in their hands, assembled at the Arch, thus to thank their defender and protector. "As his Excellency passed under the Arch, he was addressed in the following Sonata, composed and set to music for the occasion, and sung by a number of young misses, dressed in white, and crowned with wreaths and chaplets of flowers. SONATA. Welcome, mighty chief! once more Aims again the fatal blow- Virgins fair, and matrons grave, Those thy conquering arms did save, Strew, ye fair, his way with flowers- Each of the singers held her basket in her hands, filled with flowers, which, when they sung, 6 Strew your hero's way with flowers,' they scattered before him. "The ladies of Trenton have displayed a degree of taste, elegance, and patriotism on this occasion, which does them the highest honor, and I believe stands unexampled. But what particularly merits observation, all expense was most carefully avoided. The materials of the structure were the most plain and unpolished, and cost the ladies but the labor of a few evenings in preparing the flowers. "The General being presented with a copy of the Sonata, was pleased to address the following CARD to the ladies of Trenton, who were assembled on the 21st day of April, 1780, at the Triumphal Arch, erected by them on the bridge which extends across the Assanpink creek. 'CARD. 'General Washington cannot leave this place, without expressing his acknowledgments to the matrons and young ladies, who received him in so novel and grateful a manner at the Triumphal Arch in Trenton, for the exquisite sensation he experienced in that affecting moment. The astonishing contrast between his former and actual situation at the same spot-the elegant taste with which it was adorned for the present occasion-and the innocent appearance of the white-robed choir, who met him with the gratulatory song, have made such an impression on his remembrance as, he assures them, will never be effaced. 'Trenton, April 21st, 1789.'' A drawing of this arch, and an account of the circumstances attending the reception of Washington, were presented to Independence Hall, by Am'th Quinton, of Trenton. When we reflect upon the contrast which greeted Washington's eyes in this reception, to the one he experienced when he met the deadly foes of our liberties on the banks of the same stream only a short time before, we cannot but appreciate the good taste of the ladies of Trenton, who thus welcomed to their city the heroic defender of our mothers and their homes. Oh, what a sensation of pleasure must he have enjoyed at this grand exhibition of gratitude! The man who had struggled through a seven years' war against all the disadvantages of a 'poverty-stricken' government-with a miserably supplied army to repel the well-fed and well-clothed minions of royalty-with nothing but an allwise Providence and patriotic men to rely upon for success-amidst the colds and storms of winter and the burning heats, of summer-that man who never faltered in the most trying hour—whose heart had been schooled in the stern lessons of vigorous combat with a powerful nation, and triumphed over all interposing obstacles-thus to be greeted by the fair ladies of the land he defended, was too impressive for his refined sensibilities, and George Washington wept! Yes the man who had commanded in a hundred battles-who had witnessed death in all its horrorswho had seen his brave soldiers reduced to that condition when they were obliged to eat the leather of their cartridge-boxes, and their feet impress the earth with crimson as they marched over the frozen ground --who could look upon all these without emotion as a soldier--could not avoid shedding tears at this appropriate tribute of respect. That day should be held as a day worthy of annual commemoration by the ladies of Trenton. It is one of the sacred occasions in the history of New Jersey, and of the country. CHAPTER XLII. THE BIBLE IN 1776. "Blessed Book, On every leaf stamped with the seal of VISITORS to Independence Hall, as they advance toward the statue of Gen. George Washington, may observe on their right, a beautifully bound volume of the Holy Bible, carefully preserved under a glass case. What a contrast is presented in this copy of the Sacred Scriptures to those manufactured in this country in "olden time," and what pleasant associations take possession of the reflective mind, while gazing upon the copy in this consecrated room! Our thoughts go back to the earlier, if not better days of our country, when the Fathers of the Republic did not hesitate to enlist the sympathies, and bring to bear the whole power of the Federal Government for the circulation of this divinely inspired volume. We can realize how deeply the civil calamities of 1776 inspired the people of the United States with a profound religious reverence, and with a firm reliance upon Providence to protect them from the horrors of a protracted war-how that then there was not only a prayerful disposition all over the land, but a particular desire to spread the Bible far and wide. The patriots and the heroes of that period had taken the Holy Bible as the fundamental basis of their action, and, upon that rock, they resolved to rear a tabernacle of republican government against which the rains and storms of monarchical despotism might descend and beat without effect. The grand result of their experiment is known to the world. With the word of God as their compass and polar star, they set themselves earnestly to work. They saw their course lay through fiery ordeals and serried ranks of embattled hostsbut they knew that the establishment of Christianity and spiritual liberty cost the price of Christ's crucifixion on Calvary, and they hesitated not at the consequences that would ultimate from the vigorous resolutions they had taken. These things come upon us in our moments of serious reflections, and we remember that, on the 11th of September, 1777, in the Congress then sitting in this very room, a petition from Dr. Allison and others, to secure a better and a wider circulation of the Bible, was taken from the table and referred to a special committee. The very same day the committee returned the subjoined report: "That they have conferred fully with the printers, etc., in this city, and are of the opinion that the proper types for printing the Bible are not to be had in this country, and that the paper cannot be procured but with such difficulties, and subject to such casualties, as to render any dependence on it altogether improper; that to import types for the purpose of setting up an entire edition of the Bible, and to strike off 30,000 copies, with paper, binding, etc., will cost £10,272 10s., which must be advanced by Congress, to be reimbursed by the sale of the books; that, in the opinion of the |