ly filled, descended as of old the white frost and mantling 

 snows of winter. Then came once more the welcome spring,- 

 with its warm south winds and gentle rains, and swelling buds, 

 and fresh verdure upon the hills, with all its new and won- 

 drous bii'th of vegetable life, till the summer's sun poured out 

 its full eflfulgence to nourish the labor of man and ripen the 

 fruits of the earth, — and until now again the autumn, in all her 

 golden pomp has come, bearing in her bounteous arms the 

 varied products of the soil, to reward the labors of the hus- 

 bandman and to gladden the hearts of the sons of toil. 



But while nature has thus been the same, imvarying, benefi- 

 cent and true, in the political relations of men, in public 

 afiairs, a fearful revolution has sprung up, and is now in mid 

 and mad career. Instead of being at peace with all the world, 

 instead of living in harmony mth each other, the United States 

 are involved in a bloody war, — and worst of all, a war in 

 which those who for so many years have dwelt in prosperity 

 and happiness together, are contending, with and have turned 

 their swords against each other. It is a war in which are in- 

 volved two momentous issues, perhaps the most momentous 

 wliich have ever been staked in any struggle since Christian 

 civilization began. The first issue is, whether the experiment, 

 the last, greatest, best experiment of a free government, is a 

 failui-e or a success ; whether the hope of the world, the desire 

 of ages, for which patriots in all times and in all lands have 

 struggled and died, a Free Republic, — so vast in extent and 

 rich in resources as to wield imperial power, so based upon jus- 

 tice and truth, imbued with knowledge and morality, and 

 actuated by virtue and honor, as to exercise that power for the 

 benefit of mankind, — whether such a republic can exist and 

 survive, and go on culminating in glory and might, and be for 

 a light and a joy to all the nations, or whether it must follow 

 in the sad train of barbarous kingdoms and despotic powers, 

 and like the dynasties wliich survive only in their crumbliiig 

 ruins, go out in anarchy and blood. This is the issue in which 

 all Chi'istcndom is interested. 



