Rensselaer Union, Volume 9, Number 43, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 July 1877 — Page 4

i» i>-»—a*- •-»•***' •—•- mi . ♦ • iq 1077 awurscuiy > vUiy x«w% io« /«

FOURTH OF JULY.

Continued from Pint Page,

i ■■■ lywrywwy. »; f»f »■ '■ ■ f ■—l—' <»■ jto enjoy the trusts of their labor j unmolested by the detested tax pit Inter. But when the km-; nud parliament determined in lax the and yet denied them u voice or representation in the enactment of the laws which were to deprive them of the just earnings <>f their own labor, Boston harbor .was soon filled with Brills h tea, emptied from British vessels by patriot hands into a free port to float wherever wind and tide might carry it. Then it was that King i George began U> reuUao the meaning of thwsewords—the portentous symbol of equal rights—“ Liberty nod property forever. No stamps" for free America. In order that man may make the most ot life and possess the greatest possible amount of liberty lies must enjoy the fruits of his own labor; and in order to secure thia he must he n free man. J{emcmber “that whatever day makes man a slave, takes hall his woriji away.” Important as an equal right Belonging to every subject of a government is jietsunal Veimritr—that his li*e'Bhrdhrrot be put t wire in jeopardy for the same ofTeuse; that he be entitled to a speedy and impartial trial by a Jury of his owu peers; that lie be allowed to face witnesses ngaibst him, compel the attendance of those in his own behalf, and have the assistance ot counsel; that no ■«cce»sivq fine or unnatural punishment shall be ii. dieted; that lie |difU! hot be deprive I yf life, liberty or property without due process o! law. Not only is his life to be protected, fml his liberty is to be secured. No restraint i- to be imposed upon his personal liberty, ex cept when the interests ot the whole commmrtry may seem to tiemaud it, nmi tiien lor Lite shortest possible time consistent with safety and justice. Hence the habeas corpus act, that stable bulwark of ail civil liberty. Man is nlso entitled l« the free exercise of his own religious thoughts, and should be allowed to worship God according to the dictates of Ids own conBeienct*. Theie can be no real civil liberty without freedom of religious thought and action. Civil of ail irccgovermnents, it isciaiined that no people can long remain free when subjected to religious tests. Another fundamental right which is to be secured to man by the legislation of his country is that of acquiring property and disposing «»f U In accordance with bis own wishes, aiul in that manner which lo him shah «eem best. The law of entail was one ot the f. nitlul sources of the discontent and disloyalty of monarchical subjects, and awakened .in their hearts a longing for freedom and tree gov eminent*.

]>nt, my friends, uiy time is too short to enlarge on this prolific |,hem«?. You may read it in tie wo’td's history. This war for !it>crty anil against oppression is as nhlras treat ion. Front the time tin* serpent was driven out ol the garden td‘ I’arndise down to the present moment the world baa wit jiesscd this strangle. All ages and countries hav e contributed their pages to the Ht-ory of'iirs terrible eon lliefc. You read it in Grecian myth mid heathen fable; you behold it on t.lie Homan /brum and in the Grecian school s of philosophy; you witness it ill the hi< tody* revolutions «*t France, Holland ami England. Ever in this tree laud of ours the cm; test is yet undecided. I have »ouijr' time to add: If yoh would pre-

HJrve untarnished and untramnieied <l«e great doc. -inc of equal rights, you inust sustain free governwient; l‘*r when the s'.irit of liberty has fled, amt truth and justice are dis regarded, }*riv»iu rights rm K* t*as:iy saer'.tK-ed. No govenunen t f-an be steer, j.ur.r qr better tiian Jieofde i' «.j«>j* if it. A noule jieuple wiii have noide rulers l'er at*one thing adds mo. e lustre and gtbrjr to the sjguer* of the UttJ.uaUoa of Jndepvinuuot than the fact that tt was (tot the sentiment of one in an, hos of a set id men. b'ivthe htftrsT csjirci-io;! of the ihotigiilij of every Ain ert - can, |*atiiot as made manileat at la xingtoti, Om-oord ami Hunker 11 dL A nation’s worth n il! eyer'tte tile emi odiluent ’d*‘ I'Uiitv. courage aid worth of its peifjjh . 'j he solid foundations of liheriy iiitisf rest upon individual rhsHncitf* Yonder sun that use over a nation of free men cannot -*r-*«b ttjHin a race of slaves, exceyt you are wdi.ng.

