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THE CONGRESS OF WOMEN.
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To all the nations, near and far,
America, the guiding star,
Has proved to be a light indeed To other lands in time of need.
Her grain has fed their starving poor,
And vessels carry from her shore Abundance! for this fruitful land Can scatter with a liberal hand.
God was the guide across the sea,
Or else a miracle ’twould be;
Those tiny caravels at last Could anchor safe, all trials past.
Upon our shield we ever must Inscribe our faith, “In God we trust."
As Bethlehem’s babe was found afar,
By shepherds following a star;
So by that light shed o’er the sea,
(A little light ’twas said to be),
A wondrous land was opened wide To shed great light on every side!
Today she stands both strong and free,
God’s people and God’s country.
Many followed where Columbus had opened the way, among the number one who published an account of his voyage, describing the lands visited; and this being the first written account, and the name of Columbus not« even mentioned, it was named after him, Am-a-ree-go-ves poot-chee.
It would tax your patience to repeat the story we have heard so often of expeditions sent out from the Old World one after the other. We can only faintly imagine the trials and sufferings of the pioneers, hard work the lot of all, forests to be cleared, buildings for shelter and defense erected, and ever at their side atreacherous foe eager to turn the plowshare into an implement of warfare. Poor, miserable cattle, inferior implements, food of the poorest kind and frequently not sufficient of it, multitudes of wants and no means to supply them. Yet the perseverance and intelligent industry of the people, combined with their inventive genius, constantly smoothed the way by devising means to produce greater results with diminution of manual labor. Thus by degrees forests were converted into flourishing farms, villages into towns, towns into cities, and as they grew their founders began to question the utility of connection with the mother country which had proved a hard task mistress. Duties increased until the burden grew intolerable, and in 1774 a congress of thirteen colonies convened in Philadelphia, declared they would no longer remain under the control of England, and established principles of liberty in the New World, and on July 4, 1776» Thomas Jefferson, of Virginia, wrote the Declaration of Independence, which stated: “ We hold it self-evident that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Then giving an account of the various reasons which had led up to that issue, closes with these words: “And for the support of this Declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.” Men starting out with such a platfoi'm could not fail; yet we know of the long years of strife that followed—wars within and without, mistakes many, failures and imperfections not a few. In many a campaign barefoot soldiers marked with blood the ground over which they marched. \\ hen the Revolution broke out there were nearly three millions of people in the colonies, but the government of the states was held very loosely together, and it was not