USA > Ohio > Hamilton County > Cincinnati > The Cincinnati pioneer > Part 14
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I am stopping at Dr. Waddle's, and I have got a first-rate place to stop at, too, and the only objection I have to it is because he gives us twice as much to eat as we can. [Laughter and applause.] Your whisky is very bad over here. I never taste any unless it is accompanied by two or three affidavits as to its purity. It is n't like old Bourbon. [Renewed laughter and applause.] Corn not grown on limestone land will not make Bourbon whisky; and that is what makes Kentucky as good as it is. [Laughter.] If we had freestone
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land we could not make good Bourbon whisky either. When I cross the Ohio River I never take any whisky. I am sorry to say that I am . going to leave at five o'clock, and can not be present to-morrow. Our court is sitting, and I have to be there to attend to some business. I have a suit against one of those thieving railroad companies. I have had to sue one of them, and I have got to look after that suit, and I thank you for the attention with which you have listened to my re- marks. The old Romans discharged from duty one who had served them for twenty years, but they do not discharge me after doing duty for fifty years. [Laughter.]
SPEECH OF HON. E. D. MANSFIELD,
PRESIDENT OF CINCINNATI PIONEER ASSOCIATION.
GENTLEMEN OF THE PIONEERS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: I am happy to learn from General Coombs his Union sentiments, but when one has a Union mother, and is brought up with Union sentiments, he remains Union forever. I have come three hundred miles to meet you here, and I am not in a fix to make a speech. Every mile that I traveled coming here reminds me of the work of the Pioneers. I have been to Cleveland, and I there saw a Chief of the Creek In- dians, and he claimed for them the benefit of the Mission funds, be- cause he said that we had driven them from their lands, and we ought now to educate and Christianize them. I also saw there a black man who demanded the same thing for his people, and the whites also came to demand for their respective people; and. I then saw and felt that we were happy, indeed, in the bonds of a common Christianity ; and as I came along I saw in the valleys of the Miami and Sci- oto that the work and labors of the Pioneers had taken root ; and coming along so fast in a railroad train, so fast that the axles of the cars burned, I saw the difference between to-day and the days of my boyhoo:l. Then it took thirty days to go from here to New York City, and now it takes one. And in this journey from the City of the Lakes to Chillicothe, I realized what we never dreamed of when my father's family came to this State, when we came through miles of corduroy roads where the whole of it was swamps, and which to-day is dry land, and where grain and grass were growing, and fatted cattle were feeding; and all this showed how this State had been reduced from a state of nature to the most cultivated gardens ; and I thought that some will look at the
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graves and the marbles of those who have passed away, but the work of the Pioneer will perish never.
This is a centennial year, and the next will be a centennial year ; and last year was also a centennial one, beginning with the battles of Lexington and Bunker Hill; and for the next fourteen years, ending with the anniversary of the Constitution, there will be a series of centennials of that series of events in which Wash- ington appears as the principal character on canvas of American History. It is proper, therefore, for us to remember that Washing- ton was a Pioneer of the Ohio Valley. It is one hundred years
Mt. Vernon.
since the fires of the American Revolution, but it is one hundred and twenty-two years since Washington, then a young man of twen- ty-one years, became an adventurer in the valley of the Ohio. . This takes us to the formation of the first Ohio company in 1748 · by, I think, Virginians. The first agents of that company reconnoi- tered between the wilderness and the waters of the Alleghany, and they were driven back, and the French built Fort Duquesne. Gov- ernor Dinwiddie then sent out Washington, and he and his party ar- rived on the banks of the Alleghany in the month of December, when the ice was floating down the river; and they tried to get across, and the raft was upset, and he was saved by holding on to a log. There was a special providence that saved his life in this, as well as upon all other occasions of his life. He went, like Joshua of old, to
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spy out the land, and he was preserved like him. Two or three years afterward, when he was trying to collect troops for Braddock, he stopped at a gentleman's house, and Mrs. Custis, who became Mrs. Washington, was in that house.