E Pluribus Unum.

WILLIAM B. AUSTIN.

■f Tl «‘ history of Ute Gl-est Seal of <w union in ■indeed brief, because : i| i (lie fflililetli of and like'unto >' our goVeiiifii.e.iU-—simple, plain and (•fW'Umlf fine from ad feolnii«»b||c*. l| wss adopted ami is main-. kmv& Us * wljo aeknoW’-l ..• . v . ■ &

s&m* ?iwi j r mw , l!u ‘ lr i u * l God. After thpratification ot the of Itnh’jmidi’iiut*, and after s people lormcd for empbe had censed lo be imperial, and the nation had begun that political education which will one day give It far more .and better than imperial sway, then it was that fourteen governments hnd to lie created, fourteen constitutions formed, fourteen Codes established, and, last.’of nil, fourteen seals engraved. Two gentlemen had Revised a propu*seal for Virginia, but notin ail the province of America f rom Florida to Maine was ikero a single individual w ho knew how to engrave it; | and on this account they were ! forced to send to Kuropc and there ! had engraved upon the senl of VirI ginia those words which attained a j mournful and horrible celebrity on j the fourteenth day of April, 186# — | Sic Semper 2\r<nnn*. During this | time Thomas Jefferson going (about Philadelphia in tllWte burnI ing summer days looking for an enj graver and brooding over a design lor a seal for the general government —Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and himself having been appointed a committee, by the Continental Congress, for that purpose. This committee, by combining the ideas of its nu mbers, achieved a most wonderful design, which was composed of various devices; but all of which w ere finally rejected, except that one very best lego <1 A' lHur,hus i’lroti. In 1779, and again in f 782, oilier committees were appointed for the same purpose, but with no better success; and it was finally referred to Charles Thomson, secretary of Congress, who received from John Adams, then in London, a very simple and appropriate device suggested by Sir John Brest witch, a baronet of the West of Eiigliiipl and a warm friend of America. It con sisled of tlurtee i perpendicular pieces, white and red, in a blue field, tlie escutcheon on the bivnst of the American eagle, which dis played, holding in ids right talon an (dive branch and in bis left a bundle of thirteen arrows, and in his beak a scroll inscribed with our motto A’ riuribit* Uttum. Tin x*sculclieon is placed on the eagle's hnast v.-uhout supports as an '■ emblem of that self-reliance for which the Americans were noted in throwing off the yoke ofoneofthe strongest, and then most despotic, nations of ti.u world. , This device met W f ith general approbation, both in and but orCongK^s, iunTwas aflopTeil in- Jute. 1782, and readopted under the new constitution in 17. j>9. So it is manifest, though not exten sively known, that wo are indebted for onr national arms to a titled aristocrat of the country with which we were then at war. II • only who holds a civil cilice in our government knows tlie sanctity of .the Great Seal of our liepublic; for, from whatever source he niav derive his authority to act, even if it flows from the Chief Ex eeulive of die United Slates, the seal is the only thing which will give it legality and entitle bis act and doing to the sanction of a free and enlightened people. And tlie officer must certainly look with pleasure to a seal that givis sanction to his acts by all-the i conic ot

the R<-}»ubiitj whose Khoren are Ivshtd l»y the waves el almost every oeeaii, atul Unit combines a ivliiie’.l .fill cultivated tintioM trt the strongest lies of brotherhood and aliVelion. 'lbis sea!, although truly having jetsM.i through the short B,‘itee ol ninety liveye us, yet inis been as :i beacon iigiil siret.chiiiu far out to the unknown shoals of futurity and ifcndittghalo to the vision ot our nation’s destiny, and showing to tlie powerful nations of the Oh! \\ orld that it they would have war we can take uj>

