forecast, illustrations, the truth of which our late national experience has confirmed. At the age of thirty, and a few weeks after the delivery of the world-renowned oration before the Phi Beta Kappa Society at Cambridge, — in which he extended that thrilling welcome to La Fayette, adopted at once and everywhere as the sincere expression of the national heart, — he w^as, much to his own surprise, pro- posed for a seat in Congress, and was elected by the spontaneous voice of the people. It was under the hospitable roof of our venerable associate. Dr. Abraham K Thompson, of Charlestown, the acknowledged author of the movement, that the measures were adopted for carrying the proposition into effect. When Mr. Everett first acquiesced in the acceptance of the proffered honor, he supposed that he might still retain his professorship by so arranging its duties that he might perform the principal part during the recess of Congress, then much longer than now, and might obtain a temporary release from the residue. This idea was soon abandoned : the Corporation found obstacles in their construction of the statutes of the University, and of the laws. Besides, Mr. Everett was not willing to hold the two offices, if he could not, satisfactorily to himself, — which was the hardest test, — adequately discharge the duties of both. Thus, by a natui-al transi- 18 PRESIDENT warren's ADDRESS. tion, he stepped forth from the classic retreat to the political arena. With no thought at first of severing a connection so congenial to his tastes and chosen pur- suits, yet, as the current of events bore him onward, he could not recede from the illumined pathway of use- fulness and honor. For ten years, — one seventh and the central portion of his life, comprising the two Congresses under John QuiNCY Adams and three under Jackson, — he represented the Middlesex District ; an assiduous and most honored member, never absent from his place, never losing a vote, performing an incredible amount of labor, atten- tive always to the claims of his constituents, and equally ready to respond to any demands made from any quarter on his time and attention. By his elo- quence and learning, by his courteous bearing and consistency of character, he added dignity to Congres- sional life, and shed lustre upon the national fame. At this period, he removed his residence from Cam- bridge to Charlestown. It was then, in my early youth, that I had the honor of first knowing him. His resi- dence was, at that time, in my immediate neighborhood. From my dwelling I could see the study-lamp shining from his library : it was the last to be quenched. My wonder then, my admiration always, I bear the uniform testimonj' of all who were so fortunate as to be within the sphere of his acquaintance, to his unexampled dili- gence when the demand for further attainment seemed to be exhausted, to his abundant resources, and the EDWARD EVERETT. 19 lavish manner in which he employed them for public or individual benefit, and to the kind consideration which he extended to all with whom he had social or official intercourse. When he withdrew as a candidate for re-election, he had the intention to return to private life ; but the State called him back. Massachusetts never made greater progress in the development of her material and intellectual resources than during the four years that he was Governor. One can hardly credit now, that, during this same period, party spirit and political rancor raged to the highest point, though he ever held a manly independence of its influence. The aid given by the State to the Western Railroad, and to the other main arteries of communication, without which aid they would not have been constructed ; the advancement of popular education ; the impetus imparted to all indus- trial pursuits by the establishment of scientific commis- sions ; the organization of the National Lancers, when a troop of horse had not existed with ns for many years, and the other efforts made to restore in new vigor the military arm of the body politic, — these are the visible monuments of his sagacious policy ; and they will be perpetuated when the questions of that day which di- vided parties and excited bitter animosities will be utterly forgotten. It was alleged by superficial observers in 1840, that, because Mr. Everett had lost his re-election by a single vote, he was politically dead. But such persons did not 20 PRESIDENT WAREEN'S ADDRESS. realize the greatness of his character and attainments, nor the appreciative spirit of the American people. A political defeat is no more a barrier to the return to popular favor of an eminent man, than is the storm- cloud to the re-appearance of the sun in the heavens. One test of character is the ability to rise above such a temporary reverse. The memorable canvass of 1840 changed the political aspect of the Nation and the State. Mr. Everett was absent from the country, and contributed nothing to this result. But no sooner was a new administration in power, and Mr. Webster placed at the head of the Cabinet, than Mr. Everett was -ap- pointed to the most honorable mission. The exequatur to the court of St James found him in the mountains of Italy, restoring his health, and laying up new treas- ures. While the nomination was pending before the Senate, it appeared that a sectional objection was made, not on the score of his want of ability and qualification, but of his "antecedents" in relation to that vexed question which has ever threatened the national repose. While Governor, he had given the executive sanction to cer- tain legislative resolves bearing on Texas and slavery, which were unanimously passed ; and because his name was officially appended to them, he was to be pro- scribed. It is understood that this sectional opposition was denounced by Mr. Clay, who, though a Southern man, had Northern or rather national principles. He pointed out to those of his section the disastrous conse- EDWARD EVERETT. 