The Opelousas courier., 1894-08-25

, III '1eatre or your active operations
which will probably be among tn
suggestive and inspiring scene @
virginia: Among the hills and valley
OF the Old Dominion, You will walk il
an atmosphere all fragrant with th
memories of old Revolution. In he
cities. and hamlets, and villages, yol
will find imperishable names inscribed
on the monuments commemorative o
her illustrious dead. The spirits o
departed warriors, and statesmen, ant
sages, will hover Y 9 you, in you
marches through this consecrate(
ground Of hi,tory. Your patriotism
will gather new ardor within view Of
Yorktown, the browning battle-ground
OF the Revolution. Your love Of
liberty will catch a fresh glow, as you
pass by. Monticello, and hold closer
communion with the memory of the
great author of the Declaration OF
Independence" You will feel your
grave of the venerated Chief Justice
Marshall F.; and your blood will run with
patriotic fire by the tomb of the bold,
fearless and eloquent Patrick Henry.
1t may even be your privilege to
blvouac on some calm summer night,
near Mount Vernon, the consecrated
| ground of America, within reach of the
purifying and ennobling influences
rising, like holy incense, from~the grave
OF the Father of his Country. You
may there remember with pride that
the cause in which you have girded on
your swords is the one to which he
devoted the best years of his life, and
which rendered him illustrious among
the living, and imperishable among the
dead.
The world can furnish no grander
theatre for a war of Independence.
lived upon its soil. Their swords
achieved victory in the contest for lib
erty, and their practical wisdom and sa-
gacity organized it under a %constitu-
tional government. The battles of lib.
erty are to be fought over again and
victory will be achieved a second time
just as sure as Yorktown commentaries
the final triumph of our fathers, or Mt.
Vernon rises up from the Potomac, with
it's sublime associations and its illus
triOus memories.
Amid these memorable enes,. or
wherever else your lot may be cast,
remember that you will be eDcircled
with the blessings, the affections, and
the prayers of your friends. In the
still watches OF the night, through your
toilsome marches, or in the hail storm
of battle, it will give you. fresh ardor
to know that warm hearts are beating
for you at home. Your successes or
reverses will form the theme of every
tongue. With the fu%ctuating fortunes
of war many an eye will brighten or |
grow dim. and many a heart will sink
or beat with new life. While those you |
leave behind you thus think of you, in
the service of your country, let this
banner be the ever present token to
You of them and of your homes. |
When you look upon it, recall the
of this day-this c%oncourse of
anxious and s~ympathizing spectators
and listeners-these flair women "
smiling upon yon through tears like
the sun through April showers"-and
these "brave men" assembled to bid
you a manly though trembling farewell.
Day after day, live ever again the
scene of this solemn hour. Should You
victory, be tempted to add to the car
mage Of battle, look upon your banner,
and remember that those who confided
It to your charge, intended that you
should temper justice with mercy, and
strike only for COP AND OUR RIGHTs."
Let your, banner hereafter he associated
with all that is chivalIous, generous and
merciful. Look up to it as you pole
star in the nighttime of trouble. Let
it be the pillar of fire by night and the
pillar of cloud by day, to- guide and
you in your final march to
In your hours of gloom and
cloud, let it hang out like a rainbow of
But, remember, that, until
our INDEPENDENCE be surely achieved,
and the footprints of the invader wiped
nut from Jul soil, it must wave defiant
y in the thickest of the contest, it must
stream like a meteor in the foremost
'anks of the battle. Finally, Soldiers,
his ensign, fragrant with, the affections
# domestic love, hallofed with the
and blessings OF your neigh
,ors and friends, and conEecrated by its
holy associations with the paradise of
rour homes.
Mr.. George w. Hudspeth in behalf
# the O~pelousas Guards accepted the
,anner in a discourse which reflects
much honor on the gentleman and the
company to which he belongs. He
Violently spoke from the heart. Our
United space does not permit us to
Omment on the admirable manner in
which Mr.. II. discharged the duty that
lad been imposed upon him. His
peech, which we publish below was
'ociferously cheered by the audience.
LADIES OF ST. LANDRY:
In behalf of the Opelousas Guards, it
my pleasing duty to receive
he splendid banner you have SO nobly
u.s., as the pledge of your deep
nd heartfelt sympathy for that grand
ause, to maintain which, we stand
efore you to-day, panoplied in the
tern array Of war.
The present is a period without q
arallel in the history of modern times.
around and about us is
uaking in the throes of one Of those
reat political commissions, which, for
anately for the happiness of mankind,
0 seldom disturb the quiet of society.
/ government, the wisest aver con-
by the ingenuity Of man,
hielding with its protecting mgis every
ection of q country, more vast than
hat over which imperial Rome ever
in her noon-day glory, having
cen converted into an engine Of
ppression in the hands OF an ~irrespon-
bile sectional majority ; the people of
.e Confederate States, acting in ac-
ordnance with those grand fundamental
rinciples of civil liberty ennnciated in
ne declaration of American .Independ-
nee, have seen fit to sever those bonds
us to our former associates and
eek in a new Union, under a new
constitution those inalienable rights,
longer guaranteed MS in the Union
{ our fathers. /,
It might have been supposed, Ladies, /
lat those who drove us from the old
mon, would not have molested us in
le new. But far different has been the ]
ase. After acting with q perfdy
unparalleled in the history of civilized $
nfinna !. after hnIdinu nnf fn re anonr 1