I have already told you about the Creeks, who said we had wrested their lands from them, and as a compensation for it we ought to give them as good an education as possible, and I will tell you of another. I saw, when a boy, in Mill Creek Valley, a swarthy man riding up to our house, and mother told me it was Little Turtle, the great Indian Chief. He had come there peaceably, as he had ever been to the whites. Little Turtle had commanded Indians against the whites, and when General Wayne took command of our army he told his people that they must have peace, as they now had to deal with a man who never sleeps. He was partially a civilized man, and had met with the celebrated Frenchman, Volney, and Vol- ney had told him the theory of the Indian coming to this continent from Asia, and Little Turtle asked him why it was not just as plaus- ible a theory that the Asiatics had come from America, and why could it not be so? It would be just as easy to prove one theory as the the other. When Little Turtle died, it seemed to me that the last great Indian had left the country forever. He had settled at Green- ville, and he died of a very unusual disease for an Indian, the gout ; and in his last moments requested that the big guns might be fired over him, and it was done in accordance with his request; and so died the greatest Indian chief that ever lived in Ohio.
, As we have assembled in the old city of Chillicothe, I want to tell you what was thought about Ohio abroad. When we went back to Litchfield, Connecticut, on a visit, I found a pamphlet there that set forth the difficulties and dangers of coming to Ohio, and amongst other things it said that the mud was three or four feet deep ; there was danger from the Indians ; that every man, woman and child had the ague ; and the mosquitoes were so large they bit through your boots [laughter] ; and as a matter of fact, when we returned through the Pickaway plains, it was three feet deep in mud. But the Indians never did much harm in Ohio, and yet this climate that brings forth fever and ague makes its wealth. Do you know what those counties of Clinton and Pickaway were when it was so muddy and fever and ague so bad? They have raised such crops as never have been raised anywhere, and the very qualities that were used to frighten people away were the very qualities that make Ohio so great. Twenty mill-
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ions of acres of forest trees have been cut down, and those thousands of churches and houses have been built. And now, my friends, look at the results, and see what they have been within the memory of the . Pioneers! Why, the records of the last seventy years show greater results than the world ever saw before. In the last four thousand years, from the time of Abraham to the time of Thomas Jefferson, they had not made any progress at all in that time in their modes of conveyance and transportation ; but during the administration of Jef- ferson came the steamboat, and afterward came the railroad, and : now ocean steamers bring their thousands to our shores every year from Europe, China, and Japan.
I wish to call your attention to another thing. No nation of an- - tiquity ever undertook to give the people an education. What would Demosthenes have thought if you had asked to send people to a com- mon-school? He would have told you they were not fit to be edu- cated ; but in this single century we have made common-schools the popular means of education, and have said that the people have a right to be educated, and this day eight hundred thousand youths are in the schools and colleges of Ohio. Their theory was that society was a great pyramid, and the great body of the pyramid should be kept in ignorance to support the column. Our theory of to-day is that a re- publican form of government can not exist without these Corinthian columns resting upon the solid foundation of a popular education. We Americans have put it into our Constitution, and in the Ordi- nance of 1787, and I hope it will thus remain as long as it lives ; and it is for our children to say whether these institutions are to be pre- served. In former days it was with pride a man said, "I am a Ro- man ;" and a citizen of this country can say with equal pride, " I am an American." The Pioneers will want no other epitaph than their labors, and if you were to take the most graphic pen to write it, it would be in the words of the Prophet Daniel, " Men run to and fro, and knowledge is increased ;" and it is as true in fact to-day as when he said it. The four first acts of the drama are closed, and the fifth is at hand.
This closed the entertainments of the Pioneer gathering, and shortly afterward the departing trains bore away toward home those honored guests from a happy reunion, which to many of them will doubtless be the last they can enjoy until they join the great army of Pioneers in that better land where they meet to part no more. They
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all seemed to take unalloyed enjoyment in their visit here, and cer- tainly the citizens of Chillicothe were proud and pleased to have the honor of entertaining them.