21 quences that would inevitably follow the rejection, for such a cause, of a nomination so eminently worthy. Happily his advice was heeded, and the opposition with- drawn. Mr. Everett performed the duties of the mission during the peculiar disturbances of the relations be- tween the two countries preceding the settlement of the North-eastern Boundary question with such distinguished success, that he was continued during the whole term of Tyleb, — almost the only one of the eminent men appointed by President Harrison who was not dismissed from office. He received the appointment of commis- sioner to China, which he declined. During his long official residence at the British court, he made so profound an impression upon the prominent men of Europe, that he acquired an influence, which, retained to his latest day, he constantly wielded in support of his country's cause and authority. Soon after his return home, the venerable Josiah QuiNCY, after a long and successful term of service, retired from the presidency of Harvard University, and the vacant place was with one accord awarded to Mr. Everett. After a separation of twenty years, he comes back to his Alma Mater, laying at her feet greater honors than any of his predecessors had received. Nor did he require to refresh his mind with the acquisitions of learning; for it had been his daily duty, amid all perplexing avocations, to steal an hour for intellectual culture. For the three years that he filled the presi- dency, which ill health compelled him to relinquish, he 22 PRESIDENT warren's ADDRESS. served the University and the cause of letters with zeal and devotion unsurpassed. In 1850, though still an invalid, at your invitation he delivered the memorable oration on the seventy-fifth anniversary of the battle of Bunker Hill. It was at that time that I heard him observe, while referring to the condition of his health, that he considered his use- fulness at an end, and that this oration might possibly be his last public effort ; but there were still before him fourteen years of the grandest successes of life. He rendered a most acceptable service to Mr. Web- ster by preparing his published writings for the press, with explanatory notes, and appending thereto a com- prehensive and accurate memoir of the author. That edition is classic. In October, 1852, Mr. Webster died, after a lingering illness, leaving of necessity the affairs of the State Department involved in confusion. Mr. Everett was summoned by President Fillmore to the vacant post. With his habitual industry he completed the unfinished labor, and left upon our national archives the impress of his genius for statesmanship. That duty performed, a new honor awaits him. The Le(>-islature of Massachusetts elect him to the Senate of the United States. In that body he had a favorable opportunity to explain important treaties negotiated by himself, the ratification of which he procured. Among other efforts in the Senate, his speech .igainst the repeal of the Missouri Compromise will be read with interest, as a vigorous statement of the great wrong and danger EDWARD EVERETT. 23 of the measure. But the spectre of ill health was again haunting him ; and in the turbulent aspect of the coun- try, distrusting his physical ability to perform the duties of senator in the impending crisis according to his own high conception of fidelity to public trust, he voluntari- ly retired from that honorable forum. And here, with a single formal exception, terminates his public life ; but not so his labors for the public. On the contrary, a new field of intellectual activity and wide-spread influence is opened to him. The occasions on which he spoke in the interest of science, for the cause of beneficence, or at the reception of distinguished guests, were various, and he made them brilliant. To his country his transcendent powers were consecrated. By his admirable efforts, Mount Vernon was rescued from the ownership of an ignoble scion, and became a popu- lar possession ; while the person and character of Wash- ington were everywhere presented to view in the fulness of life. When the conspiracy culminated in open insurrec- tion, it was my privilege to hear him, at the Thursday- evening Club/'' set forth in a few strong sentences the duty of a citizen. "The claim of a State to secede from the Union," he said, " is no more to be recognized than that of the county to separate from a State, or a city from the county. In fact, admit the preten- * A soc-ial society in Boston, formed about twenty years since by Dr. John C. Warren, whom ]Mr. Everett succeeded as President. Dr. J. Mason War- ren is now President. 