The Fourth of July dawned. The great Patriot lay dying. At the setting
of the sun, those who stood beside him heard him whisper:--“Thomas
Jefferson still lives!”
As the sun sank out of sight, a loud cheering came from the village. It
was the shouts of the people at the words of his toast:--“Independence
for ever!”
The cheering echoed through the room where John Adams was. But before
its last sounds could die away, the great Patriot had passed into
history and eternity--on the Fourth of July,--on the Fiftieth
Anniversary of the Signing of the Declaration of Independence!
NOVEMBER 15
WILLIAM PITT, EARL OF CHATHAM DEFENDER OF AMERICA
_The Colonists are ... equally entitled with yourselves to all the
natural rights of mankind, and the peculiar privileges of Englishmen._
WILLIAM PITT
_He at once breathed his own lofty spirit into the Country he served, as
he communicated something of his own grandeur to the men who served
him._
_“No man,” said a soldier of the time, “ever entered Mr. Pitt’s closet,
who did not feel himself braver when he came out, than when he went
in.”_
JOHN RICHARD GREEN
_He stands in the annals of Europe, “an illustrious and venerable name,”
admired by countrymen and strangers, by all to whom loftiness of moral
principle and greatness of talent are objects of regard._
THOMAS CARLYLE
William Pitt was born in England, November 15, 1708
Created Earl of Chatham, 1766
He died May 11, 1778
He was known “as the Great Commoner,” while in the House of
Commons; as “Chatham,” after he entered the House of Lords; and as
“the Elder Pitt,” to distinguish him from his son William Pitt,
called “the Younger,” who likewise was a great statesman.
There are American towns and cities named in honour of William
Pitt, our Defender; among them, Pittsburgh, Penn.; Chatham, N. Y.;
and Pittsfield, Mass.
THIS TERRIBLE CORNET OF HORSE
In the hilt of Napoleon’s ceremonial sword, was set a huge diamond, one
of the largest in the world. It had been brought from India by “Diamond
Pitt” of England, who had sold it to the Regent of France.
“Diamond Pitt,” was Thomas Pitt. An adventurous young sailor, he had
gone to India, and had started in business for himself as a trader.
The British East India Company claimed the monopoly of trade in India.
When the bold young Englishman, without so much as “by your leave,”
started an opposition business, the Company determined to crush him.
It set its powerful legal machinery to work. But it was one thing to try
to crush Thomas Pitt, and quite another thing to do it. He fought
desperately for his rights. Though he was arrested and fined he still
kept on trading, in defiance of the Company. He battled so successfully
and for so many years, that at last for its own protection, the Company
was forced to take him into its service.
He rose to be Governor of Madras. He became known as “Diamond Pitt,”
because he was always in search of large diamonds. Thus he procured the
famous “Pitt Diamond,” which found its way into Napoleon’s sword.
With a part of the fortune which “Diamond Pitt” got from its sale, he
bought an estate in England. Later he became a member of Parliament.
“Diamond Pitt’s” grandson, William Pitt, was not a strong boy. He spent
much time with his books. He liked to read Shakespeare aloud to the
family. He enjoyed reading the _Faëry Queen_, in which the Red Cross
Knight, fearless of harm or evil thing, rides about rescuing the
innocent and helpless.
Though he was not strong in body, William Pitt had an iron will. He had
“Diamond Pitt’s” indomitable courage and the fighting qualities with
which the sailor had matched his strength against that of the powerful
East India Company.
William Pitt attended Oxford University. When he was twenty-three, he
was commissioned Cornet of Horse in the King’s Blues.
The fearless Cornet of Horse was soon elected to the House of Commons.
He started his political career in the House with a fiery, sarcastic
speech supporting the Prince of Wales, who was at enmity with the King
his father.
William Pitt was a born orator. He was tall, elegant, and graceful. His
eyes were bright and piercing. He spoke with dignified gesture. And he
delivered this speech with such strength, magnetism, and irony, that the
Prime Minister exclaimed, “We must muzzle this terrible Cornet of
Horse!”
To muzzle him, he tried, at first with promises of reward. But William
Pitt was incorruptible. He would not sell his honour. Then influence was
brought to bear, and the young Cornet of Horse was dismissed from the
army.
But this very act, by which his enemies planned to muzzle William Pitt,
brought him before the public eye. His fearlessness and remarkable
oratory advanced him daily with both Parliament and People.
