 

O R A '1‘ IO N
MUNICIPAL AUTHORITIES

OF THE

CITY OF BOSTON,

CELEBRATION
  I%e1n2ntg-Ixinth glnxrilnzrsmrg nf gitmerimm Qmrsgeuhenre,

JUILY 4, 1355. I

BY REV. A. A. MINER.

 I %BOS%TONE:    A
I MOORE JEOROSBY, om: PRINTERS, 1 WAEEEE STREET. % I ‘

1855.

 
CITY OF BOSTON.

In Common Oozmoil, July 5, 1855.

Ordered, That the thanks of the City Council be presented to the Rev. ALoNzo
A. MINER for his very able and patriotic Oration, delivered on the Fourth of July
instant, and that a copy thereof be requested for publication.

Sent up for concurrence.
JOSEPH STORY, President.

In Board of Aldermen, July 9, 1855.

Concurred. C
e ‘ , WM. WASHBURN, Ohairnzan.

Approved, July 12, 1855. C , V
J. V. 0. SMITH, ﬂfayor

A true copy. Attest: .
SAM’L F. MGCLEARY, Uity Olerle.

BOSTON, JULY 14, 1855.
To His Honor J. V. 0. SMITH, Mayor,
WM. Wnsmnnicr, EsQ., Ohoirmam. of the Board of Aldermen, and
Joisaru STORY, Esc.z., President of the Gammon Council.

Herewith I transmit a copy of the Oration delivered before the Municipal
Authorities of this City, at the late Celebration of our National Anniversary.

With great respect,
I have the honor to be, p
Yours, very truly,
A ” CA. A. MINER.

 ORATION.

WE are assembled, fellow citizens, on one of those
occasions when an orator is not permitted to select his

theme, The occasion itself presents it. It chimes in

our hundred bells. It booms from the oannorfs mouth. E

It ﬂashes in the eyes of the tens of thousands who

throng our streets. We‘ snuﬂ’ it in the Very 

137156’/rzfg/, 7372 #26 glory of its cowzcqgoiiorz, lzfiae ]9cn"z'iaZz'z(2/ of 2753  
e77z5ocZi97zent,a and 25126 7I972],9emzf7I2:e7zess of izfs demon-zds, directs a

our thoughts today.

We Welcome again the Anniversary of our N ation’s
birth. It is the recurrence of a sacred hour in which  

liberty, insulted, betrayed, cruciﬁed, rose again from the

dead. That resurrection W€LS'.II1ELI'l{€d by scarcely less

than an angelic announcement. “ ALL MEN ARE A CREATED

EQUAL ”——equal, not in powers—not in social position-— t

not    c educational advantages-—but edual  natural 3

it and inalienable rights--—--equal before all righteous law. E

Such a declaration is made for all people and for all

times. It breathes the benign spirit of natural law. It l

  strikes no sinister  points to no by-pa,th; but

  opens up the great highwey of meerey.             

   Ne nidividual lives for himself. No community, er

people, or 11etio11,.i lives for itself. If it lives selﬁshlyg

though it rnay have broken from a long-a.ccuston1ed
threldonl, and transplanted the machinery of despotism
to new ﬁelds, it lives over again the same old life,

and hestes to the saanei iiiglorious death;   corrupts

the eve1°~enla1*ging history of nations, and poisons the

fountains of   inﬂ1ience which will mould the character

of succeeding generetiolis of men.
n And yet EL nation’s fell, even, may contribute indirectly

to the World’s advance. ' A given point in the rinlof :71.

carriage wheel rises from the ground to its liighest A

eltitude, aindi sinks to the ground again; but the Wheel

in the :1nea,11tiJnen:1o’ves steadily forWa;rd.  ‘The rock on M

which the ship of state is Wrecked, ever after stands out

as a beacon, ‘Warning all subsequent adventurers upon

the‘ troubled main, to sail by corrected cherts.

tWhen the people of’: the original thirteen colonies,

smerting under a sense of t their Wrongs—-—-wrongs,e

however, of which they had seen but the embryo in the

meaisnres to  they were called to subunit -—---- put   

  forth their sublime declaration or principles, they struck  

off ate blow the chains that bound them, and CO11VeI‘te,d 7

those dependencies   into sofvereiggnties.     now when I

7

the great dial of eternity marks the seventy-ninth return
of this sacred hour, the claim, ‘ ‘I AM AN AMERICAN CITIZEN,”
is a passport to every land, more potent than the prestige
of old Roman citizenship.

From the midst of the too prevalent selﬁshness of
the world, and the current unholy strifes of our own
nation, I look; back upon those struggles with wonder.
The wealth of the world, the comforts of home, the
blessedness of domestic companionship, were unhesi-
tatingly sacriﬁced that freedom might dwell in the
land. Impelled by the lofty spirit of patriotism, life
itself, in generous profusion, was offered upon the altar
of liberty. It was weakness against power.   Outward-
ly, and to the seeming, it was desperation casting all
upon the throw of a single die. But inwardly, and to
faith, it was power against weakness. It was right-

eousness asserting its supremacy over wrongs; amt

rig/zteousness is always strmgt/z. Else what does tl1ej

wise man mean when he says, “ T/ze t/trons ” -—-- and A

the throne is the symbol of power -——-——- “ T/ze tizroaze is

.esta5Z7.'s/ted ty m'gI2teousness.” Else what does the holy

apostle mean when he i exhorts his brethern to ,“put on t

tﬁe trewsézblate of rig/zteozasness ;” if righteousness t is vnot

strength, and therefore “ a defence. Such a» cause is

strong in its inner ‘life-  It is in harmony with divine

power. a » The forces of " nature, the . instincts and

8 .

sympathies of the human soul, and the inﬁnite energies
of God, bear it on. I The Wind and tide of the universe
are with it. p A  
In the inherent rectitude of the revolutionary struggle,
rested the faith of the elder Aclams---i—--the 1nan Whose
labors in the council chamber of the nation, in that
critical l1our, were more highly esteemed than those of

any other. On the day following the declaration of

American Independence —--—- when the full sense of the

greatness of that event Was upon him ----- Mr. Adams
said, in a letter to his Wife, “ Yesterday the greatest

question was decided ever debated in America; and

~ greater, perhaps, never Was or will be decided by men.