; UK | tlie arrows which are held by tlie Ainerienn eagle, which are sacred j with the 2ero of the brave sous ol i liberty, and phinge them in tl.e 1 hearts' of our foreign eueui.es; or, it they would lidve themselves and neighbors enjoy the sacred blessings of peace, and have prosperity and Happiness rein their influence, upon (tl.e earth, then we, as a national people, can take up the peace-lov-ing olive branch and dip its top in tin* sweets—«>f u antp.iliiy aud ~4rar fti my. Yet ill whatever condition we may Do placed., in whatever rein: ions with 1-. reign nations we may

in* —in aiiv ease—we iiinst. be a nation and .’Kccpt K pfari&m 6’aww as o;ir motto from T« xas to Maine and from Florida to Alaska. Such is the condition of tlie American Re public ai the present period ol its existent*!*. Who wiildare say that we shu'! quail when beneath a threateifiog sky, with our sails properly trimmed and turned seaward, and the people united by tiie siroitg ties of brotherhobd look to their motto as their guiding star? Uvvoluimns have been attempted j —rhe life ot a Lincoln tvas taken by • conspirators-—but above all soared the tagie toward :» happy destiny with ibis motto in his beak. Our country has risen witli renewed vigor from < nt of the timnoil of anarchy which tor a lime threaiem’d j its Over’hroA—anarchy that de-; pi'ves society of its natural liberty, i and that always has been and ub t wavs uiil be the ruin of govern-* IP : V-'' J* * * ‘ • "t ' GV .

UhiUla not pi upvily Wauced between liberty and law. But, powever prosperous onr nation may bo, however populous it may become, even though our states ami territories excel -in the number of their inhabitants the old Mistress of the Earth, yet when a majority loeq sight of tlie significance and forget the influence of our motto — when K 1 Hurt hug Unum is trampled tinder loot—thut ilfly wiTT"our nation become a second Rome and go down in oblivion, for tlie great ftimirtinenud doctrines upon whiejp the fabric is erected would be destroyed. Vet they, whether in Europe or America, who believe that the ITnioii will one day be death-stricken from this cause have tlie balance of probabilities in their favor only a« they err by underrating the potency of those intellectual and Providential forces which in our age operate with accelerated power and activity in behalf us Liberty, Intelligence and Civilization; for as long an that motto continues to he our potential guide will our country increase ii] strength, power mid honor, and rise above tlie nations of the earth as nn example of the blessedness and security of a republican form of government; lor who will deny that in union there is strength, and in strength there is security from the Broil* and tumults which have afflicted other nations? Though many hikl Bright are tlie stars tliat appear * In that Uni; l>v our country unfurled. Abil uu> tlint'iiw svudling in yiuJ'catji I lici t'. Like a rainbow adorning the world, Tlit-fr H»trt-t arcymsntltPi! as those in the sky it;, n iii-.'J that our Bubers have done; Am; Ukjj i i- leagued jji a> trimami its Imlv a tic, in ii.cir motto ol Mtut) in Oac. Tiicn up with Unit lnotlo—let it stream on the air,— 1 hoiu.li oar father- are coi l in their graves They bait hands taai eould strike, had souls that could flare, =~== “ —— ■. Arul lb on sons « ere not born to lie Waves, Up, «ip wiili that umtlii; n Ihiru'er rtiiiay call < ini’ mil. 100 - shall rally around;— A niitiou cf freemen that miiinejit .-hall fall Whoa it- words shall lie trailed oh the ground!

The Continental Congress.

JOHN F. LOROUGHS.

A lift 1b more ti.au ono hundred years ago, in tho cny ot l’iiiludclphia, by tlie btnuyfalH and Delaware, were asM-mtiled, in silk stouKings, pig tails miivl cocked hat*,, sixty genileityeii. tu<:y were quurte. ©din a room ..! .-ii,ail dim.’i..-in.-.s, in a l.uiidim.' ,il plaihesf Briclv, up a dark alley. Alia limy eon.-ulUted tlie Uoutilieiit.il Congress that wj respect; admire uud rerneina.r with a solemn reverence due only to those who were willing to pledge life, tor;uueat.d sac red iionor to pieser.e invi.ilaie tue Godgiven r:g ts ot Ufa i. in the House Uarptdsl r's fl-.i std 11-ose veheraole iuer. ot Sii'tViK-. TyU-ix, "wTliri>rovvs knit, gazing one upon another iu aspect grave, anxious to achieve the deliverance oi a •iovvii-irodden people. Yhe) wore.not nil educated men, although they pusses-ed u great share ol saving sound sense, and that practical Kiivw.edge comI'iloh.y C.il’e-I ’.V. rtiily wlsudhi: Each will. . beam’d head nnd troubled lieaft heard tin,: prophetic j siilni and prayer —. lie first ever listened U> -by an Amhric'au congress: •‘lTc.a UioiiAny eaUj,*, D Lord, xviih tliCtU tn.il sm.e wiih Inc. Fight thou' against them that lig.ii> against me. Lay hand un t,e shield and buckler and stand up to u.:p .e. IS.iiig turth the spear arid slop tiie way. again si mein that persecute me. Uot .hern be turned back and. t.rougat t., eon!usß.m that- imagine- mischief for me. hetilifeuibe as the m;-t belore tho w ild, nel 'lie angel ol the x>ord scalier them.” And truly lout prayer ascended lo heaven, lull owed by the low, heartfelt, a men, from the i reiu-ts of men such as John Langdou, the sturdy, bold hearted ioruicr, -tnaiiner nu t mereiiam until British p.rates drove min as (lore and tu v ..iigress tn rally area no the good old banner of resrsieuee; Roger Shriiiiali, «d UonneUieut, another farmer, stioeuiafier s appreau.e. storekeeper, surveyor, lawyer and lumber of Goiigress, wi.o, am.dt hem :ei tain pupluxiti.s of every day, rose to be the grandest example of seii-til.ai.ee our nation lias ever knuwii; benjamin Franklin, tbit phihs .pher who euti.d ci mom pass tlie hghtoiugsr ot heuVeii, and, with hr# comprehen ivc miud, penetrate into thes'eeret cells of scientific revelation; llcnry Lee; John Adaui~; John butledge, who could wield tfie convincing g.U ot eloquence with a force and tase

