The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1871-05-24
Mf: Girar6eau's Address on
Memorial Day.

lie did not speak as a minister,
but as any citizen, who might
wish to express his sentiments.
The circumstance which drew
them together was afecting-it
was to carry out the requests Of
the gallant spirits, whose boues
they had removed hither, who in
their latest breath, ertreated that
their bodies might be sent to South
Carolina, to be buried there. In
furtherance of the dying wish,
their remains had been carefully
collected, and have been laid aside
, of their comrades. They will now
have a fellowship in death-their
, dying wish is fulfilled, afflicted
, Carolina rises in her mourning Z
. weeds, and receives her children
! to her breast, and they lie in a
spot overlooking the waters that
! never parted hostile keel, so
long as an artillery man remained
with his portfre behind the guns
which guarded them. Let them
now lie, confederates in death as
they were in life. Deep IS is the
grief this occasion inspires, they
were not there simply as mourn
ers, for the dead, there were living
issues affecting the future. The
great question, and one which fills
every heart, is, did these men die
in vain? was the sacrifice useless,
was their precious blood split in
vain? This must depend upon the
course which will be pursued by
the people of the South. What
course shall they adopt? Practi
cally maintain the principles for
which they died. These men were
rebels against lawful authority or
they were not. If they: were, the
principles on which they acted
should be forgotten; if they were
not, every noble attribute and sen.
timent, Of justice, and gratitude,
should impel US to justify their
course. So far from being rebels
and traitors, they were lovers of
liberty, combatants for constitu-
tional rights.
There is a spirit abroad, clarac-
terized by subtlety, an arch foe #
God and man, and it is Radicalism.
Conceived in revolt, its purpose is
to upturn the very ground forms
of society; nothing viii be allow
ed to escape the sweep of its de-
!uge. 1t wages war against the
I family, State, and the Church.
Nothing is safe from it. Breach
after breach it has made through
the barriers which limit restraint.
After an extended rortraiture
Of Radicalism, the speaker said it
had began its course by assuming
a higher law, which neither re-
garded the laws Of God and man
which stood in its way. For this
and other grave crimes the South
had withdrawn from the Union.
We must resist the influences OF
Radicalism in its social aspect as
We would oppose plague. Re-
vert to the fearful tragedy now
being enacted in Paris, we, he
feared, would come to that end,
unless We steadfastly maintained
the principles twice consccrated
by patriotic blood, by our ances-
tors in the first, and by their chill
dren in the second Revolution.
The spirit of the Christian re-
ligion pervaded the armies of the
Confederacy. From the Command
er-iu-Chief to the humblest private
a revcrcnt respect was paid to its
ministers and ordinances. Gen
eral Lee would 80 unattended to
the gatherings for worship, and
would, while setting with tn I'm,
dcvoutly listen to Gods word.
Jackson was man Of prayer.
The one great and important thing
for US to do, was to cling to our
identity as a people. There is
danger Of our losing it. lnfu-
ences are operating on us. Are
we prepared for the change? ff
it takes place nothing will be left
to the South but history. Thus
identity can be preserved by va
rious ways, which the eloquent
orator described. If we acquicsce
in the criminal acts, hy which the
liberties Of this country are being
subverted, we shall inevitably be
partakers in the condign punish
ment which must some day be
visited upon US. The demon Rad
icalism has been invoked---it
knows no law, and may yet turn
upon those who have imagined
themselves its masters. Let US
keep our skirts clear oft and we
can only do this. as he had said
before, by keeping our identity as
a people.
But enough. The mournful Of
fec which bad summoned them
hither waited to be performed.
Let them hasten to remove the
relics ofunconquered patriots from
a strange atmosphere, less free
than the air Of the sepulchre.
Andif the last hope has been aban-
doned of maintaining their princi-
pies, if they were prepared to give
up every thing for which they
died, let them discharge their Of