The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-12-08
HONORS TO THE GREAT.
Funeral Services Over All the DIS.
tinguished Dead in the WORLDS

judged az a whole, Colonel Youman's speech
on last Wednesday night, was an ortuouoA @
regulation, before-the.war oration, ana was
thoroughly enjoyed by those oil our lelloW.
citizens who still lipger around the grave OF
the great Calhoun, and hallow everything OF
the ante-bellum period, when even tne moon
itself shined with more slivery sheen tnan
It does now under the standard OF the golden
In bis oratory he swept the earth' the sea
In his eioouence he brought the richest
gems of literature to adorn the purest pearls
Of thought. ~
And when 1t came to the historical re,
searches. so to speak, he unrolled great scro., m
on which was written the names OF statesmen
and patriots, and on which was inscribed q
record Of the daring deeds OF the Worio
greatest soldiers; the names h,a 0t prr,ors SpaI,tan
mothers, and the conQuests OF NOBLE Warrlofs
reflected resplendent glory. ,,,. -.
From the earliest years In the worlds his
t0y, down to the day or the death OF Cal
houn, when glory departed from tnls tefres, .$
enrich the volume of matchless tribute 70
the ages Of the past.
And, like ali orthodox orators of the old
school, whose numbers are fast disappearing
with the flying years, Colonel Youmans
turned his eyes, and directed all his thoughts,
to the setting sun. He saw visions OF great
ness disappearing IN the aim asbsne Ip1n
light. -, ,,o .,anss un,cb sur.
He saw nolnlnR OF tne sceneS WHICH eui
round us, and knew nothing OF the duties
which today demand our attention. The mo-
mentous issues that confront us, and the glory
of the rising sun, were unworthy OF MS atten,
tion. His eyes never turned, with nope and
stout heart to the dawn Of newer and bet
ter day. 1t was glory enough for US 10 SIT In
the ashes and sing praises to the DEAD. he
seemed never to realize the fact that there is
work for the younger generation to perform,
and that tn ey, like those who rule from their
sceptered urns, had battles TO fight and con-
quests to make, or else to sink. into nothing
ness, and be forgotten In the oblivion that
The great duty OF the organization of the
Daughters of the Con oniederacy, Is, he said, to
presrve the truth OF history. and to hand
down to the coming ages q record which
should be alike honorable TO them and their
ancestors-(the force of which remark might
be emphasized In the fact that possibly three
fourths of the beautiful young ladies who
listened to his speech did not know the regt-
ment In which their fathers served, and could
not name the battles in which the heroes
whose memories they would preserve, met
contendipg armies in the most sublime OF all
human eftorts)
It was only necessary to have heard the
speech OF Colonel Youmans to have been
drawn to him. Being 80 thoroughly In earn
est, while he lived in the past, his expressions
were enough to touch the heart, and we mean
not in this criticism single word in unklnd-
ness.
The Colonel is type of gentlemen whose
diminishing numbers furnish source OF sor-
row.
Such men as Colonel Youmans. II they
would turn their faces TO the rising sun, and
!, let the setting sun founder in the sea, would
inspire their fellows with q greater desire and
nooler ambition to attain prouder achieve
ments.
1t Is we'll enough to glority the dead, but the
hope OF the country rests with the living.
No amount OF hero worship will avail If we
seek not to emulate the example of our idols.
We may extol the greatness OF Diana to our
hearts content OOt. III nnwOrthy who
shall extol our greatness?
II We. like idle idiots, sit still and do moth
Ing for ourselves and strive not 10 benefit
mankind, who shall, in the coming years,
sing our praises? Is there nothing for ordina-
~ every day mortals to do except to worship
the dust of those who have gone before?
II 1t be contended that this criticism Is a
violation OF the proprieties, We would plead
eXtenuating circumstances. 1t has now been
more than thirty years since the close of the
war. In that time we have listened 10 many
public speeches, all OF which is TO greater or
less extent subject to the same criticism
which we make Of Colonel Younans. If any
man has made speech in Abbeville without
going over the well.beaten path, in so far as
our dead Is concerned, we have forgotten the
fact.
This newspaper denies none of the glory
and honor To which our dead are entitled, and
we have gladly listened to the same for fifty
or sixty times, but when 1t comes TO repeating
the same old story as a general thing, we get
tired, and We really think 1t Is time for some
body TO deliver a speech without the same
OLD stereotyped rot with which we have so
often been afflicted. Every public meeting
eIal occasion. Some funerals have been
preached SO often that to any but members OF
"our set" the proceeding has become irksome.