j equal io tlu- ..rat.nsof Rome; Samuel Ad.uus, v.nh fits mdi7ii.iiqf.de courage who time afar tim; faced grim death for hi* country ;o,d uu-qteoplcs i-e frank, explicit aud decisive jeileisoa and Uviug*fou7 Wi.u wvoulu have Leon men of ilwu-lu, mui of aotiuu, uien of u.fluvuee in. any age These aie s.mpUs.it those luave men who diuyd to •to. 1* it a.a just for us, while we gather | lure to celehtjud the l.ivtlul.iy of uur nai .loptp offer merited tribute toils tleparu-.d j l.ilieis, for to them do we pot owe gratitude i anu j.lie. I lull. They bivde asunder the 1 *h.cafe.- of a muvduous tyrant and Iviropesn a.d opposed a kingdom which had j.t't bumbled the proudest tiiToue of Europe, wiiose armies had bee:; vietorteus in .Uje Old World aud New, whose | fleets mtd chased those of every alive:sary rrfoTit she tic-au. Her came was hoard, wdi. ‘ terror by distant and savage tribes. Al.u beejin to auticij ate the day alien llio llri;i*ii Kjupire, l.kc-tlie, sea she ruled, *lk.uM - oneiivle the bahitabie globe; and with her plundering hands tlie Western colonists nere ravaged. Yes. already tliese patriode men saw .he Scattered and on buried bones .»f ilie.r sluugiiti-red countrymen lying on the plains of 110.-t.ui. Tho holy s;ftnfa of o*;r iilwrly-loeing fathers had been a aSeuvd. On the 7ti> day of June, Richard

I Henry Leo; of Yirgiuia, gave Britain a ■ him of separation by introducing a reso’.u- ---; ttott in Congress ueclaVihg the colonies i free ami independent states. Then the : ejes <d the eager flatun were w-iiteri4; , ! upon Vtiis the most siupeutions body of men I evt-r assembled upon ihe American con to i ticatfor its L.,i-d VUSiJiatu told t.n incredui (ous House ot Lords, “no body «d tnen | ever snip vSied It in solidity of rea.-ouiiig, ' fatee of sagacity, and wisdom of eoadusion.” It is an eterual monument tfl otuu uiouhl histor*. it is thaiitiir in the East ursuocaediug; gen«n:U»S'. li shall be coevi.l with the .rod ot our race. The del ate 1 questioning the separation of tho Colonies ! 11 uni the Rgitishgovernment i-ot fnuK-d with ! a emated and untiring force} while from . the t loriuos to the i'lains rs Abraham, anil ; from Hu.-ton H\v to the Western feentier, ! atl was one. tremor of excitenif-rit, ah.\inus ’ t ■ he-tr the result c>j n resalctjoa which

