Excerpt from A Centennial Edition of the Semi-Centennial Oration on American Independence We have called this oration the semi-centennial, because it is unique. Among the hundreds of towns which on the 4th of July, 1826, celebrated the close of the half century of American Independence, it was reserved for Dayton, Montgomery County, Ohio, to produce an oration which has survived the second half century, and become a household word in thousands of families in all parts of the Union. It was delivered by peter P. Lowe, esq., and was published by request. In Ohio it is still quoted, as frequently as either Shakespeare or the Bible. It is as quota ble as Poor Richard's Almanac. Reader, if it be new to you, do not lay it aside hastily. Reserve it for a leisure hour, refresh yourself with a careful perusal, and you afterwards, on many and various occasions, shall find its rich expressions recurring to your memory, like a cheerful companion, helping you to keep the merry heart that doeth good like a medicine. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.