eattopOintr.
PLACARDS OF CHARLES V.
rsomr THE HISTORY OF THE REFOR
ILATION IN THE NETHERLANDS.
Fr N. M. S.
Among the leading instrumentalities
of the great Emperor for the s'uppression
of heresy, his placards deserve especial
notice. His predecessors appeared to
have used them occasionally in making
known their will to the people, but it
was reserved to the persecuting zeal and
the cruel ingenuity of Charles, to devel
ope them into a grand engine of bigotry
and a standing terror to the friends of
truth. With the sentence of the Diet,
putting Luther under the ban of the
Empire, he commenced the long and
black series; and whenever any. fresh
indication came to his knowledge of the
growth of Reformed opinions, out came
another placard, loaded with terrible
threats, rivalling or exceeding inp.blood
thirsty severity all that had.:gone before.
Or, as the Emperor detected, now one,
now another way, by which the reform
ed might escape, either in their families
or their possessions, from the consequen
ces of their heresy, he promptly stopped
up the gap, by announcing in ~new pla
cards new punishments, or new applica
tions of the old. They were, in fact, a
constantly and rapidly increasing sys
tem of oppressive laws, utterances of the
arbitrary will of the Emperor, against
which it was impossible to, make any
provision in advance, and 'therefore
equivalent in injustice, in secrecy and in
terrible power, to the inquisition 'itself.
Like martial law, they anpercedefi all
other laws and all other modes of ad
ministering law, and left the people ut
terly at the mercy of the Emperor. He
was the unlimited dictator of their des
tinies. Their lives, their fortunes, their
citizenship, the position of their families,
hung upon the tenor of the next placard.
Motley very properly calls these pla
cards : "A masked inquisition even more
cruel than that of Spain."
The first one which appeared in these
provinces againethe Reformed opin
ions was in 1521, immediately after
Luther had been put under the ban of
the Empire. It was posted up at Brus
sels. In this document, the Emperor
boasts of his own' and his' illustrious
aneettors l devotion to the RoMish
Church, and purpose to suppress, by
every means in their power, all heresy
and infidelity in the bounds of their do
% minions. Then, describing , Lather's
errors, he says :
"It seems to us that the *person of
the said Martin is not a human creature,
bat a devil in the figure of a man, and
cloaked in the habit of a monk to enable
him so much the better and more easily
to bring the race of mankind to ever
lasting death and destruction."
As we have already given the sub
stance of this placard, we shall not here
repeat it. Brandt, the historian, says
its promulgation was a violation of the
laws of the land. Formerly, the old
counts of Holland never made any laws •
of importance without the consent of
nobles and people. But the Emperor,
by virtue of his own authority only,
made this placard in the German city of
Worms, and paid no attention to the
authorities of Holland, except to request
them to make it public.,
The next instrument of the kind of
which we read, was - published' Septem
ber 25, 1525. In this all secret and
open meetings were forbidden, the ob
ject of which was to preech and read
the Gospel, the Ephitles of Paul and
other spiritual writings. Italso forbade
any disputes about the holy faith, the
sacraments, the power of the Pope and
councils, and other ecclesiasticel matters
in private hqpses and at meals: It pro:
'Tided that all heretical books should be
burned, and nothing printed that was
not approved by,the council.
On the 17th of July, a placard, de
nouncing with great minuteness the
practices of preaching and discussing
matters of doctrine, appeared. at . Mech
lin. It recognized among the preachers
not only those whom it termed "igno
rant fellows," bat it spoke also of various
classes of priests, who presumed to as
scend the pulpit and there , rehearse the
errors and sinister notions of Lather and
his adherents. It traced the readiness
of the people to follow these heresies to
the fact, that some of the laity read the
Flemish and Walloon Gospels, explaining
and discussing their doctrines in their'
private meetings. Wherefore it forbids
all assemblies for the purpose of read
ing, speaking, conferring or preaching
concerning the Gospel or other sacred
writings in Latin, Yleinish or .the Wal
loon languages. It also forbids preach
ing, teaching, or in any way promoting
the doctrines of Lather. Stretchingits
authority over the private and domestic
conversation of the subject, the 'placard
ordains that no man, either in public or
in private, either within or without his
house, either at table or in common dis
course, presume to do or say, in preach
ing, reading or disputing, anything that
might incite or move spinet, or divert
and distract the minds of the common
people from the faith, and from- all that
is tadght by the holy Church. These
offences were to be punished by 9.ne and
banishment. Bat the books 3f Luther
and other reformers, and all the books of
Scripture in German, Flemish, Walloon
or French with notes and expositions
according to the doctrines of Luther,
should be brought to some public place
and burnt, and whoever,• after the publi
cation of this placard, should presume
- * TELE — AMERICAN PRESBYTERIAN, - TIEURSDAT: DECEMBER - 27; ism
to keep any of these books and writings
by them, should forfeit life and goods.
