Massachusetts, the brightest star in the national constellation
By Major Edward Glines
Before another month has come and gone a new star will have been added to that galaxy of stars which we call the United States of North America, but every addition of a new star upon our banner but gives additional lustre to the original thirteen, of which our own grand old commonwealth stands sixth in number.To a citizen of Massachusetts called upon to sing her praises, it is a contemplation worthy of the best thought, the best mind, the best ability, and the best endeavor of which one is capable.
I would that it were in my power to express to you tonight the thoughts that must come to us all, and which involuntarily will seek expression, despite the inability to adequately give them voice. But it is a theme which I love, and which is dear to us all.
Massachusetts, representative of all that is highest, and noblest, and best in the history of that great republic which [83] stands at the forefront of the nations of the world, the character of her citizens is as sturdy as the rugged pines which grow upon her shores; her charities as wide as the world itself; her patriotism as pure as the love of a mother for her child.
In all human endeavor where self-sacrifice, where high and lofty purpose, where industry, and zeal, and patriotism have been required, Massachusetts has always been called upon, and has never been found wanting. First to shed her blood in the war of the Revolution and in our own terrible Civil struggle, first to respond in the late Spanish war; at the same time she has always been first in promoting the arts of peace; her schools, her colleges, and her institutions of learning thickly dot the hills and valleys of her broad expanse, and have disseminated light and learning throughout the broad domain of our republic.
Wherever among civilized peoples the name of Massachusetts has been known or spoken, it has always stood for what was highest and best in all that pertains to human advancement and happiness.
Her soldiers have shed their blood upon every important battlefield in every war that has been waged in the republic; her statesmen have adorned the halls of legislation, not only state, but also national, and have left their impress for good upon every page of our history.
Her judiciary has been second to none, not only in this free republic, but also in the monarchies of the old world, and the laws which they have interpreted stand to-day in the forefront of judicial decisions the world over.
Her ministers of the gospel have been noted for their depth of character, breadth of view, and religious fervor wherever the language is spoken or written, and her citizenship is generally acknowledged to stand pre-eminent for its breadth, intellectually, educationally, and humanely.
Had I the time, I could give innumerable instances familiar to you all of the illustrious names of men who have made Massachusetts great, but the time is too short, and I can only kneel with you at the altar of our love and affection and offer up my heartfelt tribute to the worth and greatness of my native state; to pay my tribute of love and veneration for the cherishing [84] mother to whom you and I owe a debt of gratitude for what we are and what we may become.
It is peculiarly fitting that in this beautiful city of Somerville, the brightest gem in Massachusetts' crown, that I, who have been so honored by you, should be permitted to speak the word which comes to the lips of us all in the praise of our grand old commonwealth. We stand here upon hallowed ground. These hills, now beautified and adorned by the habitations of man, once resounded to the shrill whistle of the bullet, the roar of the cannon, and the groans of the dying, who poured out their life's blood in the war of the Revolution that Massachusetts might live and continue to shine as a bright star in the wonderful constellation that was to be.
On these hills, within sight and sound of Bunker Hill, the sons of Massachusetts offered up their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor, if need be, to preserve to themselves and their children, and their children's children the precious jewel of liberty of which our own state of Massachusetts was the first and greatest exponent.
At the foot of these hills, in the valley of the Mystic, was built the vessel which we are proud to call the real beginning of the American navy; and over these hills and through these valleys the men of Massachusetts have walked barefoot and on frozen ground to wrest the sceptre from the hand of tyranny, to tear down and destroy the false god of monarchy, and in its place to erect a temple dedicated by the lives of men perpetually to human liberty.
In all the history of the world no grander enconium can be given to the people than that they dedicated their lives to the cause of liberty, of truth, and of justice; and from the time that the Pilgrims first set foot upon the historic rock at Plymouth until the present day, Massachusetts has stood and does stand pre-eminent for those qualities of heart, of mind, and of soul which will make of the world, if carried to their fullest fruition, what it was intended to be by its Maker—the Kingdom of God made manifest among men upon earth. Massachusetts—the brightest star in the national constellation. Somerville—the brightest gem in Massachusetts' crown.
