The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1897-09-30
STIRRING ADDRESS
OF REV. JAMES BATTLE AVIRETT, OF
KlTTRELL.
Delivered at the Picnic and Reunion
of Confederate Veterans in Hender-
son. on Saturday, Sept. nth. 1897.

Agreeable 10 promise we present
herewith the speech Of Rev. J. b.
Avirett. Oh the above named occasion.
those OF Gen Cheek and Capt. Shaw
having already been published:
Mr.. Aviretl began by saying that
under tie inspiration OF one OF the best
after dinner speeches it had ever been
his good fortune to hear. as it welled
over from the heart OF that very re-
markable mar The Reverend Dr.. HUFF
ham, aud with the stirring uplift Of
the Confederate yell as led by Gen.
VIM II. Check, and Joined in by hun
dreds oI Confederate veterans, he never
spoke with heart quite so full.
The women OF the executive commit
tee Of the Monumental Assoc iation had
charged him to speak 90 the good peO-
pie Of Vance and urge the attendance
Of as many Confederate veterans as
possible on the occasion Of the pro-
posed red-letler day in honor Of North
Carolina at Winchester. Virginia.
sept. l1th) iii the discharge Of which
duty he paid Il loving tribute to the fl
| deity and heroism OF Southern woman
hood and the vaor and patriotism of
| the Confederate soldier, Living and
dead. This done Mr.. Avirett then APP
| preached the subject Of his speech
proper as betting the occasion, his re-
marks being in effect as follows:
| congratulate you. my dear friends,
upon this large attendance of the former
| followers Of General Lee. and | am
satisfied that at this .iuncture in the
| history Of our old State, aside from the
! pleasure which we gather from them
socially, the moral effects upon both
Clements Of our society is eXceedin ely
! helpful and healthful. These large
gatherings in different parts Of the
State (aud would to God that Que could
| be held in every county from the Ten
nessee line to Roanoke Island) show
clearly that there is life in the old State
yet splendid life that has not been
choked out by Modernism or any Of the
paraIyziny forces of carpetbagism or
| reconstruction.
The genuine North Caroinian to-
day, who is neither flop cared nor web
anything and everything 20 beat back
all efforts to lessen the force and pow err
of our pure social conditions as we have
received them from our fathers. No
touch or faint Of mOngrelism in any
form shall weaken the tide of pure
Caucasian blood coming to US from an
ancestry OF which we may we'll be
proud. No South American civiliZa
ton affecting our wives and eur little
ones shall bring the blush to the cheek
Of those men who heard the plaudits
OF victory where Slonewall jackson
and the peerless Lee led them on to
danger and to duty. If only we be
true to ourselves, the God Of justice
will favor Us and we shall escape ills
infinitely more degrading than the
sertdOm Of the Russian or the taser
men who dwell i'll the demoralized
South American Republics.
Twas but the other day in speaking
to large assembly i'll Warrenton with
that peerless soldier, Major Aston
sitting on the platform with his sew.
enteen wounds-those high marks O.
high honor in the pathway Of higt
duty,-when wrought upon by the
inspiration Of the scene, | said, "Majol
Aston. | had rather be the honest
wearer of even the slightest of YOU
many wounds than to have all the
, wealth of all the Dukes in all of NORTH
Carolina. For that wealth, noble Sir
. is but the crystalized sweat-drops O
the farmers of Vance and Granville
and Franklin and Warren and Other
counties OF the State, wrung from tbs
:, sunburned broWs of the tOiling farmer!
by the pressure of heartless syndicates
| care not what form that wealth may
take, whether it be in the diamonds
glitterinS on the fingers Of the womel
at Buffalo Llthia Springs or elsewhere
or it be in the hush money given tt
conscience, in The vain effort to fine
surcease from evil-doing; in building
up institutions Of learning with malig
nant and allen almoner in the fulfil,
,, and djSsraceful project of tearing dowl
North Cardinals citadel of learning
: the University of the State. The hon
} est leomanry of North Carolina will
S see all this wealth swept away ant
those who have been debauched ant
demoralized by it shut up in Coventr,
here and in closer and more terribl,
custody hereafter.''
The lesson of the hour, dear friends
that we must learn and must apply, il
to be men, fearless men, who do no
! counsel with expedency, but who prefe
/ allegiance to principle to the base
S forms of convenience and ease. Sucl
men were our fathers, and from then
S has come the noble heritage of fear
, less North Caroinian. Such men be
! fore the war sat in the jury boxes, .
pure Caucasian blood, as swayed b,
the eloquence of the elder Eaton an,
taught their duty as the custodians O
. the rights of their fellow citizens. b,
such judges as Caldwell, Battle, an,
others Of that noble band of worthe
wearing and honoring citizenship il
< the better days Of the Commonwealth
e Let us be not extensively true, bu
5 brave and honest in the discharge Q
y our duties to our wives and our litt
: ones. In view of what has latel
e transpired in yonder court house wher
: esty OF the law. was made to pay TIL
l. penalty of his crime, in piercing to he
y heart OF hearts the one little eve lam
i, OF the One-legged Confederate soldier
| let every man who is worthy of tn
I name rise TO the appreciation of tn
! fact that this is a white mans govern
+ ment. and must be so admin istered. o
. fearful consequences will ineyita hi
= follow
: This large concourse clearly demon
Il strates the fact that we are ready 70
:. the issue. We shall not force it b
= any lndiscretlon on our part, but W
: will defend the purity of our civilza
: tlon-we will hurl back any aud ever
IL stigma upon our honor-all attack
; upon the purity of our hearthstone
and our altars-wlth our hearts bes
j. loo y. So. IL, l., = !