The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1892-07-13
BILL ARP'S TALK.
The Georgia Philosopher at Vioksburg and
NatcheZ.
atlanta Constitution.


v1cKsDURG, MISS, June 26.-Thirty
years ago the gunboats of Faragut and
Porter opened fire on this historic city.
Just thirty years ago. For month they
poured shot and shell by day and by
night over and into the bluffs, but it was
at long range and the batteries here gave
them better than they sent and finally
forced them to abandon the attack and
to retire from the field. Later on in the
war they renewed the assault and after
terrible sacrifice carried and captured
the city with its noble army of defend.
ers. I rode out to the beautiful ceme-
terry that is but mile away and it is GER
tainly the most lovely spot I ever visi-
ted. It is the peaceful, tranquil home
of 10000 of the federal dead who fell
and died in the long assault. After
life's ftful fever they sleep we'll. Beau
tiful lawns and eyergreens and flowers
and gravelled roads adorn the ground
and the stranger is impressed with awe
and fear of the power of government
money. A feeling Of exclusion comes
over us as We walk and wonder-exclu
sion-aud the unconscious thought arises
that this great government is for the
north not for us. Our dead are not
worth caring for. How long the north
will continue to make this great mistake
ne know not, but if peace and good will
is worth anything, how easy they might
have made it-how easy they might make
it yet by giving our dead soldiers tie
same care as their own. A soldiers
cemetery is an American institution and
is unlike any other in the world. 1t is
modern institution, for our forefathers
did not have them. There is none for
the revolutionary war of '76; none for
the Mexican war of 1S46; none for
Jackson's war of 1872. A few monu-
ments can be found-monuments to the
cficers-but nothing to the privates who
fell in the fight. A soldiers graveyard is
peculiar because there are no graves for
women OF children. None even for old
men or boys, but here in these guarded
graves at Vicksburg are sleeping 5000
men-strong men who were in the vigor
of manhood. As they stood up in com.
panies and regiments when in life 80
they lie down and sleep with their mar
BILE headstones as straightly lined as when
their officers said, "Look to the right and
DRESS"
Vicksburg is a beautiful city-beauti-
full for its heights and its views and its
high commanding overlook Of the great
river that ia always calm and placid as
lake. We read of the great food and
imagine that the swollen river was full
of raging torrents, but the eye can hardly
see the water moee. Isjust rises-that's
all-except where it breaks q levee
somewhere ayd rushes through the open.
ing. The people talk about crevasse
about like we talk sbout frost that Kills
the cotton. They LAY now that the lie.
wees were a great mistake and that when
the river gets very low again ell the lie.
wees ought to be cut and let the water
overflow all along the line in thousand
places and it would not materially dam
age anybody and would recede quickly
after the rain and would enrich the lands
it had overAowu.
From Vicksburg I dropped down 10
Natchez, hundred miles below. They
claim as many people SIS Vicksburg and
perhaps it is growing as fast or faster.
There is more style here and more old
time people who live and talk and look
like like old patricians. The old south
is here with its culture and refinement
and enough of its wealth to keep up ap-
pearances. All around the suburbs are
the same beautiful homes with tropical
trees and grassy lawns and mansion
that was built before the war-a mansion
with broad halls and winding stairs and
spacious verandas and auted columns
with corinthian caps. Not since the war
have seen anywhere so many of these
ante bellum homes. Not since the war
have found community that has pre-.
served 30 much of the old refinement and
culture of the southern patriacians.
Natchez is an old city-very, very old
older by Two years than Savannah, Ga.
While the English was colonizipg The
Atlantic coast the French came around
and took possession of the Mississippi
country and Natchez was the first place
they settled. In 1717 Count Pontchar-
train settled here and named this place
Rosalie in honor of his beautiful and
lovely wife. 1t kept that name as long
as it kept its morals and its manners,
but in the course of time they got to
fighting with the Indians and maasacred
them, leaving but scattered remnant,
that fed to other tribes. The desperate
and bloody battle seems to have shocked
the womanly pity of Rosalie and the
name was changed to Natchez, the name
of the Modock tribe, and that is all that
is left of it.
rode out to the old Prentiss man
sion-the home of the greatest orator of
the south. Daniel Webster said be was
the greatest in the world. l look upon
his grave and ruminated. He came from
Maine when a youth snd cast his for
tunes with the south and never deserted
her. Bishop SouIe came from there, too,
and did the same thing. He secseded
from the Northern Methodist Episcopal
Church because the church suspended
Bishop Andrew from pveachipg until he
should free his slaves. That bigotry 30
shocked Soule that he left his home and
his church and came south. Mr.. Prem.
tiss and Jefferson Davis we're born the