ORATION, DELIVERED BEFORE THE INHABITANTS or THE TOWN OF SOUTH READIl\IW;‘ AND ITS VICINITY, 'A ON 'l“I~IE FOURTH OF JULY, 1832. BY ROBERT RANTOUL, JR. rvnnxsrrmn BY :cmo.U1«:s:r'. A A ‘SALEM; A :vREss4‘oIs*Fo%omEA&. BROWN, A . A1832. A ORATION. In is a very common remark, and Ido not careswith whom it originated;-—-it is none the less true because it is common ,—~——tl1at the world is governed too much. Fifty-sizs. years ago, on the day we are met to celebrate, three millions of people, of the fireest and best governed among the inhabitants of the world, impressed notwithstanding, by their own experience, with the truth of this maxim, met together, by their delegates, whom they had atitlrorized and empowered so to do, solemnly proclaimed tothe world, that, for the future, they and their descendants would not be governed too much. Whether under all the circumstances this decision was wise, whether it can and will be carried successfully into effect, is for the present generation and for , posterity to determine. The question is of universal interest, the experiment is a grand one; the eyes of all mankind are upon the actors, and anxiously awaiting the issue. If self- government in this full and fair trial of its capacities be found to fail, the hope of liberty is gone forever. If, on the other hand, it should be found able to meet that absolute necessity out of which governments grew,if it shouldbe found competent to fulfil all those high purposes for which governments are main-- tained, especially if it should be fohnd to answer the ends for which men in society have mutually surrendered some portion of their natural freedom, with less encroachment on their natural rights, at a cheaper rate and in a more satisfactory rnanner,,by a shorter, simpler, surer and more efficient process, it isnot pre- sumptuous to foretell, that sooner or later the example will be every where imitated, and l2l1€1l7:lIl the progress of time, as surely 4 as agesroll on, the day will come when the light of liberty shall shine on all who now sit in darkness, when over all her wide spread continents and among all her widely differing races, the World shall no longer be governed too much. If this be so, my friends, if the future destinies of mankind no less than our own welfare do in a great measure hinge upon this question, it is important “that we should discuss and understand it: and I do not know of any opportunity more fitting for the discussion than this anniversary, filled as it is with associations which awaken all our noblest sensibilities, and kindle into a lively ardor that affection for our common country which we all profess to feel. All nations in all ages have set apart seasons of tlianksgiving for great national blessings, and more especially days whereon patriotism might delight itself in the recollection of great national deliverances. The ancient people of God had their feast of tabernacles, their passover and their jubilee, and on those sol- emn occasions, when all thetribes of the land went up to pour forth their common gratitude in the temple of their common Father, grand and imposing indeed'"must have been the specta- ole. An institution so beautiful could not fail to spring up spon- taneously and under a great variety of forms, among the people of classic antiquity. The Greeks, our preceptors in matters of if taste, thelI-iomans, who, whatever we may lay , to their charge in other respects, We may safely pronounce to have been models of patriotism, honored their heroes while living, and their mernoe ry when dead, and distinguished also the days and the places marked by their achievements, with triumphs, games, festivals, and other tokens of public regard and interest, which have so often been described that I will not trouble you with the repe- tition. , ' , p The custom is good: it is founded in natural feelings, and Worthy to be perpetuated-l. And certainly, among the blessings which deserve thus to be commemorated, national independence ought to hold the first place, since without it no rational liberty scan be enjoyed, and without liberty all other blessings are Worthless. , The Sabbath, which, with a slight departure fromr its original institution, all Christendom now holds as holy time, 5 was ordained to be observed by the Hebrews through all their generations, as a rnernorial of . their deliverance from slavery--- “ for in that day the Lord brought thee out of the land of Egypt andiout of the house of bondage.” The Catholic church, the universal church, as it is proud to call itself, has filled its calen—~ dar with days of observation. The birth of its saints, the suffer»- ings of its n1artyrs—-—-—-noth.ing that ought to be rernernbered, is forgotten. It keeps high festival on every day zmarlted by any extraordinary event in the history of its early progress. We rncderns, and protestants, and on this side of the Atlantic, have but few such festivals, whether of religion or of patriotisrn, re-:- maining ; we should therefore be so much the more zealous to nourish and to keep alive the