24 PRESIDENT warren's ADDRESS. sion of secessioiij and street would rise up against street in every village, and anarchy would everywhere ensue. Mr. Lincoln was not my choice for President, and most surely Jefferson Davis w^as not. The question is now between the two, Which shall have supremacy ? We must declare for our rightful President, and aid him in every way in asserting the integrity of our country." And so indeed he did with all the resources of his life- long acquirements. He showed the geographical neces- sity of our national unity, and the confessed ground- lessness of the Rebellion. He proved by history that a division of the country would not bring on peace, but a constant recurrence of border warfare. When the timid were dwelling on the danger of our military situation, and were magnifying the extent of our public burdens, he not only never despaired of the Republic, but mightily confirmed the faith of others. He turned his attention to the foreio;n assailant. When the British statesmen declared — their wish being, perhaps, father to the thought — that the alienation produced by our civil war would utterly preclude a popular re-union, he reminded them of the civil wars which had rasped in their own country, and of their present happy condi- tion. Thus, more than any other private citizen, he exerted a resistless influence at home and abroad, and turned the current of public sentiment to his country's advantag;e. As the Presidential election drew near, always a season of intense excitement, but now a critical junc- EDWARD EVERETT. 25 tare, he saw his duty clear in declaring for the re-elec- tion of the good President who had weathered the storm so well. His speech in Faneuil Hall, entitled A Plea for the Country, is a model of clear statement, of eloquent persuasion, and of considerate courtesy towards those wdio differed from him in political opinion. The people of the Commonwealth, by an unexampled vote, placed him at the head of their Electoral College ; an office, like every one before held by him, unsolicited, but wisely bestowed honoris causa. As more than half a century ago his earliest efforts were the inculcations of Christian precepts, so his latest instructions were of the same tenor and spirit. On the seventeenth of December, at a meeting of the Union Club, in Park Street, of which he was president, on the proposition to open the house on Sunday, he, at consid- erable length, and in a frank and forcible manner, op- posed the innovation, as unfavorable to the interests of the institution, and prejudicial in example. His opin- ion prevailed against the decided preferences of many. On the ninth of January, though well-nigh prostrate, he would not refrain from attending the meeting for the relief of Savannah ; and there, while denouncing with horror the practices of rebel barbarity, he advocated the doctrine of Christian retaliation. A fit theme, and Fan- euil Hall a fit place for the long farewell. On that day he went to his attractive home, never more to re-appear among us. Nor was he sensible that his cleparture was so 26 PRESIDENT warren's ADDRESS. near. He wrote to his daughter, after relating his pain- ful symptoms, that he " had turned the corner." To an intimate friend who visited him, he said, " I shall be out to see you next week." But the summons came to him suddenly, like a thief in the night ; robbing us, indeed, of many a fond anticipation of a friendly greeting, and of his eloquent discourse, but finding him, as it would have found him at any time, ready to meet the inevitable doom. The influence of Edwaed Everett on the national lit- erature and character will be permanent. He blended most happily the Christian and the gentleman, the statesman and the scholar, the orator and the patriot. Few men, who have been for so long a period in the public eye, have been subject to less animadversion. He has been thought to have wanted the elements of leadership. But he had conceived a beau-ideal of char- acter to which he adhered. A scrupulous regard for duty would not permit him, in deference to supposed popular opinion, to outrun his well-instructed convic- tions. There are not wanting instances of his firmness. While Governor, he did not shrink from signing the warrant of execution when the public safety seemed to require ; and it is known to many that he often ex- pressed opinions different from those of the generality of his political associates. His sensitiveness has been sometimes sneered at. But he well knew the weight of personal authority, and claimed for himself his proper EDWARD EVERETT. 27 share. Conscious of good intention, he wished to ap- pear to act from right motives. Acting himself npon the Golden Rule, he held it out to others for their guid- ance. It has been objected to his style of oratory, that it was artificial, and not natural. So is education, and cul- ture, and speech itself, artificial. But Mr. Everett knew that the most successful efforts were ever those for which the most thorough and exhaustive preparation had been made. He tliought, with Quintilian, " that nothing can arrive at perfection unless when Nature is assisted by careful cultivation." Of all the arts which he culti- vated, he made himself master of the ars celare ariem. A few have asserted that he was deficient in warmth and genuine feeling. But if public performances are to be judged by the effects which they produce, the invari- able gratification and applause which attended him repel the assertion. The critic who fancies he has de- tected in Mr. Everett's orations a want of genuine, ear- nest feeling, must himself be lacking in that quality. Oftentimes he has been likened to Cicero, whom in some points he excelled ; for he avoided the egotism and the occasional levity of the Roman orator. He never presented Everett to the audience, but always his subject, amplified and adorned with the fullest illustra- tions, and speaking, as it were, itself, for its own merits. Although, when the occasion required, he could deal in delicate strokes of raillery and genuine humor, he always 28 PRESIDENT warren's ADDRESS. observed the propriety of place, and held his audience up to his own high standard. From the similarity of their prominent position, from their eminent services and exalted patriotism, and from their mutual friendship, Webster and Everett will ahvays be compared. Webster's career opened earlier. He was the foremost