The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1869-04-14
For the Newberry Herald.
Tread softly, lightly, here,
IT'S sacred dust.
ANON.

IT'S sacred dust.
ANON.
A short time since the writer visited
Rosemont Cemetery near the town of New
berry, and while musing there midst the
sad memorials, and unmarked graves of
the dead, the thought occurred TO him,
here is the spot where should rest in peace
the ashes of the heroic sons of Newberry,
who perished in the late war, and above
them a marble column worthy of their
deeds should be raised BY the people OF the
District. This thought accompanied him
home-lodged in his mind, and now seeks
the utterance which he gives 1t through the
columns of your paper. All that is left to
us of that gigantic struggle is the sentiment
by which it was nurtured and which en-
nobed it. Let it be cherished as sacred
relc-embalmcd as holy thing. In what
more effectual way can this be done, than
by honoring the memory Of those who sac
rifced their lives in obedience to that sem
timent, in defence of their country's cause !?
The ancient Greeks made gods of thcir
heroes, and in this feeling, this veneration
for those who lived and died in an ''illustri
GUS course Of virtue," in a great degree, may
be attributed the high qualities and the great
deeds which have immortalzed their name.
To the heroes OF Greece monuments were
built, and to this day their mere fragments
are admired as the greatest creations Of
genius. lii these external forms of beauty
and grandeur, people show their appreci-
alton of noble actons-they bespcak the
spirit that stirs within-the ideal that seeks
expression in the material.
In many portions of the late Confederacy,
associations, composed chiefly of ladies,
have been formed, having for their object
the care and establishment of the graves
of the soldiers who fell in the line of their
duty during the war. Richmond, Charles
ton and other cities have such associations
Why should not New berry have hers? The
writer proposes that the ladies Of Newberry
District take this matter in hand and immcdi.
stely form an association of this kind. Their
first object should be, to induce the parents
and friends Of these fallen heroes, to have
their remains removed to Rosemont Gem
etery, to be deposited there, in a square to
be appropriated 10 that purpose. Then,
to raise fund sufficient to erect to their
memory a fitting NOR ument, one that will
do honor as we'll to the living as the dead.
The work Of improvement has already
been begun at the Cemetery the as$oci-
alton having charge of it have erected
around it a substantial enclosure, and the
hands of woman have already begun to
beautify the grounds. A monument, such as
the writer suggests, will render the spot at
tractive to all our people, and dear to the
hearts of those whose loved ones will repose
under its shadow and generations to come,
when they read the names inscribed on its
face, will feel moving within them the senti-
ment, "Dulce ct decorum est pro patris
mori"
The writer of this article has no selfish
feeling to gratify, in making these ;sugges-
tions. Taose Of his blood who fell in the
war sleep elsewhere-beyond the limits of
| Newberry. He is aetuated solely by the
feeling which he trusts belongs to our peo-
pie in common-a desire to honor the he
roic dead, and to present their virtues as
an example to posterisy. This is all. Now
let soL.e noble na,ron or daughter of
Newberry lead off in this laudable work.
Let the proposed association Of ladies en-
brace the whole District, and your cores
pondent ventures to predict that the move
ment will meet with general favor, and that
the men, old and young, of the District,
will respond by making liberal contrbu.
tons of money to carry it out.