The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-09-30

slns your war songs; you honor yo,r Ie,d-
:. ana weep your tears Of memory. Why?
- :. not TO revive dead issues Il "A rot
- s.oat over your enemies 1t is not %
ssun. = fallen foe. 1t ts 10 g.atify ore
o. the deepest and most honorable tec,,nrs
o. men, the desire to cherish and yrcssrvs
tue memories Of the brave DAYS Ana hrsve
c.Mpanions OF youth. You wee tho VIC
Tors. You can we'll afford 10 be- maxnsni.
nous. 1t detracts nothing from tu. r,orv
o. your victory to let the void acc ~
men VINO you defeated. Narrow ana win.
we've, lnaeed. must be the man WHO be-
privilege OF such reunions.
Wnat else was left to him? lie emerged
rom tnat war penniless; witlolt clothes
upon mis- back, or food to sustain Inn
everything for which he had fought vps
gone. ne was forced to ABANDON every
preccnceived idea OF his life anl to fer;n
anew under changed conditions. without
money with his labor system destroyed,
flower OF his youth In the grave OF the
Con1ederacy. All that remain ID to him
was the memory Of his own v,lor "a. at
OF his comrades. He had been co,ppletely
defeated 1t Is true; but even his most vim
dictive foe accorded him homa se tor the
way he bore privatfun and fought cutr-
ageously TO the end.
IN
terial welfare, how he has red ssr1ed his
pledge Of loyalty to the restored Union,
history will tell. Do not deny hlla tie
poor noon OF meeting some times, as YOU
meet TO drink from the intoxicating and
sparkling cup filled to the brlra With cx-
h.larating memories OF that past when you
and he were soldiers and ware young and
brave. All, my friends, those were the
happiest days of his life as we'll as o, yours,
The poet has said
! hold II true whate'er befall
feel 1t when sorrow most.
It's better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.
Ine heart OF the average gallant youth.
10 whom war is the most glorious episode
OF Ire, uneonsciously paraphrases the last
lines OF this verse. Locking back mt the
past, when you and were soldiers. ! can
truly say; tbs better to have fought
and lost than never to have fought at ALL"
All through the Southern land are gray-
haired men with whom life has yone hard.
The burden OF defeat, the changed con-
dltons resulting from the war The pinch
oil poverty. the hard struggle, under ad-
verse circumstances, to meet the stern re-
quirements of life. have changed them in
these thirty years. until such as have not
given up and passed away are bent and
gray and timeworn, with the sad eve uni
soft voice Of unsuccess. They have few
comforts left to them. Few excitements
OF the present stir the sluggish courses Of
their blood. Few passing events arouse
their interest or attention. When the
weary hum drum days work is done they
go TO their homes and through the usual
domestic routine. passing year after year
of uneventfnl waiting for tho end. But.
boys! In the life of every one OF these
there was one glorious episode, one
crowded hour Of glorious life," filed
with perilous issues OF such thrilling i'm
port that its memory still brightens the
eye and qnickens the pulses of those old
fellows. and will AS long as life shall last.
no matter how hard the game has gone
against them. That time was when in
gallant youth, they followed Lee and Jack
son. 1t was just as you followed Grant
and Sherman, Sheridan and Thomas. Do
YOU want them to forget those days? No.
Would you have them blot out the Lemory
Of their military youth when your proud
est recollection Is that OF your own? No.
know you are too brave and generous
for that. They could not forget II they
would: they would not II they could 1t is
the best and bravest part of both your
lives, and their leaders are onshrined In
their hearts, Just as yours In yours, next
the image Of their God. Ask either OF
YOU TO dlsenshrine your idols. Like the
lover to his bride you would turn--the
old Confederate soldier to Lee. tine Union
soldier to Grant, and with the look you
wore at Gettysburg or in the Willerness
or in the trenches at Petersburg YOU
would exclaim: ~
Forget thee! Bid the forest bird forget It's
sweetest tune,
Forget thee! Bid the sea forget to swell
beneath The moon,
The thrsting flowers forget 20 drink the
ewes refreshing dew,
Thyself forget thine own fair land, its
mountains wild and blue,
| Forget each old. familiar face each well
remembered spot;
When these things are forgot by thee,
then thou shall be forgot.
All, my friends, blessed be God, we are
| fellow citizens OF common country, un-
der one flag. fraternal and happy. BY
every tie OF kinship. community of inter-
est tradition and aspiration for the future.
we are to be under one flag and one peo-
| pie henceforth. But let us not be Utoplan
| in our dream Of that unity. Let us be
| philosophers In our views OF the feelings
OF mankind, and not expect men to be
angels. Let us be generous toward each
other touching the celebration OF and the
| nOrOr Wnlcu we Pay TO- Ouf iueaiS Vi liis
past The Confederate has pledged him.
| self. for all the future, that he and his
desce ndants Will saand shoulder to shoulder
with you and your descendants in defense
of one flag and common union. He gave
the pledge in good faith. He Will not be
false to you. But he did not promise TO
be false to the memory or oblivious OF his
old IeaGers. his dead comrades, or the
glory OF his youth. Grant him the Joy OF
gallant memories. Grant him the pious
privilege OF doing honor TO the memory
OF comrades and commanders without the
inputation OF disloyalty to present obliga-
don. Our common future will be greatest
il we practice mutual forbearance and
show mutual consideration concerning past
differences. The initiative in these be-
longs properly TO you Such action viii
bring forth fruit hundred-fold OF gem
ulne fraternity and oblivion. When 1t is
practiced in the spirit which Grant coun-
sslled, you and l may yet live to see that
Those opposed eyes
which. like the meteors OF troubled
Heaven.
Both OF nature ard one substance bred.
Did lately meet in the intestine shock, and
Furious close of civil butcheTy.