The Russellville Democrat., 1892-10-06

A4ttAt-- tHflSAEAtrC ~ \ he - ~ ~
1t was the happiest conception
that was possible to Ft. Smith when
she put the thought into shape for a
reunion Of the old confederate
soldiers in her borders ON the 18th Of
Sept. ult. She may not have cover
ed herself in glory By this fortui-
tous circumstance, but she did bet
ter thing: She has written herself
down in the annals of the greatest
event that Arkansas has seen since
the war. There is always magic in
a reunion. but there was more of it
and better quality there than we
ever saw before.
That reunion. What shall we say
about it2 What can we say about it,
when the biggest word we have is
too little for its smallest circum-
stance We can only talk about it
in ordinary language, and it is like
mockerv to undertake to reduce that
occasion to the simple terms of or
binary speech. If we had power to
dress it in. beautiful verbiage, yet the
soul would be absent. You have to
feel the shock Of electricity to know
what it is. You have to be baptized
in the spirit of an occasion to catch
the drift of its mighty undercurrent.
Let us say the baptism was general
on that memorable day and the skies
seemed to bend low to kiss the oc-
casion into extacies of joy and to
break up the depths of that multi
tude of hearts And the depths we're
broken up, no man on earth could
have kept clear of the current when
he looked on at this multitude of
men whose sympathies had been
welded in the bonds of suffering,
turning themselves over into the ten
der embrace of memory while tor
rents of tears fell from their eyes, at
testing in these men that tenderness
of heart which is the browning virtue
of noble manhood, and it didn't
look as if any wanted to keep clear
of it. 1t looked rather that all want
ed to get into the swim, and they
got in. There were various elements
responsible for the unprecedented
success. First, the hostess, with a
large generous heart Fort Smith
had provided The heart of every
veteran knew that welcome was be-
hind such provisions. I'm the next
place the old veterans came in I'M
expected swarms from all quarters
with full hearts ready to pour them
into an ocean of joy which none can
know except those who have learned
it in the bonds of suffering. And
then the speakers-speakers is not
the right word here, what they did
was too exalted to be designated
thus but it is the only term we have.
Senator Berry especially; he was
matchless in his thought and ora
tory. Hon. Casey Young, Tennes-
sees silver tongued orator, delight
ed and charmed, but Senator Berry
overwhelmed and subdued. In the
grasp of sentiment himself, he lifted
the multitude into the same condi-
tion and bore them thus throughout
The words of that speech may be
forgotten, but the image will never
fade from the minds of his comrades
of that one-legged ex- confederate sol
der, grander in its delivery than he
was ever seen before, as he spoke
that torrent of eloquence and yehe-
ment patriotism TO the name, fame
and chivalry of his own loved South
land, and nobody but an ex-confed-
crate veteran with kindred spirits
as auxiliaries could cheer as Senator
Berry was cheered If anything
could surpass the inspiration of the
Senator, it was the inspiration of his
audience.
Inspiration was infectious. Those
old battle flags had a tongue in ey-
cry shred to tell of the bloody scenes
of many field of battle, and the old
swords and uniforms in their own
quiet way told more than the
tongues of men. An incident will
illustrate the spirit of the occasion.
1t is told ofa woman who heard SEN
ator Berry that she remarked she
had lost her husband and relatives
in the war, she had lost all her
property and been reduced to want,
but that the Senator was the only
man she ever saw who had made her
/ feel glad of it. 1t was the well
springs of our deepest manhood that
he had touched and brought to the
surface once more the consciousness
that in those troublous days we had
stood for integrity and had exemp-
lifted patriotism worthy of true
men.
Capt. J. r. II. Scott, captain of
the Ben L. Embry camp Of Pope
county, was also the object Of much
attention. This old veterans display
of the old pay and muster rolls of
two wars was quite feature. This
camp it may be remarked by way
Of parenthises, had it's solictitude
very much aroused in the conduct of
several audacious damsels who APP
peared intent on appropriating the
locks of its most excellent captain.
The reunion was remarkable for one
thing more, the almost entire alb
sence of anything like disorder. 1t
was love feast with the emphasis
on the love and then on the feast. 1t
was great jolification with that in
it which makes jolity sacred. IT
might have been one degree nearer
perfect, if setting fiat on the ground
with splinter to eat it with, we had
had one bait Of cush with Capt
Jno. Fletcher of Little Rock as mas