The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1885-09-02
REUNION OF THE DESCENDANTS OF
HUGHUENOTS IN AMERICA.

HUGHUENOTS IN AMERICA.
The Summer Meeting at New Rochelle
"A Transplanted Vine--Proud and
Tender Memories Of Brave Race.
Address OF the Rev. DR.. Vidder, Of
Charleston. The Liturgy Of the Siege
Of La Rochelle.
| Correspondent Ne,Cs and Courire.l
New RocHEELLE, N. Y. August "a -
The summer meeting Of the Hughuenot
Society Of America was held here to-
day, and was Of great interest. In the
forenoon religious services were held in
the Episcopal Church. conducted by the
Rev. Charles F. Canedy, and an address
Of welcome was made by the Rev. G.. w.
Bolton. In the afternoon the president
OF the Society, the Hon. John Jay, pre-
sided, and delived an address. A paper
was read by the Rev. Charles f. Linds-
ley. D. d., entitled 1.-THE Hughuenot Set
Element at New Rochelle" and another
by Mr.. Charles M. DuPuy upon est
Bartholomew's Day, its causes and
results" The Rev. DR.. G. S. Vedder, of
Charleston, and the Hon. Peter
B. Olney, late district attorney of
New York city, made addresses, The
following is the substance of DR. We'd
der's address:
When the sweet American poetess,
Mrs. Sigourncy, first visited the remains
of the Hughuenot settlement at Oxford,
Mass, of which settlement her own
name of Sigourney was prominent and
pathetic part she, saw there-covering
the ruins with its robe Of vcrdure-a
climing plant of memorable history,
which she intimatcs and intcrrogates in
touching lines:
Screen vine that manifest in thy fresh
You old grey rock, hear that thou,
with them,
Dist brave the ocean surge.
Speak. Drank thy germ
The dews of Lungucdoc Or show un-
Thine infant fibre mid the fruitful
| mould
OF smiling Roussilon ? Or didst thou
| shrink
From the fierce footsteps of warlike
Brother with brother fighting unto
death
At fair Rochelle =? Hast thou no tale
for me ?'
All, yes. That little vine, brought by
the exiles on the ship that bore them.
and watched and nutured through all
the vissitudes OF their pilgrimage, had a
tale for all the gentlo minstrel, and for
all others, as pathetic as ever melted
human hearts. 1t bids us to know to-
day how passionate and imperishable
was the love the Hughuenots for the
country which had cast them out, and
how precious tho faith which made
them accept Punishment rather than dis
loyalty to conscience. They who could
never again hope to tread the soil dearer
to them than all the world beside, bore
with them into the wilderness that
which should remain in its frnitfnlness
and beauty-that which should watt to
them, in strange cline, the breath Of
home.
1t is impossible for one who visits for
the first time, this beautiful and historic
| New Rochelle, so denr in its name ana
traditions to all who revere Hugncnot
memories, not to recall the fact which
this incident illustrates. It said, you
know, of the first French cxiles here
that one Of the most venerable among
them began to go daily to the shore, and
looking off in the direction where
France was supposed to be, to sing
one of the psalms of Clement Marot
and then offered his morning prayers.
Others joined him in this service Of God,
and loving remembrance of native land,
mingling their tears Of grief for lifelong
ties which that deliyerence had severed.
And the same love of country reveal
J cd itself in the name by which their
settlement was to be forever known. 1t
was natural that the colonists from
England and the Netherlands, coming
out for the most part under favorable
auspices, and with the counternance and
authority Of the mother country, should
reproduce tue local nomenclature which
had bceen dear to them ut home. 1t was
natural even that the settlers at Ply
,nouth--never severing, and never ex-
; pecting to sever, the ties Of language,
! custom and fundamental elements of re-
ligion which united them to the land
which they had left-should repent in
the now world endearcd local names Of
the old.
But the French exiles had been de.
nationalized; their mother had pursued
them with rentless hate; had yobbed
thcm of every right to liberty, hope,
, conscience and life; had denied them
,,aa,.,s.;f aeDultura in her coil r.