A. resolution was passed, without one dissenting colony,
that these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be,

Free and Independent States. The day is passed. The

A 42th of 1 July, 1776, will be  memorable epoch in the

history of America. I am apt to believe it will be
celebrated by succeeding generations, as the great
anniversary. festival. It ought to be commemorated
as a day of deliverance, by solemn acts of ‘devotion to
Almighty God. It ought to be solemnized by pomps,
sliows, games, sports, « guns, bells, ; bonﬁres, and

illuminations, from one end of the continent to tlfe other;

A sfrom this time forward forever. You will think me

A A transported with enthusiasm, but Iam not. w I am  

aware of the toil, and blood, and treasure, that it will
cost to maintain this declaration, and support and de-
fend these States; yet through all the gloom, I can see
the rays of light and glory. I can see that the end is
worth more than all the means, and that posterity will
triumph, although you and I may rue --—-which I hope
we shall not.”

On this letter is chieﬂy based that well-known and A

classic speech, commencing, “ Sink or swim, live or die,”

which Mr. Webster, following the example of ancient
historians, makes Mr. Adams to have uttered in the
debates of that juncture. Its prophecies have become
histories. They did make this day glorious. And I

never look upon the manly signatures by which they

— staked “their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred

honor,”. on the issue of the struggle, without feeling that
an especial grace is imparted by them to quicken the
pulse of patriotism in every heart.  

. Everynation has its” jubilant days; and these, like

I so many barometers, determine the intellectual and

moral weight of the nation. In the principal statesof

Italy, the pompous ceremonials of the church, the more

I imposing of are in honor of some patron saint,

claim chief attention.  Like the anniversary of St.

Januarius of N eapolitan' regard, these are not

unfrequently marked by the grossest superstition.   

2

10

coeguleted blood ----so the treble runs--Q-gathered lip by **

‘sonic fernele devotee, in the moment of his essaﬁssi-i

nation, end carried in the cornrniernoraitive procession;

‘becomes suddenly ﬂuid es ?the i precise inornent of his
death returns,and is answered by at corresponding ﬂuid?-

rity  enotlier portion sf it, reverently cherished in

‘Spain. The enthusiasm of the hardy Swiss :tnounta.in-1 A A

"ea, may ‘to ﬁght, for hire, thelmttles of every end, is
iewekened by nothing so readily as by the Tir Federal;

  SWitzer1e.nd’s sgreat shooting match ;V in which ineny

Ytlieusends from the different Centoiis vie ‘With: each 1

;other  enqguleting the atteinmeiits of the heroic Tell.
:Theennue1 return of the birthdays of kings etnd queens,

"the/da.ys of their tcoronetion, the eiiiiiverseries of A ‘great

iha.tt1ets,  iend it some long sought, though A pe1**tie,1,ig

A concession to ipopuler ilibertyi these fill cup ‘ the

eetelogue of noteworthiy eidays. . i In in contrzist with such

A occasions, iihow signiﬁcant is the day We celebrate!

\ iéﬁirorn the ringing of ithiehelils which Wakes the morning, t

 the ertistici illuminations which light it to its repose;
ieiveryi momeiit is instinct with petrioticr thought?! -   ~
9 i The glory which rests upon our National Biirthday,e

-is not the glory of   inere circumstances. c It is not the 

  .g1ory or simple, unloiring,  resistless migm 3  or in  

 iightning riving the oak ; of the earthquake engulphing o

iswhole cities ; of the raging ternpest scetteringthe ﬂeet; w

11

The vigorous muscle and physical“ phardihood which
triumph  the street brawl, cannot attain it. ’ The 
of . the Warrior, Who builds, the thrones of tyrants of
human bones, cannot command it. Success is not a.
necessary element of it. Heroic daring and noble
endurance, so often exhibited in the Worst of causes,
cannot demonstrate its presence. But it is a glory that
lives in the aspirations, resolutions, and sacrifices of
loving thought. The mother knows its b;lessedness
when she puts, away ease and personal comfort, and
cherishes by night and by day the babeof her bosom.
It abides in the heart prompted by ﬁlial gratitude to

devote itself to a parent’s Welfare. It inheres in that

fraternal affection which draws neighbor towards

neighbor, and establishes a blessed agreement among a

all classes, the high and the low, the rich and the poor,

the bond and the free.   It refreshesus in the self-»sacprj“..

,ﬁce of that noble young physician, Who, to stay the

‘devastating plague in his native city, and “ rescue its

inhabitants from the fell destroyer, shut himself up with
an infected corpse, pen and paper in A hand, noted his

minutest examinations for the guidance of others, and

cheerfully resigned a, life which could ﬁnd no higher

glory save in death.  Such“ a glory rose toitsloftiest

earthly manifestation in , ether   purposes and devotion

12

of our liberty--loving fathers, Whose noble declaration
of principles distinguishes the day We “lmnor.

Much as We may exalt subsequent achievements -—--  

much as We may admire the personal valor and
persistent bravery of the army who maintained their

declaration, and maintained it in a kindred spirit ~-------- We,

nevertheless, ﬁnd the glory of this hour in the immortal ‘

principles of liberty vvhich glowed in those patriotic
hearts. Never were those principles more distinctly
perceived, or more perfectly asserted, than on the 4th
of July, 177 6. Other nations have had their struggles
for liberty, and those struggles have been more or less

successful; but rarely, if ever, have they so clearly dis-

cerned the good theysought, so completely separated it

from all adventitious circumstances, and so successfully

asserted it in theform of absolute truth. ‘- They have

, felt personal grievances, and have sought to remove

those grievances by means which have but transferred

  themlto others.   The vassal has leaped upon the throne;

and the king has fallen a slave. The revenues of the

tyrant have become   the; spoils of the peasant. A There

has beenchange, but not reform ;_ struggle and triumph,
but not ofliberty.            
When the English Parliament of 137 6, known as c 

the “ Good Parliament,” reinonstratedl against Papal

l ‘usurpation,   it Was simply a remonstrance of selﬁshness  

13

on its own behalf. The pope, till then, had appropriated
the revenues of the English branch of the church, as of
all other branches,to his own aggrandizement. The
priests and their friends in parliament desired those
revenues for themselves. Yearnings to relieve the

_7oeo}2Ze of their burdens, were alien from their hearts.