Mi. bm •»* ~w«Mir war, ninl In old Independence Hull those Wortlgr sires hoping, planning, thinking they iniglit smother the tiro aisiut to kindle fitouod by the merciless .wrslh of is tyrannical king. Uut the fear of kings and armies could not cow their lofty spirits, for the nourishing shower had falhdi; the bud of irt't’dotn had blossomed. On the memorable Second day of July, 1770, the resolution was adopted, uud a toruial Declaration Irom the pen of old V irginia's brightest son, wm presented, adopted and signed about 4 O’clock, tfie Fullrtll day of July, 1770. Thus went forth' the most brilliant page of our country's law, supported by the lives, fortunes and sacred honor of its makers, to proclaim to the world the birthday ol' a trae Republic. This was when Freedom on her nntal day Within her war-rocked cradle lay; A monarch's army iound her stood. As she baptised her iufunt brow iu blood. Yet if we would appreciate the worth of these benefactors we must not look to the war of independence, of which they were the lulht-rs, but to its benefits. The American revolution was the first war ever waged by tlie people for the people ineLcud ot a special class. If, gave to us those great principles ol political equality, it elevated the poorest member of the commonwealth to an equul participation with the richest in the choice of his. rulers. And teaching that the state must rely upon toe industry and economy of its citizens, and not on the military furce, for support, invoked some of the most powerful sentiments of human nature ever recorded in the annals of time. The old men here today, who have lived long and industrious lives, nnd have ever been watchful to perpetuate lid blessed principles of our Colonial fathers, will; when they pass from the world, bequeath to their children a legacy far greater thM> minted gold, a land free from the netoemt’s oppression, the bigot’s blasted heart, and the tyrants bloody hand. Atidhow, whife we revive the recollection of those brave and heroic members of the Continental Congress, we know they have grandly, truly, beautifully taken their abode .n ainther land of the I'rec and the brave reared by tlie mighty hand of God.

The Birthday of Our Nation. TRANK W. BABCOCK. Hark! what breaks the stillness of the morn And tli rough my quiet pint in Per steals? Is it some mighty rising stmm, And'ttin* great noise its thunder peals? N«; ’tis Wt the earliest peep < #r tiuwn;— The eaßteru sky is bright autl clear—iiu; stili the mighty peals toll on; Again the tliumlers greet niy ear! Hut nil! there comes another sound, Us bells and drums ia exultation; Ami then 1 hear it shouted round — “Tnis is the Birlhdaj.pt' our iSatiuu!” In sweetest, dreams my mind had roamed, While 1 was locked in Morpheus’ arms, Ami brought me to my childhood's home With all its ohl endearing charms. 1 saw my mother's smiling face; With brothers played mrr old sports o'er; And father., ip his evening place, Tadfced teimily- as be- talked of yore, While thus I saw- with dreaming eyes l heard the first gun’s reverberation^ T 1 itini hence 1 could not realize It told the birthday of the nation. Hut as the sun rose in the-skies, Hciore lime told the hour of leu, i saw the dust in cidtuunsrisc, Stirred by the tramp of horse and anyi, Ou every loud and thoroughfare The long, uninarsh tiltu columns come; ■iiucli patriot leans with eager ear To utlch the notes of life and drum. And then uumimberiki hundreds still Add tueuiseives to the grand procession; domed iu one sentiment and wilt, To greet the birthday ot the nution. Fanned by these senes of wild commotion, The patriot tire within my breast Moves me to join the living ocean Stirred with true patriotic lest. I'be crowd ns gathered imw embraces “All ages, sexes and Conditions,’’ And, save route less.important places, hli'ii from all climates and ail nations. Men ariven from their native land, By the oppressive tyiant’us rod, Are herein ibis asscipblago grand. Breathing a prayer of thanks to Clod. Those men who now like us arc free, But once tell tyranny's oppression, Appreciate as well us we This birthday of our glorious nation. Moved by these scenes mind backward turns io take a retrospective view, And halts at. independence Morn. A century and a year ago. Aid hinks I'm seated In that hall Where Freedom's chosen- suns assemble, • Ami hear vibrate from wall to wall The words that rustic all lyraais-tremble. The theuio discussed, all > still as death— Then comes that sublime Declaration That made old hnglarid hold her breath, And gave birth to this Bod-blest nation, Methinks 1 hear the crowds helmv Vi ho eager wait for tire decision. Shout, ••Halleluiah!” aud ‘Tiurah!’’ “Biborty from the dead lias risen! ’ Shout follows shout iu quick succession, As the news is passed from hp to ear, Until the wildest acclamation Tills the entire atmosphere. Alcthinks I hear the sentry boy, To whom the bdim an gave a station. Ory out, iu his ecstatic joy, “King, ring the birthday of a nation!”Then come the long-toned answering peals; BiriMtk by-the earnest bellman s hand The hell her motto now fulfills—‘•■Proclaim liberty throughout the land.” l?ut patriots now to arms must liy; Nor bad they failed to count the cost, Hitt bravely vowed they iilfto die, liather than Irecdem should be lost. Not u weak spirit horifto yield •To armies, hardships and piivations—i>Ut seven long years iu the field y\ oulil dare to fight for a free nation. Olaiipipg o'er those sove* tedious, years Of '«tfierinjj language fails to tell, Where is tUV eye withholds its tears? i The bosom no emotions swell? Tint scenes of wide-spread desolat ion— The prison-ships of death *Tid woe — I u camp aud field tinea tons d starvation — The tdi ud-staim d loot-print? in the show—riekis wlAre patriots bravo aud true Fell nobly hauling 'gainst oppression— Are the Uujk vision brought to view On this the birihday of our nationO Faith! that seized this boon of men! Faith that st iked all els.-, f<> save it! . O Hope! that hoped wh.-ti hope eeemed vain! That found no task too great to brave iti

