The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-05-05
MEMORIAL DAY IN MACON.
Elk PRESIDENT DAVIS LETTER ON THE CON-
FBDERATE DEAD.
Macon Telegraph.

Davis. Mr.. Salisbury rose and in an eio-
quent manner read ore of the grandest
letters ever penned by human hand. The
selection of the reader was peculiarly
felicitous. To q voice moduIated to great
perfection and in a manner which showed
how deeply the reader felt the sentiments
of glowing patriotism of the great ex
president of the onfederacy, Mr.. Sauls-
bury executed the trust assigned.
The letter was read as follows:
LETTER FROM PRESIDENT JEFFERSON DAVIS.
MISSISSIPPI CITY, Miss, April ii, 1873.
Gentlemen Il sincerely regret my inabil
ity to be present at the laying Of the corner
stone of "a monument to be erected at
Macon, Ga, in honor of our dead Coufed-
crate soldiers"
The event possesses every attraction to
me it is inspired by the Ladies' Memo
rial Association (; the monument is to be
located in the Key stone State of the Con-
federate arch, and to commemorate the
sacrifices of those who died in the defense
of our inherited and "inalienable" rights.
What though we were overbcrne by
numbers, and accessories not less efficient,
truth is not to be measured by success in
maintaining it against force nor is the
glory less of him who upholds it in the face
of unequal odds, but is it not rather more
to his credit that he counted all else as
dust in the balance when weighed with
honor and duty! On many stricken
field our soldiers stood few and faint, but
fearless still, for they wore the panopy of
unquestioning confidence in the rectitude
of their cause, and knew how to die but
not to surrender. Let not any of their
survivors impugn their faith by Offering
the penitential plea that "they believed
they we're right"
Be it ours to transmit to posterity our
their convictions, to their virtues, and the
sanctity of the motives by which they were
actuated.
1t is meet that this monument should
have originated with the ladies of the land,
whose self denial was conspicuous through
all the trials and sufferings of war, whose
gentle ministrations in hospitals and at
wsyside refectories 30 largely contributed
to relieve the sick and wounded, and whose
unfaltering devotion to their country's
cause in the darkest hours of our struggle
illustrated the fidelity of the sex which
was last at the cross and first at the sepul-
chre.
l am profoundly thankful to them for
inviting nae 10 represent them, as their
orator, on the approaching occasion. Had
1t been practicable to accept, their request
would have been to me q com mand, obeyed
with no other reluctance than the con-
sciousness of inability to do justice to the
theme.
Thanks to the merits of our Confederate
dead, they need neither orator nor bard to
commend their deeds to the present gener-
alton of their countrymen. Many fell far
from home and kindred, and sleep in un
marked graves; but all are gathered in the
love of those for whom them died, and
their memories are hallowed in the hearts
of all true Confederates.
By the pious effort of our people, many
humble cemeteries, such as, in their i'm
p0verishment, were possible, have been
prepared, and the Confederate dead have
cnllacta1 p fhapl from DaiOh hnriDD
het,lefelds. There annually, with rever-
entail affection, the graves, alike of the
known and the unknown, are 6ecked with
vernal flowers, expressive of gratitude re-
new able forever, and typical of the hope
of resurrection and reunion where the
wicked cease from trout bling and the weary
ars at rest.
To Oe remembered, honored, beloved by
their people is the reward bestowed on our
Confederate dead. 1t is the highest which
good and purely patriotic man could de-
sire. Should it be asked, why then build
this monument7 the answer is, they do
not need it, but posterity may. 1t is not
their reward, but our!debs. If the greatest
gift hero gives his race ia to have been a
hero, in order that this gift may be utilized
to coming generations it's appreciation by
contemporaries should be rendered as
visible and enduring as possible. Let the
monument, rising from earth toward
heaven, lift the minds of those who come
after US to higher standard than the COM
mon test of success. Let it teach that man
is born for duty, not for expediency ; that
when an attack is made on the community
to which he belongs, by which he is pro-
tected, and to which his allegiance is due,
his first obligation is to defend that com
mnnity and that under such conditions it
is better to have "fought and lost, than
never to have fought at ALL" Let posterity
learn by this monument that you COM
memorate men who fought in defensive
war that they did not, as has been idly
stated, submit to the arbitrament of arms
the questions at issue-questions which in
volved the inalenable rights inherited
from their ancestors and held in trust for
their posterty but that they strove to
maintain the State sovereignty which their
fathers left them, and which it was their
duty, if possible, to transmit to their chill
dIen.
Away then with such feeble excuse for
the abandonment of principles, which may
be crushed for a while, but which, pos
sessing the eternal vitality of truth, must
,,,I