The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1866-04-19

suit? IT. in the war of 1776, Mr.. Chief
Justice Spencer, OF New York, said, in a
judicial opinion, we had been unsuccess-
full, the world would have pronounced 1t
rebellion. Men cannot always COM
mand success, but even the defeated can
preserve unimpaired their selfrespect.
No men ever fought more gallantly, or
under disadvantages half SO great, as
those who struggled to win independence
for The South. No true soldier Of all the
Northern multitudes denies them that.
| 1t is enongh-that, and their faith in the
Justice of their cause. Why, then, shall
we not honor and cherish the memories
of our dead, and love and care for those
disabled and feeble ones whom Proyl-
dence has given us as wards +?
see the skeletons of cities burned, the
desolated fields, the blackened ruins of
homesteads, people impoverished, all the
horrid fruits and legacies of war; and
amid all, there remains something for
which to be thankful, something over
which both the victor and the vanquished
can rejoice. The war was not one for
conquest, for aggrandizcment, for the ac-
QUESTION of territory, nor were the
grounds of it frivolous, nor the motives
which led to it sordid, or selfish, or base.
1t was war of ideas. We fought for
the sovereignty of the States; the North
fought for the old flag and the Union. l
can respect the men, who, doing only
soldiers duty, fought for their idea; and
. surely alt of them, who are not without
souls, can respect us because we fought
for ours.
| We had no flag We fought fora prin-
ciple that to the masses seemed almost an
abstraction. They thought they were IN
the right. 1 thought so; think SO yet.
Defeat has not in the least weakened my
convictions. The matter has been SUBJ
mittcd to the arbitrament Of arms, and
decided. We do not ask that we shall be
allowed to say that we were right; but
only that we believed we wero and that
poor consolation no generous enemy will
deny us.
1t was time that war should come to
teach us the value of ideas Once l wrote
a paper on values-the value of the rain,
of the sunshine, of song, symbol, OF
the Cross and of the Crescent, Of noble
thought, heroic sentiment of an illus
trious example. When this war came we
had lost all appreciation of everything
but material values except. money and
moneys worth, profits, comfort, ease, IN
dolence, political reputation, place, pow
er-all that the wise scorn and the multi
tudes struggle for. This war has taught
us lessons that will not be forgotten, and
by which we shall profit if we are wise.
1t has taught us, among others, these
two lessons: first, the immense influence
and power of ideas, and the terrible con-
sequences of errors in theory, and the ne-
cessity of seeing to it hereafter that the
leaders of the people shall not cajolc them
and mislead them; and second, that there
is something worth more than either
wealth, or ease, or power-the glory and
the value of those who lose life or limb
1 in even an unsuccessful cause. The men,
cries of its heroes are, to every people, a
great writer said, like the mountain
peaks above the waters Of the dcluge.
Without these memories no people, how
prosperous soevcr, is rich; with them,
none how overwhelmed soever with CO.
lamities, is poor.
Whatever hereafter may befall the Re-
public, whatever may be the fate of our
Government, the Southern States will
continue to be people, with a distinct
individuality, history, common recollcc-
: tions of glories and disasters, and an in
!, calculuble wealth of glorious memories
The names of the dead and living heroes
and martyrs of that people will never
glitter on the roll of fame with dimin.
ished glory. We have learned the value
of these memories, and of many com
mon and homely thing beside.
: Three years ago, the speaker said
; might have been seen in many rude
cabin in Texas and Arkansas, apoor, fee
BILE, lonely old woman, her only son oral
her sons afar upon the bloody field Of
} Virginia or Tennessee, fighting for the
, independence of her country, while she
tolls with aching muscles alone with hei