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acknowledged in the Constitution itself as preeminently before and above the Constitution. — (In Congress. 1837.)

Cyprian, St. (Carthage, 200-258.)

Contentment a Duty - "We brought nothing into this world, and neither can we carry anything out. Having, therefore, food and raiment, let us herewith be content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many and hurtful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil, which, while some coveted after, they have made shipwreck from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.»

Cyril (Jerusalem 315-386.)

The Wonders of Nature-Who is the father of rain; and who hath given birth to the drops of dew? Who hath condensed the air into clouds, and bid them carry the fluid mass of showers, at one time bringing from the north golden clouds, at another giving these a uniform appearance, and then again curling them up into festoons and other figures manifold? Who can number the clouds in wisdom? of which Job saith, "He knoweth the balancings of the clouds, and hath bent down the heaven to the earth; and he who numbereth the clouds in wisdom; and the cloud is not rent under them.» For though measures of water ever so many weigh upon the clouds, yet they are not rent, but with all order come down upon the earth. Who brings the winds out of his treasures? Who, as just now said, "hath given birth to the drops of dew? Out of whose womb cometh forth the ice," watery in its substance, but like stone in its properties? And at one time the water becomes snow like wool, at another it ministers to him who scatters the hoarfrost like ashes; at another it is changed into a stony substance, since he fashions the waters as he will. Its nature is uniform, its properties manifold. Water in the vines is wine, which maketh glad the heart of man; and in the olives oil, to make his face to shine; and is further transformed into bread, which strengtheneth man's heart, and into all kinds of fruits.

For such wonders was the great artificer to be blasphemed, or rather worshiped? And, after all, I have not yet spoken of that part of his wisdom which is not seen. Contemplate the spring and the flowers of all kinds, in all their likeness, still diverse from one another: the deep crimson of the rose, and the exceeding whiteness of the lily. They come of one and the same rain, one and the same earth. Who has distinguished, who has formed them? Now do consider this attentively: The substance of the tree is one-part is for shelter, part for this or that kind of fruit, and the artificer is one. The vine is one, and part of it is for fuel, part for clusters. Again, how wondrously thick are the knots which run round the reeds, as the artificer hath made them! But of the one earth came creeping things, and wild

beasts and cattle and trees and food and gold and silver and brass and iron and stone. Water was but one nature; yet of it comes the life of things that swim and of birds, and as the one swims in the waters, so also the birds fly in the air.

And this great and wide sea, in it are things creeping innumerable. Who can tell the beauty of the fishes that are therein? Who can describe the greatness of the whales, and the nature of its amphibious animals? how they live both on dry land and in the waters? Who can tell the depth and breadth of the sea, or the force of its enormous waves? Yet it stays within its boundaries, because of him who said, "Hitherto shalt thou come, and no further; and here shall thy proud waves be stayed. » Daniel, John W. (American, 1842-.)

Washington a Man of Genius- There can, indeed, be no right conception of Washington that does not accord him a great and extraordinary genius. I will not say he could have produced a play of Shakespeare or a poem of Milton; handled with Kant the tangled skin of metaphysics; probed the secrecies of mind and matter with Bacon; constructed a railroad or an engine like Stephenson; wooed the electric spark from heaven to earth with Franklin, or walked with Newton the pathways of the spheres. But if his genius were of a different order, it was of as rare and high an order. It dealt with man in the concrete- with his vast concerns of business stretching over a continent and projected into the ages; with his seething passions; with his marvelous exertions of mind, body, and spirit to be free. He knew the materials he dealt with by intuitive perception of the heart of man; by experience and observation of his aspirations and his powers; by reflection upon his complex relations, rights, and duties as a social being.-(1885.)

Danton, George Jacques (France, 1759-1794.) "To Dare, to Dare Again; Always to Dare"-It seems a satisfaction for the ministers of a free people to announce to them that their country will be saved. All are stirred, all are enthused, all burn to enter the combat.

You know that Verdun is not yet in the power of our enemies and that its garrison swears to immolate the first who breathes a proposition of surrender.

One portion of our people will guard our frontiers, another will dig and arm the entrenchments, the third with pikes will defend the interior of our cities. Paris will second these great efforts. The commissioners of the Commune will solemnly proclaim to the citizens the invitation to arm and march to the defense of the country. At such a moment you can proclaim that the capital deserves the esteem of all France. At such a moment this National Assembly becomes a veritable committee of war. We ask that you concur with us in directing this sublime movement of the people, by naming commissioners to second and assist all these

great measures. We ask that anyone refusing to give personal service or to furnish arms shall nieet the punishment of death. We ask that proper instructions be given to the citizens to direct their movements. We ask that carriers be sent to all the departments to notify them of the decrees that you proclaim here. The tocsin we shall sound is not the alarm signal of danger; it orders the charge on the enemies of France. To conquer we have need to dare, to dare again, always to dare! And France will be saved! (Pour les vaincre, il nous faut de l'audace; encore de l'audace, toujours de l'audace; et la France est sauvée.)—(1792. From the "World's Best Orations.")