A purpose to sunder the bands of oppression that the  

people might go free, prompted not their efforts. They
would despoil the pope of his power, that they
themselves might wield it. . It was forcing one tyrant
to give place to many. The principle ofliberty was
noteven discerned; and yet they digniﬁed theirefforts
by calling them a struggle for freedom. I ,
Among the early Italian reformers, there were nobil-

ity of purpose, persistence of effort, and temporary sue»

‘cess 3 but no broad, “Well-deﬁned principles, clearly per-

ceived, and firmly held. The great Savonarola—---than

whom none is more deserving of honor in the Whole

catalogue of. Italian Worthies .-—i-than Whom, for the

space of eight years, none could more deeply move the
heart of Florence, his adopted city --——none excite to

greater intensity the ealous and vindictive passions of

Pope Alexander VI. -——-— even the great Savonarolarsaw

not principles clearly. I He struck blow after blow;
cast down the nobility and enthroned the citizen;

sought in vain the liberties of iFlorenc_él at the hands of

fl"-44  

the dying Lorenzo de‘Meidici,r surnamedthe ‘magniﬁcent; r

and in the last moments of that .‘unhappy duke, took

vengeaiice upon him by refusing  the blessing r ofthe.
church. ‘Sweet as were the tones of the reformer 
they fell upon the ears of the friendly Florentines on
the banks of the a“ swift ﬂowing Arno,” they were not
the utterances of absolute truth.   Liberty as a universal
birthright, the never aokniowledged. ; probably» never
"discerned.    ' ,         V

Turn . whichever Way  We Will, the . same thing

  commonly meets us. The War. of the communities in

Castile, with its unhappy termination in the battle of

Villalar; the struggles ” of wretched Poland;_ the

».cha.m,-1st   rebellion  England; the spasmodic V efforts‘

of down-trodden Ireland; «nay, even the more recent

revolutions  TFranoe—r.-——!none   of these was an at-

tempted embodiment of the highest political formulas.

to The War of to—day,.. which is Wasting the armies and

drainiiig the treasuries of four powerful} nations. 

which enchains the attention of the civilized World, is

not a War for liberty ---—- save as a yvague and distant

T shadow --—~+- but for commerce. Neither constitutional

'r.England, imperial France, despotic Russia, nor fatalistio
 Turkey_., states .clearly itsf purpose ‘ in this struggle.

After negotiation upon negotiation, the _.“fom~ poems ft’

remain well.-nigh ;oo23azz5Z.e's;s?.,


In marked iconitrastevvith the c.onfus‘io‘n of A principles

characterizing these struggles, when our fathers speak

of the birthrightof man, they step at once upon the A

level of absolute truth. a. “Allrmren are created equal,”
‘is the brief, sententious are-utterance which may well be
regarded .. as the Magna Charta of humanity. The
thought, indeed, was not new. . Aristotle, and Polybius,
and Cicero, had announced a similar. one *5 but never
in so important ‘a crisis ---—~ never in clearer or terser
terms. ,, It is the it statement of the inalienable rights of
man. reduced to its lowest algebraic formula. . It is this
simple condensed truth that gloriﬁes our political
sabbath day ----—- a day of which Concord, and Lexington,

«and Bunker Hill may Well be proud --M4 a day on which,

if We should be silent, the mouldering bones of our

fathers Would murmur in their graves, and the very
sods that cover them, cry out at our baseness.

”.[‘is' freedom’s day,'a day of ripening glory;
, =When tyrants trembling heard proud freedom’s story.

pg But, this glory could not long lie  abstract
propositions. We sow principles, and reap events and

inetit11iiens-   Deinswes the legitimate fruit efeesiertinsi

,Ar_nd‘bloodyias Wereythe deedsto , be .done,_. they were

not chosen of our fathers, butvvere forced upon them.
A11.e1eSee.e eeknowledgede thee righteousness of c the
struggle. The farmer at his plough, the artizan in his

16

workshop, the professor in the halls of science, the
statesman in the council chamber of the nation --- all
could appeal unto heaven in attestation of their loyalty,
and invoke the benediction of ‘the Ilighest upon the

neW-born nation, Even the ministers of our holy

religion plead the same sacred cause, and urged the

man of strong right yarm to strike for his altar and his

home. And, if I may be f:LllOVi'/féﬁdl to turn asidefor a

 moment, It Would» say, the same spirit still survives.

The  sons r of , New England, adorning her pulpits,
nncorrupted by lustof wealth or power, who but last
year, while the enactment was pending which has

inflicted the latest wound upon American liberty, sent

 to Congress their indignant remonstrance against the

  contemplated inﬁdelity our immortal z‘/mean zf/zozzsmzol

«small ﬂfzﬁg/+~are  thei’l_".' legitate successors ‘of r those

  Worthies.   V    gratifying to. reflect

 no?l casuistieal perversion of the terms of that

yo   remonstrance can becloud the judgment of those saintly

  amen; _ as fromout the heavens they pronounce the

e rplaudit; ‘ ‘ Well done good and faithful servants 3‘ enter

iyeinto the joy of your Lord.”