u Gour»H)i4H>h—^.l, Hi., 1,1 “Nor f*er wns read la fabled rtory!”— Courage that knew no thought btit on*— Had but ooe aim—a country's glorvl That Faith! that Hoc*! that matchless Pluck! Request bed they what this generation? ’Twas tbtsse the tyfstvFs scepter broke, And gave to us this great free natiou. And now (here dawns a brighter day; And brighter beams the nun aglow; The smoko of war has passed away; And victory crowns Columbia's brow! Tho tyrant's scepter like a reed Lies brokeh on this western shore; * No more his edicts dues iee heed; His yoke and chrttns sho feels no more. Henceforth no sovereign will she own— No sovereign save tlint one Great King— To Him she bows—to Him alone Her grateful homage doth she bring. * * * * * * • * Had we tlie power our minds to close From deeds revolting to the sight, And let it contemplate only those That charm us like'the sense of right r We’d gladly pass those deeds unseon Which histr’y’s page so darkly stains; — The laws that held Our feliow-m-n For years oppressed in slav’ry’s chains. * * * * The panorama shifts its scenes, liehold the glorious proclamation That breaks at once four million chains, And makes this truly a free nation! Glorious era thus ushered in! T hough great its cost in treasure and blood. Removed the curse of slavery’s stain; — Our country now is as free as 'tis broad. The cause of envy and strife swept away— We’ll remember the past but to profit thereby, And welcome our brothers who, once led asir.iy, Return with the penitent tear in the eye. Then, reunited, witli peace made secure Un the basis laid down in that grand Declaration, Weill meet in the fraternal spirit of yore, To hail each birthday of our uuequaled nation. Willi “God nnd the right” onr battle-cry— Our motto “Onward, upward to principles true,” — The oppressed of all climes to our borders will By, 'Neath the folds of the world-honored Red, Wliiie mid Blue; With prosperity unknown in the time of the slave, A tub progress unchecked while time shall endure, The standard of Liberty in triumph shall ware From the North to the South this broad free land o’er. And, until lie comes whose right is to reign, Ushering tlie New Dispensation W hen F.rieti to grandeur shall bloom again, W e ll celebrate the birthday of our nation!

The American Flag.

CHARLES H. PRICE.

