Shimei and Abishai, or The Extreme Politicians. A Thanksgiving Discourse, Delivered in the Second Congregational Church in Hartford, Nov. 27, 1851.
Hartford: Press of Case, Tiffany and Company, 1851. First edition. 8vo, original printed wrappers, 24 pages. Wrappers a bit darkened and worn; spine a little chipped; light damp-stain to a portion of the gutter of the text; a very good copy. Item #13082
A sermon that would not be out of place as a July Fourth oration, Clarke lays out the ways in which the American government is a Christian republic and suggests the peculiar burdens upon the citizen to uphold the principles of liberty and popular will. In a likely allusion to the continuing sectional controversies relating to the Fugitive Slave Act of the year before, Clarke warns his audience to "remember, that if you utter your dislike of any one bad law, in ways that tarnish the sacredness and impair the authority of all laws . . . you have pulled up the foundations of a state."
A presentation copy inscribed at the head of the front wrapper, "Prof Bn Niles by [? to all] from the Author."
Small contemporary ink autograph catalog mark to the front wrapper, penciled DUP notation, but no other evident library marks.
Price: $40.00