ields; he crosses yonder stream on a
fallen tree; he ascends to the top of this eminence, whose original oaks
of the forest stand as thick around him as if the spot had been devoted
to Druidical worship, and here he performs the appointed duty of the
day.

And now, if this vision were a reality; if Washington now were actually
amongst us, and if he could draw around him the shades of the great
public men of his own day, patriots and warriors, orators and statesmen,
and were to address us in their presence, would he not say to us:

"Ye men of this generation, I rejoice and thank God for being able to
see that our labors, and toils, and sacrifices, were not in vain. You
are prosperous, you are happy, you are grateful. The fire of liberty
burns brightly and steadily in your hearts, while duty and the law
restrain it from bursting forth in wild and destructive conflagration.
Cherish liberty, as you love it; cherish its securities, as you wish to
preserve it. Maintain the Constitution which we labored so painfully to
establish, and which has been to you such a source of inestimable
blessings. Preserve the Union of the States, cemented as it was by our
prayers, our tears, and our blood. Be true to God, to your country, and
to your duty. So shall the whole Eastern world follow the morning sun,
so contemplate you as a nation; so shall all generations honor you, as
they honor us; and so shall that Almighty power which so graciously
protected us, and which now protects you, shower its everlasting
blessings upon you and your posterity!"

Great Father of your Country! We need your words; we feel their force,
as if you now uttered them with lips of flesh and blood. Your example
teaches us, your affectionate addresses teach us, your public life
teaches us, your sense of the value of the blessings of the Union. Those
blessings our fathers have tasted, and we have tasted, and still taste.
Nor do we intend that those who come after us shall be denied the same
high function. Our honor, as well as our happiness, is concerned. We
cannot, we dare not, we will not, betray our sacred trust. We will not
filch from posterity the treasure placed in our hands to be transmitted
to other generations. The bow that gilds the clouds in the heavens, the
pillars that uphold the firmament, may disappear and fall away in the
hour appointed by the will of God; but, until that day comes, or so long
as our lives may last, no ruthless hand shall undermine t