The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1891-10-22
Watterson's Prose Poem.

Henry WatterSon is one OF lnOSe
happy, eloquent natures which grow
tender and sentimental npon any oc-
casion. The spirit of the company he
is in largerly colors his thoughts and
influences his expression. So it hap
pens that at a banquet given in Chicago
last Thursday night we find Henry
Watterson weeping toucbingly over
the memory of Gen. Grant and add
ing the most exquisite tribute that was
offered at the unveiling of the Grant
monument. The chandeliers at the
Palmer House were very bright on
the evening of the banquet Of the
Army of the Tennessee. Judge Gre
sham, the orator of the day, was
there, as was Editor Joseph Medill,
James Whitcomb Riley and Henry
Watterson. Mr.. Watterson was the
second speaker. "The War Is Over;
Let Us Have Peace" was the toast,
and his words aroused a perfect tun-
ult of enthusiasm among the men who
many time in years gone by had
lodged Confederate bullets. Mr.. Wat
terson, in his speech, paid this tribute
to Gen. Giant:
came here, primarily, to bow my
head and to pay my measure of hon.
age to the statue that was unveiled to-
day. The career and the name which
that statue commentaries belong to
me no less than to you. When 7 fol-
lowed him to the grave-proud to ap-
pear in his obsequies, though as the
obscurist of those who bore any official
part therein-I felt that I was helping
to bury not only great man, but
true friend. From that day to this
the story of the life and death of Gen.
Grant has more and more impressed
and touched me.
I never allowed myself to make bis
acquaintance until he had quilted the
White House. The period of his polit-
ical activity was full of uncouth and
partisan contention. It was a kind of
civil war. I had my duty to do, and I
did not dare trust myself to the sub
DUNG influence of what I was sure to
follow friendly relations between such
q man as be was, and such a man as I
knew myself to be. In this was not
mistaken, as the sequel proved. met
him for the first time beneath my own
vine and fig tree, and happy series of
accidents, thereafter, gave me the op-
portunity to meet him often and to
know him well. He was the embodi-
ment of simplicity, integrity, and
courage; every inch general, SOL
dier, and man but the circumstances
of his last illness figure of heroic pro-
portions for the contemplation of the
ages. I recall nothing in history so
sublime as the spectacle Of that brave
spirit, broken in fortune and in health,
with the dread hand of the dark angel
clutched about his throat, struggling
with every breath to hold the clumsy.
unfamiliar weapon with which he
sought to wrest from the claws of death
a little something for the support of
wife and children when be was gone
If he had done nothing else, that
would have made his exit from the
world an immortal epic!
A little while after came home from
the last scene Of all I found that
woman's hand had collected the insig-
MIA 1 had worn in the magnificent,
melancholy pageant-the orders as
signing me to duty and the funeral
scarfs and badges-and had grouped
and framed them unbidden, silent
ly, tenderly. and when I reflected that
the hand- that did this were those of
loving Southern woman, whose father
had fallen on the Confederate side
IN the battle, I said "The war
indeed is oyer; let US have peace d"
Gentlemen, soldiers, comrades, the
silken folds that twine about US here
for all their soft and careless grace, are
yet as strong as hooks of steel They
hold together united people and
great nation for, realizing the truth at
last--with no wounds to be healed and
no stings of defeat to remember-the
South says to the North, as simply and
as truly as was said 5000 years ago in
that far-away meadow upon the mar
gin of the mystic sea "Whither thou
goest I will go; and where thou lodg-
est will lodge; thy people shall be my
people and thy God my God"
""Oman'S Suffer-ape',