Davis, David (American, 1815-1886.)

Lincoln and His Work-No man loved Mr. Lincoln better or honors his memory more than I do, nor had anyone greater opportunities to learn the constitution of his mind and character and his habits of thought. He was largehearted, wiser than those associated with him, full of sympathy for struggling humanity, without malice, with charity for erring man, loving his whole country with a deep devotion, and intensely anxious to save it. Believing as I do that he was raised up by Providence for the great crisis of the War of the Rebellion, I have equal belief, had he lived, we would have been spared much of the strife of these latter days, and that we now would be on the highroad to prosperity. Such a man, hating all forms of oppression, and deeply imbued with the principle that induced the men of 1776 to resist the stamp tax, would never have willingly intrusted power to anyone, unless war was flagrant, to send troops to oversee an election. - (1879.)

Davis, Henry Winter (American, 1817-1865.)

Corrupt Politics and Civil War - We are at the end of the insane revel of partisan license, which, for thirty years, has, in the United States, worn the mask of government. We are about to close the masquerade by the dance of death. The nations of the world look anxiously to see if the people, ere they tread that measure, will come to themselves.

Yet in the early youth of our national life we are already exhausted by premature excesses. The corruption of our political maxims has relaxed the tone of public morals and degraded the public authorities from the terror to the accomplices of evil-doers. Platforms for fools, -plunder for thieves,-offices for service,— power for ambition, - unity in these essentials,diversity in the immaterial matters of policy and legislation, charity for every frailty. - the voice of the people is the voice of God, these maxims have sunk into the public mind, have presided at the administration of public affairs, have almost effaced the very idea of public duty. The government, under their disastrous influence, has gradually ceased to fertilize the fields of domestic and useful legislation, and pours itself, like an impetuous torrent, along the barren ravine of party and sectional strife.

-(1861.)

Davis, Jefferson (American, 1808–1889.)

Commerce Supported by Agriculture - Mr. President, is there such incompatibility of interest between the two sections of this country that they cannot profitably live together? Does the agriculture of the South injure the manufactures of the North? On the other hand, are they not their lifeblood? And think you if one portion of the Union, however great it might be in commerce and manufactures, were separated from all the agricultural districts, that it would long maintain its supremacy? If anyone so believes, let him turn to the written history of commercial states; let him look upon the moldering palaces of Venice; let him ask for the faded purple of Tyre, and visit the ruins of Carthage; there he will see written the fate of every country which rests its prosperity on commerce and manufactures alone. United we have grown to our present dignity and power, united we may go on to a destiny which the human mind cannot measure. Separated, I feel that it requires no prophetic eye to see that the portion of the country which is now scattering the seeds of disunion to which I have referred, will be that which will suffer most. Grass will grow on the pavements now worn by the constant tread of the human throng which waits on commerce, and the shipping will abandon your ports for those which now furnish the staples of trade. And we who produce the great staples upon which your commerce and manufactures rest, will produce those staples still; shipping will fill our harbor; and why may we not found the Tyre of modern commerce within our own limits? Why may we not bring the manufacturers to the side of agriculture, and commerce, too, the ready servant of both ?- (1850.)

The Characteristic of the Chivalrous-It is essentially the characteristic of the chivalrous, that they never speculate upon the fears of

any man.

Davitt, Michael (Ireland, 1846-.)

The National Life of Ireland - Every chapter of our history, every ensanguined field upon which our forefathers died in defense of that cause, every name in the martyrology of Ireland, from Fitzgerald to Charles McCarthy, proclaim the truth of Meagher's impassioned words: "From the Irish mind the inspiring thought that there once was an Irish nation, self-chartered and self-ruled can never be effaced; the burning hope that there will be one again can never be extinguished."

Dayton, William L. (American, 1807-1864.)

Mexican Territory and Issues Against Slavery - The war with Mexico has brought with it much territory and much trouble. This result was early foreseen. It was not only foreseen, but it was strongly deprecated. We now have a national estate beyond our national wants or means of enjoyment, and yet not less the subject of contention among the heirs.