This placard shows us that, while
preachers were multiplying and pests
were boldly proclaiming the truti yet
the dissemination of Protestant books
was regarded by the Emperor as the
most powerful agent of the Reformation.
Preachers he fined and banished, books
subjected their possessors to loss of life
as well as goods.
Of the two issued in 1529, the follow
ing are specimens. The first, which
was posted up in Brussels, Oct. 14, pro
vided that all persons who had in their
custody prohibited books, which they
had not brought forth to be burnt, as
required in former placards, be con
demned to death without pardon or re
prieve. None that lay under the mere
suspicion of heresy were to be admitted
to any honorable employ. The better
to discover heretics, it was provided that
half of their estates should go to the in
formers. If the estate was large, a
share of the remaining half should also
be given. , In carrying out this placard,
it was ordered that, the tedious formali
ties of a regular trial•shouldbe set aside,
and the case ilecided as summarily as in
reason and equity might, be done. Offi
cers who failed in performing these
duties were to be removed from their
positions. Here, again, the dreaded
heretical books are made prominent. We
may also infer, from the placard, that
great difficulty was experienced in pro
curing testimony against Protestants, so
that large rewards had to be offered for.
informers.
The placard of the 7th• of December
provided that nobody should presume,
from that time forward, to write, print,
or cause to be written or printed, any
new book, upon any subject l whatever,
without having first obtfined-letters of
license for that purpose, on pain of being
publicly whipped on the scaffold, and
marked besides •with a red-hot iron, or
having an eye put oat, or a hand cut off,
at the discretion of the judge who was to
see the sentence executed without mercy.
So much was feared from the circulation
of Protestant books, which doubtless
continuekto be
. very -great, that the Em
peror ordered this placard to be published
again November 15th, and every six
months afterward.
That these placatds were not a dead
letter, we have seen in the sad stories of
persecution and martyrdom already told.
'One of the first printers Of Luther's
Bible in the Low Dutch language was
condemned to death and beheaded for
his crime. A collection of comforting
pages of Scripture, called " The Well
of Life," was made and printed ; and
although it contained nothing brit the
word of God, without note or. comment,
a certain Franciscan friar living in Bra
bant, came to Amsterdam, where - it was
printed, and bought up and destroyed
the whole edition. However, it was at! ,
terward reprinted in several.other places.
In 1536, William Tyndale, the - transla
tor of the New Testament into English,
who had fled from persecution in his
native country and taken tefuge in Hol
land and Germany, was seized at Ant
werp and carried to a neighboring town,
where he was st*ngled and hurnt. It
is, indeed, remarkable that Tyndale,
flying from England in 1532, should, for
thirteen years, have found in this coun
try of Holland, so afflicted with placards
against heretical bOoks, a better-oppor
tunity for translating, printing „ and die
seminatifig his 'Ne*
,Testament thin in
his own country, rapidly adiancing to
ward Protestantism as it waa. In all'
the feet that he *as a '-fo
probability,- r,
eigner was a protection to bird . :
Each new pladard againat heresy
issued by the Emperoi, had the appear :
ance of an ingenious device intended to
remedy some lately diacoteted defect
in his former plans for crushing heresy,
to close up some way of escape not
hitherto noticed or insufficiently guarded,
to bring the penalty to bear :upon. some
hitherto unaffected interest , in the per
son, propeity, family and fame of the
offender. Learning, doubtless; that some
heretics had, previous to their conviction;
willed or made over their property to
relatives and friends, the b Emperor, in a
placard issued in 1540 at Gant, pro
vided that, from the very time heretics
fell into their errors, they should be
ipso facto incapable of disposing of their
estates ; and that all alienations, gifts,
cessions, sales and conveyances, and all
bequests and legacies made by last will
and testament of such persons, should
become null and void. To this placard
was added the royal decree, requiring
the most rigorous execution of its provi
.sions. No mercy: was to be shown, no
matter what appeal was made or what
privilege, law, statute, custom or usage
of the country stood in the way.
