Gold Hill Daily News

The Life of the Nation.

The following eloquent extract from a
Thanksgiving sermon preached at Tarry
town by Rev. J. A. Todd, pastor of the
Second Reformed Dutch Church of that
place, is worthy of publication, as illus-
trating the vitality of our national life in
the hour of rebellion:

Thank God! as we look abroad over
this nation to-day, we find the overwhelm-
ing evidence to prove that she is most
thoroughly alive. The vital, cohesive
warmth is in her members. The ruddy
glow of health is on her cheek. The vigor
is in her step. The strength is in her arm.
The courage is in her heart. The fire is
in her imperial eye. She speaks across
the ocean through the ballot-box, on the
battle-field, with the voice of command.
And authority sits throned upon her lofty
brow. She says to intermeddling Europe,
"Be still," and Europe is still. She says
to snarling faction in the North, "Back
to your kennel." And faction goes back.
She says to armed rebellion in the South,
"Give place to me." And rebellion
gives place, before the march of her vic-
torious legions. Are these the character-
istics of a nation whose life is extinct? Is
this the Great Republic, of which the la-
chrymose Member of Parliament declared,
at the outbreak of the rebellion, "she is
dead?" Did you ever know a dead person
to act in this way before:--to persist in
standing upright, and ordering people
about as if she were really alive? Dead
nations, like dead men, are apt to lie still;
and to let the world go on in its own way.
But here is a nation that was pronounced
by the Coroner's inquest of European des-
pots to be dead, and yet her heart-throbs
are felt to-day in her remotest extremi-
ties and the symbol of her power is seen
flying at the mast-head everywhere around
the globe. For God came into the inquest,
and said "No; she is not dead, but
sleepeth." He took her by the hand, and
said unto her, "Arise!" And straightway
she arose.