into an organized existence; a federal governm established, suspended on the slender thread of op teen states, commencing with Delaware and endin mont, had adopted the Federal constitution, and wi tion of four millions scattered along the Atlantic Maine to Georgia and as far west as Kentucky, t for existence as a free government began.

In this year of grace 1891, forty-four States " most indissoluble tie forever knit." States not of boundaries as Delaware and Vermont, but for the proportionate in territory to Kansas, which is larg than New England, New Jersey, Delaware and Mar bined. Over sixty-two millions of people, some fr every country on the globe,* welded together by the strength of our civilization, inhabit the vast dom United States, which measure ten-fold our possession Over this vast domain our laws and our governmen nipotent; the spirit of our people seems to animate western continent, and the monetary credit of th States is above that of any other nation.

We owe the preservation of our immense territory, the foresight and diplomatic ability of our statesmen in 1780, while Louisiana was yet a province of Spai min Franklin wrote John Jay, "I would not sell a dr waters of the Mississippi. A neighbor might as well a sell my street door."

When we look at the map of our country it sug thought of one people and one nationality. It is form ically for the seat of one magnificent republic. The Al flows into the Ohio, the Ohio into the Mississippi, a father of floods must go unvexed to the sea." Separ ereignties could not exist here. History tells us th 1755 England held our coast, and France endeavored to the banks of the Ohio and the shores of the Missouri,

the immortal plains of Abraham, the lilies of France went down before the cross of St. George.

There were no natural boundaries between our original States. Our State lines were made in conveyancer's offices, and depended on the patents of kings and the charters of companies, who knew nothing of the bounds and extent of the country they were parcelling. They were run by the surveyor's compass through rivers and over the tops of mountains and the states could not remain divided, but must have some great embracing bond. Time wove this band and the constitution of 1787 girded State sovereignties with that band in the memorable declaration; "We the people of the United States in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, provide for the common defence, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and to posterity, do ordain and establish this constitution for the United States of America; " and history has written our government ordained of God.

When therefore the Secessionists lifted arms against such a government, they inaugurated an unholy and unchristian insurrection, and the men who fell at South Mountain, Antietam and Gettysburg, in a never dying appeal in favor of right and religion, defending the soil of their native State from the inroad of rebel invaders, were as truly martyrs as the early Christians or the Huguenots, "who kissed the flames that drank their blood and chased their souls to Heaven." History has enrolled Meade's grand master-stroke for the union among the world's great battles, and the statue of Gen. John F. Reynolds stands gloriously upon the watch-tower on Cemetery Ridge, guarding as it were the bivouac of his compatriot dead.

We cannot overestimate the rare genius of the statesman, Abraham Lincoln; the indomitable energy of that man of iron, the great war secretary, Edwin M. Stanton, or the brilliant services of Grant, Sherman, Thomas, Sheridan, Hancock, our own Hartranft* and others. A fitting eulogy of their worth * Gov. Hartranft was a member of the Sophomore class of 1850-51, Marshall College.

would crowd too much the pages of this retrosp however, refer to one still living, who has thrown trative fame far forward into the future. days of 1863, when the war and political machina ened to bring in their wake a despairing close of dreams of re-union. It was then that our war g speech at Elmira, New York, with eloquence, sel equalled, fired anew the patriotic spirit of our ped declaration; "the war shall be waged until it en establishment of this great government-the late Pennsylvania demonstrated the fidelity of that gre wealth to the cause of the country. My duty is c onstrated and I will lash the great commonwealth o vania to the National Government in its struggles fo and under the providence of God will give my life a is in me to maintain the confidence of Pennsylva demonstrate the patriotism of that great State." I to the honor of our State, that with Andrew G. Cu gubernatorial chair, holding aloft the aegis of the com of Pennsylvania, over two hundred and fifteen battle back stained with blood, tattered and torn by bullets disgraced in any battle for the Union.