This placard of Gant was , the signal
for a fresh outbreak of persecuting fury.
At Louvain a general search was made
for forbidden books, and two men were
burnt and two women buried alive, while
many others sought safety in flight.
And to aid in discovering offenders, the
plan employed in the detective depart
ment of our modern police was used.
Portraits of the heretics were 'painted
and hung up at the gates of the city and
in other public places, and rewards were
offered for their capture. In this city,
in 1543, twenty-eight or thitty 'persons
were burnt on account of their religion.
Bat Charles was not satisfied. Protes
tant books spread abroad too rapidly,
and he felt it necessary to draw the reins
still more tightly and , with greater rigor
and severity to - restrain their circulation.
And so mice more, out conies the pla
card, the peculiar device and ornament
of his policy ; at Gant, in December,
1544, it is published and it banishes
forever and heavily fines any one print
ing anything,. even not heretical, or any
thing in a language not commonly un
derstood, without a license ; any one
printing, selling or having a book with
out the author's name. Twice a year,
and as much oftener as might Er thought
necessary, every bookseller's ?bop was
to be searched for suspected books ; •and
no offender should be allowed to Shelter
himself under any privilege, liberty, ex
emption or even difference of jnrisdic
tion, so as to prevent the execution of
the placard.
A still later placard, published in
July, 1546, required that all printers of
books should, on receiving the-license,
take oath to obey all the laws; on the
subject, on pain of death. Here followed
a list of prohibited books, including the
Bible in Latin, with and. witbotit com
ments, the Dutch and. French B dale, and
the Dutch New Testiment. Jacob
Liesvelt, of Antwerp, the print: of one
of the Bibles, was put to death at Ant
werp, because he said in the i 4es to
one of his Bibles, followingh 4 copy,
that the salvation of mankin i comes
from Christ alone. ' I '
Still another, placard ap,pe red n,t
Brussels, November 2d, 1549, cssig ed
to stop up the little loopholes throtgh
which the policy of confiscation igh be
nullified. Whereai, says the 1 peitina
clone Emperor, some towns and Ic4an
viii
tries pretend that there could* no on
fiscation or forfeiture of estate\ w hin
their jurisdictions, on any pretenUe at
ever, and that it was a privilege w
as they said, they had enjoyed
ancient times, the Emperor did o
will and command, that in all the
mentioned, forfeitures should take,
throughout all his dominions, all
leges, usages and customs to thi
trary notwithstanding. And no ,
should be permitted to plead them n the
cases above mentioned.
While thus the circle of fire a met'
narrowing around the Reformers, God
was with them. In one case, at cast,
he executed judgment in their bitalf.
James Latomus, Professor of Dinfity
at Louvain, was at first well 8110 gh
disposed to the Reformation; but chg
ing suddenly, he did all in his powe to
,
suppress them. Bat at one time, asce d
ing the pulpit in Brussels, to pre h
before the Emperor, he was so cn-
founded that he could not utter an n-
telligible word, and all the congregat
fell to laughing at him. Chagrin at
failure now joined with an uneasy c
,science -and drove him to utter deep:
ip his public exercises he often• dropp d
expressions signifying that he had fon: , ti
against the truth ; whereupon his frien a
ig; the Romish Church, to prevent sea -
dal, shut him up in his house, where ,:
died despairing, crying out frequently,
that he was damned; that he was re
jested by God ; that he could not hop
for salvation nor pardon, having pr
sumptuously fought against God: Wh
would not rather have been Peter Brolly
a preacher of Strasburg, who, a fe
months liter, won the crown of honor
able martyrdom; continuing steadfaa,
in •the) profegsion of the truth ; uomfort
lug higfellow-prisoners and his wife with
letters, and triumphing over the tortures
of death by a elow fire„calling upon his
God and Saiiodr, with entire trust and
Confidence even-to the end. Who.would
hesitate in choosing between the fate of
It, martyr and a tiaitor ?
