The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1891-07-01
OUR SOUTHLAND.
AN ADDRESS BY W. B. TURNER.

t1enTy w. UIduy III nio No" Cou'o
speech, express, think, the sentiment
of every Southern man.
Mr.. President, Ladies and Gentle
men-In the mythology of the An
cient Egyptians is told the story of
the Phoenix. This Phoenix was a
marvellous bird, said to be of brilliant
plumage, to be dedicated to the sun,
and to live over five hundred years.
The most remarkable part of this ia
BILE, hoa was that when the. sole
Phoenix (for only one lived at time,)
had almost completed its allotted per-
iod of existence, it built for itself a
funeral pyre, perfumed with frank in
cense and myrrh. upon which it lay
down and awaited death.
And now, wonderful to relate, after
it had been dead some time, worm
crawled from its ashes, gradually de-
veloped and at last transformed itself
into another Phoenix, even more beau
tiful than the former.
wish to speak to you tonight of a
resurrection as wonderful as that of
the Phoenix. And, furthermore, while
the Egyptian resurrection was a myth
this other is a living fact. That re-
surrection, that modern Phoenix is the
New South.
The New South, ladies and gentle.
men, is one of the most widely dis
cussed subjects of the present day.
But notwithstanding that fact, have
ventured to choose it as my theme to-
night, for | know that there are many
Southerners present, and to US South
erners the story of our sections pro-
gress is one of the tales of which we
never tire. / feel that their souls
here equally infatuated with this sub.
ject ar is my own, hearts to which it is
as close and in which will he aroused
responsive thrills by even my poor
words.
Many of those present have seen
the South in the days of 1865.
Those dark days were long before
my time, but from the lips of others |
have heard their history. They tell
me how the ragged Confederate SOL
der, four yeare of his sturdy manhood
spent in vain, trudged, footsore and
weary, his mach toward home. No
victorious banners, no shouts of tri-
umph accompanied that march, but at
least one thought cheered him, and
that was he was once more going
home. Once more he was returning
to the hearthstone and the loved ones
he had not seen for many years. But
what sight greeted him. When he
arrived at that once happy home he
realized that he had left behind him
defeat only to find before him desola-
ton. Only to find his once proudly
waving fields trodden down by hos
tile army. Only to find a heap of
cinders where once stood his house.
Where were his slaves, once his only
means of wealth. Where his wife,
his children ?--torn from no ne and
driven he knew not whittier by ruth
less enemy. All that must have
been time to make a man despair.
But did the Southerner despair ?
Not he, as he looked on that scene of
pillage and ruin, thwarted even in his
hopes of we'll merited repose, he yet
comforted himself by saying: ~ have
strlven to overcome the North by arms
and have failed. Now | will turn the
sword into the plowshare and over
come the North by industry and
wealth"
In that lie IL succeeding day by
day. When tue Southerner made
that resolve, labor, thing degrading
in his eyes during the days of slavery,
now became his stepping stone to sue
cess, and to-day as a result he sees a
happy, prosperous land around him
truly Phoenix arisen FROM its ashes.
Before | speak of that prosperous
land, however, | cannot refrain from
stating, in passing, what / believe to
be the magic power that instiled this
spirit of progress into the Southern
men. That power, in my opinion, is
the Southern woman.
1t is to the Southern woman that
God has given all that is earnest, all
that is unselfsh, all that is beautiful.
Ii was her snft hand that raisa6 ha,