genuine spirit of the few thatiii are yet left to us. i If then it be true, that the days when signal blessings have been bestotved, ought to be consecrated in after years; if it be undeniable, that of all national blessings independence is the greatest; it is manifest that beyond. any event, that any nation was ever called upon to celebrate, these United States of America are emphatically called on to celebrate the birth day of their Independence, since it has secured to thorn a greater amount of civil and political liberty than is enjoyed by any other nation on the face of the globe. The yeornanry of New England, who fought the battles of the first campaign, the people of Massachu-«g sctts, among whom the contest originated , rnay rightfully claim a large share of the glory, and therefore have peculiar reason to keep alive the retnernbrance of the struggle by Wl‘1l0l‘1 Indepen-« dericeriivas secured. Least of all should Weforget it, we, tlreyrniern of Miclcllesex, towhorn. belongs so liberal a portion of the rich inheritance of our fathers’ glory. The County of Middleseza is the classic ground of American history. Lexington, where was shed the blood of the first martyrs in the holy cause ; Concord, where the first effectual resistance was offered; Bunker Hill, where the veterans of the mother country were first taughtto suspect that skill andiidiscipline and British valor, might buy, their victories too dear; Charlestown, ofl'"ere‘d up as one great burnt sacrifice 5 Cambridge, the head quarters of Washington wlnle» 6 .- Boston was in the hands of the enemy; these, to enlarge no fur- ther, these with their -thousand cherished traditions, are all our own. ; Well may we exult as weenumerate them: these were the scenes of the first act in the bloody drama, and it is anheredita-r ry honor of which republicans may be proud, that our fathers were the actors, that here they got them a name and a praise among the nations. ‘ Lexington, Concord, Cambridge and Bun-- ker—-Hill! These magic names ‘bring before us at once the whole array of patriots and sages, and recall all their eventful story, with its romantic reality. Imagination pictures the lead» ers, and marshals the ranks; we are hurried back to the times that tried men’s souls, and our bosoms glow with corresponding emotions. The American Revolution deserves to be commem~— orated by you, men of Mi_ddles_eXl on this republican jubilee. It presents itself in imposing aspects. It opens a field in which there is room to expatiate widely and yet leave the subject un- exhausted. Spirit * stirring reminiscences, told and Written, sketches vividly portrayed and of absorbing interest, rush at once upon my recollection, and almost tempt me to indulge in the enthusiasm W_w*hicl1 the moment inspires. But while my heart swells with the grandeur of the theme, I cannot but be forcibly struck with the futility of attempting to do it ‘justice. What part of the habitable world has not rung with the story of your father’s wrongs and of their manly vindication? . In what partof the World is thereystrife now raging between the oppres--r sor and the oppressed, that it is not quotedday by day, making the ears of tyrants to tingle? From hoary age to helpless in- fancy, who that has ears to hear is not familiar with it? Whose breast, of all that listen to me, is not throbbing with,sensations‘ which language is not adequate to express; to describe which were to degrade and to abuserwhat cannot be described ‘; t to“ an- alyzewhichwere to anatomize beauty, to exhibit rthat lifeless whose essence is life and health. a No, gentlemen, ‘no! It is not my part toyinform your intelligence, or to heigl1ten.your~emo-r rtions, Allof you have heard, and some of you have seen and known; and felt in yourown persons, (long may these honored representatives of a race of heroes be spared to the circles they “~.. 7 adorn,) the sternness of resolve, the dauntless bravery, the long enduring perseverance through unmitigated suffering, the self- denying patriotism, the unalloyed devotedness, which character- ized the men of seventy—-six, which bore them through the’ fiery trial, and stamped them to be nature’s noblemen. Why then, let these things speak for themselves--~they need no eulogist. To gild refined gold, to paint the lily, To throw a perfume on the violet, , Were wasteful and ridiculous excess. rOld men, your meditations are eloquent beyond any thing that can be addressed to you. Young men, readthe record, and then confess, that it is not any oratorical flourish, any petty artifice of rhetoric, that can add brilliancy to the lustre of your fathers’ glory. Their deeds magnify them; their works praise them in the gates, and words must forever fall far short of their praise. . x y i a Passing by, therefore“, the more obvious topic of discourse on this occasion, a humbler task I will undertake with alacrity-—--«the discussion of the question, whether the American experiment of self government is likely to be a successful one-——--a question on whose doubtful issues hang the hopes