defender of the Constitution, and the opponent of the first compromise with nullification. From love of country, he supported the Compromise of 1850 upon the Southern assurance that it was a final settlement of the sectional controversy. He died in that belief, but not without giving ample warning, with a prophet's vision, of the aggravated horrors of attempted secession. Everett lived to see the prediction fulfilled to the utmost. The counsel which Webster gave to the people of Massachusetts, to learn to "conquer their pre- judices," Everett inculcated with a different application to some of his admirers from that in which it was first given ; though, had Webster lived to witness the Rebellion, he would undoubtedly have united with Ev- erett in proclaiming the same sentiments. The person of Webster was majestic and command- ing : that of Everett was dignified and graceful. Web- ster was, at times, grand and overwhelming ; at others, he occasioned disappointment. Everett rarel}^, if ever, failed to meet the public expectation. Webster, like many of his contemporaries, had in view the Presidential office. It was Everett's ambition to excel in whatever WEBSTER AND EVERETT. 29 he undertook. Both lived precisely the same number of years ; but the twelve which Everett survived gave him the advantage of historic position. The orations and services of both form a splendid part of our country's literature and glory. As if to solemnize the sad event to the people, both died on a Sunday morning. For each there w^as g;eneral lamentation. In memory of each, at his death, the people in Faneuil Hall assembled, voted a monumental statue, the means for which were at once spontaneously supplied, — an honor greater by flir than though it had been decreed by any ruler or government under heaven. The Greek biographer, in drawing his historic paral- lels between the eminent men of the two great nations of antiquity, never contrasted Greek with Greek, or Roman with Roman. Our two illustrious characters were not only fellow-countrymen, but residents of Bos- ton. Both were among the founders of the Bunker-Hill- Monument Association. The first certificate of mem- bership bears the names of Daniel Webster as President, and Edward Everett as Secretary. A society established under such auspices deserves to have perpetual exist- ence. The Monument, the result of their counsels and labors, often the theme and inspiration of their eloquence, we have associated with their names. In grateful recog- nition of their services, we should provide at some future period, when a permanent place shall have been prepared for their reception, a faithful presentment, in marble or 30 PRESIDENT warren's ADDRESS. bronze, of their noble form and lineaments, to be trans- mitted to future ages, with memorials of the other illus- trious men identified with Bunker Hill. Gentlemen of the Association, — Four years ago to-day we celebrated our anniver- sary, the first after the breaking-out of the Rebellion, by raising the national flag from the summit of the monument. His Excellency the Governor, in perform- ing that service at our request, in the perfect faith of a good cause in that trying hour, said, as on Bunker Hill he unfurled the star-spangled banner in presence of a large concourse of patriotic citizens, " Respected it shall be in Charlestown, Massachusetts, and in Charles- ton, South Carolina ; on the Mississippi as on the Pe- nobscot ; in New Orleans as in Cincinnati ; in the Gulf of Mexico as on Lake Superior ; and by France and England now and forever." Behold now, — after a brief space, compared with the life-time of a nation, or contrasted with the dura- tion of great civil commotions in other countries, — that declaration is made good. It has cost treasure ; it has cost most precious blood. But, inestimable as has been the sacrifice, the re-assured blessings of our country restored to peace will compensate for all. We had looked forward to another celebration. A few months ago, the late President of the United States, ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 31 in an interview with which he honored me, had given informal assurance, that, when the time should come for the grand jubilee contemplated by your votes in commemoration of our National Union vindicated, he would endeavor to be with us. In the glad antici- pation of his presence, we counted also upon the assist- ance of our departed associate to give a charm and grace to the ceremonies of so august an occasion. But God disposes human events. The star of Lincoln was removed from our vision while in the zenith, the observed of all observers. His mission was accomplished when the Rebellion was quelled, though he had still in view the more congenial office of conquering the pas- sions, reconciling the differences, and knitting together the affections, of the whole American people. But what he did is the full measure of one man's fame. To fulfil the duties of the highest office in the fice of a terrible conspiracy determined to rule or ruin ; to uphold the cause of a bleeding nation, through all its vicissitudes, with hopefulness and honor ; to observe all constitutional re- straints, looking with a single eye to the preservation of the Union ; to wait for the coming time, and then to strike the fatal blow at the great curse of the country which had always been threatening its existence, and by that same Act of Emancipation to lift the burden of bondage from a whole race, and restore manhood to their oppressors, — this was the rare lot of Abraham Lincoln. Fortunate that he lived lono; enousch to witness the renewed confi- dence of a grateful people, to deliver that incomparable 32 PRESIDENT warren's ADDRESS. Inaugural Address, and to enter the stronghold of the conspirators with the might of a conqueror and the hu- niilitj of a Christian. Though it be the time of victory, we do well to postpone the observance of the nation's glad triumph to another anniversary. It is most proper, that, on this day, we join together in immortal bond the name of the Martyr President with that of the first great martyr of the Revolution. Rulers and statesmen die, generations pass away ; but the great Republic survives. The President of the United States will ever be sustained by millions of hearts and hands, if need be, in defence of the country's honor and integrity. We rest our faith in the perma- nence of our Union and frame of government, upon their tested fitness to promote the welfare and bring out the energies of a free people. The chief conspirator, when he announced his plot to the world, referred, as authority for the insurrection, to the principles of the Revolution, and the Declaration of Independence. But the government and institutions which he and his con- federates sought to establish were based on slavery as the corner-stone ; and, in order to effect their purpose, they adopted and sanctioned means and atrocities from which civilization recoils. It seems strange that their Heaven-defying scheme should have lasted even for the brief period of a presidential term. It was necessary, perhaps, that it should be tolerated so long, in order that the inherent strength and recuperative power of our constitutional system should be developed. THE MONUMENT. 33 Had the Rebellion succeeded and our Union been destroyed, the battle which was fought on Saturday, ninety years ago to-day, would have been fought in vain. But thanks to a vigilant administration, to a determined people, and to a brave and heroic army and navy, the lesson of Bunker Hill has not been lost. The monument which we there erected stands on Union. Built by popular subscriptions from every part of the land, it has an interest for every citizen. It speaks of the glories of the past, and of the promises of the future ; and as it shall bear aloft the national flag in triumphant commemoration of some renowned event, or of some great, immortal name, or shall display the drooping colors at half-mast in mourning for the death of some eminent citizen, or as it shall be viewed in its severe majesty alone, unadorned even by our glorious emblem, it will declare forever to successive genera- tions that the great country, whose massive strength and towering height it typifies, shall ever endure, if only they will cherish and revere the principles it com- memorates, the memories it awakens, and the patriot- ism it inspires. |{iJS0luti0n ON THE DEATH OF JAMES K. FROTHINGHAM. Resolved, That in the death of Xvmes Kettell Froth- INGHAM, whose father was on duty on the day of Bunker Hill, and in honorable service throughout the Revolu- tion, the Bunker-Hill-Monument Association recognizes the loss of one of its earliest members, who, for thirty- four years, was one of its Directors, an eminently good man, and useful citizen ; and that the Secretary of the Association be directed to convey to the family of the deceased its appreciation of his virtues, and its sympa- thy in their bereavement. "'■' JOHN SAianiil. —Ji ASHE APPEARED IN DELIVERING HIS ORATION ON WASHINGTON ^WIASIIIM'GTOI*^' THE BJE./lCOIi LIGHT. ^t^mUiiam AND OTHER COMMEMORATIVE NOTICES EDWARD EVERETT. EDWARD EVERETT. Hon. Robert C. Winthrop presented the following preamble and resolutions, which were unanimously adopted : — The Committee appointed by the Directors on the 18th of January last respectfully recommend the adoption of the subjoined preamble and reso- lution : — Five months have now elapsed since Mr. Everett's death. Many mo- mentous events have occurred during that period, — the fall of Richmond, the successive surrenders of the rebel armies, the appalling assassination of the lamented President, the assured restoration of union and peace ; but none of them have effaced the impression produced on all our minds and hearts by the announcement of that sudden death of our illustrious fellow-citizen and friend. On the contrary, each one of those events, as it has occurred, has served to remind us afresh of the loss we had sustained, as we have listened in vain for that voice from which we had so long been accustomed to hear the most appropriate and effective word in every hour of public triumph or public sorrow. Meantime, however, the language of eulogy has long ago been ex- hausted by the various associations with which Mr. Everett was connected, and by the press, in all parts of our country. Nothing remains for us l»nt to do justice to his memory in connection with the great work for which this 40 EDWARD EVERETT. Association was instituted ; and, to this end, the following resolution is submitted : — Resolved by the Bunker-Hill-Monument Association, That while, in common with all our fellow-citizens, we have lamented the death of Edward Everett, as depriving our community and our whole country of a scholar, and an orator of surpassing ability and eloquence, whose voice was never wanting to any good cause, we cannot omit, on this day when we miss his familiar and always welcome presence from our anniversary meeting, to recall afresh his peculiar claims to the grateful and enduring remembrance of our own Association, with which he had been connected from its earliest organization, and whose objects he had advanced and promoted by so many noble and impressive utterances. We cannot forget that his name stood " fourth " among the signers of our original articles of agreement, in