Some gentlemen on this side of the chamber, in anticipation of the difficulties which now surround us, never assented to the treaty by which this territory was acquired; they preferred the hazard of a continuance of the war with Mexico rather than a peace which should bring territory along with it.

Decatur, Stephen (American, 1751-1808.)

"Right or wrong, Our Country»-Our Country! In her intercourse with foreign nations, may she always be in the right; but our Country, right or wrong.-( A toast in 1816.)

Demosthenes (Greece, 384-322 B. C.)

Exordium of the "Oration on the Crown »I begin, men of Athens, by praying to every god and goddess that the same good-will which I have ever cherished toward the commonwealth and all of you, may be requited to me on the present trial. I pray likewise, and this specially concerns yourselves, your religion, and your honor, that the gods may put it in your minds not to take counsel of my opponent touching the manner in which I am to be heard, that would, indeed, be cruel!-but of the laws and of your oath, wherein (besides the other obligations) it is prescribed that you shall hear both sides alike. This means not only that you must pass no pre-condemnation, not only that you must extend your good-will equally to both, but also that you must allow the parties to adopt such order and course of defense as they severally choose and prefer. (320 B. C. Kennedy's translation.)

Lord Brougham's Translation of the Exordium "On the Crown »- Let me begin, men of Athens, by imploring of all the heavenly powers, that the same kindly sentiments which I have, throughout my public life, cherished towards this country and each one of you, may now by you be shown towards me in the present contest! In two respects my adversary plainly has the advantage of me. First, we have not the same interests at stake it is by no means the same thing for me to forfeit your esteem, and for Eschines, an unprovoked volunteer, to fail in his impeachment. My other disadvantage is, the natural proneness of men to lend a pleased attention to invective and accusation, but to give little heed to him whose theme is his own vindication. To my adversary, therefore, falls the part which ministers to your gratification, while to me there is only left that which, I may almost say, is distasteful to all. And yet, if I do not speak of myself and my own conduct, I shall appear defenseless against his charges, and without proof that my honors were well earned. This, therefore, I must do; but it shall be with moderation. And bear in mind that the blame of my dwelling on personal topics must justly rest upon him who has instituted this personal impeachment.

At least, my judges, you will admit that this question concerns me as much as Ctesiphon, and justifies on my part an equal anxiety. To

be stripped of any possession, and more especially by an enemy, is grievous to bear; but to be robbed of your confidence and esteem,-of all possessions the most precious,― is, indeed, intolerable. Such, then, being my stake in this cause, I conjure you all to give ear to my defense against these charges, with that impartiality which the laws enjoin,-those laws first given by Solon, and which he fixed, not only by engraving them on brazen tables, but by the sanction of the oaths you take when sitting in judgment; because he perceived that, the accuser being armed with the advantage of speaking first, the accused can have no chance of resisting his charges, unless you, his judges, keeping the oath sworn before Heaven, shall receive with favor the defense which comes last, and, lending an equal ear to both parties, shall thus make up your minds upon the whole of the

case.

But, on this day, when I am about to render up an account, as it should seem, of my whole life, both public and private, I would again, as in the outset, implore the gods, and in your presence pour out to them my supplications,first, to grant me at your hands the same kindness, in this conflict, which I have ever borne towards our country and all of you; and next, that they may incline you all to pronounce upon this impeachment the decision which shall best consult the glory of the state, and the religious obligations of each individual judge!

Peroration "On the Crown"-Two things, men of Athens, are characteristic of a welldisposed citizen,- so may I speak of myself and give the least offense :-In authority, his constant aim should be the dignity and preeminence of the commonwealth; in all times and circumstances his spirit should be loyal. This depends upon nature; power and might upon other things. Such a spirit, you will find, I have ever sincerely cherished. Only see. When my person was demanded - when they brought Amphictyonic suits against me-when they menaced-when they promised-when they set these miscreants like wild beasts upon me-never in any way have I abandoned my affection for you. From the very beginning I chose an honest and straightforward course in politics, to support the honor, the power, the glory of my fatherland, these to exalt, in these to have my being. I do not walk about the market place gay and cheerful because the stranger has prospered, holding out my right hand and congratulating those whom I think will report it yonder, and on any news of our own success shudder and groan and stoop to the earth, like these impious men who rail at Athens, as if in so doing they did not rail at themselves; who look abroad, and if the foreigner thrive by the distresses of Greece, are thankful for it, and say we should keep him so thriving to all time.

