Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1897-07-03
an ELOQUENT ADDRESS
Nv GOV. TAYLOR at the Confederate
nuInn Al NAshNIlle.

p, Gov. TAYLOR at the Confederate !"
union at NAshVtlle.
NASHVILLE. lynn. June @-"heh ue
c1-f-+.-te veterans meeting was caieu I" VI
ar sr Gen. Gor10B, lie requested the Ss''
49, 20 siuc Od Hunire1' 10 praise o. us
r-ss,c- TIE hand attempted to lead eu' o,oNI
49, Cor Tayior cane to the rescue anu le'a
..- IN CONGREGATION arose aud loihel
10 iss soag. visit.
OF, Is wzl Eolihy Of NpfolleIhs' h9 "'
GOV Iaylors address
Tas.=s and Ge1temen-Nhy need say "e'-
- ~ ne men Of the South? Every heart IN
Tennessee lafons a welcome 70 you anu e'et!
r--,l ssDa smiles a welcome, l think cou'u
r-aa baes the veil which separates iminoF'"n'!
from ms vale Of tears. sou would see a VISION
~ y,sr I'D comrades. Who have answered 70 the
~. r.u o, eternity. c~iowdiug the air and you
would hear them shout, welcome thrice Wei
cone.
Love to live in the land 0. Dixie, under Inc
.,t southern SKIES. where summer pours ou'
bsr food @! sunshine and showers, anu 'o
grateful earth smiles with plenty. / IoNe 10
li.s On southern soil. where tae cotton heius
ave ,t4fr white banners Of peace, and where
N. wheat fields wave back their banners OF
-,,1 from the nils ami valleys which were once
6r.nrbe5 with the blood OF heroes. ! love 10
live where the m0cking birds 1utter and sing III
he .hadgsy coyes ami bright waters ripple III
eternal melody By the graves where our heroes
Are buried. Hove 10 breathe the southern ar
TIA, comes filtered through iungles oil roses
whispering The story Of southern DEEDS Vi
bravery. Iloye to drink from Southern springs
and southern Oabbling brooks when once coo'eu
the lius Of Lee and Jackson ana foires' anu
Gordon. and the worn and weary columns Vi
brave men who wore the gray, ! love 10 i've
among Southern men and women where ever!
heart Is as warm as the southern sunshine, ana
every home is temple Of love and liberty l
love 70 listen to the sweet old Southern melo-
dies which touch the soul and melt the hedft
and agakeus TO life ten thousand precious mem
cries Of the happy long ago, when the old-'Ime
darEies used to laugh and sing, and when Inc
old-fime black nanny soothed the children 10
s,gmter with her lullabies. But, oh, the music
thar thrills me most is the melody that dled
aaay on the lips OF many a Confederate solder
as he sank into that sleep that knows no waking;
lam glad l am in Dixie"
IdoubtH the world will ever see another civ
u~lzati5u as brilliant as that which persisted Ia
| the South a third Of a century ago. Its white
| c5'umned mansions under cool spreading groves,
It's orange trees waving their SPRAYS OF snowy
l blossoms. and its cotton fields stretching away
10 the horizon, alive with tolling slaves who
sang as they t0iled from early morn until the
close Of day; rs pomp and pride and reyelryi
its splendid manhood and the dazzling beauty Of
rs women, placed it in history as the high tide
Of earthly glory. But the hurricane Of ci'l
war shattered u and swept 1t away. Billions oil
wealth dissolved and vanished IN smoke ana
fame. The South lost all save honor. But the
| Confederate soldier, the purest and proudest
type Of the AnglO.Sax0n race, stood erect anlld
It's charred and blackeued ruins. The earth was
rel beneath him, the SKY was black above him,
his sword was broken, his country was crushed.
But without 0 throne he was no less a ruler; hlS
palace had persisted, be was no less a King.