May, 1823 ; and that from his pen came the first appeal, which so powerfully commended the work we had undertaken to the sympathy and co-operation of the American people. "We cannot forget, that, when that work was in danger of being left unfinished, it was his thrilling speech in May, 1833, delivered first in Faneuil Hall, and repeated soon afterwards in other parts of the State, which rallied the people anew to its support, and roused a determination that it should no longer fail of its completion. Nor can we forget the admirable addresses in which he has so often illustrated the great event which the monument was erected to commemorate, or the bril- liant part which he took in the inauguration of the statue of the heroic Warren. We desire, therefore, to enter upon our records this simple but heartfelt tribute to our illustrious associate and friend, and thus to mani- fest to all who shall come after us, not only our profound sense of his vir- tues a sa man, of his accomplishments as a scholar, of his eloquence as an orator, and of his comprehensive and devoted patriotism both as a public servant and as a private citizen, but our especial gratitude to him for his untiring and invaluable services to the objects and interests of this Asso- ciation. Resolved, That a copy of the foregoing report and resolution bo trans- mitted by the President to the family of Mr. Everett. EDWAED EVERETT. 41 Meeting of Directors. At a meeting of the Directors of the Bunker-Hill- Monument Association, held Jan. 18, to take measures in relation to the death of Mr. Everett, in the absence of the President, Hon. Frederic W. Lincoln was placed in the chair : it was — Resolved, That a Committee be appointed to express in suitable fonn that respect for his memory, that honor for his virtues, and that gratitude for his services entertained by this Association, to be presented at its next annual meeting, and placed enduringly upon its records. The following gentlemen were appointed by the Chair to constitute the Committee designated in the resolu- tion : — R. C. Winthrop, W. W. Wheildon, J. Mason Warren, Albert Fear- ing, J. H. Thorndike, Benjamin T. Reed, Samuel H. Russell, Henry A. Peirce. To this Committee, by a special vote of the Directors, the President of the Association, and the Chairman of the meeting, Mayor Lincoln, were added. The Board voted to attend the funeral of Mr. Everett on the day following. By order of the President, the National Flag was dis- played at half-mast from the Monument on Sunday morning, the day of the death, and there remained until after the day of the funeral. 42 EDWARD EVERETT. Proceedings of the Amei'iean Colonization Society. The President of the Bunker-Hill-Monument Associ- ation, at the time of the above meeting, was in Wash- ington, where he had an opportunity, as member of the Board of the American Colonization Society, to pay a tribute of respect to the memory of Mr. Everett, and of grateful recognition of his eminent services to the cause of Colonization. At the annual meeting of the American Colonization Society held on the 17th of January last, at the Presbyterian Church in Four-and- a-half Street, in Washington, he made the following remarks : — Mk. Pkesident, — Since the report which has just been read was prepared by the Secretary, another death has occurred in our number. Yesterday, by order of the President of the United States, public honors were paid to the memory of the great statesman and patriot in the executive departments of the Gov- ernment ; and the last funeral rites are yet to be observed in the city where he died. So great and varied was the genius of Mr. Everett, with such readiness and zeal did he employ his gifts for the benefit of his country and for hu- manity, that it will be for a long time felt that a place is left vacant. To him, more than any other man in our age, may be applied that classi- cal compliment, " Nihil tetigit quod non ornavit ; " or rather it may be said more aptly, that he took up no subject which not only he did not adorn, but which he did not exhaust. Twelve years ago this evening, while holding the highest seat in the EDWARD EVEEETT. 43 Cabinet, he addressed this Society from this place. That address may well be termed an oration in defence of African colonization, to which he brought his wonderful power of generalization and his historic research. He compared favorably the history of Liberia with the early history for the same period of time of our own colonies at Jamestown and at Plymouth. He enumerated the serious obstacles to our scheme ; but, in spite of them all, he predicted its ultimate success. He grounded his faith upon the efficacy of moral sentiment under the guidance and influence of religious zeal. That same Christian characteristic pervades all his glowing productions. But a week ago yesterday, he addressed his fellow-citizens in Faneuil Hall, invoking their aid to the suffering people of Savannah. It was on that occasion he contracted a cold which brought on his untimely death, and his last public utterances will be heeded by his country. To the suggestion which might be made, that the people of Savannah were rebels, and de- served no aid from Boston, he replied, that if they were rebels, — which he denied to be the case with the great majority, who, in their hearts, he believed were still loyal, — even if they were all rebels at heart, he would show to them and to the world the sublime power of Christian retaliation. He would return for the barbarous atrocities — some of which he recited — acts of kindness and love. It was the power of kindness and good-will which was yet to come in aid of the power of the sword, and to draw