and fears, as has been al- if ready intimated,of the friends of liberty in all quarters of the globe and throughout all coming ages. A humble task, since it furnishes little scope for ambitious declamation, and debars from the opportunity for those appeals so easily offered and always favorably received, to your national pride 5 but perhaps a more important service, could it be adequately performed, inasmuch as information is better than adulation, and truth of more value than flattery. To qualify ourselves, therefore, for the decision of this great question, let us considersome of the causes and some of the consequences of American Independence. The personal ob- servation of each individual supplies him with the clear bought wisdom of expeiience, but history is the only teacher who lean‘ exhibit lessons for nations. In the events which history trans-r mits, the voice of Providence seems to be addressing the rulers i of the world. It seems to admonish them, in solemn andrimpres-i sive tones, to proftby the severe yet voluntary Warnings which 8 past errors, past crimes and past calamities, afford for their edifi- cation. “ Be wise now, therefore, Oh ye Kings ! Be instruct- ed, ye Judges of the earth 1” In America the people are the sovereigns, and in order that they may govern well, they must govern understandingly: they must recognize the causes and the consequences of great political events. r r The causes of American Independence lie deep in the character of the Continent itself, in the character of the times in which it was discovered and colonized, and in the character of those who colonized it. Subsequent events tended to develop these causes, but they were operating surely though slowly, and sooner or later must have produced their effect, even though those events had never occurred. . Let us dwell for a moment on each of these particulars. , The character of the times in which the discovery and settlement of the New Wo1'ld took place, first demands our * attention. To an ordinary observer living at that period the times would not have appeared peculiarly propitious to the growth of the spirit of liberty. The fierce democracy of Athens, the unrelenting sternness of that unnatural code by which Sparta strove to eradicate all the finer feelings of humanity, and to condemn her whole male population to serve forever as an armed garrison under martial law in the midst of etnerniesg sup- T ported by the labors of slaves of kindred stock extorted from them at the point of the sword--—both these chimerical systems had ages ago proved, equally, total failures. So it was with the lesser republics, all had proved unable to sustain themselves, oblivion had closed upon them, and the torch of Grecian liberty ‘was extinguished forever. The grinding despotism of the privile- ged orders of Rome, a form of tyranny to which the despots were pleased to give the name of anrepublict, hadnever, pe1'r1uitted any real glibertyf, save to the patricians liberty to oppre,-rss.’ It tram. pled the mass of the people beneath its feet, as vessels formed “of a different clay and ordained to dishonor. For them its only provision was 11ered;ita.ry, intolerable, hopeless servitude. It -conrsigned them, witliout prospect of relief a or Doitigation,‘ to eternal poverty and misery at home, and for all tliis they were 9 consoled by 3 the glory of the Roman name abroad. It made them general robbers, but the booty fell to the share of the leaders of the gang. From a den of famished wolves prowling for prey, it made the seven hills the head quarters whence its victorious bands issued resistless to plunder and to conquest, and finally the storehouse of the accumulated spoils of the whole known world, civilized and barbarian. Throughout the course of this unparalleled career its essential features remained the same. The kings were driven out because Roman cars would no longer endure the name of king : but a double annual monarchy succeeded, and rods and axes, no idle ceremony, were borne before the consuls. It was a great accession to the already vastly predominating weight of the oligarchy in the state, when from year to year they could deposit this enormous executive power in what hands they pleased. They had swept away the only check which could stand in the way of their projects of aggrandizernent, an hereditary chief holding oflice by a tenure independent of their will. They had gained an error»- bitant increase of strength, and the people for compensation had got rid of an odious word. Thencefortli the government was more purely aristocratic than ever, and Roman patriotism, still stronger than death, was more truly what party spirit in other countries has been well said to be, “ the madness of the many for the benefit of the few.” The government was the military governrnent of hereditary captains, over starved, unpaid and despised soldiers; and this goverrnnent the permanent council of war which directed its operations, the haughty senators, dignified with the name of a Republic ; and the rnoderns, because they had