The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1894-05-31


not only gave his goods to sustain
women and children, but gave all his
sons, five in number, TO the cause.
One by one they fell until at length a
letter arrived, telling that the youngest
| and the last, the bright haired, blue
eyed Ben iamin Of the hearth, had fallen
also. Kind friends deputed an old
neighbor TO take the letter to him, and
| break the distressing news as gently
as possible. When made aware OF his
desolation, he made no complaint, ut
tered no exclamation Of heart-broken
despair, but called his son-in-law, a
delicate, feeble man, who had been
discharged by the army surgeons, and
said. whilst his frail body trembled
with emotion, and tears rolled down
his aged cheeks Get your KNAPP
sack William, the ranks must be filled!'
Surely it may be said that the pure
soul which can thus triumph over
nature, like him that ruleth himself,
is greater than he who taketh city,
The temptation to write about the
man gives way to the wish that the
generation now coming on the stage
| should be familiarized with his many
speeches which, well known to the
elders, are unknown to them. One of
the best short talks he ever made, as
he told me himself, was his 10th OF
May memorial address at New Berne,
n. c., many years ago. His text was
the beautiful - fragment" of Tenny-
sons, called 1.-The Eagle" How he
worked it around to make it fit the oc-
casion is now lost on me but l recall
| it as having been done, and with an
artists touch. His finished lectures
are of course familiar to all educated
North Carolinans and to their prepa-
ration he gave much time and study.
He spent studious weeks in the great
Astor Library upon The Scattered
Nation,'' and it is not too much to say
that it deserves to rank with the de-
fence of Disraeli made upon the occa-
sion of the removal Of the Jewish disa
bilties in 1858.
But time would fail to make even
casual mention Of the many notable
occasions upon which the tongue Of
this man has outlined policy, which
was followed by the State, averted dis
grace from all of us that seemed i'm
minent and threatening, overturned
powerful politicians, seemingly we'll
intrenched, rallied defeated organiza-
tions hopelessly heart-sick and suffer-
ing from deepest inertia. Rather let
me insert the close of the great speech,
with which we set out. Is it not a
notable peroration worthy of place
among Southern classics
s.There is i'll our story food to satisfy
the reflective and to fire the hearts of
the brave for many generatisns; how
that written constitutions which men
are sworn to support, are yet as feath-
ers in the gale before the fierce pas
sions excited by interest, sectional
hatred and religious bigotry; and that
, the only hope of freedom is, after all,
, when her anchors take hold deep down
, in the hearts OF men how that a SIM
| pie agricultural people, unused to war,
, without manufactures, without ships,
shut out from all the world and sup
posed to be et1eminated and degener-
ated by African slavery, yet waged a
four yeas contest against four times
their numbers, and ten times their
/ means, supplementing all their neces-
sites, and improvising all their material
f almost out Of the dreary wastes OF
+ chaos how that their generals wrought
? out campaigns not discreditable to the
genius of Hannibal, Caius Julius,
e Marlboro and Napoleon whilst THEN
gently natured soldiers fought and
I marched and endured with the cour.
+ age of the Grecian phalanX, the steadi
\ ness Of the Roman legion, and the en-
! durance of the British line-and all be-
1 cause the Southern people had pre-
: served the lofty souls and gallant
f spirits OF their ancestry had treasured
: up the traditions of chivary and per
+ sonal honor which their fathers haG
!, bequeathed them as the highest glory
f of a race, instead Of the heaping to
e gether of dollars the great lessor
t which this age is striving to forget
e that States will be as their men are
n that men will be as their souls are
} sordid or lofty as they are taught
And if there be any man among US
= North or South, who feels that tn,
= truth of this cruel war should not b,
e known; or that it is dangerous tt
a honor that courage and patriotism
I: which extend to the giving of life il
+ its support, in any cause which :
n Christian soldier could maintain; O.
t that unfaithfulness to present duty il
o bred from reverencing of the memor,
d OF those who died to preserve thei
: faith with such / have no desire tt
G harmonic the good opinion of al
V such l can afford to despise. We know
e that the glorious profession of arms is
i of the highest Importance to State
c and a skill to WELD the sword and TIL
G manhood to fight battles are cardina
a elements of successful civilization. AL
n peace and mental cultivation produce
effeminate Greeks of the lower Empire
: All war and physical development
j., produce the Goth and the Hun. Blu
: when the material and the evil spirits
J., are judiciously combined, the highes
q types of human progress are brough
h forth