togeth- er the distracted parts of our country. Never more will that voice be heard, to enchant, to instruct, and to in- fluence to noble purposes vast assemblages of the people. Never more will that pen — which in his hands was a mighty weapon indeed — be wield- ed by him in the defence and to the honor and glory of his country. Those eloquent lips are hushed in perpetual silence. That hand which ti'aced those glowing words will soon l)e placed by the side of that graceful form in the eternal grave ; but as long as the English language and litera- ture shall endure, as long as the United States shall be known among the nations of the earth, the name of Edward Everett shall live, and his eloquent thoughts will be stoi'ed among the treasures of the mind which never die. 44 EDWARD EVERETT. I therefore submit the following rissolution : — Resolved, That this Society deplores the recent death of Edward Ever- ett, one of its Vice-Presidents, and an eloquent advocate of its cause ; and while it admires the wonderful and varied gifts with which he was endowed, the long series of public services which he has rendered, and the many efforts of philanthropy and patriotism with which, for nearly half a centu- ry, his name has been identified, and while it contemplates the beauty and grace of his private life, and the pure principles which guided his public conduct, it unites with the country in sympathetic sorrow for the great national loss which, in this critical juncture, she has been called upon sud- denly to bear. Hon. Peter Parker of Washington, in a few appropri- ate remarks, seconded the resolution, which was then unanimously adopted. The following is a portion of the speech made by Mr. Everett at Richmond, Feb. 22, 1858, to which allusion is made in the Address of the President. The extract is from the "Boston Daily Advertiser," Feb. 27, 1858. The address of presentation was delivered by Col. George W. Munford, Secretary of State. Mr. Everett's reply was as follows : — Sir, — I want words adequately to express the emotions of satisfaction and gratitude with which I receive this most interesting personal relic of the " Father of his Country," invaluable in itself, and rendered, if pos- sible, still more precious by the circumstances under which it comes into my possession. I shall keep it while I live as a sacred trust, and so dis- pose of it as best to promote the patriotic intentions with which it has been bestowed upon me. I acknowledge myself under the highest obligations to the Ladies' Mount-Vernon Association, who have honored me with this EDWARD EVERETT. 45 most expressive token of their approval of my humble co-operation in the great cause to which, with such fervid energy and noble enthusiasm, they are devoting themselves ; and I pray you, sir, to accept my grateful ac- knowledgments for the very obliging manner in which you have been pleased to express yourself in performing the oflSce kindly undertaken by you on this deeply interesting occasion. I feel, sir, that in reference to an honor so distinguished, so peculiar, there would be a degree of arrogance even in disclaiming any title to it as a reward of merit. Such a thought is almost too absurd to be disavowed. Nothing but the most distinguished service to the country, in some crisis of imminent peril, could furnish an adequate foundation for such a pre- tension. But I may claim, without presumption, to have been trained, from my cradle, to the reverence of the great and honored name of which you now enrich me with this most desirable personal memorial. I was born within sight of Dorchester Heights, where he achieved one of the most brilliant and important successes of the war. I was reared in a commu- nity filled with recent personal recollections of him, cherished by those who all but idolized his character. I am old enough to remember the shock which struck to the very heart of the land at the tidings that he was gone. My first little declamation at school was the familiar elegy, beginning — " From Vernon's mount behold the hero rise ! Resplendent forms attend him to the slcies." I remember, but as yesterday, the emotion of my father as he placed round my neck, with its black ribbon, the medal which was worn by the school- children throughout the country, bearing the likeness of Washington, with the inscription, " He is in glory, — the world is in tears ; " and the eulogy pronounced by that honored parent on the ensuing twenty-second of Feb- ruary, at the request of his fellow-citizens of Dorchester, was the first public discourse of a secular character to which I ever listened. Had it then been foretold to me, that after a lapse of fifty-eight years, filled with no inconsiderable share of the labors and the cares of life, I should live to see a day like this ; that I should have the privilege, in so 46 EDWARD EVERETT. many of the States and cities of the Union, to pronounce a eulogy on that illustrious name before crowded and favoring audiences, and to de- vote the pecuniary proceeds of its delivery to the noble object of placing the home and the tomb of Washington under the asgis of the public pro- tection ; that, as the rich reward of this service, I should, here in the capital of his native Virginia, here in the presence of illustrious chieftains who have borne the flag of the country with honor from the frozen North to the tropics, of the Chief Magistrates of Virginia and other sister States, and of statesmen who have filled and are filling the highest places in the public councils, of the ladies who have clothed themselves with the honor of originating the noble enterprise which appeals so powerfully to the patri- otic sentiment of