Never, O ye gods, may those wishes be confirmed by you! If possible, inspire even in these men a better sense and feeling! But if

Demosthenes - Continued

they are, indeed, incurable, destroy them by themselves; exterminate them on land and sea; and for the rest of us, grant that we may speedily be released from our present fears, and enjoy a lasting deliverance!-(Kennedy's translation.)

"A Wicked Thing is a Calumniator » — A wicked thing, Athenians, a wicked thing is a calumniator, ever; querulous and industrious in seeking pretenses of complaint. But this creature is despicable by nature, and incapable of any trace of generous and noble deeds; ape of a tragedian, third-rate actor, spurious orator! For what, Eschines, does your eloquence profit the country? You now descant upon what is past and gone; as if a physician, when called to patients in a sinking state, should give no advice, nor prescribe any course by which the disease might be cured; but, after one of them had died, and the last offices were performing to his remains, should follow him to the grave, and expound how the poor man never would have died had such and such things only been done. Moonstricken! is it now that at length you too speak out? ("On the Crown." Brougham's translation.)

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Liberty Sold at Athens-Once, O Athenians, in the hearts of all our people, a sentiment presided, which is paramount no more; a sentiment which triumphed over Persian gold, and maintained Greece free, and invincible by land and sea; but the loss of that sentiment has brought down ruin, and left the country in the dust. What was it - this sentiment so powerful? Was it the result of any subtle policy of state? No: it was a universal hatred for the bribed traitors, in the pay of those powers seeking to subdue or dishonor Greece! Venality was a capital offense, and punished with the extremest rigor. Pardon, palliation, were not thought of. And so, orators and generals could not with impunity barter those favorable conjunctures which fortune oftentimes presents to negligence and inactivity, against vigilance and vigor. The public concord, the general hatred and distrust of tyrants and barbarians, all the guarantees of liberty, were inaccessible to the power of gold. But now all these are offered for sale in the open market! And, in exchange, we have an importation of morals which are desolating and destroying Greece. What do they exhibit? Envy, for the recipient of base bribes; derision, should he confess his crime; pardon, should he be convicted; and resentment towards his accuser!-in a word, all the laxities which engender corruption. In vessels, in troops, in revenues, in the various resources of war, in all that constitutes the strength of a 'state, we are richer than ever before; but all these advantages are paralyzed, crushed, by an infamous traffic. And all this you behold with your own eyes, and

my testimony in regara to it is quite superfluous! ("On the Crown." Sargent's translation.)

The Orator's Greatest Crime- And who is it that deceives the state? Surely the man who speaks not what he thinks. On whom does the crier pronounce a curse? Surely on such a man. What greater crime can an orator be charged with than that his opinions and his language are not the same? Such is found to be your character. And yet you open your mouth, and dare to look these men in the face! (Against Eschines. From the "Oration on the Crown.")

How to Avoid Censure - The readiest and surest way to get rid of censure, is to correct ourselves.

"Consider Whether You Are Not the Country's Enemy"-Consider, Æschines, whether you are not in reality the country's enemy, while you pretend to be only mine. Let us look at the acts of the orator rather than at the speech. He who pays his court to the enemies of the state does not cast anchor in the same roadstead with the people. He looks elsewhere than to them for his security. Such a man- mark me!-am not I. I have always made common cause with the people, nor have I shaped my public course for my individual benefit. Can you say as much? Can you ? You, who, instantly after the battle, repaired as ambassador to Philip, the author of all our calamities; and this after you had declared loudly, on previous occasions, against engaging in any such commission,-as all these citizens can testify!

What worse charge can anyone bring against an orator than that his words and his deeds do not tally? Yet you have been discovered to be such a man; and you still lift your voice and dare to look this assembly in the face! Think you they do not know you for what you are? or that such a slumber and oblivion have come over them all as to make them forget the speeches in which, with oaths and imprecations, you disclaimed all dealings with Philip, and declared that I falsely brought this charge against you from personal enmity? And yet, no sooner was the advice received of that fatal -O! that fatal-battle, than your asseverations were forgotten, your connection publicly avowed! You affected to have been Philip's friend and guest. Such were the titles by which you sought to dignify your prostitution!

But read here the epitaph inscribed by the state upon the monument of the slain, that you may see yourself in it, Æschines,- unjust, calumnious, and profligate. Read!

"These were the brave, unknowing how to yield, Who, terrible in valor, kept the field Against the foe; and, higher than life's breath Prizing their honor, met the doom of death, Our common doom-that Greece unyoked might stand,

Nor shuddering crouch beneath a tyrant's hand. Such was the will of Jove; and now they rest

Peaceful enfolded in their country's breast.
The immortal gods alone are ever great,
And erring mortals must submit to Fate."