My riii : .vTnvMEN;.lnapired with a lofty pali iolisiii, and actuated by a high setise of patriotic ifuty, the noble members of the Ciiotincntal Cungr.ss, who less thnu a year beioi c had immortalized themselves, and at rh« sumo time recorded one of the most brilliant pages in our eouuiry’s history by framing the immortal D-olafatii.ii of Independence, did on tlie 14th day of Junu iu the historic year of 177.7, bequeath lous that dear old flag, the grandest that ever swept tho breuzc, thereby adding another diadem of glory to- the crowns of fame which bedeoked their heads. Acting upon ttie recomuien iation of n committee which had been previously appointed to confer with General Washington mid design a suitable Bag lor the nation, they resoived ••that the flag of the thirteen United States ho thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that ihe union tic thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.” lliis, my cwpntrynien, is the language of the resolution and is the first reeor.ied legislative action for the adoption ot a natiiui.vl flag, and was enacted at a time when the great and glorious Washington with Iris sruißl but gallant and invincible army of compatriots was slriig.ling so grandly and battling s.» bravely to beat back the proud waves of British tyranny, to bauHK ii justieeand oppression lrom our shores, that they might build up the sacred temple of (ibertf; a temple which', to-day, thank God, wiih that Siai’-he-sjinnglecl banner grandly rising above i , challenges the ailmiraiioii of all fivedom-lovitig people throughout Christendom, and is justly iegarded as the most glorious .superstructure ever eri-cted by the wit of umu. Although the law creating our banner was enact i d on the 14 th day ot J une, 1777, as I have before stated, it was not officially promulgated until the September following; but it was at once recognized as the nation’s ensign aud was first uniurled by rhe heroic John Haul Jones and flung to rhe breeztxfrom tin- m ist-head of tho Hunger, whileiu prayer went up lo heaven from the gallant seamen who manned that gallant ship-that God would bless that. Hug forever. It waved tiiumphantly over the invincible armies of the illustrious Washington and received its first baptism ot blood at the battle of Beuuington, Vermont, and through the valor of the Green Mountain heroes the proud eagle of victory perched upon it, another triumph was achieved, and another milestone reached in the great .march to independence. This glovione victory, won as it was utrder the stars arid stripes, filled the hearts of o.tr illustrious sires with love for the flag ftndAf became as dear to them as it Ts dear aud saered 10-day to the more than forty millions Of freemen who'Ure robed in the garments of Aipei'ican 'citizens, and who all over this great and glorious republic, from the forests of Maine to the goldwashed shores of California, and ''from the great lakes to the mighty gnlf unite to-day in one grand cliorus iu singing that grandest pf nil grand songs "’ihe is tar Spangled Banner.” While U» mafi belongs tho honor jf designing, adopting and first unfurling our banner, it must uot be forgotten that the flag which John Paul Jones nailed to the mast head of .Ills gallant ship was made by a woman’s hands a nd received a woman's blessing. Yes, my countrymen, that fair flag was made by tho fair hands of a fair woman, a Mr*. Ros* by name, who lived in the city of Philadelphia and who, like all the brave, heroic women of the American Revolution, was true arid devoted to tlie grand cause which that grand flag represeuted; in placing (hose silver stars and crimson bars upon that grand old banner of freedom covered all over with glory as ii is, and duster.ng around it as there does all the sacred memories of tho pest, that noble wo'ui.-tn reflected honor upon' her sex; nave additional luster to her race. And to thb Jodie*'with arc assembled here to-day. celebrating with us the one handted and first fV -Vs . •

