6 MR. cushing's address. 



the council-chamber; it is the child of its own achievements. 

 And in thus learning to become great, it has learned the hard- 

 er lesson to be great ; for whilst other nations are struggling in 

 vain to establish free institutions, wildly tossing their limbs 

 in the throes and convulsions of mingled hope and fear, only 

 to sink down again into the death-like torpor of despair, we, 

 on the contrary, led forward by those great men among us, 

 whose solid minds are alike unshaken, whether by the " vultus 

 instantis tyranni" or by the "civium ardor prava jubentium," 

 have, amidst difficulties unexampled, held on our course in 

 conscious strength, proudly dashing behind us the troubled wa- 

 ters of discontent and disunion. 



Well, therefore, in such a time as this, might republican 

 France look with admiration at the spectacle of the regular 

 working of the institutions of this country, when the conquer- 

 or of many a well-fought and hard-won field of battle bowed 

 his head at last before the great conqueror, death, and the su- 

 preme power of the Union passed, in tranquillity and peace, to 

 the hands of one, having indeed just titles to respect, but not 

 of a name so identified with great events, as to make the heart 

 throb and the blood run thrilling through the veins, like his 

 predecessor, and not therefore equally sure of the spontaneous 

 deference of his countrymen. 



And well, therefore, may we say, to the American Union, 

 in the exquisite words of one of the sons of Essex : — 



Jlope of the world ! May each omen of ill 

 Fade in the light of thy destiny still ! 

 Time bring but increase and honor to thee, 

 Land of the beautiful, land of the free ! 



Nevertheless, it may be right for us to inquire, how much of 

 all these grand results, of this rapid growth in power, of this 

 happy combination of liberty with order, and of the organic 

 perfection of our political system, is due to men, their race, 

 character, spirit, institutions, and how much to other causes 

 above or beyond all human influences, and what those causes 

 are. 



Gentlemen, we hear much in these latter days of the Anglo- 

 Saxons, as if it were their blood in us, which makes or explains 

 the greatness of the United States. 