Do you hear, Æschines? It pertains only to the gods to control fortune and command success. To them the power of assuring victory to armies is ascribed,-not to the statesman, but to the gods. Wherefore, then, execrable wretch, wherefore upbraid me with what has happened? Why denounce against me, what may the just gods reserve for the heads of you and yours!-("On the Crown.”)

Depew, Chauncey M. (American, 1834-.)

"Liberty Enlightening the World"— American liberty has been for a century a beacon light for the nations. Under its teachings and by the force of its example, the Italians have expelled their petty and arbitrary princelings and united under a parliamentary government; the gloomy despotism of Spain has been dispelled by the representatives of the people and a free press; the great German race has demonstrated its power for empire and its ability to govern itself. The Austrian monarch, who, when a hundred years ago, Washington pleaded with him across the seas for the release of Lafayette from the dungeon of Olmutz, replied that "he had not the power," because the safety of his throne and his pledges to his royal brethren of Europe compelled him to keep confined the one man who represented the enfranchisement of the people of every race and country, is to-day, in the person of his successor, rejoicing with his subjects in the limitations of a constitution which guarantees liberties, and a congress which protects and enlarges them. Magna Charta, won at Runnymede for Englishmen, and developing into the principles of the Declaration of Independence with their descendants, has returned to the mother country to bear fruit in an open parliament, a free press, the loss of royal prerogative, and the passage of power from the classes to the masses. (1886.)

Dering, Sir Edward (England, 1598-1644.)

The Bottomless Pit of Error-One absurdity leads to a thousand, and when you are down the hill of error there is no bottom but in hell, and that is bottomless, too.

De Ségur, Louis Phillipe (France, 1753-1830.)

The Lesson of History - Everywhere shall you recognize the proof of this antique maxim, that, in the end, only what is honest is useful; that we are truly great only through justice, and entirely happy only through virtue. Time dispenses equitably its recompenses and its chastisements; and we may measure the growth and the decline of a people by the purity or corruption of their morals. Virtue is the enduring cement of the power of nations; and without that, their ruin is inevitable ! - (Sargent's translation.)

Deseze, Raymond (France, 1748-1828.)

Nations and Their Right of Revolution Nations are sovereigns; they are at liberty to

assume any species of government that appears most agreeable to themselves. After having recognized and discovered the badness of their ancient form, they may enact for themselves a new one; this is a position which one of the council of Louis procured the insertion of in the constitutional code. But the whole nation cannot exercise the sovereignty; it is necessary, therefore, that it should delegate the exercise of it. (1792. At the trial of Louis XVI.) Dewey, Orville (American, 1794-1882.)

Demosthenes and His Growth-That mighty energy, though it may have heaved in the breast of Demosthenes, was once a feeble, infant thought. A mother's eye watched over its dawnings. A father's care guarded its early youth. It soon trod, with youthful steps, the halls of learning, and found other fathers to wake and to watch for it, even as it finds them here. It went on, but silence was upon its path, and the deep strugglings of the inward soul silently ministered to it. The elements around breathed upon it, and "touched it to finer issues." The golden ray of heaven fell upon it and ripened its expanding faculties. The slow revolution of years slowly added to its collected energies and treasures, till, in its hour of glory, it stood forth embodied in the form of living, commanding, irresistible eloquence. The world wonders at the manifestation, and says: "Strange, strange that it should come thus unsought, unpremeditated, unprepared!" But the truth is, there is no more a miracle in it than there is in the towering of the pre-eminent forest tree, or in the flowing of the mighty and irresistible river, or in the wealth and waving of the boundless harvest.

Exclusiveness-Why should those who are surrounded with everything that heart can wish, or imagination conceive, the very crumbs that fall from whose table of prosperity might feed hundreds, why should they sigh amidst their profusion and splendor? They have broken the bond that should connect power with usefulness. and opulence with mercy. That is the reason. They have taken up their treasures and wandered away into a forbidden world of their own, far from the sympathies of suffering humanity.

Dexter, Samuel (American, 1761-1816.)

Self-Defense-It is more dangerous for the laws to give security to a man disposed to commit outrages on the persons of his fellowcitizens than to authorize those who must otherwise meet irreparable injury to defend themselves at every hazard. Men of eminent talents and virtues, on whose exertions in perilous times the honor and happiness of their country must depend, will always be liable to be degraded by every daring miscreant, if they cannot defend themselves from personal insult and outrage. (In the case of Selfridge.) Dickinson, Daniel S. (American, 1800-1866.) The Constitution the Soul of the UnionI sing no hosannas to a Union without a con

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