These threats 'contained in the. Fn
fteTpr's more recent placards of debar
ring an accused person from the enjoy
ment of • his riglitlo a fair trial tinder
the laws of his city or State, and of
practically annulling the charters of the
communities, was a highhanded piece of
injustice, an.d introduced the horrors - :of
that' rresponsible and absolute tribunal,
it% Inquisition, without the name, But
the name itself was not very long in
coming. The • omenh of its approach,
Which had been teadin the plaeards of
Gant and Brussels in 1540, 1544 and
1549, were fulfilled in that of April 29,
1550, also issued et Brussels. This
last confirmed all .that had gone before,
and also required all justices w and other
officers to give all favor, countenance
and encouragement, help and assistance
to the Inquisitors of the faith, whenever
their help was desired. And the placard
concluded by once more revoking the
privileges or local laws of the cities,
designed to, secure the citizens from in
justice.
(To be Continued.)
THE SEPULCHRES OF THE DEPARTED,
BY JANE BOSWELL MOOBB
I have been visiting the cemeteries of
the city, and contrasting the resting-places
of our departed with the graves of those
who fell on distant fields as • martyrs of
liberty. The plains and swamps of the
Peninsula, it is true, must remain what
they are, vast burial fields, where the
bones of noble patriots are bleaching in
the sun ; bat at Locust Grove, near Pe
tersburg, and at City Point, two large
cemeteries are filled with the dead who
fell before Petersburg or died in hospi
tals during the siege. Among the thou
sands of head-boards of the latter, we
walked, and read the names of some
who looked to us for physical comfort in
a dying hour ; and standing before La
zelle's Gallery in Petersburg, as the eye
runs over the scenes photographed,
memory also unveils her pictures of
those dark days. One needs to come
northward, to be cheered by the Sight
of quiet graves, where affectionate hearts
can freely come with offerings and testi
monials of love. I say cheered ; for did
not the patriarchs crave pleasant burial
spots, and was not Joseph's last' charge,
"Ye shall carry up my bones from
thence,", even though Egypt had been to
him a land of honor and , prosperity ?
On Sabbath we attended service in
St:" Stephen's, 'whose celebrated Burd
Monument attracts many visitors. This
beautiful group of marble figures is in a
small side-chapel, beneath which the
different metnbers of the whole family
are now gathered. But the noblest
monument they have left is the Burd
Orphan Asylum, richly endowed by
Mrs. Burd, whose former residence was
situated on Cheifithestreet, where Hal
leigh's fine marble' dry goods establish
ment now stands. 'The baptismal font,
which is very beautiful, was also pre
sented to the church by this lady ; near
the.entratice is the recumbent figure of
her husband, under` a marble catafalque.
Mubh as we like the open graveyard,
where the sunlight Of heaven may shine
throughout the year, there is something
touching ir , the old custom of burial in
the vaults ,Jeneath churches, It is also
suggestive to the living, to whom . - every
marble tablet on the church-wall, every
name on the pavement below, should
haveart eloquent voice.
In the Pine Street Church is a mural
tablet.: of deep interest. Above is a
crown of thorns with the wor = d " Mar
tyrs," and below are the names of some
eighteen or . more of our corintry's de
fenders who fell at Big Bethel, Chancel
lorsville, Gettysburg, Libby Prison and
other places, now made historic through
suffering. The first name is that of
Lieut. • Greble, whose praise was on
every lip; and who, though only twenty
seven, had greatly distinguished himself
in his profession, as well as endeared
himself to many hearts by his lovely
and Christian qualities. In Woodland
Cemetery he lies, near the grave of an
other gifted youth, Courtland Saunders.
Paternal affection has placed over each
its monument of mourning—oVer that
of young Saunders, a tall shaft of finely
polished stone ; while the design over
Lieut. Greble, the first West Point
officer killed in the war, is' singularlf
unique and beautiful. An exquisitely
carved eagle guards the tomb, of low,
white marble, filled up with fresh, green,
trailing love-entangled, whose immortal
freshness against the cold marble seems
to remind us that affection dies not at
the grave, that love is stronger than
death. .