 C[‘heyseed being a sown --—-some in stony places, somei

l “ among thorns»--— and independence being achieved, the

thought leverywhere held in solution was precipitated;

A it  and found embodiment in the institutiolis of T the land

17

?I7zsi*£2fm"£o7zs are jomlyzcijoles crysializebl. They are a. kind

of language, never expressing more, but often much

less than the average thought of their framers. There
is an inherent difficulty in making them perfect, as

there is a limit to the perfectness of all utterances. A

poem is always less than the fountain of conception and

emotion in the poet’s soul. An oration, far from

“ embodying the orator’s Whole mind, exhibits but the

cold glistening summits of the mountain ranges of

thought and feeling Within him. In a like manner,
institutions, under the freest development, are but
imperfect utterances of the noblest principles. S

Still more imperfect do they become when that
development is directly impeded‘ by conﬂicting
principles. Such principles Were already embodied on

the soil of these American Colonies. England, who it

boasts that if a slave breathes her air that moment he i

is free, had nourished a despotism in our midst

unparalleled in the history of nations. But cupidity,

among us, demanded that that despotism should be
undisturbed. Still our statesmen asserted the broadest a
political truth in the face of this baldest political  
falsehood. That truth sought utterance in a constitution. .

which should have become the palladium of liberty.
There was much tending to give success to the eﬁbrt.

The mother country, undesignedly and unwittingly, A

S 3

18

had been tminijag her Colonies for self-government, as

she is now treinillg some of her p1“eSe11t delwﬂdeﬂcies

for an ultirnete e.Xercise of sovereignty; The living
social orgenisxn, therefore, breathed freely in the new
atmosphere. Other nations in their revolutionary
attempts have failed, because republicenism demanded
a. reconstruction of their social institutions. Ours

succeeded because our social life was already cast in

the republioaln type; The streams from the new

rfountein of jpowerﬂowed readily  the old chennelsy n

Thus far the new-born babe was full   of i promise._

But, alas! its quiet slumbers were soon disturbed by
the mutterings of distantl thunder.‘ ’I‘he, dark V cloud "

iwhich   skirts our tS0“ty11*9T11   horizon t0-My —-~naJ;Y» by

   which thelwhole heavens ; being rapidly o"v{ercestg—--

  was then,  wirorked 3ightgsyJ  a

  rétﬁhose   Patriots Whosee hearts were bxxrning  

  ﬁryeys         frowlied lstill upon the

 
   iVv'v,;¥-‘ltlltiplg.  slavery,  ‘They would recognize ‘it in no

 
   terrns.   They looked   even for its speedy

overthrow, l They, A would record no Word in that.

A yfederetive instruniient     which  need be erased when

  r slavery“ should cease ‘niell the land. Itself en implicaﬂon

 of the politically d.iSh‘0I].Or" of its edlierents, it eds
toleretion only by iniplication under that constitution
 mayor awe us,  how has tlmt to1era»tion been

19

abused! The door left open,‘ slavery has entered, a;
harlot, into the temple of liberty, and ﬂaunts her shame
in the glare of the noon-day sun ! Ah! and she is not
Without progeny! As Abraham of old wickedly

Welcomed his two sons, “ the one by a lbond-maid, the

other by a free Woman,” so has our Federal Union Wéhél:
corned its childreii, two and two, a slave state hand in

hand with a free state, until We have not only reversed

our ﬁgures, giving us thirty-one sovereignties in place” of A

thirteen ;~ but We have also reversed our principles,
prostituting to the guardianship of slavery, the energies
of this mighty Union, designed of the fathers as“ the prop
of liberty. But let us remember that “‘ he who was of
the bond-Wolnan", was born after Z/ze, fies/an ,-A but he of the,
free Woman was by jor0mzIs=e.i” A 

 need‘ not detain you to trace the gradual exclusion

of liberty from her own altars, Often and ably and

  has  Work been done. The successive .

removes  i   to you as household Words;

Step by step have We abandoned the Ways and the
spiriti of our fathers, unul the latest contrasts are the

most 9 appalling. One year ago, the eagle eye of it the!  

sentinel upon the highest Watch tower of’ ourcounif  

 
discerned a lone. fugitive  the streets of our
vvellé-beloved   city.  the call of the eculator 
human blood, he haste to  « rend   an

20

armed band  thousand strong A To--day,  liberty is;

  stricken dorvni on the soil of the  West,,and no y_

tocsi:o. sounds to rarnls; p    y  
I would speak with Words of no unnecessary alarm.

But is there not danger that We shall beguile ourselves

with the forms of freedom from which the soul has ﬂed ‘.9

Is there not danger of accepting judicial procedure in.

  place of justice itself?   Human law, for divine right?  

Have We not already a tyranny in our very midst which    

  counts liberty a crime ‘.3 Which conﬂicts not less With,

the fundamental principles of our government than of

  our holy religion? Which deems the instinctive

  southern plantation.  

utterance of the noblest impulses, treason against the

“powers  that  be ?”  Shall we ---A-We who   t are

  4: fresnom ” --— whose ancestryrscorned yservile subn1is—-A
A sion --A-- shall We surrender thatfreedom of speech which it i  
  is the greatest toe of oppressiontand the last hope of 

liberty? Nay ; he is a degenerated son of those noble

fathers, who cowers beneath the domination of tyrants ;  

Whether they rule in the marts of trade, utter their  

mandates through a hireling press, thunder. in the

northern pulpit, or wield the slave-driver’si Whip on the

 ‘We must never forget that liberty is a. diﬁerent  

  to diﬂererit minds. M The ardent youth, impatient of s
 parental control, sees liberty  the attainmentof this J

21

majority. The pilferer, in escape from the sheriff and
the courts. The inebriate, in brutalizing himself and

beggaring his family. The Vender of r strong drinks, in

becoming the drunkard’s accomplice, in breaking down

individual integrity, corrupting our courts of justice,

and burdening the community" with pauperism and

crime. Such men, lacking the principles of liberty

Within, must be restrained by a lawwithout. A Edmund T

Burke, the great English statesman, Ascleclares that

A“ Men are qualiﬁed for civil liberty  exact proportion:

to their disposition to “put chains upon their own»

i appetites; in proportion as their love of justice  above

their rapacity ; in proportion as they are more disposed

to the counsels of the wise and good, in preference to

‘ the ﬂattery of knaves. Society A cannot exist unless a

controlling power upon the will and appetite is placed ;

somewhere 5 and the less of it there is within, the more

there must be of it without; It is ordained in the eternal

constitution of things, that men of intemperate  

cannot be free. ,PassionAg, {orgetheir yfetters.” ; A
r A But outside the restraints felt, by such men, there are

others no less real. r The   criminal who rsundersllthe

prison bars, is held in the A ﬁrmer grasp of public opinion {

A and physical necessity. A Should hebreak through these T

barriers, he is still and forever surrounded by the T

  immutable law of   God.  Human   bought to be

32  

a. itraa:1scri};>“t  this; 7 Ciclero says, “ Law is right reason,

congruous to .nature, jpervaciiiig asll  coiélstant,

  eternall; which calls to duty by its A commandsgl am

repels from Wmng cloing by its prohibitions.  