the country, and of this vast and sympathizing audience, — truly I should have deemed it a vision too bright, too wild, to be realized, or, if realized, an ample recompense for whatever of toil or of grief might intervene. But it is no romantic vision. I have lived to see this proud and happy day ; I have been permitted by Providence to realize what the most extravagant anticipation could not have foreseen ; I have pronounced the eulogy, of which you expect the repetition to-day, seventy times, for the benefit of the Mount- Vernon fund ; and I am willing to do it seven hundred and seventy times, if it is the pleasure of my fellow-citizens to hear it, for the same noble object. For these efforts, and the labor and time required by them, I claim no merit ; I have asked, expected, no reward, — least of all, such a reward as I receive this day, sir, at your hands. It has truly been, as you have been pleased to say, a labor of love. I have felt that I was engaged in a pure and honorable work, tending directly to a noble end, and not unproductive, perhaps, of incidental good. Compelled by illness, a few years ago, to resign a very honorable post in the public service, and feeling no tempta- tion, since the partial restoration of my health, to return to tlie thorny and thankless path of public life ; weai'y of its labors and cares, and more tlian satisfied with the trusts and honors which the partiality of my fellow-citizens has bestowed on me at home and abroad, — I find in these inoffensive pursuits into which I have been drawn, consecrated to patriotism and benevolence, a more congenial occupation for my waning years ; happy if I EDWARD EVERETT. 47 can ia this way do any thing to promote this most meritorious object of the Ladies' Mount -Vernon Association ; or soften the asperity of sectional feel- ing by holding up to the admiration of all parts of the country that great exemplar which all alike respect and love ; or relieve, by appeals to the sympathies of the benevolent, the wants of our suffering fellow-men ; too happy, if, among the last utterances of a voice which, in the course of nature, will soon cease to be heard, the praises of him who stands first in the affections of the country shall be the most prominent theme, as a prayer for the welfare of every portion of that country will be breathed with the last pulsations of my heart. I^CSolHtifliUlS DEATH OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN ACCESSION OF PRESIDENT JOHNSON, WITH THE REMARKS OF HON. ROBERT C. WINTHROR. RESOLUTIONS. The following resolutions, proposed by Rev. Dr. LoTHROP, were unanimously adopted : — Resolved, That the members of the Bunker-Hill-Monument Associa- tion, at their first meeting after the painful occurrence, desire to express their heartfelt sorrow for the untimely death of Abraham Lincoln, late President of the United States, and to place on their records the high ap- preciation they entertain of his exalted patriotism and unflinching fidelity to duty ; and, as he died while in the service of bis country, they trust that the Congress of the United States, following the example of the Con- tinental Congress in regard to the first distinguished martyr of the Revo- lution, will make suitable provision for his family, so suddenly deprived of their honored head. Resolved, That we deem it fortunate for our country that the constitu- tional successor of the late wise, faithful, and patriotic Abraham Lincoln is a man whose principles, whose talents, and whose experience in public affairs, make him worthy of his ofiice, and of the confidence of the nation ; and that, as members of this Association, we cordially tender to Andrew Johnson the assurance of our sympathy and respect, and the expression of our confident expectation, that through his wisdom and fidelity, under an overruling Providence, all the difficulties connected with the settlement of our internal affairs will be overcome or removed ; and that, under his administration, our country, strong in the peace, the liberty, and the union of the people, will enter upon a new career of national glory, power, and progress. 52 REMAEKS OF HON. R. C. WINTHROP. Hon. Robert C. Winthrop said that the resolutions which had just been offered by Dr. Lothrop needed no formal seconding from any individual member. They met the cordial concurrence of every member of the Association. Certainly there could be no hesitation on any side in sustaining the first of those resolutions. The death of the late President had excited a common emotion in every heart throughout the land ; and we were all glad of any opportunity to express our horror at the crime to which he had fallen a victim, and our sympathy with his bereaved family and country. Nor could there be any thing but the most hearty assent to the second resolution on the part of any one present on this occasion. For himself, he eagerly availed himself of the privilege of supporting it. He had known President Johnson personally, many years ago, and had been associated with him in the councils of the nation ; and, though he had differed from him on political ques- tions, he had never had cause to distrust or doubt his ability or his integrity. Every thing which he had said and done, since his succession to the Chief Magistracy, had been of a character to inspire confidence that the gov- ernment would be well and wisely administered ; and it was eminently fit that we should all give expression to our desire to support him in the trying position to which he had been so suddenly and so sadly called. He therefore seconded the resolutions, and trusted they would be adopted by acclamation. m 9 1307 LIBRftRY OF CONGRESS 011 800 478 4