Raynors HCA 2019-01
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/21/2019
Amazing 60 page speech given by Uel Merrill Fisk in March 1866, handwritten, measures 5" x 8", excellent. Fisk was a Minister in the Universalist Christ Church, and a popular public lecturer in New England. Born in Vermont 1823, died in Missouri in 1911. A biography of his life and family is included. The speech reads, in part, as follows: "From what we have seen of the contest between freedom and tyranny in this country, as sketched to you in my previous lectures, it appears that neither the politicians nor the churches can be safely trusted as the advocates and defenders of freedom. The politician will soon take the side on which he finds office and power to lie. And if he knows that side to be wrong, he still apologizes for it by saying it is for the peace of the country, or the good of the party. The church soon takes the side where she finds the most money, and the highest social influence: and if she knows that side to be wrong, she seeks to defend her position by saying it is for the peace of the church, and for the best interests of religion. While, as a rule, the Priest takes the side on which his bread and butter lies; and so long as he gets the loaf, he does not pause long to consider, not seems to care much if he knows, whether good men send it for his manly defence of the right, or bad men give it as a reward for his recreancy. Now I am sorry to say all this; but not only the history of our own country, but the history of the world, proves what I have said to be true. When placed in prominent positions, as legislators or rulers, men, with the rarest exceptions, will either be tyrants or tools. Occasionally there arises a great and unselfish man, who seems to labor solely for the love of the truth, and for the good of the world. Every age has somewhere its Moses, its Socrates, its Mohammed, its Luther, its Hampden, its Washington, its Garrison;-men, who, with a self-forgetfulness and a purity of purpose that are really godlike, labor to establish the truth and to promote the best good of all, never stopping to think whether their reward will be the worlds honor, or the hangmans gallows: and these men give welcome evidence of the intrinsic nobility of human nature, and that the progress of humanity is constant towards a broader knowledge and a higher good: but as yet, where there is one such man among earths rulers and legislators, there are hundreds who are their opposites. Think of it a moment, and it will appear evident to you that, until a man becomes unselfish, noble and intelligent, he must be either a tyrant or a tool. And when we come to understand this, it will cease to understand this,it will cease to appear wonderful to us, that neither politicians, priests, nor churches, can be safely trusted with the worlds liberty and welfare. Who looks after your financial affairs, and your daily wants? - your neighbors? I think not. If they did, you would be poorly looked after. The man who does not look after his own affairs, soon finds himself thrust away among idiots, and outcasts in the county poor house. And so it is in all other affairs. The men who do not look after their own religious knowledge and freedom, soon have none to guard or lose. And the people who do not assert their own political rights and liberty, either remain, or soon become, the serfs of tyrants and oppression. You may look into the history of whatever nation, and you will find that, as soon as the priests became intrusted with power, they abused it, unlike the people became as ignorant and superstitions as human nature could be. And wherever the rulers usurped, or became intrusted with, absolute political authority, the mass of the people soon had no liberty, and no rights which the rulers were bound to respect. And after all, this is a wise and benevolent arrangement; for it is essential to every mans growth and development, that the look after his own interests in every direction: and if he does it not, the oppression and degradation which come upon him, are both a spur to action, and a punishment for his indolence and cowardice. Now in every country there are really only two powers which rule: and these powers are, certain ambitious persons who have assumed control, and the people. Sometimes one of these powers hold supreme authority, and sometimes the other. And occasionally they are both strong enough to hold a combined authority. Where the ambitious few rule, they do so by the influence of money and military power. Where the people rule, the do so by the influence of numbers and intelligence. And where both these powers rule in combined authority, it is where the usurpers fear the intelligence and strength of the people, and have compromised with them by giving them a certain voice in the government. But where the people have not intelligence, it matters now how great may be their numbers, they have neither strength nor influence. Now these Two Powers have been openly or covertly at war with one another, ever since the people began to be educated, and to have any considerable amount of intelligence. Now and then there has appeared among the absolute rulers a monarch who has seemed to take sides with the people: but when his motives were sharply investigated, it was seen that he feared the power of his own nobles, and so took sides with the people, to make his own throne secure. We have and instance of this in the history of one of the Edwards of England, who, when Barons became more powerful than he, took sides with the people and with the lower orders to a certain extent, that he might raise up a power to check the encroachments of the Barons....". The lecture continues with content pertaining to the church and politicians, basically not to be trusted, the Rebel states, references to President Johnson and admission of the Rebel states to Congress, and the next Presidential election and continued reconstruction, all the men killed during the Civil War, and much much more content. A fantastic speech.
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