no other name to bestow upon it, ratifiecl the title. VVhen the power passed from tliehands of the Patricians, exliausted with intestine dissensions, and centred in the person of a success- ful cornrnander, liberty lost nothing by the change. \ The Republic, if so it must be styled, was struclt out of the list of Republics by the union of all powers under one absolute head: but the forms of republicanism, which, so far as the rights of the un privileged people were concerned, had never been any tliing but forms, were sacrgdly p1'eservetl—~«-arid the people certainly 10 lost none of the substance of freedom when their slavery was transferred from many masters to one. The iron rule of the emperors, indeed, while it bore more heavily upon the unsubdu- ed spirits of the patricians,.was on many accounts less galling to the subject people, and brought them, at least for several centu-— ries, some alleviation of their burthens.‘ The magnificent fabric of the Empire was doomed also to have an end. It fell into the hands of bad men, and was administered with indescribable profligacy and atrocity. It gradually lost the affections, ceased to command the respect, and at last relinquished its hold on the fears of the subject nations. Its decay impaired its vital energy, its corruptions hung like a rnillstone about its neck, it tottered long, and at last a vigorous external impulse precipitated it in ruins. None lamented its fall. It sunk loaded with the curses of millions, and was overwhelmed by the torrent of barbarian invasion. Out of the chaos that ensued was to be generated a prodigy more portentous than the Republic in its most victorious career, or the Empire at the height of its uncontrolled dominion. An element of power had in the mean while been growing up, advancing silently but irresistibly, opposed to which all other influences were to be stripped of their force, and which was to subdue beneath its sway alike both the conquerors and the vanquished. Religion had never hitherto played any but a subordinate part. It had been a useful servant, but it had never pretended to act independently; much less had it attempted to dictate to the civil authority. Now, however, when the empire is dismembered and the fragments left masterless, when thrones and potentates are prostrate and so great the confusion that government cannot. be constructed again out of the ordinary materials, Religion suddenly presents herself under a new aspect, as a political ruling power, not an engine in the hands of the statesman as it had always been, but as itself a power, and ready to meet the crisis; able to reconstruct the social edifice when every other power is confessedly incompetent to the task; profiting by the convulsion which confounds every other interest, peculiarly fitted to ride in the whirlwind and direct the storm. Such.Religion rose in her might. Fixing her _lever 11 upon the hopes and fears of another world, she had found the pivot which Archimedes desired----—there was nothing in this world which she couldnot overturn. Much progress had she made before it was suspected that the noiseless, humble, unob- trusive agent, was to become an imperious, haughty, all-con- trolling master. But when once fairly landed in the arena, no competitor could turn her aside. She pushed forwards with gigantic strides and undeviating purpose till she was seated in majesty on the throne of the Cmsars. The development of her new character was no less appalling than unexpected. Gather» ing the scattered reins of empire and grasping them with a firm hand, she guided the Cl.'1211‘lOt with skill and with firmness, and its course was ever onward. The Gerontochracy of the Senate of Rome was succeeded by the Gerontochracy of the Pope and his Cardinals, and they inherited from their predecessors all their passion for conquest and consolidation. The Apostle of him who was meek and lowly became the Autocrat of all Christen- done. The chief of the subjects of the Prince of Peace became the instigator of the wars of Christendom. The disciple of him who said “ Judge not that ye be not judged,” laid claim to infallibility, and reared the palaces and the dungeons of the holy Inrjuisition. The follower of him who, for an example, washed the feet of his disciples, exulted in manifesting his derision for whatever the world has of reverend, if so be it held not its patent under his seal. "-' The Servant of the Servants of Christ” set his foot upon the neck of kings. In his colossal greatness, however, he neglected no means of influence however trivial, and disdained not to borrow the worn out machinerylof heathen superstition. The Pantheon, the temple of all the Gods, was consecrated anew as the temple of all the Saints. Where the -Pontifezv. Maximus, the high priest of the ancient superstition, went up the steps of the Capitol to burn incense at the altar of Jove, tl1e‘.Pontif'ex Maximus, the high priest of the new religion, went up the same steps to burn incense at the same altar in honor. of Jehovah. t The very statue of Father Jupiter, one