The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1897-08-07
TEARS WILL COME.
When War Veterans Meet Each
Other at Their Reunions.
ThSy Are Not Tears of sorrow, hut
the yelling I'd and Over
flow of Sacred
Memories.

Memories.
My good, happy and genial friend,
able lecture on the analysis of laugh
ter, or "Why Do We Laugh?" Now,
ii he will analyze our tears and tell us
why we do weep, we will the better un-
derstand another one of the mysteries
of our emotional humanity. Why does
q man weep when there is no sorrow
in his heart-especially an old man
veteran? If it were not pathetic it
would be funny to see the tears in these
old soldiers eyes as they met and
marched and listened to the martial
music or sat together under the sound
of words that came from the lips of old
men eloquent-old comrades in arms
words that awakened soul-stirring
memories and quickened into life the
hard but heroic scenes that were liv-
ing facts third of a century ago. How
hard they loolt-these old soldiers
heart. 1t seems to me can pick them
out from common people. Every wrin-
kle tells of service, of suffering and dis
appointment. The bronze on their fur
rowed faces has never yet been bleached
and their walk is still true but tired
march. Yes, can pick them out ali
around me. Look at old Capt. Neal
and Maj. Foute, and MeCandless and
Durham and Mountcastle. They can't
hurry now. Their quick step has gone.
They marched and countermarched,
they advanced and retreated, they
charged and double-quickedl for four
long years, until the spring of their in
step was worn down to plane with
heel and toe, and now 1t is a fact that
the hollow of the foot makes a hole in
the ground.
But why should an old man weep?
remember that when Ben Hills statue
was uncovered and the great speeches
were over and queenly Winnie Davis
was brought forward on the platform
and presented to us as the daughter
of the eonfederacy by Gen. Gordon, ac-
carnations rent the air and reached
iIC HCdhClls anu iIleiStS lhC NNlhill III
Then everybody cried except those who
had no feellHg-no eanotion-no pa
triotism. Old Gen. Black was leaning
heavily upon me and l felt the culver
of his massive frame. He leaned more
heavily and l turned quickly to look
into his face and saw the tears cours-
ing down as freely as if he were a
boy. As / brushed my own away ]
said: "What is the matter, general?
Do you want some water? Are you
about to faint?'
ooh, no-no," said he, Just let me
alone and holdJme up little. am feel
ing good. Thank God for His mer-
cies. | feel like old Nicodemus when
he said; Now let me die, since l have
seen Thy salvation
The medical books tell us that tears
ure contagious. We all know that and
have experienced it, but ordinarily our
tears come from our own emotions and
not from another's. I suppose that
| there were probably 10000 bona fide
veterans at Nashville, andy while under
the influence of the occasion, the sur
roundings, the memories of the past
and the thoughts that breathed and the
words that burned. they all shed tears
or felt like it. What a spectacle for
northern eyes! What commentary
on northern intolerance! How long
will it take to eradicate our love for
| the lost cause or our admiration for its
heroes? Like father, like son ADD
daughter, and it is already transmit
ted down the line from generation to
generation, and in a few years more
these reunions will be baptized with
| another name and be called the sons
of the confederate veterans. | said that
probably there were 10000 real bona
fide confederate veterans gathered at
Nashville, for it is fact that our vet
Grams are swiftly passing away There
are not 100000 now alive-not more
than one in seven of all who served.
There might have been more, but I'M
pensioned soldiers don't live forever;
neither do they multiply as the years
roll on.
"Time cuts down ALL
Both great and small"
Except pensioned soldier.
No. For the peace and brotherhood
of all our people it would have been
far better for the north to have said
30 years ago: NOW let us be brethren