The roll of that war's dead contains the name of R R. Kooken, a minister of the German Reformed chu pursued his literary and theological studies at Mer His ardent temperament and overflowing patriotismo brook our country's danger. He fell within sight of governor Hartranft and myself gallantly leading his on the disastrous field of Fredericksburg. "They ne who die in a good cause." Slavery was abolished, th was preserved and the spirit of the Declaration of In ence was made universal by the fundamental law of th With the wonderful prosperity of our re-united country splendor of this evening sky of the nineteenth centu pray God our nation may go on through all the years t a praise and joy of the whole earth; so that all who sha

upon it may be able to say "Truly God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved."

Whatever may have been written in depreciation of the enterprise of our own commonwealth "the sleeping giant," as Dr. Nevin was wont to call our State; it is certain that Pennsylvania took the initiative of all sister States in public improvements. The documents are extant to prove that the United States are indebted to Pennsylvania for the first introduction of turnpikes and canals to the public attention. In 1791, actual commencement was made in Pennsylvania of projects which have resulted in the connection by turnpikes, canals and railroads of every important part of our vast country, and great liberality has always marked the career of Pennsylvania in public improvement.

A career, to speak accurately, not commenced, but resumed under the constitution of 1790, with the Act of April 13, 1791, making large appropriations for the improvement of rivers and roads. Then came the resolution of September 27, 1791, which inaugurated the turnpike from Philadelphia to Lancaster, followed by the Act of September 29, 1791, authorizing the incorporation of a company to open a canal from the Schuylkill to the Susquehanna. The turnpike was commenced in 1792, and finished in 1794, sixty-two miles in length, at a cost of $465,000; and under the Act of April 10, 1792, authorizing the opening of a canal between the Schuylkill and the Delaware, the spade was set in the river bank at Norristown to excavate the first public canal in the United States.

Prior to 1791, transportation of iron, goods, &c., was made on pack horses, and in 1784, the cost of transportation from Philadelphia to Erie was $249 per ton. The crank for the first saw-mill built in Ohio was carried by pack-horses over the mountains in 1789. The first wagon load of merchandize taken over the Allegheny mountains was hauled from Hagerstown, Maryland, to Brownsville, Pennsylvania, in 1789, by John Hayden, the discoverer of iron ore in Fayette county: distance one hundred and forty miles, cost three dollars per

hundred, and the time consumed in the trip one General Benner established his iron works in Ni now Centre county, in 1793, he transported his i back to Pittsburgh, at a cost of $75 per ton. Th carried the bars of iron crooked over and around and barrels and kegs were hung on each side of th

As late as 1817, it cost one hundred and for move a ton of freight from Philadelphia to Pittsbu three hundred and eighty-five miles. The Pennsy road company now carries a ton between the sam from two dollars and thirty cents to three dollar cents. In 1817, it cost seven dollars to transport pounds of dry goods from Philadelphia to Pittsbur lowest rate is thirteen cents, the highest thirty-nine

On the 16th of April, 1834, the main line betwe phia and Pittsburgh, consisting of canals, Portage R Columbia railroad (the latter being the last link ished. After that freight occupied eight days in cost one dollar per hundred, the passenger time bet cities was three days and nineteen hours, and the t cost fifteen dollars. As late as 1837, an Englis remarks it took him forty-six hours to travel from to Erie. Now freight is transferred from Philadelphi burgh in twenty-four hours, passengers in nine hour minutes; fare nine dollars. The first Act passed by a lature in America, for the construction of a railroad use, was passed by the Legislature of Pennsylvania a by Governor Hiester, on the 31st of March, 1823. authorized the building of a railroad from Philadelph umbia. Ten years afterward the first successful lo made in Philadelphia, and the best one that had been the United States, was placed on the Philadelphia, Ger and Norristown Railroad, by M. W. Baldwin, of Phil It ran a mile in less than a minute.

The first locomotive with a train of cars attached th into Harrisburg, was run from Middletown, in Sep