The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1881-01-05

Burt, who like yOn mighty oak on Tile way
side, is q living representative OF the past.
And then Mr.. President, there are other men
living To-day. SOME of whom are around
this table, who have already written their
names in fime, not only In the county but In
the state and whole country. Abbeville has
always been distinguished for her beautiful.
elegant. md refined women. and I see around
me tonight fit representatives OF the past.
Young men. look we'll to the high standards
of oar early history. From your ranks must
come the great men OF the future, and 1t viii
he for you to say whether .Abbeville county
shall still maintain the high and glorious
record of Abbevil!e district Of the past.
The Town,
pRoPosED ny SIR. +. Z. HILL.
We have listened with pleasure, commingled
with pride. to the beautiful sentiments called
forth by the tnasts to the State and County,
and have felt the am of patriotism kindle
afresh within our bosolns, when reminded of
the high privilege which We, as the sons and
daughters Of South Carolina and Abbcvillc
county, enjoy-the privilege o. claiming these,
with all their glorious records, as ours-ours
by all the laws OF inheritance. South Caro-
lima, Abhcville county: names ever dear to us
all, rccreant. indeed, would be that son or
fair fame. Butdeara as are these to US all. there
Is yet, another place more dear still, and that
place Is our immediate home. "HOme sweet
home; there Is no place like llome.' Truer
words never yet hath man spoken. Home!
how musical the word What hallowed asso-
Citations around 1t cluster! No other name.
save perhaps, that of mother can cause so
many vibrations In the human heart, as that
Of home. Such being true, | feel that am
peculiarly fortunate this evening, In having
The pleasing duty assigned nc Of propOsingas
our nextresular toast, the home of the Home
less" the home of refinement and hospitality,
the hulne Of brave men and fair Womcn-our
home-the dear old town of Abbeville.
RELIED 10 BY MAI. A. b. wARDLAw.
Ar. President: Inclination would have
prompted me TO decline responding to tn sen-
timent Just proposed, hal I not felt that a SON
| tempt a reply, wOuld he recreant to his duty,
and unworthy to claim 1t MS bis native place.
The town Of Abbeville was Established AZ the
seat Of the District Court in LIN. md having
passed her four score years, would by reason
Of nse, were there not other and still greater
reasons, be entitled 10 our respect. vencrati0n
and love. How different the AbDevillc Of to
day from the Abbevillc OF my earliest recol:
! can we'll remember when there was but one
church within the limits OF the town, when
the Court House and the Jail were the only
brick buildings Of which 1t could boast, when
the stores could be counted on the fingers OF
one hand, when the market wagons passed
through, carrying the cotton OF the country tC
Hamburg and Augusta, and returned loaded
with supplies for the farmer. and goods for the
merchants; when the stage coach afforded The
only means Of public travel: and when thu
buglc of the driver WAS anXi"usly listened foi
at night. as announcing the arrival of the trt.
weekly mail. After came the Railroad, and
with il many changes. Our churches have in
creased to -four, the square has assumed a new
and greatly improved appearance. brick no
tells, storcsand law Offices have taken the place
of the old wooden buildings, new and ELEGANT
private residences have been erected. rises a
business have multiplied to meet theS..alnH
of n growing trade, daily A2lL,T,srnp gives
aasu1ssilSciiSIfAeei world, the cotton of the sur
rounding country no lolgcr passes through
but IL now sold here: here supplies and fertll
izers are obtained, and our old Town has be
the vicissitudes OF time one grand old land
mark still remains-Our magnificent oak-st
appropriately referred 10 by my friend Coz
Robertson. a large tree, when the first cabir
in the Town was built. IL has grown with It.