So hearty was the manifestation of regard paid to the old folks, and so earnest were all classes in attention to the aged, that it would be ungrateful not to put in permanent shape, for preservation, this inter- esting address. The newspapers of Chillicothe were enterprising and public-spirited, and we but second their service by reproducing their reports in this pamphlet.
THE PIONEERS OF OHIO.
A SERMON delivered in St. Paul's P. E. Church, May 30, 1875, the Sunday follow- ing the visit of the Pioneer Association to Chillicothe, by the Rector, REV. ALBERT R. STUART.
Philemon ninth verse : " Being such a one as Paul the aged."
The great. Apostle to the Gentiles, it seems, was once constrained by his generous, unselfish nature, to appear as an humble supplicant in his old age. In the epistle before us we find him pleading most earnestly for Onesimus, a run-away slave, and requesting Philemon, his master, to receive and forgive and restore him to his confidence. Both of these men, the master as well as the slave, had been converted under St. Paul's ministry, and he loved them both with an impartial love, as his own children in the Gospel. Because of this sacred rela- tion he tells Philemon that instead of entreating he had a right, if he chose to exercise it, to command him, as his own spiritual father, to dictate and enjoin the course of duty which he deemed expedient. But he prefers to waive this right and appeal to the heart. He rests his plea upon that sense of eternal truth and fitness which dwells within the renewed soul; and in order to insure the success of his petition, he refers to his gray hairs, and his increasing infirmities as a reason why it should not be rejected. "Though I might be much bold in Christ to enjoin thee that which is convenient, yet for love's sake I rather beseech thee, being such a one as Paul the aged."
Can any thing be more touching than the spectacle of this vener- able servant of God pleading with one younger than himself, a mere novice in the Church, and beseeching him by his hoary head and tot-
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tering step and form bowed down, to regard the voice of his suppli- cation.
We are reminded by it of another scene, one of the most striking · pictures painted on the Bible page : the picture of the aged Patriarch, Jacob, leaning upon his staff before the Egyptian autocrat-a stranger in a strange land-and answering Pharaoh's question, "How old art thou?" with the memorable words, "few and evil have the days of the years of my life been."
Old age is venerable under all circumstances. It is rendered sacred by its many associations. We regard it with awe and treat it with reverence because of the numberless afflictions, the perils passed and the hardships endured, as well as the youthful joy and gladness - forever gone, which it represents. No right-minded man can look with- out emotion upon the sunset of life, can see without concern the signs of decay, the sure precursors of speedy dissolution. The hoary head and palsied hand of age has ever pleaded irresistibly for the sympathies of the human heart!
It is not surprising, then, if men in the past have deemed it a privilege as well as a duty to honor old age. When we read of the ancient hero, the pious Æneas, who amid all the toils and trials and fierce conflicts of his stormy, eventful career, never forgot to love and cherish and tenderly care for the aged Anchises ; and when we hear of those bloodthirsty Barbarians, the conquerers of Rome, who paused in their relentless course when brought face to face with the venerable Sen- ators of the Eternal City-as seated in silence arrayed in the robes of office, and with long, white flowing beards they awaited and invited the fatal stroke ! when our attention is drawn to these facts, I say, we see in them proof palpable, that old age has always demanded and received due respect, that the minds of men have always been profoundly moved by the spectacle of dignity and wisdom and ripe experience combined with declining years and failing strength.
The name of Joseph is more endeared to our hearts, probably, than the name of any other Scripture character, that " name which is above every name " alone excepted. But if it were not for the fact that Joseph excelled in filial devotion to his aged parent, if we did not find him sharing with him his honors, sending for him as soon as circum- stances permitted, delighting to provide for him and make a bright and happy home for him, if this had not been the course of Jacob's darling, his name would never have shone with such resplendent lus- ter. We admire his manly bearing under adversity, it is true ; we are
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charmed by his chastity, his fidelity, the purity of his mind; we are impressed by the dignity and wisdom he displayed in the affairs of State ; we are touched by his generous treatment of his brethren, his would-be assassins -- and we see him with pleasure showing an innocent partiality for Benjamin, his mother's son ; but Joseph, we feel, is not complete until old Jacob comes tottering upon the stage and around him are thrown the arms of his boy, those strong, faithful arms, and we hear the care-worn patriarch sobbing upon his neck : "Now let me die, since I have seen thy face, because thou art yet alive."
