The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-04-27
GEN. RAMPToN,s ADDRESS.
a Noble Tribute to the Confederate
Soldier Dead.

Soldier Dead.
| When Gen. Hampton arose the
applause which greeted him was
deafening and continued for several
minutes. As his eloquent words reoounted
the deeds Of the southern troop the old fire
seemed to animate the breasts of Gen.
Hampton's audience and his remarks were
frequently interrupted with cheers
Nj. Chairman, Ladies and Comrades:
] You meet here to-day TO discharge one of the
most pous and sacred duties which human
hearts can conceive aud human hands can
Derform-that OF doing honor to the memory of
our noble dead who fell in defending a lost, but
to US patriotic and righteous. cause.
In thus honorinR the memory of these brave
martyrs, you do honor to yourselves but this
Will be mere idle ceremony, If it has not
deeper significance than the simple decoration
oil these graves carries with II. AS each re-
turning spring glorifes this fair land Of ours by
its generous display of flowers, our blessed
| women--truest OF the true during the war, and
its greatest sufferers bring their votive offer
ings to place upon the graves of our heroic
dead; and beautiful and touching as Is this
custom, it should typiry far more than It's mera
observance implies. In all ages. in nearly
every country, civilized or savage, pagan and
Christian alike have strtEen TO perpetuate the
memory of their dead and to manifest their
affection by honoring the graves that hold the
dust OF those whom they loved, or who died for
their country.
The severe muse of history has thought it
not beneath her dignity TO record the fact that
the word itself, descriptive of a magnificent
monument, owes its origin to that noble pile
which the affection of pagan widow dedicated
TO her husband Mausolus; and whilst most of
the proud temples and mighty public works OF
naughty Rome have crumbled into dust, that
round stone tower OF other days, on the Appian
way, that tells of the love her husband bore for
his dead Metalla, yet stands to command the
respect and admiration Of the world. Beaut-
fulAs are these memorials of a love that lived be-
yond the grave aud worthy as they OF com
mendRton, the work you are now engaged in 49,
unless misspprehend your purposes and mo
tiyes, more sacred In its aims and more patri-
otto In its object.
No sense of private bereavement brings our
women here to place, with tender hands and
loving hearts, garlands on the humble graves of
these men, who, 'for faith and for freedom"
lay slaughtered in vain" AT the call of their
country, and obeying the command Of Duty,
| that stern daughter of the voice Of God" they
left their peaceful, happy homes, to atrike for
the faith OF their fathers for liberty and for
their fatherland. The feeling which inspired
them was the same that has been so nObly ex-
pressed by heroic votary and martyr of liberty
in these words, which should be engraven on
every heart which is deslrous or worthy Of
freedom:
''That l simply offer my life is Of simple I'm
port; but that offer 1t, crowned as it is with all
| the fiowery wreaths of love- of friendship and of
| ioy--this is indeed sacrifice which can only be
offered to such a prlze-our country freedom"
| These men, eeping here until summoned to
| the last rollcall on high, crowned as many of
|
life attractive, freely gave their lives in the vain
EFFORT, but with the blessed hope, of securing
the liberty Of their country. They died far from
their homes, amongst strangers, with no kin
dred hands to alleviate their pain, no devoted
wife. no loving parents, TO cheer them as they
we're entering the dark valley of death, and to
whisper those blessed words that tell of eternal
peace beyond the grave. The hands and the
voices which belong only to home were absent
in that supreme moment when ION some fond
breast the parting soul relies. and the absence
OF these gave to death its sharpest pang.
| II, then, the men who rest IN these humble
| graves were strangers to you; II they were
bound to you by no ties of blood or OF affection.
| why do the noble daughters of your NOBLE state
bring hther annually floral offerings to deck
the graves of our dead heroes? Why do they
| honor their dust? Why do they seek to COM
| memorate their deeds and to perpCtuate their
famel These are the pregnant questions sug
gested by this scene and this occasion, and TO
| answer them l am here today.
To DO this properly, my inspiration must
| come from the memories Of the past. rather
than from the realities OF the present, or the
| hopes Of the future and shall fat altogether
| unless these sacred memories wake respon-
sive echo in your hearts.
Am right, then, in taking it for granted that
| you honor the memory OF these men because
they fell in a cause which you believe was lust
and that you recognize them as among those
blessed martyrs of liberty who in all ages
and IN every cline have died for their faith and
for their fatherland? rs on y thus that can
interpret the solemn ceremonies OF this occa-
sion, and it is only on this Interpretation that
can be a fit exponent of your motives your feel
ings and your actions. Hyou feel that these
| men and the thousands OF their comrades who
are resting in the bosom Of the land they loved
SO well, till the last trump shall rouse them,
gave their lives for a cause that was patriotic,
| you do right to honor them.
1t makes small differences here. and it will
make none at the last great
rdsy, when the actions Of all men
are weighed in scales held by the i'm
partial hand of the almghty ruler of the
universe, whe Their that cause was successful
or unsuccessful. God does not judge as man
Judges and we are nowhere to d in the revelation
OF his holy word that the just are to be r..
warded in this world and the unjust punished;
that the truth is here to prevail over falsehood,
or that right is to overcome might. on the
contrary we are expressly taught by the whole
plan of Christian redemption that this world is
ONLY one OF probation TO nj us for another and
a better, aud history is full of melancholy ex-
amples to prove that many OF the noblest causes
which ever inspired peoples hopes or nerved
their arms, have been allowed to sink, appar.
entity forever, under the iron rule welded by
despotic power,
DO not allow yourselves, my friends, to be
misled by that false doctrine-false TO your
faith, to your country. and TO your GOd-which
tells you that as yonr cause has failed that the
principles for which you contended are forever
obliterated. Any human undertaking, now just
soever it may be, may fail; but the everything
principles OF right and of justice can never be
buried. A great truth, like the Godhead whence
it emanates, is eternal, and IL will live 'till the
last syllable of recorded time"
The evil times upon which we have fallen are
prolific of false teachings and dangerous here
l sizes. and the public press, 10 some portions OF
the country, offers, in many cases. a ready and
- willing medium for their Dromulgations. You
! are told often, through this channel
} that our cause was submitted to the
r arbtrament of the sword, and that the
{ verdict against which no appeal lies, was
rendered against us. This doctrine is as
perncious as IL is false; aud If accept it, we
f shall brand ouv heroic uead, as well the liv-
ing. traitors covering all alike with deserved
iufamy. VIII the living soldiers who foughtun
der the starry cross ever consent to denounCt
their dead comrades? VIII the sons OF these
men forget the sac ifces, the suffer ngs, the
j heroism OF their fathers! VIII the women of
| the south, who for a quarter of q century, have
tenderly aud reverently cherished the memory
!, of their dead ever be willing to brand them as
4 traitors? All no; these things can never hap
pen, as long as truth. patriotism, honor, virtue
and its synonym, courage, are respected; a.
| long as the fame OF the men in gray rolls sound
: ing down the ages; as long the page of history
Is made lustrous by the names of Lee and o.
J. jackson!
e Let me not be understood as seeking to re
awaken sectional animosty, now happily dying
d out, nor as counssng one act OF disloyalty tC
y the restored union. IrecoguiZe. as every true
d confederate soldier does, the supremacy OF thu
constitution, the integrity of tbs union. and al
n the obligations we assumed when our arms
e were laid down. We of the south, are now al
S integral part Of the great republic; its fai
d waves over our country, and IL is the duty o
every patriot TO strive TO make that country th'
0 ut abode Of fTesmen for all time to come. Bu