*  *  This law cannot be annxtlled,  

S"i1peI'S€=Cle€_i, or over-ruleci. N0 seimteg no people can
louse us from it; no jurist, no iI1terpre1se1:'ca.11 explaﬁji it
asw:-.my; It is not one law at Romé,; agnothevr at Athens ; 
one at present, another   at same ﬁiture time‘ ;* but  i onell

law, perpetual anél iL'tta;l3le, inclucles all nations anci

all times; Of this la.W,l the autl101° and giver is God.”

N or less explicit axe the memorable Words of Hooker;  

“ Of law, 110 less can be saicl, iihan that her seat is ﬁhe  

blo~so  of Godgi her voice theil harmony of the world ; allﬁg  

    lieaaveii lwzéli  (10 her h~0mage,« the very‘

leastli as fegir-l{  lier claireg théi greamt as 3:1%ot eixe1z‘npte(3li

f1~0m herpower 5 bothangelsl mill mei1,l anal créaturesll olfll

‘wllati conditinli soevei-,» though each in: dilﬂerentl spheresi ii

 zmnexigii yet all with  consent, admiring her

as the mother of ﬁhieir peacei‘ smcl ll j0y.”“ Now“ the

  Christian: philosopher; tmnscendingl all otlier concleptiomsié
of libermﬁnds it onlyinloving oléedience to thishighesf’  
1am~;m obedience by  of iwhich the tenant 

  f.he4ip=I'is0* is iélie Loréfs freean  lam wiumuﬁi 

  “ well km upondis» 1:one is the verielst slave‘.  

V Do» 579 miseli tliel   questien, at is Iierty  


hctentml quality? ‘Ask rather, 'wha.t is ,fra‘;gT'a,I1;.Ce in 
ﬂower? moral signiﬁcance   in music ? he.a.11tye  the

human countenance? life in the body’? joy in the

  soul 5.? Answert me these, ;€LI1dK ye  have 1‘-&11g11'5  me

A to cleﬁne that blossominge of the cultured spiriti which

We call liberty. Till then, I 03.31}, only say, liberty is a
thing of the hea41ét.t It is not primarily a. tsocialtt or

political statet go but its deepesth quehtiese are mOIe1.~t 

gathers up Within itself all the telemtentseof ritghtesousneee,
a.nd th11stbeeo:mees strong in the tstrength of God. Civil

libertyt is its oﬁshoot 3% and its law  a»uthtoritaative in its 

own right.

To this &11hhO1’ihy'&11‘hu17Il34J,El laws should how. Wheh  

the father gives to his son commands which Violate the

righteous laws of  state, those ooanmands are evoidh.
When the .‘ exmotnaentst of the state “violateet the righteous t  
1aIWS“'Qfﬁ Co11gres.e; those A ena.oft1neI1ts are void. en t h

    VOW      to

Congress legisletees int eeeoxgxﬂiett with the immuteble law t
ofNatutre,e  legisletione .j5,S.'_fV'0id'-; To  elad, testify F

  all the Worthiesof the M:‘].~1ﬁt'O:'yS.la~*§7Sﬁ.'::‘;‘ Though 
h we1«ettpotssib1ee for you to dieoover ezr1y statute, or; other ~ 4 
public serlctiong which ascribes to thee kin      

power; ‘whet would be repueznent the  

 
God: to nature, and to right reason, may fmt  
  that   general <1 prearyt    Fwillh be    
      

  <24

to the American Revolution, that “ An act of Parliament

lmade against natural equity would be void; for the law

of nature is immutable.” Blackstone says, “ The Law A

"of Nature being coeval With mankind, and dictated by
God himself, i is of course superior in obligation to any

other. It is binding over all the globe, in all countries,

and at all times 3 no human laws are of anyvalidity,
A if contrary to this.” And the distinguished Cudvvorth,

in harmony with these opinions, observes that

“ Covenants Without natural justice, are nothing but
mere words and breath, and therefore they can have no
force to oblige.  *5‘ *3‘  *5‘ l *5‘ ‘*‘

None can be obliged in duty to obey, but by natural

justice. * 9*‘ *   *5‘  ’*‘ *5‘

»* - it *5‘ i "“‘ l *5‘  Whatever is iniquitous, can

never be made lawful by any authority on earth.” It

Would not be a difficult to extend, such ‘citations

indeﬁnitely. John: Locke, Lord Somers, and the

immortal Sidney, are among the Worthies who have

honored themselves bysuch declarations.

Nor Was the church, anciently, Wanting in names of

kindred merit. St. Germain said, “Every man hath at 4
right and title to have What he hath righteously, and of
the right-Wise judgment of the ﬁI‘Sl3 reason, which is the A

eternal law.” 9 St. Augustine, also, declares that“ In A

: temporal laws nothing is righteous nor lawful, but What

25

V the people have derived to themselves out of the Law

A Eternal.” And nearly seven hundred years ago, the

highest ecclesiastical tribunal of Ireland, assembled at
Armagh, the seat of the prirnacy, condemned their
accustomed enslavement of the English, and

“ unanimously decreed and ordered, that all the English  

throughout Ireland, in a state of slavery, shall be

  restored to   their natural f'reedom.” Such is are the

unbiased dictates of the moral sense of   men everywhere.

