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


From the New York Eruo.ypi;t of The
18th instant We TAX" tin. following sketch
"i remarks made hy lis distinguished ,pl-
It"r, DIR. Henry W. Field (hrnth-r of
Cyrn~ fIell and Dudley Ficl.D At a re-
~rnt complimentary dinner in New
orleans
~ II VI, our last might in New Or-
l"au~, W" were I" receive one more proof
81 Southern hospitality Colonel \ H.
May bad invited H. To- meet a number %,
gentlemen of the city at dinner. Look
ing round the long table, inquired of
one AT my sd" thc names of the guests,
and learned that every Sout hcrn man had
been a Confederate officer. With them
Wa seated Major Ihrnckmortnn of the
| nitrd states Army, now on duty at
New Orleans.
After We had raltakrn of tn, gcneron-
rcpa~t, Colonel May rose and gave A
hearty welcome to his Northern guc>ts.
referring to them individually As men dis
tn@ui>hcd in the commercial wnrl.i. 10
whom he and his friends were glad To ,lo
honor Others spoke in the same cor.lial
manner. Across thu tabl, from me sat n
brother In-aW of General Dick Taylor.
who, Ike that lannon's commander. WA,
one of the fighting men oi the war. When
General Banks went mp the Red River
on his disastrous expedition. this gentle
man, then a Young officer. got a few rus
ty cannon aud hlazed away at our gun
boats, which was thought at the time to
be very daring exploit. Tonight he
spoke IN hearty, manly way, like the
brave soldier that he iS--a mode of
assault that is the most sure to be
followed by unconditional surrender"
After :" many kind words. there must
needs be some reply, aud my trlInw-trav-
elItrs seemed To think that friendly office
belonged /" me. OF course the interest
"i what Is said on such an occasion is
only for the moment. Nor do | attach
the slightest importance to it cr,'e/t f03'
Me 'rny IN ~hirh II ,r0x r,,rircn. As
such 1t may have some value as showing
the feeling of the South towards the
North since the war Seeing how kindly
ii was received, have ,ri.l to think
what II was hat called forth such warm
ro~p"n-r. The remarks were quite in
formal, anl it is impossible t. recall
them precisely. And vet the occasion is
:" distinctly IN mind, a~ is my own feel
my at l'"In in n group of Confederate
officers, that think can give an outline
OF what | ~ald. As near It, can rrncnI-
brr, it was in substance As follows:
II i very Kind al Won, Sir, aud of the
dI-tin.ni,hcl company which Won have
gathered r'Nnl this table, t" receive Us
III this way. y We come among YOU rs
strangers. and Won make u fee. that we
are II" longer strangers, but friends You
throw open your doors To MS; We sit at
Nour table; We eat of Your bread and
drink of y"nr cup: and thus are treated
a. IT We were part Of the family, members
at Your own huuS..ltoid. There must be
something ia Your Southern climate that
warns the blood and the heart For
some days past We have felt that We were
br' alhln9 Il new atmosphere it was not
that w had left behind our cold North
crn skies and winlry SHOWS, and come i'll
/" region OF Spring; (better than ,hie)
that We looked into faces that not long
az" were turned away from us, but in
which there now CLEANED a returning nj
lection, like that Of alicnated brothers,
who, after separation of years, meet
nrder the old roof, round the old hearth
stone; and We felt n strange thrill run
nlng along our veins as we graspeI the
outstrrtrhed hand and heard the wrlcom-
in" Voice. These are things which come
not from any political causes, winch can
not be enacted by law, nor enforced by
military power AS We sit here tonight,
We are drawn to each other, not by the
force OF law, but by that invisible law
ot kindness, which Is the strongest tie
that binds human hearts together.
sand now, Sir, will you feel that
| trcSpass ON the courtcsies of this occasion,
i'll speak frankly OF what is in all our
hearts? There was time when North
crn men coming South were cautioned to
be v,iy guarded i'll their conversation.
| They might talk of the cotton crop, the
delicious climate and the peculiar vege-
tation of your forests, the trees bearded
with moss, and all that; but make no al
lusion to the late unpleasantness. This
is a kind Of hypocrisy which deceivcs
neither one side nor the other. Why
should We not talk about what we are all
thinking about, aud what indeed is the
| greatest event IN our cOuntfyS history
Has not the time come when we can
talk of these things without awakening
a feeling of bitterness | believe that
whore there is a right spirit (as there is
getting to be now, nothing is so helpful
to right feeling as absolute irankness and
that the more We talk of the war-kindly
Of course, but freely-the more we shall
understand each other, respect each other
and in the end love each other.
believing this, venture to say a few
words Do not be shocked if | express
the opinion that the late war, terrible as
it was, was yet the instrument in the
hands of God of what could be accom-
plished in no other way, and thus in it
issues was an immeasurable blessing bott
to North and South, and as Gen. Grant
always affirmed, more to the South thar
to the North OF course no minister o.
religion will ever defend war as war. II
itself it is one of the greatest calamitIei
that can come upon the human race-s
calamity with which God scourges th'