of the most sublime production of heathen genius, before which i the pagan bowed himself in the devotion of ignorance, having 12 been baptized by the name of St. Peter, now receives the ado- ration of the ignorant devotee as the image of the chief of the Apostles. To sum up all in a word, heathen rites, festivals and notions were retained with slight disguises: the saints, with whom the heavens were repeopled, occupied the stations of the inferior deities whom they had banished; an obscure woman of aremote province of the Roman Empire was worshipped as the mother of God, and the world was again overshadowed with practical polytheism. It did indeed seem as if the spirit of old Rome, daughter of llda1's, had revisited the earth in the shape of the church militant, to exercise a more terrible domination and to sway a leaden sceptre over men’s souls. The decrees of the Senate were not half so dreadful as the bulls fulminated from the conclave. The wars which ancient Rome waged against Car- thage, were neither so causeless, so fierce, nor so destructive, as those in which, at the fiat of modern Rome, the best blood of Europe watered the plains of Asia. Rome seemed to have risen like the pheni:-1 from her ashes in the undiminished vigor of her pristine youth-—--or rather, to borrow an illustration from her own faith, more apt, as it figures the increased fear with less respect and still less affection which her second dominion in»- spired compared with her first, she seemed, after she had circled her brows with a tiara richer than the diadem of the Caesars, her priestly Empire seemed to be but the ghost of the old -Roman Empire sitting crowned and ghastly upon the mouldering sepul- chre of her former greatnessfit But enough and more than enough of this. The fascination of the subject has seduced me to dally with it too long. "What Greece and Rome had failed to accomplish, the modern Italian Republics undertook with little better success. At the period of the discovery and settlement of America, the last of the Italian Republics were degraded and degenerate, and they have since died childless. , If this representation be in any measure correct, ittmust be apparent that down to the time of the settlement of this continent, qno successful experiment of self government had ever been exhibited, and as the other nations of the old world i t *J.‘Iob.bes. 13 are generally considered to have been less free than those we have been discussing, it is equally apparent that all nations had been governed far too much. I have said and I repeat it, that an ordinary observer, living at the time of which we treat, would not have supposed that time peculiarly propitious to the growth of the spirit of liberty. He would have looked back at those abortive experiments already enurnerated and would have despaired of a more favorable op»- portunity to renew the trial. c He would have seen the Greek Republics, securing to their citizens but little practical liberty, always at war with one anoth- er, and at last falling an easy prey to Maceclori, to Rome, and to the Turk. He would have seen the Roman Republic, an aris~— tocracy, regardless of the Welfare of the people in its best days, rnerggetl in the empire. He would have seen Christianity, from whose eqtializing tendency and lieriigti spirit some amelioration 1”I’1l§:§l"lt have been hoped for, in the hands of a domineering hier-. archy 11’10'llOp()llZlHg wealth and learning and talents in the ser--«. vice of the church, enslaving body and soul, and lording it over the consciences Oi‘l"l'1(31"1----0I~1fE3[llilIlllfyltlg ernphatically the truth of] the rnar:ix'r1, “ Corrtiptio optirni pessirna.” The corruption of that tvliich most excellent engenders evils the most monstrous. Idle would have seen the Re iublics of Ital I‘OWlt’l°‘ u 7) under 1 b peculiar circunustances, passing through corruption, decline and decay, apparently natural consequences of their constitution and mode of existence, and falling, one after another, under the yoke of Doges, Dukes, Grantl Dukes and Marquiscs, if not previously arre stcd in their course by the iriterflnence of foreign control. In view of all these prectedents, he would have looked about ihirn to observe the phcnornena of his own times, to see whether they would £1fl"l')1'Cll1’lI1"l any groutitls to reverse the decision of his-. tory. He would then perceive that whereas in all past times more of liberty had been enjoyed in smaller states than in great empires, now the universal tendency was towards aggregation and consolidation. That ltingdoms which had existed for centu- _ ties were some of them incorporated, others 1i1telyrso.on to be in»- corporated, with the territories of their stronger neighbors. That 14 provinces which had been for many generations, substantially, i almost independent severeiguties, were one after another annex- ed to the crown, in more than one nation, and in every instance augmenting the power of the central government. These grow- ing monarchies, under the guidance of crafty and ambitious rulers,“ whenever