In time, William Pitt became a leading power, at first in the House of
Commons, and afterward, when he was created Earl of Chatham, in the
House of Lords. He served twice as Prime Minister of England; and he
laid the solid foundations of the British Colonial Empire.
But more than all else, he was an Englishman defending the unalienable
rights of all Englishmen. He steadfastly combated those political evils
in the British Government, which, at that time, were threatening to
undermine English Liberty as set down in the Magna Carta and safeguarded
by the English Constitution.
THE CHARTER OF LIBERTY
_The Signing of the Magna Carta, 1215_
_O Thou, that sendest out the man
To rule by land and sea,
Strong mother of a Lion-line,
Be proud of those strong sons of thine,
Who wrenched their rights from thee!_
_What wonder if in noble heat,
Those men thine arms withstood,
Retaught the lesson thou hadst taught,
And in thy spirit with thee fought fought--
Who sprang from English blood!_
ALFRED TENNYSON (_Condensed_)
Magna Carta! The Great Charter of the liberties of Englishmen!
At Runnimede, the freemen of England through the action of their Barons,
forced King John to sign and seal the Magna Carta. His tyrannous power
was torn from him. He was forced to pledge himself to violate no longer
the rights and privileges of English freemen.
For, from times remote, human rights and liberties, protecting them from
oppression by rulers, had been theirs by laws and by common consent.
About a hundred years after the signing of the Magna Carta, the great
principle, that English freemen should not be taxed without
representation, was established.
When King Charles the First broke his promises to respect the rights of
his subjects, he was tried and executed. When King James the Second
governed in despotic manner, exercising what he believed to be the
“divine right of Kings,” he lost his throne.
What has this to do with America and William Pitt? Everything!
During the reigns of the Stuart Kings, large sections of America were
explored and settled by English freemen, who came to America to escape
persecution, and to enjoy English Liberty which at that time they could
not possibly have had in England.
The Stuart Kings believed in “divine right,” which means that the King
is the Lord’s annointed, and that neither Parliament nor People may
question any of his acts; and that no matter how cruel or tyrannous a
King may be, the People must submissively obey him.
The Magna Carta and the English Constitution protect the English People
against this doctrine of “divine right.”
So, when during the reign of these Kings, men and women fled from
England to find Liberty and refuge in America, they brought with them
their ancient institutions, the rights and privileges guaranteed them
under the Magna Carta.
There were other Englishmen equally courageous, equally liberty-loving,
who came to seek their fortunes and build homes in the New World. They,
too, brought with them their rights and privileges.
These English pioneers hewed their way through the savage wilderness.
Many of them were massacred by Red Men, while their homes were burned;
some of them were carried into captivity and tortured. Yet the great
body of undaunted English settlers, resolutely kept on pushing their
frontiers westward. They laid out farms and plantations, they built
villages and towns, they founded churches and schools. They obtained
charters from far away England, confirming their rights. And through
God’s blessing they prospered, and became strong and rich.
Other liberty-loving folk, the Dutch, settled in great numbers in what
is now New York and New Jersey; while many settlers from different parts
of Europe, came to the New World to build homes for themselves and their
children.
The very air of America breathed freedom. The magnitude of the country
and the difficulties of pioneer-life helped to invigorate, expand, and
make indomitable those ideals of English Liberty which the first
settlers and frontiersmen had brought with them.
When King George the Third inherited the British Crown, he was unable
to understand the free spirit of Englishmen. And he was far from
realizing its tremendous growth in the New World.
He taxed the Americans without representation. He placed a standing army
in the Colonies, without their consent. He blockaded the Port of Boston
to force her to submit to his unjust laws. In some cases, trial by jury
was abolished. These are some of his tyrannous violations of the rights
and privileges of English freemen.
The People of America, in indignation, petitioned the King for redress.
There was no redress.
So the People of America rose in arms; and, in the true spirit of Magna
Carta, they issued the Declaration of Independence.
Now, we shall see what William Pitt had to do with all this.
AMERICA’S DEFENDER
“_For the defence of Liberty, upon a general principle, upon a
constitutional principle, it is a ground on which I stand firm, on
which I dare meet any man._”
“_This Country had no right under Heaven to tax America! It is
contrary to all the principles of justice and civil policy._”
“_If I were an American,” he exclaimed, “as I am an Englishman,
while a foreign troop was landed in my Country, I never would lay
down my arms--never--never--never!_”
WILLIAM PITT, _Earl of Chatham_
It was natural that an English statesman who sincerely and firmly
believed in the rights of all Englishmen, should become the defender of
America. And her loyal friend and champion was William Pitt. By the
weight of his eloquent speeches, he fought her battles in Parliament.
