The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1886-04-29


grind them to powder. We cannot even
think without horror of that terrible ex-
passion Of human passion, in which men
seem to be transformed into wild beasts.
destroying one another.
g But for all this, there are things worse
than war. National dishonor Is worse ::
national degradation is worse. There are
times when nation die, morally bee use
of its very peace and prosperity when a
people become enervated by laxury, and
sunk i'll universal selfishne>s hot and
sitting atmosphere, which only the
fiercest thunderstorm can drive away In
these great struggles, while there Is a ter
rifle display of human passion, there come
out also the nobIest q qualities which dig
Nifty our nature-honor, COURAGE. and self
sacrifice. Thus it is that the most SPLEEN
did specimens of American manhood are
those which stand ont against the dark
background Of war. need not r,ention
names. Southern hearts as we'll as North
rrn hearts are full of heroic memories,
which think neither you nor we shall be
base enough to let die.
81 have heard it said tha. i ia hctl,-
t" foryt these things Forget them
Forget tn" greatest chapte. in our his
tory the greatest exhibition ever civ en-
of American power? True, it vas ivil
War, but it was war Of giants a war
which demonstrated rs never before the
strength of the American people Eulo-
p"an soldiers and statesmen looked on IN
wonder at the mighty struggle, and tax
InL 1t aS the measure of oar rrSourccS
reasoned within themselves. II 4 nation
can maintain such war for tour wears.
and keep hr0 such armies in The field. .
what must be its -powrr when these an
tagoni>ts are rccnucilrl, aud their forces
are combined
[hc one great social and political re-
suit nt the war was the removal Of slav-
cry, and whether that has been a loss or
a gain, it Is for You To say. The gentle
man here at nay side a Confederate Off
r,r tells me that it ha, bcon an imnoas.
urablr gain; that simply as a matter of
economy, it Is cheaper to hire labor than
10 own it; and that, thongh h. fought to
uphold slavery, he j. Glad that il has been
"v"rthroWn. In this he bat SAYS what
have heard from al! Southern men with
whom have convcr>cd
Aud yet this, which you uosc recor
hlze a> 80 great a GAIN, Wa the result Of
war, End, in my judgment, wnul not
hay" been attained without war know
now c"mplarrntly some rcasot that moral
causes would have lei to the r"mova! of
slavery hut moral causes work very
slowly, while the slave population was
multiplying fast. do no' believe in the
II ti nat IL
selves only in some future wcnrration. On
the contrary, many cau-t~ comhirc,l to
strengthen slavery, such * the interest of
planters, the habit of mastery. ani the
prldc "t a superior over an irl~yinr race
by these Influences slavery wa- becoming
more and more imbe,!lcl in ,ur national
life. Til" institution, wiz II It the begin
ming of this ccutury wa~ hut a >arliog,
had grown to b" a mighty "ak. whose
roots hal struck deep ana rrrli WILDLY,
ani nothing hess than Tia : a, n,hraval
"i >'.,,...l ,>....... - =: ,.ic .,...
ical soil
eth" var then was inevi ~ / iaI tn
corIr: and, sine" it was :: ,... --ii>. Ypl
since there cannot ie WA i'houI com
hatanls, without ho>ticIn In." ,.,s nj ori.uS
ins armies, it may he SAID IL csc sens. hat
both wrought To one cn lnI ~ The
war removed the only cau~" Il difference
between the two great sections If our
country, il is not too much ">:tv hat the
blood of the North AMI ih- South she'd
upon the same battIcticid~ has c,ncntcI
forever An inii>ooiublc Union
SO much for the great national result.
Hnl through What sntf'.rinGs was this cnd
achieved Here would speak with the
utmost tenderness. Every heart know
eth It's own bitterness There are wounls
which can never be healed, a~ there are
vacant places in our homes which viii
never be filled. a. for the North, God
only knows what we suffered remember
how they used to sing
hen this cruel war is over,
The boys will come marching home
Alas many of the boys never came. The
mother whose heart was breaking when
her son went away, as the months and
years rolled by, longel and prayed for his
return. In the Summer evening she sat
bv her window and asked, 'Whv doesn't
Charley come = wondering when she
should hear his familiar step and his
CHEEKY voice. Alas she never heard
that voice or step again. While she wait
ed and wept and prayed, all that was left
of her boy was lying in a namelcss grave
among the mountains of Virginia.
'Such have been our sorrows, but yours
have been even greater, as almost Your
whole arms-bearing population was in the
field So that sometimes, after a great bat
tie had been fought, it seemed rs il the
Angel of Death had passed over the land
till, As in the plague of the tirst-born in
Egypt, there was not n house in which
there was not one dead After such be
rcaycmcnt, how is il possible for those
who have thus suffered to look in the face
Of those whose hands have been lifted
against the objects OF their dearest atfec
tion? will answer by a single instance
which is type Of thousands. \ friend
who long resided in st. Louis told me re
Gently of 4 lady of that city who had a
son in the Confederate army, that was
killed in the war-a sorrow which over
Swallowed her whole life. SO saddcncd
was she by it that she could not visit tho
| North, until at length she was ordered
by her physician to a Northern watering
place, where her appearance in deep
mourning touched every heart. Espe
cally did it attract a Northern lady, who
was unremitting in her attention to hel
Southern sister. When the latter wa.
about to leave, she bade her friend good
bye, saying that she should never re
| tnru , and to tho inuuirv WHY - she an