Excerpt from Beacon Lights of Patriotism, Or Historic Incentives to Virtue and Good Citizenship: In Prose and Verse With Notes, Dedicated to American Youth

About the year 1490 B. C. a statute announced a Jubilee, or Liberty Day, in the following stately words: -

"Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof."

During the year 1753 A. D., a bell, brought from England for the old State House, Philadelphia, was found to be cracked. It was re-cast and placed in position, retaining the same gracious announcement, -

"Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof."

On the Fourth Day of July, 1776, that bell, ever since honored, saluted

American Independence.

On the 11th day of September, A. D. 1893, at the opening of the Parliament of Religions, at the World's Exposition, the representatives of the chief religions there represented, in turn struck a new bell, as, after his own faith, each invoked the blessing of Almighty God upon the entire human family.

This New Bell had been cast from twenty-two thousand free-will offerings of gold, silver, national coins, personal jewelry, swords, and cannon, and whatever honored sacrifice and valor, and bore about its rim, -

"Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof."

Two additional mottoes, from the New Testament, as the first was from the earliest Hebrew Records, served to concenter all the elements that would ensure the purest liberty: -

"Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, good will to men, " and.

"Another commandment give I unto you, that ye love one another."

The above design of the New Liberty Bell, from the government photograph, is suggestive, as noticed on page 408, that at meridian on each Independence Day, and on Washington's Birthday, all bells throughout the land, which summon to labor, school, or divine worship, be rung together, at a signal from those in charge of the great Liberty Bell.

Its voice echoes the grand announcement of thirty-five centuries ago.

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.