Nor need We fear the influence of such a moral sense; ii

It  suffer wrong rather a than do vvrong.   Such a

"conscience is really the “ salzfr qft/'26 earth _;” the truly

conservative power.   The prophet of Gods obeyed it, 

When, regardless of the royal statutrevvhich King Darius

had issu“ed—-——-—- “i that yvvhosoever shall ask a petition of

any god or man forthirty days, save of himself, he shall

be castinto the den of lions ” --——~ in his own house with

A  open   towards Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his

knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks

before God, as hedidaf‘oretime.' yAnd yet he knew that y i

he ‘Was ﬂying in the face of thekingy andhise law,  

vvas falling into the pit his enemies had diggedifor 
1 Mark theyresult.   Daniel was * providentially rescued  i 
from the lions, While  accusershad V all  bones a

broken in pieces a oriever they cametopthebottom of

den. The moral result   wpvas not less remarkable;   _

i q 

 issued a; new 3;nd hohler edict. o‘”“I111"aI:eo ztdecree;  

that  everyh dominion of my kirxgdom mentremhle and

fear boforetthe God of Daniel ; for he is the living God,

and steadfast forever, and his kingdom that Whioh shall
1101: be destroyed, and hisdtdoIninio11 shall he event unto
tho and.”          A  

 «Inf  rater ttime,ttho1yttpapost1es, who   had been
commemdedt to teach no Iltmn in tho ammo of the
Nazarene, COﬂﬁ:‘OI1‘ted- thedh Jewish a;u.tho1"ities~  A the

  pungent ztppeal; “ Wﬁaez‘/tar i'2fh  7*7Igz’z2f ” not in   the

esteem: of comupt rulers —--- not in the judgment of men
nlerely --—-—- but, <"" W Zaezf/zer it‘ 5e My/zz‘ 2'92 2729 .s~2;q/at of Goa?
M /tear“/§*e¢zt~ mazfo 3/025 ’/‘}Z«09”6’ 2‘/Em zmio God, judge g;/:2.”   Such
at conscience  11ot,ppf'romt mere whim, rusht upon 
career» of rebellion.  If it fa,11s,undter the dominionof‘ an
umighteoust 1a:W,ttit  resignofﬁce, if it" holds it; it
 refuse operation ifthe  it  it 

 su ﬂ'er es? vengeance of the law, if it dare inﬂicit  ‘It

 
t  do this  no spirit of lawlessness? but of loyalty;

It  thus teacht law’ makers reverence for" the

ever-o.uthorita,tive Iagwh of God- Do you ohject tlmothe
individuaul conscience is liable to err? h W’ha,t. them?

Is not this fa;ct__“ inoident*o A to the very principle of

  Protestagntismt? Sha1l We,   therefore; repudiate thiat
V‘ p1:'i'hoip1e,t asadph bow at the shrine of the Roman  ‘.9
A Shall   tyranny T a;ndp1ust.a,t’the bidding 

27

If there is one prerogative for which We have occasion
to bernore deeply thankful than for any other,; it is
the right of giving utterance, through the press,   on the
platform, and, especially at the ballot-box, to the most
solemn convictions of our souls. bur institutions,
elincleecl, are not perfeot; but----Gon BE rmrrssn ----wecmz
92202525! at/tam asoiwe twill. It 5.51 i1I1P0SSibleto shutup liberty

  governrneiitel forms,   that we may pickle encl preserve

it forever. A But it is quite possible that the spirit of

liberty in our hearts may ﬂow egeixi in the old.»

i echennels,  e.,nd ﬁllup the measure of theconception of

our ifetliers. There is great hope in the free sentiment

salreedy aroused’ to an unwontecl activity through the

entire N orth. Lot ethet hope grow brighter and brighter
unto the perfect daygi A  

But, fellow-citizens, there is a, difficult Work to he

perfornrecl.   Our ple.pces  of highest trust cell  for

.puriﬁca.tion.  The men   who shall hereafter fill them,

mustr stand before heaven  clean hands. 

p Inust purge  thernselves of H all respo11sihilityifo”r slever5%. 

They must not be half-ﬂedged irepuhlicans. p  They  A

be instructed in the spirit of our holiest laws, encl must 

cherishthar spirit  their Iiearts.   Every dimer and l  

territory subject to their oontrol,i must A heeltsmade to _

smile again eunder i the light of freecloitn.     i

must cease to be the htlnting ground of the sleweholcler ; l A

is

and till this is iacconiprliished, every possibl guarantee

 liberty must be thrown around her citizens.i lslany

of our deeply learned expositions of the constitutionality
of our laws must be repudiated. Five years ago, in the
old Cradle of Liberty, you were urged, in classic phrase,
and with well-feigned tears, to bow to a Congressional
ienactrnent, which is summary in its procedure, dispenses
with trial hy jury, and shows its regards for   the
independencei of the judiciary, by bestowing one the

‘Commissioner the ample bribe of five dollars to decide

against liberty. To-day, a state law is unhesitatingly

pronounced unconstitutional, because it imposes an

obstacle to an appeal to a jury, by reqniring a bond in

two hundred dollars to prosecute that appeal. j ‘Thus,

when it is only liberty and the right to one’s self that is l

in controversy, trial by jury may be dispensed a With,

and the integrity other laws remain unimpaired.   But

  when the sacred privilege of cursing the cornmunity

by the rare er bad liquors it in question, the slightest

i obstacle to a jury trial endangers the stability of our

  political heavens. Say e ‘not that the unbefriended f’ugi-

p ‘I tive can claim the 1mm’ unities of a jury in the state to
awhich he is removed. As Well may the innocent lamb, 

already the prey” of the   devouring weir; eieirh the

i 1”mxni   unities of the sheep-fold. The several states, too,"

i ; ‘must be leftto bear alone the responsibility of what«~

29

ever institutions they may choose to sustain. 
then let them stand at the bar of public opinion; and
hold up their hands, and plead, and abide its judgment.

That this tribunal may be competent to its functions,
we must look Well to the conservators of the public
good. The fountains of inﬂuence must be made pure.

The divine right of masters and liings must be allowed

to entrench itself in no northern pulpit. The

interpretations of T the bible must be puriﬁed . of the

logic of the oppressor; and the sepulchral voice,  

sounding out from the lowest parts of the earth, bidding

u's “ conquer our prejudices,” must defer to that other

voice from out the heavens, commanding pus “ to loose

  the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to

let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke.” 