Slavery vas dead, but magnificent In the gloom
Of defeat, be was still a master. Has he not
mastered adversely! Has he not rebuilt the
ruined South!
Look yonder at those flashing domes and gilt
tering spires; look al the works Of art and all
the fabrics and pictured tapestries Of beauty.
Look what Southern brains and Southern hands
have done. see the victories Of peace Ne have
won, all represented within the white columns
Of our great Industrial exposition, and you will
receive an inspiration Of the old South, and you
Will catch g~llInpses Of her future glory.
trust in God that the struggles OF the future
viii be the struggles Of peace and not OF war
The hand Of secession will never lie lifted uE
again. The danger 10 the republic now lies ID
the mailed hand Of centralized power, and the
South all yet be the bulwaTk Of American
liberty. II you ask me why, | answer, 1t is the
only section left which is purely American;
answer that anarchy cannot live on Southern
soil answer that the South has started on q
new line Of march, and while We love the pas
for its precious memories, our faces are turned
toward the morning.
Time has furled the battle flags and smelteC
the hostile gun. Tine has torn down the forts
and leyeled the trenches and rifle pits on tn
bloody field Of glory, where courage and high
born chlyalry ON prancing chargers once rod,
TO the front with shlmmering epaulets ant
bright swords cleaning, where thousands o
charging b~ayOnets at uniform angels %refecte.
thousands Of suns, where the shrlll fife screame,
and tile kettle-drum timed the heavy tramp
tramp Of the shining battaIions, as the infautr,
deployed into battle line and disappeared in tn
SETTLING waves Of smoke and lame-wher
double shOtted batteries Unlimbered on tn
~bristllng edge and hurled fiery yOmit into TIN
reeling co~lumns-where ten thousand draw
sabres flashed and ten thousand cavalry hoy
cred for a moment on the flank and then rushe,
to the dreadful reydTy.
Tie curtain dropped long ago upon ,bes
mournful scenes OF carnage and time has beau
titled aud comforted and healed until there I
nothing lett Of war but graves and garlands, an
monuments, aud veterans and precious memo
ries.
Blow, bugler, blow, but thy shrillest notes ca
never again call the matchless armies of Gran
and Lee to the carnival of death.
Let the silver trumpets sound The jubilee q
peace. Let the veterans shout who wore th
blue. Let them kiss the silken folds OF the cor
geous ensign OF the republic and fling it to tn
breeze and sing the national hymn.
Let the veterans bow who wore the gray. an
with uncovered heads salute the national fas
II is the flag Of the inseparable Union. Let theI
clasp hands with the brave men who wore III
blue, and rejoice with them, for time hat
adorned the ruined South and robed her field
In richer haryests and gilded her skies wit
brighter stars of hope.
But who Will scOrn or frown to see the veto,
ans OF the South's shattered armies, ~scatterc
now like solitary oaks in the midst OF a falle
forest, hoary with age and covered with scar,
sometimes put on the old worn and faded ora
and unfurl for a little while the other banne,
the rlddled and blood stained stars and bars I
look upon 1t and weep over IL, and press il I
their bosoms, for it is hallowed With recollec
I lions tender as the soldiers last farewell.
Ihey followed 1t amid the earthquake throe
OF shlioh, where Albert Sidney Johnston died
they followed it amid the floods of living fire. :
charlottesville, where Stonewall Jackson fol
they saw 1t fiutter in the gloom OF the wilde,
ness where the angry divisions and corns rnsho
upon each other and clinched and fell and rolle
; together In the bloody mire. They rallIs
around 1t at Gettysburg, where 1t waved aboy
the bayonets, mixed and crossed on those dra,
, heights of destiny; they saw its faded co,1
4 haunt defiance for the last time at Appomatto,
and Then go down forever in a flood Of tears
linen who viii upbraid them ii they sometime
bring 1t to lighl, sanctihed and ploriAed as I,
; by the blood and tears Of the past. and wave
again IN the air, and sing once more their n,