sands both
North and South, misled and befooled by them, form the formidable
opposition with which the Government is even now closing in a
life-or-death encounter. These represent one of the two grand ideas at
last met in a decisive struggle on this North American Continent, after
the numberless petty skirmishes, reconnoissances, and lesser conflicts
which have stained the battle fields of the world with the best blood of
humanity during so many thousand years. No child's play now--no
diplomatic dissembling--no sword thrusts intended to be parried, no
machiavelian hits nor disguises. The fight is close, desperate, deadly;
it is yard arm to yard arm; it is heart seeking for naked heart,
flashing eye to eye, visor down, and hot breath mingling with hot
breath, as the foes close in the last grapple. The other idea is
embodied in the principles of the Constitution and the Declaration of
Independence, and is represented by the Federal authority. The South,
then, is taken to mean the one, and the North, its opposite. On one side
barbarism, slavery, injustice, ignorance, despotism, the woes and
maledictions of oppressed races, the carnival of fiends; on the other,
civilization, freedom, justice, education, republicanism, the gladness
and gratitude of redeemed humanity, the jubilee of joy among angels. On
the side of disunion, endless bickerings, intestine wars, standing
armies, crushing debts, languishing commerce, all improvement at a stand
still, tyranny settling darkly down over the liberties of the people and
of individuals, and national influence gone forever. On the side of
Union, honorable peace, legitimate expansion, social order and
improvement, increasing commerce, the education and elevation of the
masses, the path of success open to all, the freedom and rights of all,
even the least and poorest secured, and the nation occupying a front
rank among nations, her flag loved no less than feared, her government
the model one of the world, and the great experiment of self-government
safe beyond the peradventure of failure. Who doubts the issue of such a
struggle--who would cheat himself of being one with God and good men in
the glory of a triumph so possible and certain?

But why is it that the hate of all rebels, North and South, is so
malignantly directed toward New England especially? What has she done
more than New York or Illinois? Again I reply, it is not geographical
New England that is so feared and hated, but the