growth. and strengthened with It's strength
and still II stands, mn ornament to the place
an object Of admiration to strangers, and @
pride aud vcneration to our citizens. NcveI
let the utilitarian spirit of the ngc lay wanda
hands upon it-long may IT. live Il silent wit
ness o. me gIfi r'~ he future o
49, the Town was men o
earnest Patriotism and solid worth. 1t is no
q little remarkable TINT the first child born II
the place became its most distinguished citi
zen. the one to whom the people OF his native
pride, whom they Delighted to honor, and II
honOring whom they honOred most them
selves. ! might call over a long list Of illiS
trinus worthless, whose lives constitute a par
Of the history of our Town, and whose rcputa
ton is our inheritance. Men. who, sroi ninl
policy and everything low and mean, made
principle their guiding stnr. and n sense o
duty their motive to action: but OF the deut
their own deeds IRE Il more fitting eul0gy tha,
my words Of mine. The living speak fol
themselves. Watakca lust pride in our grcaI
ard good men, wh0 by their teachings and by
their example contributed SO much to thaI
high tone-that high standard OF right-which
will he, characteristic Of the place. .Abbcvl,le,
as to its men and as to lis women, Is second "a
none In patriotism. ana VIC glory In our wal
record. We refer, too, with pleasure to the re.
fined taste OF our people, us shown In the
beautiful grounds surrounding our churches
and private residences, to their gcluine and
transformations hospitality. to q general re.
spcct for religion and 10, the kindly feeling cx.
manifesting "how good and how pleasant 1t Is
for brethren to dwell together In unity
Though the privilege to speak for the ladies'
belong to another, l feel that any response to
be incomplete withoutat least u reference to
their widespread reputation for 'all that Is
lovely and beautiful and good"
But, sir, with much of which to be proud, Is
there not one thing in which we are lucking ?
4 stranger first visiting our place, and unac.
Quainted with our splendid war record, might
naturally ask, Did Abbcvillc make no otIer-
ings TO the Lost C,atse? In other villages of
to the memory of the sons they gave to their
country, hut here I look In vain. My friends,
this ought not so to be. No nobler soldiers
ever marched 10 music than the gallant band
OF men and boys. who left Abbeville: at the
call OF their beloved South, and did not return
1t is a matter of history that five Colonies, all
living at the time on the street running by the
| place where we meet tonight, and almost
,vIfhin q StNDp'G Ri l,Otp nf paph 0fhpr Io} f1n,pp
their lives in the service. Perrin, Slmkins,
LythgOe, Marshall and Smith: as devoted as
was the whole South, the sam can not be tru-
ly said Of any other city: town or hamlet In
wore the grey, the feeling I am a South Caro-.
linian was alone more strong than that other
and kindred feeling, ] am an Abbevillian. 1t
is due to ourselves, It IS due to our children, It,
is due to these men that their memory be per-
pctuated In enduring marble. The accident
Of failure but makes the duty the more ilnper-
alive, the more sacred, Let us then determine
that some move shall be made In this holy
cause, and that IL shall 60 on and on, until we
shall have proven ourselves worthy OF our
gallant dead. until there shall be erected In
yondrr square a monument, q memorial to
our children for generations tc come, n monu.
ment, whose very existence shall proclaim,
Tell it, oh stranger that we died in obedience
TO duty, ut the call OF our country and from
love to South Carolina and to Abbeville.
My friends, we all love the old town; we love
It, because of the hallowed memories OF the
past; we love It, because OF the associations of
The present; we love II, because OF the hopes
of the future; we love 1t, because it Is our
holne
The Clergy.
PROPOSED BY $. C. CAsoN, ESQ.
Mr.. President: The pleasure of proposing
the Clergy has been assigned to me. I have
not been able to understand why the commit
tee on toaSts selected me for THIS purpose, for,
MIR. President, there are gentleman here, who
possess more OF the dignity and appearance of
that brotherhood than l do. suppose, how
ever, that the committee. believing in the eter-
nal fitness OF things, concluded that as the
Clergy had recently done so much for me, that
I now should do something for them, even
though 1t be only n good word spoken. In
speaking wOrthily of the Clergy, I should not
know where to stop, and II / felt disposed %
speak otherwise than with praise, / could nnd
nc place TO begin. think, Mr.. President,
that the worst dispersion ] ever heard cast up.
OH the preachers, was. that they were O mod.
est set Of men, as modest as Momen. | wish.
sir, before this splendid presence which has
in IL a worthy member Of the Clergy, to cor
rect such Il mistake, and not allow such linus,
4 g. 1O Lava ~ nN u