Page:Oration Delivered on the Centennial Day of Washington's Initiation into Masonry (1852).djvu/19

Rh noble women, to whom truth and liberty are no less indebted than to their husbands, sons and brothers; though beyond the precincts of their domestic circle,

And to those “silly women”—wandering stars, that shed a false and baleful light, we would recommend to them to commence their meetings by reading the last chapter of the book of Proverbs, and close each meeting, by reading the 13th verse, of V. Chap. of Paul’s first Epistle to Timothy, and the 3rd, 4th and 5th verses, of the II. Chapter of Titus.

And, now, brethren and friends, thanking you for the honor your consideration has conferred upon us, in soliciting us for your speaker, and for the patient attention you’ have given us, we bring this address to a close. And in doing so, we cannot suppress nor restrain the solemn thoughts that arise in our minds, that as this is the first Centennial Celebration of the kind in which we have participated, so, also, is it the last of the kind we shall ever witness. A hundred years hence, the places that know us now, shall most probably, not behold one that has borne a part in the celebration of this day, throughout our country. A hundred years hence, and others will occupy our places in society and the world, engaged in its pursuits, its struggles and its cares. A hundred years hence, what changes may take place it is vain to conjecture and idle to speculate. But one question forces itself upon the mind. Will the name of then be as dear, and his memory then be as sacred, to the citizens of this now? Will liberty herself, then dwell in our vallies, repose on our mountains, and smile on our plains? And, will her Stars and her Stripes, which the morning sun hastens to greet, and his evening rays linger to behold—shall they, undimmed by corruption, untorn by discord, then shine as bright and float as proudly as now?

These questions the future alone can answer. But the key to their solution is the subject of this day’s address; and upon its continued preservation and cultivation, or its abandonment, depends an affirmative or negative answer to these questions. But truth will never forsake the world, though it may forsake this land and will, if her children forsake her.

The revolutions of truth—never move backward—and what she acquires in one age and country—if expelled therefrom—she conveys to another.

And though despotism and darkness have settled down upon Europe, deeper and denser than ever, after a brief and spasmodic effort, to shake them off—a brighter day will yet dawn upon Europe; and the triumphs of truth shall be proclaimed, and the festivals of liberty be celebrated there, as they are now here.