their interests brought them into collision, propitiated one another by the sacrifice of weaker princedoms, made peace at the expense of some feeble neighbor, and threatened to par- cel out Europe under a few great clespotisms. If he should then reflect that hitherto the only protection for the people from an excessive authority vested in the crown had been the resistance of the barons, naturally jealous of any en- croachment, on the part of their feudal superior, he would be- hold with dismay the feudal aristocracy divided, disheartened and broken, their ancient prerogatives discountenanced by the sovereign on the one hand and invaded by the people on the other, deprived of the power of carrying on war at pleasure, no longer exclusive possessors of the wealth of the nation, relin- quishing their hold on the soil and on the cultivators of it, and fast dwindling into insignificance. All this he would have wit- nessed, but could he have been so far gifted with the spirit of prophecy as to enable him to foresee how soon all respect for hereditary nobility was to vanish, how totally their prepon- derance in the political system was tobe reversed—-—-and had he been informed moreover of the wonderful alteration that was to is take place in the whole art of war, that hereafter, instead of no- bles at the head of their retainers, instead of mercenaries hired for a short service, and ready to serve on the opposite side of the contest, when their term had expired, for higher pay——-—--standing armies were to be instituted, devoted entirely to the will of the sovereign, directed by oflicers, of this appointrnent, permanent, and having a constant interest in the increase of the power on which they depended ; still more, had it. been revealed to him that national credit, then almost-unknown, was to supply the ‘means of supporting this permanent force, without recurring to aids from the privileged orders or 1‘ direct taxes upon the people, postponing for posterity the burthens of the present generation 15 and furnishing resources to an incredible, to an indefinite ex:te11t,--w could any man I say at that time have known all this, he would have recoiled with terror from any further investigation of the future destinies of his race. He would have pronounced without hesitation that there was no power existing or to exist that could for a moment withstand a government entirely unchecked -by that body in the state which had hitherto been its only effectual check, having treasures immeasurable atits command, and wield- ing with such tremendous energy the sword. He would have confessed in his despair that there was no relief in prospect for him, that Asiatic Despotism with unmitigated sternness was about to be visited on Europe, that all mankind were doomed to eter- nal slavery, or in other words, that lienoeforth the whole world was to be governed too much. Hacl this disconsolate philanthropist then been told that the order of the Jesuits was to be established for the purpose of protecting arbitrary ecclesiastical power, and of debarring the people from that knowledge which is power, and from that in-— quiry which leads to knowledge 3 that this institution was to unite in its service vast talents and learning, a seal and a skill, un- quenchable er1thusiasrn, and cool, calculating policy”, such as were never belbre cornbined 3 and that with an untiring perseve-— rance it should penetrate and influence every whero—-——tliat the Holy lncpuisitioxi should put forth its restrictive energies with tenlbld Ii1,ry--~and that, further, a new continent should be dis» covered; that into that continent the Jesuits and the Inquisition should. be transplanted ; that the most tizrtile parts of that contli- i nent should be cultivated by negro slaves, purchased for that purpose in Alirica; that Charles the Fifth, uniting in his persorr the full sovereignty of Spain, the Netherlands and the German Empire, should derive from that continent more of revenue in gold and silver than had “ ever been heard of since the days of Solonnon--he would not have detected in any of these facts any warrant to entertain a doubt of the conclusion to which he liad arrived. , i r l ‘ There were causes however in operation which sooner or later must have produced a mighty revolution in the condition 16 of Europe, even though Columbus had neverbeen born, and though the Western Continent had never been disclosed to any civilized voyager. Through the influence of the institution of_ Chivalry sentiments of honor and a sense of personal self-respect and independence had become prevalent; and these generous feelings were by no means confined to the orders among whom they originated. The crusades, a series of mad enterprises, which had produced a more general transfer of property and a greater change in the relative position of different members of society than had taken place before, since the period of barbarian conquest, though they gave a fatal shock to the feudal aristocra- cy, yet gave birth also to that commerce which has been the parent of