LITERARY DEPARTMENT. INDEPENDENCE. 'Thy spirit, Independence, let me share! Nor heed the storm that howls along the sky.' The Universe is dependent, and man, the masterpiece of its Creator, is also dependent. He is dependent on the earth for the supply of his bodily wants, and on heaven, for the supply of the wants of his spirit. Dependence is the state in which he finds himself when he is born in the world, and in which he loses himself when he dies out. As the acorn sprouts and grows radically attached to the earth, at the same time that it arises, buds, branches and bears fruit above the earth, so man grows radically attached to this lower sphere while he is aspiring to a higher. He has temporal necessities, and immortal hopes going hand in hand with him along the course of his present existence. He is dependent on others, and others are dependent on him, for aid and comfort both of body and soul. Dependence is his positive state. But he has an idea of another — of a relative state of a state of independence. There is an honorable spirit in him which tells him to work himself out of the dependent and into the independent condition. His first care is for his 'creature comforts.' He labors to grow rich in this world's goods. He then stores his mind with knowledge, with treasures derived from arts and sciences. He gains a mental independence. Still he feels a want in his heart, and he supplies it with a world of affections. Then he individually experiences a fullness of satisfaction. He enjoys a material, mental, and moral independence, and remains dependent only on the call to immortality. This triune independence is the happy state of his mature char acter. By taking a more discursive view of this subject, it will be seen that not only the above mentioned, but also social and political, civil and religious independence is the real as well as ideal aim of our citizens and of our Union. Individual rights, State rights, church rights, national rights, and rights of speech, press and conscience are demanding satisfaction. They are demanding it with the voice of the people, and with the voice of God. Humanity is growing into super-humanity. Wrongs and miseries are left behind, rights and remedies are just before. The fault-finder falls in the rear, the truth-finder marches in the van. The pioneer of progress is the hero of the day, and, with Daniel Boone, the pioneer of the West, his watchword is 'Onward.' But what is independence? 'A state of being exempt from undue influence.' This definition implies that the spirit of independence is limited by cue influence. But what is due influence? Law. And, therefore, it may be concluded that independence is harmony with law. Still another quere arises: What is Law? The answer is significant. 'A rule of action,'-progress onward. Law is the sun-the radiating point of independence, wherein materiality and ethereality combine in harmonious union. While treating of independence it is well to guard against the seductions of licentiousness-independence falsely so called. Law is the line that defines the limits between genuine and false independence, between liberty and licentiousness, in society, in Church and in State; and this law is triune- the law of common sense, the law of morality, and the law of the land. They, who violate this law, in either of its branches, commit licentiousness. They, who venerate this law, in all its branches, as even the Heathen alluded to by Paul, who do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themelves which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another.' They, only, who thus fulfill the law, are free from the law. They only are independent. Let the comparatively groveling spirit who will, descend and elaborate the errors of licentiousness; we prefer to arise with the aspiring spirit, and elaborate the rights of independence. Passing over the laws of the mineral and vegetable kingdoms, we strike on the law of nature-that rule of conduct arising out of the natural relations of human beings established by the Creator, and existing prior to any positive precept.' Every man who wants to live in independence here and hereafter, must keep in harmony with this law. It stands to nature.' The violation of this law on the one side or the other, as by thirst or by drunkenness, by gluttony or by starvation, puts life in peril. This law f nature declares: 'Be ye temperate in all things.' By keeping constantly within the limits of this law, man maintains his independence of its power. So by maintaining a harmonious relation with mental and moral laws, with common and municipal, martial, marine, commercial, ecclesiastical, and international laws, individuals, Churches, and States are independent of their power. So also the spirit of independence is visible in the spheres of conscience and of religion, while a harmonious relation is kept up with the law of everlasting life. But it may be said, that old laws pass away, are changed, modified, reformed, and that new laws are discovered and declared. What then, it may be asked, becomes of independence, when the old laws in harmonious relation with which it once existed have passed away, and the new laws are discovered and declared? Is independence then lost? No. For independence like happiness is a relative term, and like law and happiness, it also is progressive. The spirit of independence advances with the discoveries and declarations of law, and forms again a harmonious relation with the new order of things. Independence keeps exact pace with law. By the penetrating glance of its eagle eye, and by the indomitable energies of the lion heart of this spirit, it is continually making discoveries in every sphere of truth, and declaring and establishing these new truths to be new laws, and thus continually going on civilizing and enlightening the world. The Patent Office bears record