Book Description

Excerpt from An Oration, Delivered at Oxford, on the Forty-Sixth Anniversary of American Independence Not e'en the hardest of our foes could hear, Nor stern Ulysses tell without a tear. Listening youth shall hang upon his accents, and catch the inspiration of patriotism. True, we did not witness those feats of Spartan valour and republican virtue. We do not remember that portentous era, When our country's existence depended upon the energy of her arms 5 when the heavens seemed shrouded in darkness, and every breeze sighed death when the infamous Pitcairn first dared pronoimce the opprobrious mandate, Disperse, rebels l and the life-blood of our best citi zens crimsoned the green fields of Lexington. We did not hear the appalling cry of War! Which, with the rapidity of lightning, was echoed from every hamlet in America. And 0 we did not see our fathers, when, leaving their teams afield, they in frantic rage girded on their rude habiliments of war, and, tearing them selves from all the sacred endearments of home, has tened' to meet death and immortality on the ensanguin cd heights of Charlestown. These are things, which the youth of our country never saw, and never can see. But we have learnt them from the glowing narrative of tradition we have read them on the deathless page of history. We deeply sympathize in those ardent sentiments of liberty, which nerved and supported the fathers of our Revolution. And, like the youthful Han nibal, we have this day come up to the altar of our country, to swear eternal hostility to the enemies of our freedom, and to pledge in its defence our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honour. Among the numerous subjects of congratulation, which crowd upon the attention on this joyous occasion, it is difficult to fix upon any single topic for regular and logical discussion. The mind, warmed and elevated by the glowing sentiments of freedom, delights to expatiate free as the air we breathe. It delights, espe cially, to glance upon those brilliant points in our histof ry, that mark the way through which we have ascended, to the sublime eminence we at present occupy amongst the nations of the earth. We are almost involuntarily led to notice that memorable era, when the immortal Columbus announced the existence of a new world. Nor content with this, the imagination delights to wan der back still farther into the untold ages of antiquity. We inquire with an ardent curiosity, who then tenant ed this immense continent of America P Who then in habited the banks of our majestic rivers Who roamed over the summits of our stupendous mountains? Who, for centuries and centuries, had gazed upon the bean tiful and magnificent scenery, which nature here ex hibited. Our fathers, is the reply of the proud chieftain of the wilderness. Our fathers, whom you robbed of their rightful inheritance - our fathers, who descended from heaven with the thunderbolt our fathers, who were fostered on the mountain by the Great Spirit. Alas! All the pride of philosophy and history, can furnish us answers no more satisfactory, than those of the unlettered, enthusiastic Indian. We never can know the origin and history of that warlike and mysterious race of men, who once sported on our hills, and whose rude W1gwams are supplanted by our domestic altars. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com