every thing, that is valuable in modern civilization, whose blessed firuits are improved manners, comforts, arts, science, intelligence, and liberty--wliich has erected the stupen- dous structure of British greatness, and which has crowned with plenty and lined with opulence the whole western coast of the Atlantic. Commerce, springing out of the crusades, had already acquired an instrument with whose aid she was to enlarge her :borders, and fearlessly traverse those unknown oceans, upon vvhich, Without it, she could not have ventured. Enterprise "Was already awake. The Venetians carried on a lucrative utraffic in oriental products by the Way of the Levant: the Por- tuguese were extending their maritime empire along the coasts ii -‘of Africa, and discovering and colonizing the islands of the open "sea. The passage of the Cape of Good Hope was soon to be eaccornplished, to open to them the direct path to the riches of "the Indies, and to make the Islands of Spices their own. Out «of the enlarged intercourse, the industry and economy which are the concomitants of commercial enterprise, a firm conviction of common interest and a liberal zeal for the common welfare ilformed bands of union for men of the same pursuits, and founded and organized guilds, corporations, towns and cities. These rallying points for the members of the third estate gave the new order strength and vigor and confidence. The monarchs favored Tthembecause they furnished a convenient weight to balance the hated power of their turbulent nobility. They were destinedto 17 grow till the sons of toil and of trafr7ic were more i powerful than the sons of war, and they Whose trade is production and acqui- sition more numerous than those whose business is destruction-. Through the whole process which has been described, you may discern the infallible operationof social intercourse preparing the basis and developing the elements of general fieedorn. But this was not all. The introduction of the use of gunpowder was changing the entire character of War. Instead of a mere strug- gle of brute force and animal courage, it Was to become the highest exercise of the human faculties. Every thing became the prize of slrilful and rapid calculation, and just and l instanta- neous decision. The interestsoinherent in the new state of tliings soon carne into collision with each other. The contro- versy assumed an imposing vastness. In the fury of its progress nation was dashed against nation, and the shock roused from its long Lorpor the slurnbering intellect of the popular mass. Life and death, liberty and slavery, depended on the issue, and the people were alive to the rnomentous hazard of their situation. The vague" and indefinite irnmensity of the rewards which suc- cess presents in prospect to the victor, the total and final anni- hilation of all his hopes which defeat involves, in short the des- peration of the stake, nnalte war beyond comparison the most exciting game which kings can play at. Wlien all that we have or hope for rests on a single cast, the fear of sinking into nothing-—-—--the illirnitable aspirations of ambition for the dominion and ‘glory almost within its grasp---engross the whole soul, and quicken all its dormant energies. The irresistible attraetionof this intense interest, “drew to its sphere a large proportion of the talent of Europe. The passions of the leaders pwerewrought up to the highest pitch of” ex.ci»ten1e'nt.. Geniusi is nothinglbut strong passions working their action through the instrumentality‘ of strong intellect. Accordingly, many brilliant constellations of genius shone successivelyy through the troubled gloom .of.tl".n'ee stortny centuries,»till at last, the master spirit,.,.Napoleon,7our _age’,s.leadi:ng star,*-1'ose, even as the, sun, in dazzling splendor, but with serene majesty, out of thatlast and fieI‘C(3S.ilJ.I110I'al. tena- pest, the French revglution. r i ii 18 It is then evident, that War, in its new form, directly produces , and must produce genius of superiororder, and more abundantly than any other profession. But indirectly also it callsinto being genius of every possible variety, and puts in requisition every species of talent. Sosuddenly does it reverse the relative po- sition of nations, that the statesman must constantly task his in» t vention for the means of recovering what arms have lost, or of making the most of the advantages which arms have Won. So often do the interests of belligerents come into conflict with the rights of neutrals, that the profound inquirer must discuss the law of nations, and lay down a code of morals to govern the mutual relations of independent states. Sorapidly does it exhaust the . ‘most extensive resources, that the financier finds employment for all his ingenuitylto supply the drain. Political economymust determine how this drain may be supplied with least detriment to the generalwelfa1'e. So suddenly does it call up from obscurity to rank and power, so suddenly does it impart vigor to classes of men whose influence in time. of peace was unfelt in