Chap. VII.]

DUTIES OF PATRIOTISM.

137

grave importance. The relation of sisterhood is singularly ex-pressive of the connexion which subsists between these States,— the peculiarities and even the defects of any one or more ofthem, are entitled to be viewed with candor and even with in-dulgence by any others, who may feel themselves justified in re-garding whatever pertains to themselves with peculiar compla-cency. At all events, it is not the part of individuals or com-munities, which stand in a relation so intimate to each other,whose highest interests, hopes, and prospects, — nay, whosedestinies are inseparably united, and who consequently must standor fall together, who have so direct and palpable an interest inmaintaining harmony, and in the mutual welfare and good opinionof each other, to seize every occasion to abuse, vilify, and mis-represent each other. Much mischief has been done by themutual abuse, vilification, and misrepresentation, which havepassed between the northern, southern, and western sections ofthe Union even thus far ; — and these great divisions of the coun-try, which ought to be indissolubly bound to one another by thegolden chain of mutual harmony and good feeling, have beenand may again be in danger, by reason very much of this mutualabuse and irritation, of being permanently alienated, and of beingseparated into as many alien, unsocial, jealous, and hostile sov-ereignties, feeble and despicable in respect to every thing for-eign, and formidable only to one another.

Finally, the several United States owe it to themselves, toeach other, to the Union, and to the supremacy of moral princi-ple, to observe, uphold, and adhere to the Constitution of theUnited States ; to submit to its provisions, the laws made inpursuance thereof, and the decisions of its tribunals. The obli-gation of this duty is in proportion to their ability to make suc-cessful resistance. Many of the States are too powerful forcoercion ; they must be governed, therefore, not by physicalforce, but must be kept within the rightful limits of their con-stitutional duty by the strength of their inherent moral principle.