of the truth of this position touching mechanical law. The United States bears witness of the truth of this position touching political law. The Christian Church bears record of the truth of this position touching divine law. The spirit of independence in mechanics, politics, and divinity has civilized and enlightened men, States and Churches; and because this spirit is so great a benefactor of the human family, therefore, as Jefferson has said, even 'error may be tolerated when reason is left free to combat it.' "Truth is mighty and will prevail.' In order that the most striking and plainest view may be given of this subject of independence, take the case of an individual — and see in what his independence consists, and as the other kinds of independence, are characterized by analogous peculiarities, as Governments are mainly colossal representations of families, the other cases of independence may be elaborated at leisure, from the hints here dropped, with modifications to suit the circumstances which alter the cases. The main points only will be regarded. Our glorious Declaration of Independence holds it to be self evident that all men are created equal, and it might have added free and fraternal. The equal, free and fraternal state, is the real one which is in harmony with the will of the Creator. Any other state is devoid of pure independence. It contains an incongruity, which is bound one day or another to be modified and reformed, in order that a harmonious union may be established. 'Man to man the world o'er Shall brothers be for all that.' This fraternal element is and like leaven it will It will modify and re The spirit of 'compromise' is abroad. now working throughout the political mass, permeate the 'whole lump' of our Union. form our political character, liberate our country from internal throes and convulsions, and elevate our people to a higher heaven, in which, the heaven we now enjoy shall seem a hell.') Might not Churches take a hint from the 'compromise question' and cultivate the fraternal feelings? Would we not then have more of a heaven on earth than we now possess, and the will of 'Our Father' there, be done here, more in accordance with the immortal prayer of 'His Son?' Let us return from this digression to contemplate the plain case of manly independence; and without passing through the stages of a wild savage state; let us take a case 'out of the thick' in the civilized state, in which we find ourselves. Look at the child who is growing up a member of a family, becoming a member of society, a citizen. How can he gain the highest practical point of independence and maintain and manifest its purest spirit? The answer is plain, by devotion, in the family, to the law of his father, in society to the law of its common sense, and as a citizen, to the law of the land. When a man acts in harmony with the law he is free from the law, but when he breaks the law he becomes a slave to the law. Even a threat to break the peace, will put him under bonds to keep the peace. Slight breaches lock him in jail, gross breacnes confine him in the penitentiary, and for murder or treason he suffers death. By devoted compliance, with the will of the father, he becomes the favorite in the 1) And in the lowest depth, a lower deep Still threat'ning to devour me, opens wide. To which the hell I suffer seems a Heaven.'—M¿Ron_ family, and he is favored with the largest liberty. So the largest liberty is granted him by society when he shows he has the strongest common sense, and when, as a citizen, he pays most regard to the laws of the land, we bestow upon him not only extraordinary privileges, but we even raise him to the highest point of independence, and beg of him to be our law maker, our Judge, our Governor, our President. As independence characterizes individuals, so, analogously, it characterizes countries. Our own is a living and glorious illustration of this analogy. The Father of American Independence published his will to the world. To this, as also to all nations, he said: be equal, free, and fraternal. Be at peace with all, have 'entangling alliances' with none, and maintain your own equality. This country has grown up obedient to his will. It has maintained its own equality among the nations of the earth. From the days of the past reign of terror, to the days of the approaching reign of terror, from the days of Washington, to the days of Fillmore, it has kept aloof free-from the alluring political whirlpools yawning to devour the inhabitants and ships of state along the doomed land of Europe. Yet the trait of independence which most brilliantly distinguishes, and which irradiates over the whole face and from the very heart of our nation-which is the element of its most ineffable glory,— is the fraternal, the moral, the enthusiastic spirit which it pours forth, to warm up and gladden the heart, to raise up and strengthen the mind of the 'down trodden' heroes of liberty, even when more 'material aid' is unlawful. The point of time when acts of interposition may be lawfully committed in behalf of a nation which has struggled for liberty, is as one of the judicial heroes of our own nation has declared: "It is not susceptible of precise limitations, and is extremely delicate in the application. It must be submitted to the guidance of eminent discretion, and controlled by the principles of justice and sound policy. It would clearly be a violation of the law of nations, to invite subjects to revolt who were under actual obedience, however just their complaints; or to endeavor to produce discontents, violence and rebellion, in neighboring States, and under color of a generous assistance, to consummate projects of ambition and dominion. The most unexceptionable precedents are those in which the interference did not take place until the new States had actually been established, and sufficient means and |