The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1890-02-06

out his reason to guide or his own nina
to approve, without the stimulus which
every true man feels in carrying out
his own purposes, without the alluring
of ambition to urge him on, this was
his part. "Duty nobly done for du-
tvs sake alone.'' Nothing hnt pure
manliness. Do you know him? Is
he general2 No. Is he colonel? ?
No. A captain? No. Who is he?
He is Johnnie Reb, the private. Do
you know him now3 Aye, do you not
see him in the familiar faces before
you, men who move in daily inter
course with us, bearing in the secret Of
their own soul the heroism which was
their country's pride and protection,
and privately without any boasting or
complaining, bearing in their bodies
their wounds-those seals of honor.
Is it not hard that they are no better
thought of than other men, and that
to-day the hard and busy world has
no need for them and will pass them
by as old fogies and curiosities, unless
they can turn their hand that hand
wherein the saber flashed, to some
money making occupation.
But at that time came Johnnie Reb,
in response to the call of the voice of
his country and his conscience 1ocking
to that banner, which he swore would
float over his country's freedom or his
grave There never was higher call,
or a nobler response than that made
by the men of the South. As was said
by Gen. Grant,it must have been in add
miration Of such unanimous devotion,
:The South for its army has robbie
the cradle and the grave
The old men who had given the
strength of their prime to other things,
who had left behind all the impulsive
ness of youth with calm judgment and
stern regard for principle, which is the
only thing that does not fly away with
the numerous illusions OF life offered
up what of it was left to them. Most
of them are passed away and have
seen and received their reward.
And next the youth. There is no
nobler sight in the annals of reckoned
time than the response of the youth OF
the South. See them with their fresh
young lives, full of great hopes and
promises, every intention almost gor-
geous reality, with the world and its
boundless avenues of thought, feeling
and action spread out before them
where to choose, and every prospect
suffused with young life of ambition,
like glorious sunrise; and all laid
down in death or what is scarcely less
a sacrifice in a MANNED and broken
life. 1t is sublime, and what makes it
more SO, is that they did not stop tc
think of it and perhaps only think O
it to-day, as simply duty done
Mr.. President, some of them we have
among us, in this very town. Yol
know them. Let lis make our &C
acknowledgements gratefully, thought
fully and silently for their modesty for
} bids the mention of their names.
But what did Johnnie Reb do tt
have any claims on the gratitude O
his State, and every honest patriot?
Men have no use for and do no
display in ordinary life those deer
thoughts and resolutions of the heart
which lie on the border land of lif
itself, but he had them and gave tn
use of them to his country. For fou7
! long and weary years, unless cut of b,
death, he fought on and suffered on
With heroic courage he met death il
every form, and with still more heroic
: fortitude he suffered wounds, disease
fatigue, hunger, cold, the loathsom'
plaques of camp life, above all the suf
fering of the near and dear ones a
home, and all this in the face of
: despair, that all must be in vain.
"See them, wrapped in faded tattere'
rags, shoeless and weather beaten
: guant with hunger, haggard with want
S but with the fire Of unconquerable he
roism burning in their sunlit eyes, fxe'
on something they hold priceless abov
e gold, fame or life ITSELF" Do we nc
= think Of him with gratitude? ;? which
: almost reverence.
There is one other person moving i
= calm and beautiful patriotism anon
: the bloody scenes of that time
;. nobler even than Johnnie Reb, tn
t private, and that is the woman of tn
t South. Man has the force and powe
n woman gives motive and turns tn
force into proper action. Like tn
4 philosophers stone that was to turn a
e baser metals to gold, her influence o
h man can alone touch his actions int
a true nobility. What is courage
n What are all those resolutions that 70
full of force and power within man
y breast, unless they are the servants
4 truth-of right-of love-of home
And over this wonderful field of II
o earth can you find any such thing
!. love where there is no woman, or
!. home without a woman2 And it W;
+ the love of these Southern homes th
# made the men what they were.
h The noble women at home, ho
- they suffered all sorts of privation
e hardships and danger, and the horrlb
n suspense of impending calamity-tf
IS overhanging shadow of the sword, an
yet the brave, loving heart held fast
~ its faith, and not murmur but onl
Il words of cheer.
, And then those other devoted patr
, OTIS of the South, those heroic wome
-e who left their homes for the hoSplta
n wearing their own gentle lives away
~ nursing the sick and wounded.
as To them how many of your cor
,s rades owe the precious boon of life t
\ day1 Can you be grateful enough
= them? They were ministering angt