What does not the nation owe to
those who laid down forts redemption
such an offering ? Eartff, indeed, can
offer no compensation. There are some
sorrows so deep that only the bliss of
heaven can soothe or repay. It is a
mistake`to suppose "that even the most
heartfelt 'gratitude of a redeemed people
can atone for such a loss; it cannot
,'cheer lonely hours, nor recall even one
'word from lifeless lips. Hearts which
havebeen thus stricken can lolly calm
themselves by the consciousness of right,
the knowledge of the joy into which
many of these loved ones have entered,
' and which we may well believe has been
heightened by a martyr's added reward,
and the meeting, which will compensate
for all pain.
ich,
'rom
dain
812038
LETTERS- FROM A COUNTRY PAR-
LATCH-STRIIIIIG AND
WHEEL.
Ministerial engagements led me, not
ong since, to a retired and rugged sec
tion of our State. During my stay it
is incidentally, mentioned . that, in an
bspure nook of the neighborhood, there
lived together, in a small and rude log-
Cabin, two females, each in her eigh
tieth year.. ' 'The? were, it was said,
supported partly through their own
feeble industry, and 'in part by the kind
ness of neighbors. "Both were well re
ported of for gentleness, industry and
piety. Each had raised a large - tan:lily,
yet all were either now dead, or gone
beyohd their reach or present knowl
edge.
Leisure sufficient being at command,
a visit to the aged, lonely pair was de
termined upon. From various motives,
my preference was to go alone, and be
gown introducer. Following the course
pointed out, across', hill and field and
wood, I was soon at the desolate-looking
spot and beside the primitive dwelling—
a veritable log•cabin of the Original
type, The last of its kind, in the rapid
advance of our race, will soon have dis
appeared, and be known henceforth only
in history, romance and poetry.
As I stopped to gaze on the rude
structure, with its appendages, precious
memories with commingling emotions
came crowding thick and fast: The
log-cabins, with latch-strings hanging
out, of 1840, with their hurly-burly po
litical excitements, were again_present,
Dearer memories also crowded in : My
birth-place and happy home in early
. years was in a log-cabin, the entrance
to which was opened by a latch-string.
The pull of the string, the click of the
latch, and the creaking of the wooden
hinges, are dearly cherished memories.
The door was gently approached and
made to resound with the old-fashioned
rap. " Come ini" was echoed back by
a cheerful voice. And lest the modern
civility of an inmate opening the door
should prevent, the string was quickly
seized and pulled. It was the old click
of the latch, with the creak of the wooden
hingesboyhood back again. .
There sat the venerable grand-
Mothers, as cheery looking as young
girls. A cheerfal fire was burning
against a clay back wall. The nimble
feet of one was making a tread-wheel
SONAGE.
spin around, as the rolls which she had
- just carded were being turned into
thread. No music of opera or Italian
trill half so sweet as the humming of
that dear old wheel Its wag the lullaby
which, in childhood, had hushed me un
numbered times to sleep. - This long
familiar music will soon have been
hushed into silence. It will die out with
our grandmothers. The instrument
itself will hereafter be found only in
museums of ancient curiosities. Old
things are speedily passing away. 'All
things are becoming 1 .. 1 ,1 0w. All honor,
however, to the old sputning-wheel, and
to those who, by long, and faithful tread
ing, helped so effectively to keep the
world in motion.
The other matron was busy knitting,
with'fingers as pliable as though they
had not been in motion fdr eighty- years.
Knitting has not gone' into such dintise,
nor become such a rarity, as spinning on
the tread-wheel. Notwithstanding all
the bewildering forms of machinery, ac
cumulated and so fast increasing in our
Patent Office, knitting still holds its
place as an universal feminine accom
plishment.
We were ,soon. •oit the= most friendly
and familiar terms. The events of eighty
years came pp in review.;nor did we
fail to turn the thoughts occasionally to
that goodly land yet afar off.'
"Grandma," -I: at length enquired,
when done spinning, "to whom will yon
leave your wheel ?"
" Nobody will have it, as mo one now
learns to spin." .
On being informed that I had lately
seen a lad in a woollen factory, spinning
by mtchinery seven hundred threads at
once, and faster than she was doing that
one,"W ell, well," she replied a little quer
ouely, "I had beiter lay by my old
wheel at once." " But what," she con
tinued, " are all the girls going to do
now ? Won't they all grow up in idle
ness, and become worthless, since, by
the use of these strange machines, they
will soon ; have nothing. to do ?"