May we not hope, my friends, that such loving reverence and un- feigned respect for dear, good, honorable old age are just as strong and vigorous to-day in the hearts of men, as they seem to have been in that olden time !
We are glad to believe that Joseph and Æneas are still present in spirit with this generation, in the lives and acts of many an affec- tionate son and dutiful daughter, and we would hail it as a bad sign, as the worst indication of universal and incurable social demoraliza- tion, if "such a one as Paul the Aged " might not still command our services and excite within us our deepest sympathies and respect.
That such a sign can ever appear is belied by the bright experi- ence of the past week.
As a community it has been your joy and privilege very recently to honor old age. With a generous hospitality you have opened your houses and extended your hands to welcome a band of veterans, to whom, for faithful work and sturdy patriotism and pure living, your country and your State stand greatly indebted to-day. It was a grate- ful task, and I believe it was gracefully performed. All that ready minds and abounding resources could do was done.
You were doubtless moved to be kind and courteous to these vet- eran visitors, and to vie with each other in your efforts to honor them, because the eye of age looked meekly into your hearts, and the voice of age echoed mournfully through them. They reminded you of the fact that you, too, the youngest among you, are growing old. They seemed to warn the halest and heartiest that soon for them also the light of day must begin to pass away, and the shades of evening to gather, and the shadows to grow broader and deeper. It is well that this thought should have been brought so near to us by the presence of these hoary heads among us. It is well that we should realize that life is short and time speeding, and human strength limited. It is well that we have been made to think of the old proverb, which says,
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"Old age is a courtier ; he knocks again and again at the window and at the door, and makes us every-where conscious of his presence." "Woe, then, to the man who becomes old without becoming wise ; woe · to him if this world shuts the door without the future having opened its portals to him !"
Another thought probably added a glow and a gentleness to your entertainment of these venerable' strangers, which, had they been younger, would not have been so perceptible. You remem- bered, probably, that with many of them, at least, it was the last time. You thought of how rapidly the old people are going home ; how they are dropping around us, "like leaves in wintry weather ;" how soon even the most robust among them, those with every faculty as yet sound and entire, those with both body and mind, as yet, unim- paired, must soon feel the sandy foundations gliding from under them. When you remembered that the old man stood before you with one foot in the grave, it made you grasp his hand more cordially. When you thought of the angel of death hovering above him, impa- tient to remove him to another sphere, you felt drawn toward him. And when you thought of saying farewell, with little or no prospect of seeing your departing guest again, your heart melted within you.
Such we hope, and I believe was, the temper and disposition of your minds when old age entered your door and sat at your board during the past week, and such we trust will ever be your feelings whenever permitted to do it honor.
But old age of itself, considered simply as a teacher, showing the flight of time and preparing us for the final parting, could not inspire us with deep and abiding feelings of respect, unless it impressed us also with a sense of its worth and goodness. There is not a more repulsive spectacle than a wicked old man, who will not forsake the world, which has already forsaken him. And "the hoary head is a crown of glory," saith Solomon, "if it be found in the way of the Lord." Evidently, then, the thought of their worth and work and sterling in- tegrity had to be connected with your reflections upon their declining years, before you could fully revere and warmly welcome the members of the Pioneer Association of your State. You thought, doubtless, of their courage in facing the dangers and difficulties attendant upon the early settlement of the country-of the arduous task they accom- plished in going before to remove obstructions and prepare the way for the grand civilization which we behold around us-of the many virtues they must have possessed and displayed in laying deep and
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broad foundations-of their honesty and simplicity --- of their pluck and perseverance-of their love of liberty and love of country and love of God. You thought of these things, and as you thought the fire burned. You felt as if every Pioneer you met was indeed "such a one as Paul the Aged "-of the same mind and spirit, with some- what the same brave, pure record-and as one who had fought a good fight and finished his course and subdued the earth, you delighted to do him honor.
And all this was just as it should have been. It is impossible for us to show too much respect to those who molded the nation's life in the critical period of gestation, and gave tone and direction, shaping and coloring to our popular institutions during the tender years of infancy. Our old men have done their work well. God bless them ! We are reaping to-day that whereon we bestowed no labor. "Other men have labored and we are entered into their labors. As wise master builders, they have laid the foundation, and others build thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereon."
The Pioneer's part is performed, the "well done" of his Lord awaits him-friends are ahead of him-and every year he lives he is nearer to his crown of glory.
Not so with us who follow in their train. A grave responsibility rests upon us. We are called upon to take up the work at the point our fathers left it off. Are we equal to the task? Are we fitted either by the elevation of our moral life or by the thorough training of our minds, or by the depth and sincerity of our religious convictions to execute their designs and carry out their splendid plan of government. Have we their faith, their firmness of purpose, their powers of physical endurance, their spotless integrity, and above all, their unselfish patriot- ism? It seems to me as if, in all these things, we are less than de- ficient.
The American people are more numerous to-day, but they are neither as pure nor as freedom-loving nor as self-reliant as they once were. The country stands aghast before the unmistakable signs of political rottenness and selfishness, misrule and corruption which recent events have brought to the surface on every side. She looks in vain for a man, a leader, a statesman ! There is something almost prophetic in the way she seems to be turning to her old public servants and insisting upon them forsaking their well earned seclusion and once more donning the robe of office. It indicates an exceeding great dearth of promising and prominent young men. It almost looks as
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if she can not live without " such a one as Paul the aged." It certainly implies that her youth are idle, her trusted officials inefficient, her children every-where not doing their duty.
In this critical condition of affairs our course as Christian men and women is clearly defined. As much as in us lies, we should be up and doing. It is vain to indulge in impotent regrets. We should regard our every gift and faculty as bestowed by God to be faithfully em- ployed in the service of our fellow men. We should resolve to rebuke the wrong and maintain the right, cost what it may. We should resort ever to Him whom we consider the central Source of Light and Life for strength to do our best. We should live thus, or it may be said hereafter that, because of our moral deterioration and our criminal disregard of truth and righteousness, in the grave of its founders were buried the best days of the Republic.
Fourth of July, 1875.
[We furnish Report of the Cincinnati Gazette.]
THE PIONEERS AT THE COUNCIL CHAMBER.
AMONG the happiest assemblages bent on enjoying the Fourth, yes- terday, was that of the Pioneer Association at the Council Chamber in the afternoon. Every chair was filled, and all the sofas and other chairs to be found in the building were brought in to accommodate the people. A big Pioneer lunch basket was on the reporter's table. Near the door stood a huge barrel labelled "Pioneer." It was full of lemonade, and the old people quenched their thirst from it by the aid of a gourd and of tin cups.
The President, Mr. E. D. Mansfield, occupied the chair, and the proceedings began by a congregational singing of the familiar hymn,
" From all that dwell beneath the skies."
Then the venerable chaplain read a passage from the Psalms, and led in a fervent prayer.
"Life in the West," a song by H. Thane Miller, came next, and was heartily enjoyed.
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The Secretary, Mr. J. D. Caldwell, read the following poems: THE PIONEERS TO THE FLAG.
Dedicated to the Cincinnati Pioneer Association, by P. MALLON.
We meet again, a lessening band, Upon this birthday of our land. The flag that was our father's guide Is still our emblem and our pride.
When Freedom, at her birth, arose, Our banner was her swaddling clothes ; To full estate, arrived at length, It still shall be her tower of strength. .
Beneath its folds no slave shall pine, No traitor worship at its shrine ; But freedom, truth, and right and law,
From it shall inspiration draw.
As ages roll this flag shall shine, Fit symbol of the truth divine ; That man with man shall equal be, In life, in thought, and action free. July 4, 1875.
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