When the Stamp Act was passed, he was absent from his place in
Parliament, because of illness. But later, he was present. Leaning on
his crutch, for he was still very sick, he indignantly arraigned the
British Ministry which had brought about the passage of the Act.
“When the resolution was taken in this House to tax America,” he
said, “I was ill in bed. If I could have endured to have been
carried in my bed, so great was the agitation of my mind for the
consequences, I would have solicited some kind hand to have laid me
down on this floor, to have borne my testimony against it!
“The Colonists are the subjects of this Kingdom, equally entitled
with yourselves to all the natural rights of mankind and the
peculiar privileges of Englishmen; equally bound by its laws, and
equally participating in the Constitution of this free Country. The
Americans are the sons ... of England!”
And when one of the members made a speech abusing the Americans,
defending the Stamp Act, and accusing Pitt of sowing sedition among the
American Colonists, he rose and answered:--
“The gentleman tells us,” he said, “America is obstinate; America
is almost in open rebellion. I rejoice that America has resisted.
Three millions of people so dead to all the feelings of Liberty, as
voluntarily to let themselves be made slaves, would have been fit
instruments to make slaves of all the rest.
“In a good cause, on a sound bottom, the force of this Country can
crush America to atoms. I know the valour of your troops, I know
the skill of your officers.... But on this ground,--on the Stamp
Act--when so many here will think it a crying injustice, I am one
who will lift up my hands against it!
“In such a cause, even your success would be hazardous. America, if
she fell, would fall like the strong man. She would embrace the
pillars of the State, and pull down the Constitution along with
her.
“Is this your boasted peace? To sheathe the sword, not in its
scabbard, but in the bowels of your Countrymen?
“Upon the whole, I will beg leave to tell the House what is really
my opinion. It is that the Stamp Act _be repealed absolutely,
totally, and immediately_.”[2]
* * * * *
And whether the Stamp Act was repealed “absolutely, totally, and
immediately,” John Fiske tells in his thrilling history, “The American
Revolution.”
THE SONS OF LIBERTY
William Pitt was not the only English statesman who championed America.
There was Lord Rockingham, at one time Prime Minister of England, also
the Earl of Camden, and the celebrated Charles James Fox.
And there was Edmund Burke, “one of the earliest friends of America,”
with his scratch wig, round spectacles, and pockets stuffed with papers.
He pleaded our cause so brilliantly that his hearers were dazzled by his
oratory “with its passionate ardour, its poetic fancy, its amazing
prodigality of resources, the dazzling succession in which irony,
pathos, invective, tenderness, the most brilliant word-pictures, the
coolest arguments, followed each other.”
And among America’s British friends, was Colonel Barré, a member of the
House of Commons. In an indignant speech against the Stamp Act, he
referred to the American Patriots as “Sons of Liberty.”
When his speech reached America, the name “Sons of Liberty” was adopted
by secret societies pledged to resist the Stamp Act.
In Boston, the Sons of Liberty held meetings under the Liberty Tree, a
huge elm; they met also in Faneuil Hall, since called “the Cradle of
American Liberty.” In New York City, the Sons of Liberty erected a tall
Liberty Pole, and defended it against the Red Coats.
All over the Country, the Sons of Liberty were active, sometimes too
violently so, in the cause of American Independence.
A LAST SCENE
In 1778, a dramatic event took place in the House of Lords.
William Pitt, old now and wasted by disease, but the fire of whose
genius still burned bright and clear, was about to speak.
France had acknowledged the Independence of the United States. Germany
was planning to do so; while Spain stood ready to enter into an alliance
with the Americans. England was at war with France. The situation of
England seemed desperate.
And on that dramatic day in the House of Lords, the Duke of Richmond was
about to move that the royal fleets and armies should be instantly
withdrawn from America, and peace be made on whatever terms Congress
might see fit to accept.
But William Pitt would not willingly consent to a step that seemed
certain to wreck the Empire his genius had won for England.
He had got up from his sick bed, and had come into the House of Lords to
argue against the motion.