the state, so suddenly does it destroy old interests and create new ones, and such multitudinous emulations and rivalships does it originate, that the constitutionalist must take care lest the social machine be torn in pieces by the violence of its i own action. , Should it be rent asunder, or should some modification of its form become indispensably necessary, he must studyi the nature of society and of government, and when he reconstructs or repairs the system, disregarding ancient prejudices, he must take care to deposit the effective administration in those hands in which power appears inowito be permanently lodged. Such apparently inconsistent obligations does war oftentimes seem to impose on those engaged in its7service, that the rnoralist must investigate. the nature of hnmanduty, to decide compl-icated questions of right and wrong, casesiof conscience and points of honor. Not only all? moral and political science,’ but the mathematical and physical scien- ces‘, and the arts connected‘ With them, are exercised and invig- orated. Gieograpliy and Topography survey the field of action. Engineering lays out the roads, removes the obstacles, anderectsi the defences. Trigonometry plans the fortifications, andGeom-- 19 etry measures the path of the projectiles.Medicine and Surgery benevolently strive to snatch some few fragmentsifrom the waste of life, while Chemistry furnishes new agents of d:estruction,angd tlieish/Ieclianic Arts constructnew engines for the employment of them. Literature and the Fine Arts also are not without their share of impulse from the all-pervading spirit whichwar inspires in the wholebody of the community. Philosophy must discuss its causes, its consequences, and its merits. History must record its fortunes. Painting and Sculpture must immortalize its heroes. Poetry must celebrate their achievements, and Music must chant anthems for their victories, or in solemn dirges hewail their; funeral. r a War therefore, directly and indirectly, has been a ;fruitful occasion of the development of modern genius. And itais too obvious to need remark, how conducive the development of genius in classes having no hereditary share in the government has been to the progress of freedom. - But war and commerce, however great tlieir acknowledged influence, were not the only instruments of the mighty revolution going on in the constitution of society and in the condition of Europe. _ Other causes were co»-operating, causes originating farther bacl~:,~wl1ich have often been considered, but to whiclra few words must now be cleve- ted. Tlie Revival of Letters had come like the dayspring ‘froui on high, after the dreary night of the clarkpages. The beautiful models of antiquity infuse a masculine energy into the mind of him who devotes himself with earnestness to the study. .We can hardly conceive the delight witli which they Wereiy..l1ailed,' when after slurnbering neglected. for so .tn,any ragr6s,r.i'tl1eyis re»- appeared in the freslinessitofitlleir immbrtal 3T0rl3llh.-. i,.The 1‘3~Pt111-"8 which welcomed these. long lost treasures t was no misplaced enthusia.sm.s . Whatever we may :jUiClge of the .conduct' of the «Greeks and Romans, their writings, all must admit, are filled ,Wll.l1 the noblest sentiments. The perusal‘ of these writings brought to new life “ ideas which had long l;3e'en' forgotten. ; Pe1:- he liaps there is even now no literature Whose y tendrencyly is »-so democratic as that of the aucientclassics, aridgthis: ecii1'cu1nstance , is notto be overlooked in forming an testirnatelrof y thestate ef 930 public opinion in the ages succeeding the revival of letters. The cloisters of those ages must have contained many an ardent lover of the rights of man, whose situation indeed repressed his noble rage, but who nourished within his breast the sacred flame ready to burst out when theifirst. breath of popular commotion should fan it. The general currency of . ideas borrowed from the ancients had restored the tone of the moral system and stimulated the intellect so that it was prepared to enter with alacrirtytiupon new channels of thought. At this crisis the press is brought into action. N ow indeed‘ the people have an instru- ment peculiarly their own. ‘Thoughtis now no longer to be locked up in the scarce and costly manuscript, jealously guarded in the library of the monastery. it No bolts can fasten it. .No dungeons can confine it. No arbitrary edicts can restrain it. It escapes: it o’erleaps: it Walks abroad: it is free as air: it flies on the wings of the Wind. Ideas which had long been brooded over in silence are now communicated. The similarity of their conclusions strengthens their convictions, so that simulta- neously certain great principles seem to_ liaire originated in oppo- site. quarters and to have circulated A among countless multitudes. The means of mutual action being now afl"orded, mind was brought into contact with mind, and doctrines fraught with por- tentous consequence were the issue of the union, The seeds of the reforrnationihad been sown, and Martin