of. our paUou's birth, let. »9 say time we rejoice with yon u you gam upon that old banner of freedom, and with ypur hearts furiof patriotism and joy exultingly exclaim ; My sistei* made that flag. We p*y the patriotic women of this land the highest compliment that can he bestowed upon iheua when we assert the truth of history and say that they hire always been true to our Utauer, uot only when the glorious sunshine of peace bos shed its effulgent rays upon it, but in She sorrowful times of red war as well, when it has been borne amid the' thunder of'cannon, the clash of musketry and the smelt* of battle. It har been said that the flag of a country is the rallying point of sentiment. While this is true of the ensigns of all nation* it is especially true of our own star spnngled banner. The reverouccand affection which are bestowed upon it ami ibe sentiment and devotion which rally around it attract the admiration of the world, and Americans everywhere guard it as jealously as a mother guards her babe. This love for the flag is not to be wondered at, my countrymen, when we consider that it is the ensign of a country whose freedom is as pure as the sparkling streams which gush from the mountain side, and whoso people, thunk God, ere as free as the very gales which sweep from the Atlantic to tho Fact fIC. Born as it were upon the crimsoned battlefields of the great American Revolution, amid the mighty thunder of cannon and the death thrusts of gliston’ng bayonets, it was defended by our fathers with a gallantry equal to that which was exhibited by the .Spartan heroes of ancient days at. the pass of Thermopylae. Xt waa carried by them through the smoke nnd din of every contest for liberty from Benningnington to Yorktown. It ka« been baptized and rehnptized in their pure, bright blood, and under its broad and graceful folds this country made the grand triumphant march to independence. With this bright and shining record inscribed upon it in letters of living light it is not strange, my countrymen, that the patriotic sentiment of this laud rallied to the defense us that standard when traitorous Funds pulled it down from the battlements of Fort Sumpter. The fires of patriotic indignation were enkindled upon the heart of every patiiut in this land, and brave men, nctuitu d by motives as pure as though they had emanated l'rouj Him who sits upon the greui white throne, for the sake of (flat brave flag, cam., pouring down like the resistless torrents of the mighty rivers, to delend ils honor and preserve its ancient glory. They came from the forests of Maine and the green hills and granite cliffs of New England; they came from the mighty cities of che east and the grand prairies of the great northwest; they came from the mines of tho golden state of California, and from the snow-capped mountains of Montana and Oregon, and with each tissue of our country’s flag entwined about their heartstriugs they enrolled themselves in the grand Army of the Union to battle for tlie salvation of the flag nnd to preserve our national uuily; they snatched the old banner from tl.e dust and hcroipallv plained it upon the ramparts of Donaldson and Vicksburg; they bore it bravely above the clouds in the battle in Lookout; they rill ed around It in the (earful carnage of Shiloh* Btoue River, Ghickanmuua and Gettysburg, and besprinkled it with their life’s red blood on a thousand oiher crimsoned batiiefleids; and with it proudly si remising above him the gallant Sherman, with his victorious legion* of brave, Intrepid men, nisre ied to the sea, saved the HfA'uf this great Republic, blotted out the great stain which slavery had ifinijd upon our natidnnl escutcheon, nnd rcstuied that dear old flag to its righlful pi see* in' power and in pride without a star dimmed or a stripe obscured, When the stars and stripes were ndo'ptejl by our fathers as our national ensign, they declared that it represented a new constellation. It was a constellation, in. countrymen, of thirteen infant states inhabited by a people who had fled from tin- Old World to esenre persecution, but whose rights were still ignored and trampled upon. It represented a people in whose hearts was swinging the great cloc k of human liberty, the pendulum of which was ticking against tyranny and oppression, It represented it people who believed that all men were created free nnd equal, and with unflinching confidence in the justice of their cause and after invoking the bles'.ine of Almighty God upon that cansft they commenced tho grand struggle for indcponeduce against a country who.-e military prowess was equal to that of any nation on earth. It was a mighty conicet, but the God of Battles gave victory to the right, the independence of this country was achieved, mid America, with her grand old banner proudly waving above her; emerged- front"tkpw conflict/'.alf covered over wif.ll giAry and took her place among the catalogue of nation's; mid has marched forward with the stately steppings of a giant, uniiL silo stniVds, tO-d»y, preeminently, head’ and slMiildeVs above any nation on God’s groCn edrtli. To day, our slug represents thirty-eight mightyvnnd-prnspetYltis states, forming The . grandest and fairest"'Republic the sun ever shone upon or the World ever saw. It, rep-, resents'the wisest and‘‘most eqnnlly bnl- * anced diriment that cVer'existed on any ’ contiKßltthand the finest political fabric that, was ever'CrecTed in Christendom.' It represcnis ihhl-e than forty millions' of Intelligent, prokp’6rdus arid brave peoplfe, ;o, wlW wear upon IheSr brows the stairy wr'eitVlloA’ of freedom, anil who to-day are singing tlfa ' praises of tHe flag and churning the anthem !' of liberty. It floats triumphantly over every inch of American'soil, and is loved, honored and revered by every American citizen. It waves in every'firtrttifirtntclly on llie face of the globe and is respe'eted bv every nation on earth. It is associate wiVu ' all of the heroic deeds and glorious achievements which adorn the pages of our country's history, and is as sacred as are the graves of more than half a million of patriots who have lain down their lives ill its defense and with whose blood it is consecrated.' In conclusion I will use the inngui.go of another and say “that the record of thnfc starry banner has often been that Of the triumphs of ils soldiers on the laud or its" sailors on the sea, but it has come out of ail of them unscathed and to-day it. is the flag of pence and business and not of diplomacy and war. It is the flag of the satisfactory situation of the present and the bright hopes of the future; so bright indeed that they dim anything which may have hcen discernible iu the'past. It is the flag which invites those of till nations to come,.. and claim the protection of its Broad 1 njjcL * graceful folds. Then let us take with us, my countrymen, as we journey through this great K* public with some such fading as that expressed by the poet when ‘ heeaidt .. “Across the wide spread continent Our fathers’ flag wo hear, Each hill and vale from shoro to shore The sacred sign shall wear, ’While Unseen hands shall strengthen ours To hold it high in sir As we go murching on.’ ’