Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-05-14

Ihan be near and ike my God,
And flesh and sense no more control
The sacred pleasures OF the soul
Ny Aesh shall slumber in the ground
TIL the last trumpets joyful sound,
Then burst the chains with sweet surprise,
And in my Savior's image rlse. -.
The orator OF the day, the Rev. D. @.
Kelly, was introduced by Mr.. W. A. Collier,
in a brief speech, as follows:
1--WE come, my friends, in obedience to a.
beautiful custom and the spontaneous prompt
ings of the hearts of brave and generous
people to pay q sweet tribute to the mem DRY
OF our heroic dead. 1t is proper that one
who took a noble part in that noble cause,
that one who nobly bore the winters winds
and summers sums of four long years, who
endured with them the privations OF camp
on the long and weary march, and who wit
ressed their heroism on the battlefield, should
speak to yoH in perpetuatisp of their gallant
deeds on occasions like this. When the toe
sin of war was frat heard in our land there
came to this city one who, to use his own Ian
gusge "wanted to raise regiment 20 hight"
Aided by the immortal Forrest, such a
regiment was formed, and with Gen. Forrest
a. colonel, aad this gentleman as major, and
upon promotion OF Gen. Forrest, became
colonel of the old regiment, where he soon
won the reputation of the fighting preacher"
matter of history. From this position he
was soon promoted to that OF brigadier-
general. While in camp or on the march
| he would preach to his soldiers and pray for
them and his enemies; but when the battle
cry was heard he was first in his saddle, fore
most in the charge, always leading his co@
mand in the thicksst of the fight. A nobler,
| purer maB, a drawer soldier, never espoused
| a cause or drew q sword in defense of his
| Ha ~. d. hafa 10 1o- h.
| hero of hundred battles. He fought with
your heroes for the nainte lance OF the prin-
| ciples for which they died, and he is here to-
| day, if need be, 10 defend their memories. 1t
| is my privilege and pleasure TO presen. 10
you ss your orator on this occasion that
model soldier, that Christian conference.-the
Rev. D. C. Kelly"
Mr.. Kelly then delivered his address, OF
which the following is a synopsis:
Mr.. KELLY's ADDRESS.
We meet in memory of our dead heroes.
| The occasion does not demand review OF
| the causes which led to the tremendous inter
| state conflict of 1875. These have gone
into history, and will not be revived by aught
that we would say. II is not needed or in
tended that we discuss the great problems
for statesm snship which have grown out oil
the war. The solution of many of these must
rest upon the brains and hearts OF the gen.
| GRAFTON which is TO succeed u.s. We are
too near the heat and dust of the
conflict to be prepared to deal with
them in the broad aud far-reaching spirit
which their magnitude demands. Much less
do We come to heap inve ctives on that army
or government which defeated our force il
the field and claims and receives now on,
hearty allegiance. Realizing a common des
tiny, We gladly allow common duty tc
glorify, not traduce or assaiI, the American
nam. Less sliii do We coma to attempt "a
gild with mere words the fine gold of char
acter which was and ever wll be tn.
inalienable property of our dead com
rades. They need nothing at oul
hands. On an imperishable Basis Of lofty
patriotic and unselfish bravery their RECORD
is inf1ed with impress more indelible thar
if craven in granite. 1t is for our Owl
sakss We come. First, that We may prov
that we are not degenerate comrades or I'm
worthy descend ants of these men who sleeI
here. To forget them would be to prov
ourselves unworthy of the great sacrifice
they made for us; to neg ect the means OF in
dicating our bretherly love for them woulC
I be TO write ourselves down as wanting in tn
true attributes of lofty manhood, They d.
