Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1866-07-21

e.cu WV NpoSlicS laltI. lhouGh S0lt and
yielding herself as the spirit of gcntlcst peace.
wherever on earth there has been Freedom or
glory TO win; whenever duty or honor has
called the soldier to the field, she has distin-
guishcd herself as the soldiers friend. And
in that great contcst-thc smoke of which has
not yet cleared from the firnamcn above us
strengthened by the proud and free spirit
of our country women, their husbands and
brothers, and lovers, have gone forth, and
| mingling in the battle, have illustrated the
grcat strength and intrcpidity of man, when,
with full heart, he loves the liberties of his
country and trusts in the God of his fathers
! Md so IN all that is good and noble, her
hand has been seen, her influence felt, clcva
ting and purifying, suftcniny and smoothing
down he rough aspcrtics of mans nature, rs
/. if God had given her the beautiful mission
wit! gcntlc hand to lead h,u back towards
that high estate from which, through her fol
~, he is said 10 have fallen Nowondcr, then
that hy tho highly cultivated in happy cour-
tries By rude soldiers in their camps and sail
prs.i their ships, aud by rudcr snvngcs on far
of shores, wherever the earth feels human
tread she is cherished and honorc,l, for around
her still fingers what little of Eden has been
left tn man.
When we look around upon the ruins Of our
| country; when we see her great cities in ash
cs, her towns and villages, once Gay with -"
and prosperity, deserted; wide tracts of coun-
try, cncc fruitful from the industry of man,
now waste and dcsolatc; cottage and mansion,
once the abodcs of domestic bliss, now charrcd
and blackcncd, or left to silence and decay
her finances broken; her people bankrupt
society confused, dnmoralizcd, upon the verge
OF anarchy; her labor system destroyed, and
herself PROSTATE and powcrlcss ut the feet of
an insulting aud vindictivc conq qucror; when
nc look around upon all this ruin, and sec, as
sometimes VIC see, some of her children PROV
ing false to her name and dignity, joining to
nspcrse her character, and fawnin9 over the
hand that has smittcn her, VIC almost sink
with despair, and begin to fear that the usual
fate of q subjugatcd people will overwhclm us
also, aud that soon it muy be said of us that
'' Freedom now so seldom wakes
The only throh she gives.
Is when some heart indignant breaks,
TO tell that still she liyes''
But when we SEQ such scenes MS this when
we find that the past has not bccn forgotten +
whcn, we find that the heart of the multitre
is sound, we renew our hope; we fee'l'a'
there is :" life in the old lind yet" tof VIC
know If we preserve our selfrcspcc' ou.aes
day will one TING dawn upon ,.'r county,
and that though it may not core 10 U.s. U.s. ID VIII
surely shine upon our chiulen We "aNa
not been utterly cast dow. and destroyed, nor
can we be. a pcoplo"ho have put forth the ,
energies and crcatI>d the resources that we
have shown on,l created who have endured |
AS we have ..iurcd, and fought as we have
fourEt. WY, in, time, rise above misfortune,
and frrn ruin spring to new and vigorous life.
lsaSting and paingoriousncss arc contemp.
tblc, but just pride is the foundation of all
high character, as well of nations as of indi
viduals And if anything can save us from
the bascness and scrvility which ever threaten
to sink the character of subiugated people,
it must be the proud and cherished memories
of the past. DO not let us forget, then, that
our cause WAS Il good and noble cause that it
wus for the right of scll.govcrnmcnt VIC strug-
g'cd tho cause which has. in every age, fur
nsh. the highest examples o! human virtue,
and illustrated most the nobility Of man; the
l,no noble csuse for>which, in the oldcn time,
Miiiades struggled OF Marathon, and Brutus
died at Pbillppi; the same cause which, in
later times, summoned Tell and his hardy
countrymcn, amid Alpinc SHOWS; and which
marshallcd beneath the sun Of Spain the gay
knight and swarthy peasant, "when Charlie
nagne and all his peerage fell at Fcntarabia;!
tho same old aud glorious cause for which, in
America, Washington fought, and in Europe
Kosc usko fell. And now, if the cause was
righteous, if We put forth all our strength, if
we end, Il all of which humanity is capable,
if we did not yield until orr resources had
been exhausted and worn out with expectation
and continual toll of battle, there was no long
or any help or hope of success, then there is
nothing in the past Of which we may not be
proud, and nothing but failure to regret.
In this great cause we fought and fell as
Carthage fell before Rome, and as Rome her-
self fell before the Goths We foughtand fell,
yet we have the proud consciousness that we
struck q manly blow. And though we have
failed to accomplish the great purpose for
which We struggled, we have yet written ont.
| ot,o