The old lady's fears were not wholly
groundless. Our mothers, wives - , sisters,
and daughters do not seem to make the
most of their present marvelous ease
from former toil and diudgery. The
leisure obtained from modern labor-sav
ing machines is too often spent in idle
ness, vanity and pride. By each new
labor-saving machine God is saying to
the sons and daughters of, toil, " The
curse laid upon earthly drudgery is thus
in part lifted ; use the time thus gained
for your moral, intellectual and spiritual
improvement."
Although living in the midst of this
wondrously progressive age and coun
try, neither of them bad ever seen one
of our great cities, a steamboat, ship,
railroad, engine or car. The telegraph
was to them something altogether
mythical. They seemed unfitted for the
present, and were too old to be conformed
to the new order of things. Though
in the present generation, they were
nevertheless living with one that had
gone--a race of men and women,
though not so fast as ours, yet did its
work well, ,filled its mission, faithfully ;
thus laying broad and deep the founda
tions for our present greatness:
The pleasing and pro table interview
was at length terminated, and is not
likely to be renewed until the ' final
gathering around the great white throne.
Passing out of the door, I took _hold of
the latch-string and related to them my
special interest in the old relic.. The
earnest wish , was also explyssed, that
as - they must both noon: depart, they
might make the final journey,in compn 7
ny, and when rencbing the goal above,
they might find the latch-string hanging'
out there. • A. IC ST:BWART.
FRAZEE CHEST= COUNTY, PA.
TESTIMONIAL TO GEO. H. STUART, .ESQ.
On the evening of Thursday - last, the
13th inst., a reunion of members, work
ers and friends of the U. S. Christian
Commission took place at the rooms of
the Young Men's Christiao Association
'to participate, in the presentation of a
testimonial to - Mr. Geo. H. Stuart, the
self-denying and efficient head of the late
U. S. Christian Commission, in recogni
tion of his untiring devotion • to the in
terests of that great Christian work. The
memorial presented is a beautiful bust
of General Grant, executed in the purest
Carrara marble, by Mr. W. H. Philips,
a pupil of Powers and. Crawford at
Rome, and a 'fellow student at Munich
with Bierstadt and Lentze.
The rooms of the Association were
filled with clergymen, .prominent mer- .
chants ind other :workers of the Chris
tian Commission, many of whom had
come from a distance. ' Among these
we observed- Rev. H. Dyer, D.D., of
New York; Archibnld Russell, h §q ., of
New York ; J: A. Anderson, Esq., of
Lambert Ville, N. J.; Rev. E. P. Smith,
ex• Secretary of the U. S. Christian Com
.
mission ; ex-Gov. Pollock; A. S. Pratt,
Esq., of the Treasury Department, Wash
ington; and Rev. George J. Mingins, of
New York City Mission.
Mr. Stuart appeared, supported by his
friends, suffering severely from an asth
matic attack which had deprived him
of sleep for twelve nights.
Stephen Colwell, Esq., was called to
the chair, and desired Rev. Robert J.
Parvin to state the object of the meet
ing.
Mr. Parvin—besides a few explana
tory - remarks, in compliance with the
request of the Chairman, in which he
stated they were met to recognize, in
this testimonial on the part of the Com
mission, trie.valnable services rendered
by Mr. Stnart S during the war in behalf
of the wounded and dying on the field
and in the hospital-- 7 read several com
munications from the various Branch
Committees of the Commission in rela
tion to this, as well as letters of regret
from Major-General George G. Meade,
Prof. M. L. Stoever, of Gettysburg; Hon.
Chas. Demond, of Boston ; Walter S.
Griffiths, Esq., of Brooklyn, and others, in
which they expressed their regret at not
being able to be present. Mr. Parvin
concluded by reading the following let
ter of presentation as the fittest expres
sion of the feelings and purpose which
had brought them together on the pre
sent occasion :
Hr. George H. Stuart :
'DEAR BROTHER:—Your fellow-labor
ers in the work of the United States
Christian Commission have known and
appreciated the zeal, energy, efficiency
add self-sacrifice with which you de
voted yourself to the management of its
affairs, as its Chairman, during the
whole period of its existence.
