Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-09-17
They CommiRgle in Earnest Pledges
:. for Perpetual Peace.
NATIONAL honor TEE SINGLE AIM
Concluding of the Blue
and Gray Reunion.
ELOQUENT RES SEES

A gray and grizzled old man with de-
yout expression on his face leaned against
the wall in Central Hall last night and
looked with moist eyes On the scene before
him. Suddenly he turned to the stra! ger
| next to him and CALCULATED, feryensly:
How Loncoln would have loved 10 see
this" ~
There was vast inspiration In that excla-
nation to those who heard 1t, and the little
group in the vicinity thought OF the most OF
other brave and earnest and good men on
both sides during that terrible Conflict of
the sixties who would have loved to see 1t,
too. Side by side, in smiling intercourse.
were some of the very men who had been
front to front at Manassas, Fredericksburg,
South Mountain Charlottesville. Ante
| tam, Gettysburg, and at last at Appomat-
tex. Many of them, indeed most OF them,
have scars on their bodies of wounds ex-
| changed between them IN the sharp clash
of battle, but there were no mental Sc ars re-
naming Of the anger and desperation which
had once inspired them. They exempllfed
the truth of the couplet that occurs IN a
Decoration day poem:
Oh. Peace! Thou sweet soother OF hate!
The kisses that fall from thy mouth
ON the lips of the dominant North,
ran alike on the lips OF the South!
The Sentiment Given substance.
. Every one In the assemblage last night
| felt the truth of this, and every one went
away with a feeling of gladness at having
| participated In such significant gather
| Ing, especially so when the sentiment that
| inspired them all had been given tangible
| expression in the shape Of a resolution
| adopted providing that The Philadelphia
| Brigade and Picketts Camp and Washing
ton Camp, No. Ill, be authorized to get up
| such reunion at such time and place as
| the three organizations may agree upon.
The preamble to this resolution declared
that the reunion Of the blue and the gray,
| held under the auspices of the Philadelphia
| Brigade, had been eminently successful.
the tendency being to draw the people OF
the north and south nearer together, ana
that reunion upon grander scale would
| result in great and lasting good
The exercises of the evening were the
| accompaniment of a merry and enjoyable
| campfire, and were presided over by Col.
John w. Frazier Of the Philadelphia Bri-
| gade Association Commissioner Truesdell.
| Gen. Beaverl. Gen. Stanley of Soldiers
| Home, Justice. Harlan. ex-Gov. Fletcher of
| Missouri. Gen. Vincent, Mrs. Pickett, the
| widow of the hero of Gettysburg: Major
| Jeffries Of Wilmington and a number of
| other distinguished people occupied seats
upon the platform. while just in front of
| it were the members of the Pickett Camp.
Commander Frazier opened the exercises
| by reading several letters regretting the
| inability of the writer's to be present at
and participate In the occasion. and ex
| pressing in feeling words the sentiment in
dividualized BY the gathering. Among these
| were letters from Mayor Richard NJ. Taylor
| Of Richmond Mayor Charles F. Warwick
| of Philadelphia and Gen. Ivan n. Walker
of Indiana, formerly commander-in-chief
| of the G. A. r.
| The first speaker Of the evening was Mr..
George Hawkes.. chairman Of the commit
! tee of the city council, who is represent
| ing Philadelphia in the monument exer-
cfses. He paid high tribute to his native
ptfy Ito I, gDf &c, fr,Rey
| woven with that of the country, and re-
| marking that the record of the one was
the record of the other. Comrade F. r.
| Cunningham of Pickett Camp. who has a
| tenor voice of remarkably fine quality.
| sang THE Sword of Bunker HILL" and
| was repeatedly encored-
Justice Harlnn's Remarks.
Justice Harlan of the United States Su-
rreme Court was given a rousing recep-
tion and congratulated the assemblage
Upon the absence of sectional feeling in the
union. He believed the present year was
the most appropriate in which such re-
union could be held, because 1t was the
first year of a presidential campaign, when
there was total disappearance Of a con-
| sideration Of all questions dependent upon
| the issues of the war for discussion. He
| called attention to the fact that there were
ex-confedcrates in all branches of the gov
| eminent service, and that the commercial
men of the south filled the cities of the
| north. He paid a high compliment to this
| ex-confederates for the manner in which
they cared for their cemeteries, and said
he believed those who were loyal to the
| government should agree that the govern
ment should now take charge of the
| graves of the confederate dead and
beautify them, as it did those Of the Union
| soldiers.
A poem by Mrs. Virginia Frazer Boyle
of Tennessee, entitled Song of the
Patriot" was read by Rev. ]. I. Peterson
of Philadelphia. and its touching character
was illustrated in the effect it produced
upon the veterans present.
Gen. Beavers Striking Words.
Gen. James A. Beaver then made one of
his characteristic speeches. He congratu-
lated the Cleveland administration upon
Its attitude in the recent Venezuelan trou-
, | bles and expr essed the hope that arbitra-
| ton would hereafter settle all our interna-
tional difficulties, and that the Monroe doc
trine would be forever upheld. He de-
) clared it was time for the people of the
! United States to recognize themselves
} They did not appear to realize what place
| their country neld among nations or that
it had a right to hold.
ut seems to be an appropriate moment
, he said that we together. north and
south, shoulder to shoulder, should recog-
nize what this nation is, and what it has
become largely of the conflict which we
fought out together. l believe that as a re-
suit of that conflict we are to have a spiri:
of PATRIOTISM loyalty and love for our in
situations and all its symbols such as was
not developed even in the old days"
Col. Frazier announced that Col A. X
Mcclure Of Philadelphia, who intended to
speak at the meeting, was very i'll, being
near deaths door, and upon his suggestion
it was decided to send telegram Of sym
pathy to the colonel
The resolutions aeferred to IN the intro
duction to this, account were then passed
and Gen. William I. Latta of Pennsylvania
paid a tribute to Col. Mcclure and a com.
pliment to Col. Frazier for the success OF
the reunion. and hpished his remarks with
some amusing "reminiscences of the rebel
lion. 30 81
Professor B. n. James of the University
Of Pennsylvania fead an original poem
composed for the occasion, and Gen. W. r
Aylett Of virEiniaH and Mayor c. r. JET
fries of Winssins t made pleasant ad
The meeting was closed with prayer b,
Chaplain sayrs.
Exercises Yesterday Afternoon.
Archbishop sP. i, Ryan. chancellor o.
the Catholic diocese of Philadelphia, wa.
the next speaker on the program at tn,
, | blue and gray reunion exercises at Cen