Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-03-30
OUR HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
Meeting of Citizens at the Memphis
Club Hall-Spsech by General
George D. Johnston
Of Alabama.
Remarks by Judges Sneed. Brown
and Clapp--An Interesting
Occasion.

48-t - WAC III AnNGAAAkEnN
and aPpreciative meeting of ladies and
gentlemen at the Memphis Club Hal
to hear the address of General George
d. Johnston, a distinguished citizen Of
Alabama, whose visit here is 10 the in
terest of the Southern Historical Society.
An unusual interest was evidenced by
the audience, which was one Of the most
intelligent that eve assembled in Mem.
phis. Among the ladies present was
Mrs. Jefferson Davis, who, after the
meeting closed, was presented to Gen.
eral Johnston and congratulated him
upon the excellence of his address,
a synopsis Of which is given below.
Owing to the space given the addresees
we are denied the pleasure Of expres 0g
sur views upon the character and elo-
quence Of the several speakers. Judge
John L. 7. Sueed, Of the Tennessee Su.
preue Court, introduced General John
ston to the audience.
JUDGE sYEEDs REMARKS.
Judge Sneed, in introducing the dis.
tinguished orator, Gen. Johnston, said:
1t is said that 10 some of the mythical
islands Of the Pacific seas, the death Of
a chieftaiR is followed by the measure.
ment of all the male members OF his
tribe surviving, and the tsllest man is
always made the successor of The dead
chieitsin. | can only account for the
prominence my friends have inflicted
upon me here this evening, by the fact
that without reference to better qualif.
cations, | stand higher, physically, in
! their estimation, than any other man on
the platform. But | merely propose, at
their request, to outline tie objects OF
your meeting tonight, and to introduce
a distinguished citizen of Alabama who
can himself best make known his honor.
able mission among you.
After stating the objects Of the meet
Jag and dwelling at some length upon
the Importance Of rescuing and perpetu.
ating accurate historic annals of the part
borne 10 the civil wal oy the armies Of
tue South, Judge Sneed proceeded ss
follows:
We want no more war. The Grand
Duke Michael of Russia had a morbid
passion for martial display. but he loved
it for its magnifcence alone. he hated
war, because, he said, it ~deranged the
parade, rusted the weapons and soiled
the beautiful uniforms. In this country
we have other and very satisfactory rea-
sons for d%eprecatihg war-and especially
civil war. The North and the South
went to war to settle a institutional
problem. They settled the problem, but
they settled something more. They set.
tied each others hash for at least a hun.
dred years. They wera both honest in
their convictions. They m~srshaled
armies and developed that
might have de6ed the world in arms.
They fought we'll. They were of the
same sturdy Anglo Saxon race, aud were
the same people. They were proud of
each others proves and courage. They
had been for eighty years bound and
dashed together by the great memories
of o magnificent past. Both spoke the
beautiful language Of Shakespeare. Both
were governed by the glorious code of
Blackstone, and both worshipped God
under the blessed creed Of Christ
1t was a strange and unnatural
fight, but still they fought as
never adverse people fought before,
and when all the costs were counted,
both we're, in my opinion, very badly
whipped. But it was a fight upon honest
conviction Gu both sides, aud when they
emerged from the ensanguined field they
looked upon each other with tbs same
unblanched manhood with which they
had entered it, and the North had no
apologies 10 make to tho South,
and the South had no apologies
to make to the North; but, oh, my
God both would have given the
world if they could have brought back to
the royal ~lavishmeat of life all that
ocean of precious blood.
But who has not observed that brave
men who have tried each Others metal
become afterwards the very best friends.
When the fight begun each was of opin.
ion that the other would be utterly de.
stroyed in q very few days. This was
the most fatal and foolish delusion of all,
and when both had emerged, manr'
mutilated and demorslized from { 9
fight, each was pretty much in the con
dition of the urchin whose countenance
was kicked eff by an impenitent mule.
The boy was in the habit of catehin:
the mule by the tail with both hands,
and, putting a foot 90 each of the
animals hind legs, and then pendulating
there, like some young, unregenerste
aristocrat swinging on the gate. Bis
father had admsnished him, time and
again, of his danger, but on every sly
occasion johnny would persist in his
perllous sport, until the mule kicked him
in the face aud wounded him horribly.
After his wounds had healed he was
looking in the mirror one day, deprecat.
ing his ugly designation, ans turning
to his father he SAID; Papa, will these
car never 90 off of ny faceg' mo,
my son." said the sympathetic father,
you'll never be pretty again, Johnny.
but you'll have a d=-n sight more sense"
Gentlemen, let us have real peace in
this country. The IMAM at the other
end Of the avenue has in the last twelve
months illustrated both the truth and
the beauty Of that celebrated observa-
ton Of tbs lord cardinal of FRANCE to
his page, when be said Francois, take
away the sword; States may be saved
without it"
Let US all, Of the North and the South,
gather up the glories which each army
mas achieved, aud perpetuste them as a
heritage common to all. The glory of.
each is the common property Of ell. The
metropolis, whose dome towers toward
the clouds on the stricken field of Gettys.
burg, does not symboliRe a yalor that is
merely sectional, but o valor that Is ma.
-. MI l-1.1 IT.