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, fellow-citizens, if this vision were a reality,--if Washington
actually were now amongst us,--and if he could draw around him the shades
of the great public men of his own days,--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, to contemplate you as a nation;
so shall all succeeding 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 heed your words; we feel their force as if
you uttered them with life 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 fruition, Our