Wrapped in flannel bandages, and leaning upon crutches, his dark eyes in
their brilliancy enhancing the pallor of his careworn face, as he
entered the House, supported on the one side by his son-in-law, and on
the other by that younger son who was so soon to add fresh glory to the
name of William Pitt, the peers all started to their feet, and remained
standing until he had taken his place.
In broken sentences, with strange flashes of the eloquence which had
once held captive ear and heart, he protested against the hasty adoption
of a measure which simply prostrated the dignity of England before its
ancient enemy, the House of Bourbon.
The Duke of Richmond’s answer, reverently and delicately worded, urged
that while the magic of Chatham’s name could work anything short of
miracles, yet only a miracle could now relieve them from the dire
necessity of abandoning America.
Chatham rose to reply, but his overwrought frame gave way, and he sank
in a swoon upon the floor.
All business was at once adjourned. The peers, with eager sympathy, came
crowding up to offer assistance, and the unconscious statesman was
carried in the arms of his friends to a house near by, whence in a few
days he was removed to his home.
There, after lingering between life and death for several weeks, on the
11th of May, and in the seventieth year of his age, Lord Chatham
breathed his last.
The man thus struck down like a soldier at his post, was one whom
Americans, no less than Englishmen, have delighted to honour.
_John Fiske_ (_Retold_)
DECEMBER 2
DOM PEDRO THE SECOND THE MAGNANIMOUS THE BEST REPUBLICAN IN BRAZIL
TO
H. M. DOM PEDRO II
EMPEROR OF BRAZIL
SCHOLAR AND SCIENTIST, PATRON OF
ARTS AND LETTERS
STERLING STATESMAN AND MODEL MONARCH,
WHOSE REIGN OF HALF A CENTURY HAS BEEN
ZEALOUSLY AND SUCCESSFULLY DEVOTED TO
PUBLIC INSTRUCTION, INDUSTRIAL
ENTERPRISE, AND THE ABOLITION
OF SLAVERY
THROUGHOUT THE VAST AND OPULENT
“EMPIRE OF THE SOUTHERN CROSS”
_Dedication by_ FRANK VINCENT
FREEDOM IN BRAZIL
_With clearer light, Cross of the South shine forth
In blue Brazilian skies:
And thou, O River, cleaving half the earth,
From sunset to sunrise,
From the great mountains to the Atlantic waves,
Thy joy’s long anthem pour,
Yet a few years (God make them less!) and slaves
Shall shame thy pride no more.
No fettered feet thy shaded margins press,
But all men shall walk free.
Where, thou the high-priest of the wilderness,
Hast wedded sea to sea._
_And thou, great-hearted Ruler, through whose mouth
The word of God is said
Once more:--“Let there be light!”--Son of the South,
Lift up thy honoured head,
Wear unashamed a crown by thy desert
More than by birth thy own,
Careless of watch and ward; thou art begirt
By grateful hearts alone.
The moated wall and battleship may fail,
But safe shall Justice prove;
Stronger than greaves of brass or iron mail,
The panoply of Love._
JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER (_Condensed_)
DOM PEDRO was born December 2, 1825
Was made Emperor at five years of age, April 7, 1831
Visited the United States, 1876
His daughter, Princess Isabel, emancipated the slaves, 1888
He abdicated, and Brazil was proclaimed a Republic, 1889
Dom Pedro died, December 5, 1891.
THE BRAZILS MAGNIFICENT
Robinson Crusoe, after escaping from Moorish slavery with the boy Xury,
was rescued by a Portuguese ship bound for South America. He was carried
by the ship’s captain to the Brazils.
There he settled, bought a plantation and made a fortune. Then, away
from those same Brazils, he sailed and was wrecked and cast upon his
Desert Island.
Magnificent and rich were Robinson Crusoe’s Brazils, or the Country of
Brazil, stretching vast and unknown far westward into the interior of
the continent. Near the sea-coast, in the parts inhabited by civilized
men, were plantations of coffee, tobacco, and fruits. Primeval forests
covered the shores of the rivers whose mighty waters rushed far out into
the ocean. Fierce savages roved the forests. There were gold, spices,
and diamonds in Robinson Crusoe’s Brazils, and rare woods, brilliant
birds, butterflies, and flowers.
And so is the country of Brazil to-day--a magnificent land! Only there
are cities there now, and towns and villages. And to-day, Brazil is a
Republic with a Constitution like that of our own United States.