! not need eur memorial tributes to celebrate
their worth, but we need to ofer them ii
| pIOOl tnal we are uhWOIlbyS VI tuOs
for whom they poured out their lives
Next we come to fix in the memories OF thu
young men and maideus of to-da,
the opinions of practical and daily valu
which come 10 Us from times o
struggle aud darkness through which thu
lives of these men and others like then
shine out with a brishtness surprising thu
brilliancy of tie consultations which bedecl
the bosom of southern night. Never ha
history bsen provided with proof 30 over
whelming that 1t is the soul which make
the man. The teuderly raised boy with deli
cate auu uudeveiopsd physique-held In de
rision by the world of muscle-when th'
cause dem anded, knew no fatigue, faltered a
NO task of endurance, supplied with thu
temper from within the needs of the physical
and through victory, marching or defes
held has even way, u kas,t demon
straiion of the SUPERIOR kl&ie spiritual tC
the natural. But more than from = man die
the women of these times rise to the sublime
elueidation OF this proposition-petted dsr
lipgs of two generations OF unchecked pros
perity and luxury-lhey glided into til,
places of self.sacrifce iron handed necessity
opened for them with the grace snd smil,
of loving, true women, miugling dsuntles
courage and fidelity of resources, which hal
written a new page in the history OF human
possibilities; a system which fsrbids com
planning, whining or despair in any emergen
cy of our present or future. The man nov
who falters and grunts, the woman who pout
and weeps in the light of this past is blot
freckle, disgrace, Islander on the psssi
bilities of our Southern humanity. The maj
or woman who, in sight of such possibilities
il content TO live without that useful labo
which is the necessary basis Of such higl
development, il an insult alike to our his
toric past and our prophetic future. Indo
lent learning il stamped forever 4 curse
These memories mingie with the voices o
our present to stir every true man 10 lofty
emulation, and every earncst woman to
logger and more glorious womanhoed
The next lesson noticed is the fas
child of cowardice. The brsvest sol
diers have shown the most magnanim
ity. That all virtue is not embodied in on,
people. The North has learned not 10 laugh
at the efiminency OF the South, and We NJ
longer talk of the cowardice of the North
No war was ever illustrated by a greater
number OF acts of kindness, or more human
ity in its conduct. The world is growing
bett ter even in the horrid conduct of war
Motley, in his Dutch Republic, tells OF one o.
Alva's marches, in which he says: Maids and
mairons were ravished in multiipdes; old mer
murdered in cold blood" A detailed descrip
ton Is given OF the cutting off OF the head Of
an old woman, past eightysyears of sge, al
| Utrecht. Ten, twelve, twenty persons were
often hanged, burned or bebeaded in a sing e
day. Gibbets laden with mutilated bodies
lined the public highways. "Muhlin, unre-
sisIing, was given up to be completely sacked
three days long The horrible scene continued,
abandoned 10 that trinity of furies which ever
wait upon mems footstep.-murder, lust and
r,pine-undeF whoze promptipgs human be-
| ings become SO much more terrible than
the most ferocious beasts" Atrocities
there were, but fewer than in other
| wars; and no one Is found willing
to bear the personal odium which al
taches throughout our Common county 10
these deeds of barbarian. No one is willing
to bear the responsibility of the destruction
| by fire OF Columbis, s. C., while Aivs gloried
in the torches he set 10 homes in the Neither
lards. As one travels North or South he
hears ever and anon of deeds of individual
| kindness, high acts of Christian chivslry,
| bright mementoes lighting up the gloom OF
| the years Of strife and blood. A woman in
| the track of the war tells of manly protec-
| ton from the foe. A wounded prisoner
| of tender care from q woman's hand
| AS with patriotic yesrning my eye looks out
over this, my native land, and takes iu the
destiny of our whole country-South, North,
East, West-endeavoring to read the promise
| OF its future; as | learn TO mistrust first one
and then another of her agents employed to
promote development and insure stability,
find my heart and eye invelunlarily turning
to our Southern mothers, who mold the char
scter Of our children; here and here alone, 1
| fed steadfast rest Earth knows 70
| grander development OF womanly strength
| aud tenderness than is found in
our Southern home. 1t has
been the fate of your speaker to have been