A The common school, also, thatthrobbing heart of our
educational system, rnust be guarded against every

open and everyinsidious foe. Neither the Jesuit nor the

bigot must be allowed to paralyze its arn1,' or corrupt

the nutritive currents which it sends to all the members
a of the social body. ' pArnold has said, that “a perfect T
  church and a perfect state are one.” A This is doubtless a

true.    unfortunately, no snatioll has  attainedto p 

sea. i Andyno church, therefore, can justiy aim the

right to rule our public institutions rof ileamnnpg, or ‘ in-  

culcate through themrits town peculiar sanctioiisv of T   s

  virtue.

in J. The La I'lgl1l3.S’:Ofi(3OI1:SV:(‘}.l(f}1C];(3e a follow :aJ simple leiw, lwhich

has been rsncoessfullyembodied” in dour own Common—  
lweelth ---4 concurrent eﬁbrts  the promotion ‘ref  

uooconcurrentl interests, oPeculier Wtruths ask only an
rﬂzgaee ﬁeld mzcZfcr2?r;oZag;t.” Were  ourrrcitizens oegreed
in regard to the xhehestsof our .holyreligioI1, r and to the
present and rfutugre sanctions   therenof}  they might with
propriety mingle the secular and religious education of

:their children. i The Common. school Inight so enlarge r

its purpose as to enihzreee the Whole ﬁeld of Christian

.-culture. But even then it could not be declared an  

ebsolute duty thus to mingle them. There is no such
inherent relation "betwgeen the doctrines of redemption

tendon simple arithmetic es requires them to he taught

together. If ta. led  put to a. trade, We do not require

 teaoherto be en edeptin metapllysios- o It is enough  
that he is   competent to  A owork  assumes. r

ZE’reotieelly,e not one 11 can r}lea.rnr tW0_’tl:1iI1_gs at oonce. A He  

 give his attention toolrverious stopics suocessivelyo
 ‘ government .'.I"a3lVaJi].S‘ ‘V itself of    necessity, and .'

A groups .together the rudiments of SC§.l€11C3 and learning:

 them the uncommon .sch:ool.V

  those   

upon which all oonscrienlces are agreed, and arppropriatesi  

r   Sotmuoh the Sliﬂaliﬁ ‘Very properly demands for itsown A 

welfare 3 end it very properly eedds to ‘_th.:;l.S:_ deman, 

 
  es which are confessed emogng  l r

31a

Christian sects ; leavitng the controvertedr portions of

their respective systems, to be inculcatedr  the Sunday
School, in the Sanctuary of God, and the Christian
home.’ There may be theoretical defects  this
distribution of important interests 3 but it unquestionably
secures the greatest attainable amount of good; The
friendliness of our school system to general morality is
already demonstrated; and every year increases its
hold upon the aﬂ"ections of the most: Christian and
patriotic of our citizens. A   i
 The intelligence and Virtues T thus T nurtured, are

indispensable to our national prosperity. , With all the

checks of our republican system, it is neverthless

possible that any great question, even the question, of
liberty for immense regions of our territory, may turn

  upon. the will of a single man. Nay, more; it may

turn upon the opinions and sympathies of the wife, A

sister, or daughter, by "Whorni that man is advised and.

  inﬂuenced.   Isabella, of cherished imemory, secured to

Colurnbus the means for the discovery of’ this Western   

continent ; and another’ Isabella, native born, may yet i r  

  the blessing of universal liberty. You do Well,

A to open   the sources of} education alike to  T, if

rse:res.‘. ,The, recent movement of our authorities

for the   establishment of a, high senor for girls, and   the

  eontemplateldi enlargement, T of , our A A  library,  T

32

addition to our long cherished educational policy, are
grateful evidence that the advantages of general culture
are duly appreciated.   .

But there is, also, an indirect inﬂuence of our
educational system‘ which is of incalculable value. I
mean its power to assimilate the foreign ingredients so
plentifully mingled with our native population, to the get»
nius and spirit of our free institutions. It thus tends to

prevent the distinctions of caste, to nourish a love of lib~ I

erty, and to make us characteristically one people. I

cannot stop to inquirewhat hearing such an inﬂuence is I

likely to have upon the various branches of the Christ-

ian church. I cannot stop to entertain the charge of

inﬁdelity which Romanism brings against the system. i

I can only say that any church which fears the education

‘of the whole people, A “loves darkness “light.”  

 religion which fears the culture necessary to

 self?-government, cannot honestly promote self1-goVern-

Inent.   y 4

— I a But While I must not stop to consider problerns like it
  I these, I canhy no ‘means he indifferent to the intolerant I I

attitudes  of the Romish Church. Free thought his

Vc‘onfessedly.ccherfoe.t She ‘does I not present herself as 
  g  educator;  parental counsellor; a help to Christian I
    .discernInent; but as: a .._*I'.l.11€If; has Christ’s vicegerenti

I or arnong men  as  authoritative cornniandelﬂ; pt   In 

33

denying the right of » private judgment, she  A

despotic power in the citadel of highest interests A; and
history abundantly shows, that, in harmony  
assumption, she has never been reluctant to :te1:e 
her   especial guardianship, the Whole circle ef.h1iman
interests. r _Her pwintolerance is thus ientrenched  the

wry pdheart of her ;system. a With the seeming innocenee

of the lamb, ehet honors the13rinei1;>»1ee»e;f toleretion,

mmtilg with the iferocity of the 11011,  W11 trample

upon those principles with imppunity. ‘ Her character,

*1301eretien i:itse1f becomes intelerenee.  

in this regard, gnlust never be forgotte. ;-She nst 
met and conquered by principles the Opposite _ of 
own. The law of permanent inﬂuence proﬁts no ;other
Warfare to she eS11CC<-3SSfu1. Truth, in its  -natn»re,i
 intolerant to falsehood,-,  p;by.aocet1:pyinge 
reports out -that falsehood. Right, in  igmapihfnrﬁ is
intolerant to Wrong, and opposes itself to  
oydleration must be M intoalerantt 2 to, ,  ippancep else
no it  