In Robinson Crusoe’s time, Brazil was owned and ruled by the Kingdom of
Portugal, just as other parts of South America were owned and ruled by
the Crown of Spain.
How Brazil won Independence and became a Republic, is a fascinating
story.
THE EMPIRE OF THE SOUTHERN CROSS
Brazil, on which the Southern Cross of four bright stars, looks down,
first became a Kingdom, then an Empire and after that a Republic.
When Napoleon’s Army threatened to invade Portugal, the Royal Family of
Portugal fled in terror of their lives. They escaped from Lisbon,
crossed the Atlantic, and found refuge in the royal Colony of Brazil.
In 1815, Brazil was declared a Kingdom, though still to remain a part of
Portugal. The first and only European Kingdom in America!
When the time arrived, that the Royal Family might safely return to
Portugal, the King left his son, Dom Pedro, to be Regent or Governor of
Brazil.
But the Brazilians had grown used to having their King live among them.
More just laws and greater privileges were theirs, when their ruler
lived in the land. He could understand their needs better than if he
ruled them from Europe. So the Brazilians became dissatisfied, when
their country was reduced once more to the state of a Colony.
Dom Pedro was a patriotic Brazilian, and ruled the Country without much
regard to Portugal’s wishes. Trouble soon arose between the Mother
Country and Brazil. Dom Pedro proclaimed the Independence of Brazil,
September 7, 1822. An Empire was established, and Dom Pedro was made
Emperor under a Constitution.
But as time went on, the Emperor did not uphold the People’s rights; so
he was forced to abdicate in favour of his little son, Dom Pedro, who
was only five years old.
After which, Dom Pedro the First, sailed away to Europe, leaving little
Dom Pedro the Second, to rule in his stead.
MAKING THE LITTLE EMPEROR
“The King is afloat! God save the King!” were the shouts which rang
through the streets of Rio Janeiro, for now that their Emperor Pedro the
First had abdicated and escaped on an English man-o-war, the people were
giving themselves up to rejoicing.
“The King is afloat! God save the King!” was the cry of the townspeople
and the streets, festooned with coffee branches, were made to glow with
coloured silks, while the balconies were thronged with señoritas in all
their finery of brilliant dresses, garlands, fluttering fans, and
feather flowers.
They were witnessing the triumphal entry into his capital of the new
Emperor, Dom Pedro the Second, the little lad of five and a half years
old.
First in the procession of the Child-Emperor, were justices of the peace
bearing green flags. Then came the little Emperor.
And what a figure was this! A tiny infant in a huge state-coach, dragged
by four strings of excited mulattoes! He cried, and at the same time
waved a white handkerchief.
The tender-hearted Brazilians, every man and woman of their number a
child-adorer, were altogether overcome by the sight, and even the choir
that accompanied the procession, was touched. Its triumphant chant died
away in an emotional quiver.
With great pomp, little Pedro was installed as Emperor, the eyes of the
enthusiastic spectators swimming with tears, as he was carried out of
the chapel in the arms of an old chamberlain.
Later, while sitting in a little chair at the window of the palace, he
reviewed the troops of his Empire.
But though little Pedro was now Emperor of all Brazil, he was too young
to rule. A Regent ruled for him for ten years, while Pedro studied and
prepared himself to govern his People.
_W. H. Koebel and Other Sources_
THE PATRIOT EMPEROR
I
_Viva Dom Pedro the Second!_
At last a large political party in the capital grew tired of installing
Regents and electing new ministers, and insistently demanded that the
Emperor himself begin to reign, although legally he was still too young.
According to the Constitution, an Emperor reached his majority at the
age of eighteen, and Dom Pedro was only fifteen. But in spite of his
youth, Dom Pedro the Second was declared constitutional Emperor and
perpetual defender of Brazil. Viva Dom Pedro the Second!
So mature was the young Emperor in mind and appearance, that he was well
fitted to play the part of an eighteen-year-old. His tutors were the
best that could be found in Europe or South America, and he was a
brilliant student. He had a trick of relighting his lamp at night and
studying for a while after every one had gone to bed. Natural history,
mathematics, and astronomy were his favourite subjects at that time.
But in the course of his life he studied almost everything under the
sun, and he could talk fluently on any subject in English, German,
French, Italian or Spanish; he read Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. When he
was sixty he learned Sanskrit. His library was packed with histories,
biographies, encyclopædias, and law-books.