Page:Sketches of the life and character of Patrick Henry.djvu/258

 234- SKETCHES OF THE

ing to the east and to the west, as if the finger of Heaven were marking out the course of your settlements, invit- ing you to enterprise, and pointing the way to wealth. Sir, you are destined, at some time or other, to become a great agricultural and commercial people; the only question is, whether you choose to reach this point, by slow gradations, and at some distant period — lingering on, through a long and sickly minority — subjected, meanwhile, to the machinations, insults and oppressions of enemies foreign and domestic, without sufficient strength to resist and chastise them — or whether you choose rather to rush, at once, as it were, to the full enjoyment of those high destinies, and be able to cope, single-handed, with the proudest oppressor of the old world. If you prefer the latter course, as I trust you do, encourage emigration — encourage the husband- men, the mechanics, the merchants of the old world to come and settle in this land of promise — make it the home of the skilful, the industrious, the fortunate and happy, as well as the asylum of the disti^essed — fill up the measure of your population as speedily as you can, by the means which Heaven hath placed in your power — and I venture to prophecy there are those now living, who will see this favoured land amongst the most powerful on earth — able, sir, to take care of herself, without resorting to that policy which is always so dan- gerous, though sometimes unavoidable, of calling in foreign aid. Yes, sir- — they will see her great in arts and in arms — her golden harvests waving over fields of immeasurable extent — her commerce penetrating the most distant seas, and her cannon silencing the vain boasts of those, who now proudly affect to rule the waves. But, sir, you must have men — ^you cannot get along

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