They believe that to you. the Commis
sion is •very largely indebted for the
wonderful success which God gave it.
They desire to express their gratitude
and love in a permanent form, and for
this purpose, they have procured a
marble bust of General. Grant, to be
given to you as a memorial of your
noble services, and of their appreciation
of them. #
General Grant gave to the Commis
sion his cordial approval and aid, and
so contributed in no small degree to its
success ;--be is one of your most valued
personal friends. His likeness will bring
to mind pleasant remembrances of the
Nation's great struggle for existence, in
which you both have taken so honorable
part.
We will give you no words of praise;
—you do not need, you do not .desire
them ;—your acts have built for you a
monument purer and more enduring
than this marble. Your " memorial"
will endure so, long as the thousands
who have been led to Jesus by the Coni
mission of which you were the head;
shall shine as the stars in the Redeemer's
crown.
Your friends of the Commission in
different parts of the country have united
in this testimonial. In their behalf we
express the hope that your health and life
may long be spared, and that you may
be blessed of Him who forgetteth not a
cup of cold water given in His name.
CHAS. DEMOND, Bo3toll,
ROB)T. J. Pitivmr, Philadelphia.
JAY COOKE, Philadelphia.
Wm. P. WEYMAN, Pittsburgh.
A. E. CHAMBERLAIN, Cincinnati,
Counnittee.
Pau U3ELPHIA, December 13, 1866
Mr. Stuart replied in a brief address,
—his health not permitting of extended
remarks--thanking his friends for this
undeserved testimonial of their friend
ship. He regretted his inability to con
tinue, and then gave way to—
Ex-Governor Pollock, who made an
address im.which he reviewed the many
good works accomplished by the United
States Christian Commission, of which
Mr. Stuart was the honored President.
Addresses followed from Rev. J.
Wheaton Smith, D.D., Rev. E. P. Smith,
Rev. Alexander Reed, D.D.,, Rev. Geo.
J. Mingins, and Rev. Dr. Breed.
The bust was then inspected by the
assembled company who, ‘ lmanimously
pronounced it a striking' likeness of the
great soldier it represents. , It cost
$l5OO and weighs 1100 pounds. The
pedestal, of pure Tennessee marble, is
of exceeding beauty, and by its dark
'lshade `contrasts finely with the white of
the bust, and Mr. treble, who mounted
the bust, pronounces it to be, the finest
Carrara marble he has ever met with.
' The company afterward adjourned to
an adjoining room, where they - partook
of a fme collation-furnished by the Asso
dation.
MAN.
Man is a compound of good and ill; an
intermingling of light and darkness ; a che
quered surface, of black and white. In this
characteristic . , man is a kind of type of the(
.entire universe, in which neither pure
good nor pure evil is ever found, but such
a blending of the two as produces a sort of
twilight, or such occasional outbursts of
light or predominance of darkness as causes
either the brightness of midday or the deep
darkness of midnight. And as in nature
and history there appears a ceaseless con
flict between these two principles, the one
of light, the other of darkness, so in each
human soul is there a constant combat pro
ceeding between the opposing forces of
good and of ill, the victory nowinclining to
one side, no* to theother. But whichever
way it inclines, it shows,
by unmistakeable
effects, that all that God can do - for man,
and all that man can do for himself, is
needed and demanded, in order to strength
en the good and weakemtie ill, so that
both goodness and immortality may eventu
ally gain , the mastery in the soul.
LO I GOD-IS HERE.
He who is mit' with God already, can
by no path of space find the least approach;
in vain would you lend Min the wing of
angel or the speed of light; in vain plant
here or there, on this side of death or
that.; he is in the outer darkness still,
having that inner blindness which would
leave him pitchy night, though, like the
angel of the Apocalypse, he were standing in
the sun. But 'ceasing all vain 'travels, and
remaining with his foot upon this weary
earth, let him subside into the depths of
his own wonder and love; let the touch of
sorrow, or the tears of conscience, or the
toils of duty open the - hidden places of his
affections; , and the distance, infinite be
fore, 'wholly disappears; and he finds, like
the'patriarch, that though the stone is his
Miaow and the earth his bed ;. 3 yet in ,
lie very house of God ;Ind at the gate of