Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-01-29

SIX THOUSAND PEOPLE HEARD 1T.
| vast Audience Gathered to Listen to
Gen. GOrdon's Lecture.
The vast audience which greeted Gen.
John b. Gordon. United States Senator
from the state of Georgia, last Saturday
! evening as he stepped upon the platform
in Convention Hall to tell the story of
THE Last Days of the Confederacy" was
undoubtedly the largest which has ever
! gathered in any structure in this city TO
| listen to any one, and it was an audience,
too, which has rarely been equaled and
| perhaps never exceeded, in the country in
! point of numbers. Certainly the audience
( has never been seen anywhere in the
/ land which comprised so many distin-
guished men and women. The general COM
4 handing the United States army presided
/ and seated about him on the platform and
| IN the audience We're cabinet officers. a
| quorum of Congress, innumerabIe army
| and naval officers, and hundreds of men
/ and women prominent in the official and
social circles of the capital, while thou
sands of the citizens of the District not SO
! embraced, made up the remainder of the
/ great throng. Hundreds were there who
had fought with the eloquent Georgian,
and hundreds more who had fought again st
hiui. AGAIN ana again was heard the south
ern cry, the one-time rebel yelI;' again
and again was heard the northern cheer
but this time they rang out in glad ac-
cord, applauding the speaker time after
ti1ne, as he pictured the manliness. the
honesty and the bravery of "Yank'' and
Johnnie, and proclaimed that forever
more but one flag and one country should
be their own.
Vast Audience.
The occasion was the delivery of Gen.
Gordon's lecture under the joint auspices
OF Union veterans Legion, No. 60, and the
confederate Veterans Association, for the
benefit of the needy veterans of both or
CARNATIONS. Every seat in the great hall
was filled, hundreds of people were stand
ing, and not less than 5000 persons were
present when Maj. Robt. W. Hunter of
the Confederate Veterans Association in
troduced Corporal Tanner as the man who
originated the idea. The corporal was en-
tnuslastlcaiiy greeted as he explained, in
one OF his Enthusiastically happy speeches.
mat ne did suggest the matter to his friend
Hunter but that the moment the latter
| heard 1t he instantly declared that he would
guarantee Gen. Gordon's participation, and
steps We're taken at once by both organi-
cations which resulted in the presence of
the audience he saw before him.
Gen. SchOfield's Introduction.
Maj. Hunter then presented Maj. Gen.
John NJ. Schofeld, U. S. A, as the chair
man of the occasion. In accepting the
honor, Gen. Schofield said THE kind and
generous policy adopted by the United
states government at the close of the war,
and the loyal and manly response made to
1t by the people of the south, have borne
such magnificent fruit that today all that
remains of the conflict are the wounds
and disabilities of the old soldiers. The
soldier on the field of battle shared with
the enemy his bread and water How much
more should we share with the survivors
our possessions of the substantial things
of life"
1t was most conspicuous fact, explained
Gen. Schofield, that the southern men who
had been the bravest on the field of battle
nad since the war been at the very front
In promoting the welfare and advancement
OF the country. Such man he was to
nave the pleasure of introducing; a man
nor, n9nor h,, py the whole country. and one
VINO held everywhere the affection and es-
TEEN or his fellow countrymen. He then
presented Gen. Gordon.
Gen. GOrdOn's Lecture
The moment Gen. Gordon's name was
mentioned storm of applause swept
across the audience, which continued for
several minutes drowning the music of
the Marine Band, as it greeted the general
with the strains of Hail to the Chief"
Several times he vainly attempted to pro-
coed. and when he at length found it pos
sible. he said that no southern man of any
sensibilities could fail to have them stirred
Dy such an introduction or so warm a greet
ing from his countrymen. He explained
that ne was influenced by no personal mo-
tive in telling the story of THE Last Days of
the Confederacy," for he would speak from,
the standpoint of a southern soldier and
as comrade of Lees, who could adduce
some facts illustrative of the American
character so highly exemplified in that
great commander and in Gen Grant and
their soldiers. II he could elevate the es-
innate placed by loyal people upon the
character of their countrymen his mission
would have been fulfilled He wouid
neither analyze the causes nor tell of the
battles that preceded the overthrow of the
confederacy.
He knew not how others felt, but to his
thinking every soldier that fell on either
side and upturned his palid face to the
eternal stars was still speaking, eloquent
sacrifice to the martyrdom of truth as he
understood II.
Then for two hours Gen. Gordon told In
tnrllllng eloquence the story of the last of
the confederacy as he saw it. Beginning
at Gettysburg he closed at Appomattox, his
last words being a beautiful picture of a
reunited country and its grand future He
portrayed the American soldier as seen on
both sides in language as beautiful as it
was sincere, and while he gave the com.
manders on both sides all praise, exclaimed
All honor to the private soldiers of each
army, the men who wore the knapsacks
pulled the triggers and made the generals"
Grand tributes he also paid to Grant and
Lee, and to the women of the north and
: