The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1896-06-20
OLD FATHER TIME.
BIN Arp Says That He Is a Good
Doctor.
Tie softens and Soothes the Passions and
Asperities Of Life-The Fast ana
Prcsent-Mr. Rouss Id
Vited South.

creature WITH Dis sly tiiC III his' h"AaN $50 |
nothing on but his bones, but he is
good doctor. Long before he cuts us
down he begins to soften and soothe
the passions and asperities OF life and
to prepare out better nature for the
only solution of life's problem, which
is love to God and to our fellow-mcn,
but very few old men carry bitterness
to the grave. One day 1 observed an
old man for whose talents the COM
munity had great respect talking to
a friend. His eyes flashed and every
linament of his face betokened anger.
As he struck the end of his cane to the
pavement he said: II ought to have
killed the scoundrel." Cautiously l
approached and inquired: Had a diff-
Guilty with somebody, colonel?" oh"
said he, II was Just telling Brown about
q little affair that happened about-let
me see-yes, just As years ago." But
even he mellowed down some years be-
fore he died. Now, if we lived as long |
as Noah or Methusaleh, or even as long
as Abraham, we might feed and cherish
bitterness for q hundred years, but
three score years and ten is too brief
time to be wasted in passions.
Thirty-one years have passed since
the war, and was Illuminating over the
difference between now and then. we
veterans remember when we were all
accused of treason and many OF our
leaders had to flee the country for Tear
of arrest and trial and condemnation
and death. When to possess or exhibft
a confederate flag provoked imprison-
ment; when we had to defend the lost
cause or lament its failure in whispers,
and when every man who was worth
| $4,000 had his property contiscated un-
less he petitioned for pardon and paid
we'll for it. The pardon brokers at
Washington made millions out of our
wealthy citizens.
But time has diluted the bitterness
of those who were our most malignant
enemies. Reflection has tempered the
| preiudices of our northern brethren.
and now we see Gen. Gordon and Gen.
| Longstreet given glad and willing well
| come as they discourse temporarily
and truthfully of the war. it's causes
and its results. Nowhere is the carpet
Dagger who figured in reconstruction
times more denounced and dcspised
than at the north. More than all this,
a monument has been built on northern
ground in memory of the confederate
dead. BrotherIy unions of the blue
and the gray have been held at various
times and places, and thousands OF the
grand army are moving southwark and
fraternizing with our people. There
is only one sore that does not heal, and
that is the hard fact that while we pay
our own pensions we have to help to pay
theirs, and get nothing back. The
estimate is that it takes half million
annually for Georgia to pension hel
confederate widows and disabled sol
. liers, and ten times as much to pa!
, her part of the union pensions. Eli
, s5,OoO,00O goes into their hopper ane
I we get no toll. But even this will pas
, away. Old Father Time is slow u.
= there, but he is sure. Unpensioned sol
> diers don't live as long as those VIII
3 feed on government pap, and there ar
Q not near as many of them. We see
Q stated that there are now less THAI
s 100000 confederate survivors. l toll
!, that to federal general in Florid
S not long ago, and he ruminated over
some time and said: "You rebels Tough
a so hard and endured so much you brok
down your constitutions. StonewaI
e Jackson's fool cavalry, 1 know, mus
have worn their legs off up to thel
knees. like Munchausen's famous hunt
ing dog
But after SO long time the heroisr
70 of the south is looming up-and the los
!, cause shines before the world in a cleal
: CT and more lustrous light. No san
man speaks of us rs traitors now, an
: we are permitted with kindly grac
:. TO honor our dead ad build monument
l. to our heroes. Patriotism and courae
~ IRE honored everywhere. There are, {
70 course, a few hear,less souls in ever
ir community who care nothing for til
,t sacred memories of the war, and wit
I'd rious JUNCTION excjaim: "Oh, let tt
1t dead past bury its dead. Look not bacl
ut but forward. We have no time for sent
n. ntcnt." Such men will never defer
y their country nor help to save q stat
lis A people without sentiment will new
~ have any heroes. DR.. johnson, IL
st greatest philosopher that ever live
be hsid: THAT man Is little to be envi'
n. whose patriotism would not gain for
be upon the plain of Marathon. Even r
I li0ion, which is animated only by fat
sr- and hope will glide by degrees out OF Il
IS, rnind unless it be inIgorated by cal
re 10 worship and the salutary infiuen
ps, Of example" Neva- was anything mo
is; truthfully said. The good citizen mu
mt keep his patriotism alive by cherlshil
ed the memories of the wars in which thu
. 4 or their fathers we're engaged. Ov
o. 1000 years have passed since the Athe
lot inns defeated the great army of Dari'
,ro but Marathon is still memorable i'll sol
W and story. 1t is the watchword
81, patriotism. A generation has pass
.o tince the battle of Gettysburg, but t
W. W. ralor of the American soldiers OF DO
~ llmies, as displayed in that bloc
SIGHT, will shine il history as long
!, there are people to write. or people
'as read. We are glad that Col. Garrett b
. come south to worl for the memoir
Of the lost cause, aid to tell us abo
Gettysburg. Did not our hearts bu
will >ithin us as he described the thrill
,cenes that absorbed his vision q.
Inc -~xs-.I ~xovxy {,Inr ~ hiS heinz