Excerpt from The Peril of the Republic the Fault of the People: An Address Delivered Before the Senate of Union College, Schenectady, July 20, 1863, and Before the Literary Societies of Franklin and Marshall College; Lancaster, Pa;, July 29, 1863 IN years gone by, when peace serenely smiled over a land glorious and blest, and every face was radiant with joy, it was fitting that your Orator should select a theme suggested by your collegiate career, enforce it with the logic of the schools, and grace it with gems culled from the classic and historic page. But, alas! These are days gloomy and joyless! America trembles in her altitude of splendor. Struck by myriads of blows from ambitious and successful treason, her life seems ebbing fast. The nations look withhold indifference or secret satisfaction as perish the liberties which an heroic race bequeathed an endless posterity. Dark and despairing as are these times, all may yet be well if we regain the virtues of our fathers. You, gentlemen of the Senate, are to act your part in times without a parallel. You are either to link your names with the renown of a mighty people, or sink with your country into bloody and dishonored graves. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.