A ‘i There is another  hfientaliti

   
assizrnilate the heterogeneonsfelements of ourpppuhleatiogn

are e ihomoigeneous type, to  :1 {bee  the 

 mean ~iourFedere1a eUni0n-  That Ueio  

 
any noble enelaiiunepeekebly  
cherished; it eiivee  .'ity‘..F5iind‘r%  pet e:me,  

  
4 i h  W?   i

34

distributes upon all the states“ the burden. of our
common defence; and illustrates to the nations of   the
earth the practicability of that great peace measure,
which seeks to refer all national disputes to a high
court of nations, Whose decisions shall be enforced by
a common power.‘ It facilitates trade between the
several states,   thereby stimulating every department of

industry. It promotes freedom. of intercourse, a both

socially and through the various departments of the
general government; thus aiding the .diffusion of our

common thought. In these modes. among others, our

Federal Union may serve to knit our communities more

closely together;   to eradicate those national  

“peculiarities which are being continually imported

among us,-,. and to assimilate what else would be i

isolatedi castes; to the prevailing type i of “ national

a character. a

  But, that these higli .enasma.y~ be gained,t the

l government. must be administered. in the spirit   of  
“liberty. ” It must be quickened by what is noblest’ in
 .iour  institutions.  if It imust freely   absorb, it as i r the   l

V ratinosphere ' absorbs moisture, what is purest and holiest

 l3]11“3 he 3*TtS  tl1eipeople...iItirr1ust enact laws which i l
iilshall‘ ebreathetiipthe A  spirit, “not of blustering, tvilygn  

    politicians, .  but of   it reasonable   purpose,

  land sober patriotism.  It ymust thus . r

35

fall into harmony with that spirit by which the
government was established, and with the eternal law

  of right.

The advantages of our confederation were fully
appreciated and earnestly commended by that venerable
patriot, whose very name will forever be a power in
the land. At the head of the revolutionary army,

directing by his counsels the action of Congress, fanning

to a brighter ﬂame the ﬁre of liberty in the heart of the A

nation, he contemplated with solicitude the dawning
glory of his country. it He saw in its probable growth,
possible dangers; and could he have seen the colossal
proportions in which it stands before the nations of the
earth to-day, how greatly would his solicitude have

been increased. So triumphant in his time were the

sentiments of freedom, that he feared no lapse in this

regard. I-Iis language is, “ Interwoven as is the love

i of n liberty iwith every ligament of your hearts, no

recommendation of mine is necessary to fortify or
conﬁrm the attachment.” Washington believed that
this love of liberty would sweep away every obstacle to
its triumph. Writing to Sir John Sinclair, he names

a among the reasons for the greater value of land in

‘Pennsylvania than in Maryland and Virginia, that ‘i it if A A

has a law for the ; r gradual abolition of slavery, which

\-5“w

36

neither‘ of the » otliers has ; ézzzfi 720;‘/Wzg 75.9“ mo7'e cermzfaz
z‘/zcm sﬂzazfi may zmzszf /awe, and czéf as” jaeriocl 72025 7"emoZe.”
Writing to Robert Morris; he says, “There is not aman
living, who Wishes more sincerely than I do to see a
plan adopted for the abolition of slavery.” And, in a
letter to Mr. John F. Mercen, he ‘declares, “ I never
mean, unless some particular circumstances should
eompelnie to it,ctoi possess another slave by purchase ;

it being ilamong  ﬁI'S'l3 wishes to see some plan

 
 opted,  "Which slavery in this country may be t

laaiJe1ishedliby1aw.” Under the impulse of the revolution,
every wise man  the land looked for the speedy
overthrow of slavery. I obody expected more than
such temporary toleration of it, A as would secure its
removal with the least possible Violence to social order.

A It was under thisl ezapectationp and for the purpose of

* aceomphshing these ends, that the father of his country

laid such‘ emphasis upon the preservation of the Union.
iith  it WasvUm”o7z AND Liéerzjy _; Zﬂziorz FOR Liéemjz/.
  being simply tolerated, slavery has come to

relairri rights for itself in all this fair land.  when

 moral senses  against it, and denounces it both A

~’afss a T shined   curse, We in are ‘straightway threatened
  -issolntion of  Union; and the great name
*   l l  is*irsv*he to quench the  Jefrclibemty

 
37

Within firs! We do defaine the   character‘ of   that .i1h1s- ’
trions man, when We impress him to such a service! «

UNION wrrncruri LIBERTAY lo Itv is 2'mjaossi6Ze.f IT IS
IMPOSSIBLE! Ire Is IMPOSSIBLE!‘ The ‘voice of the

Worlds ferbiolsc it it The moral sense of the nation
condemns it 2 The love or liberty within as would
sweep it away, as with the breath of the Almighty!

It was among the sublirnest utterances of the departed  

Webster, that “ There is something on earth greate

than arbitrary or despotic power. The lightning ha

its power, and the whirlwind has its power, and th«

earthquake has its power; but there is something

amoncr men more ca cable of shakin (lei. otic throne
b i y

M than lightning, whirlwind, or earthquake; that is, tin

c excited and aroused indignation of the Whole civilized

world.” Let us be warned-w-«ah! let us be warned.
lest thatindignation be turned against us. A   A A i
Let every heart, then, bring its contributions to the
treasuryof free principles. Eliminate from our   sociai
institutions, one after another, every A element of

oppression and Wrong. Nurture in the y hearts of  A A

young, the most enthusiastic love of our wide-spreads 4
domain, that the’ sacred memories of our fathers may    

be a pledge of the future achievements of their sons. 

Perfect year by V year the noble ediﬁce «of American

38

freedom, until it shall rise a magniﬁcent cathedral,
grand in its proportions and glorious in its completeness
--—- Welcoming to its consecrated altars the disenthralled
millions of our land-----its tessellated aisles and lofty
arches resounding with their united anthems of liberty,
and echoing the song of the angels to the Judean
shepherds --- “ Peace on earth; good will toward men.”