The Opelousas courier., 1897-04-03
For Correct History.

At the last Chautauqua meeting at
Ruston, La, DR.. Fred j. Mayer, OF our
town, delivered an eloquent address,
from which we take the following ex-
tract:
"The spirit of Chautauqua by broadening our
nationalism must destroy the last vestage of
that fratricidal strife which for four years di-
vided our country into two armed camps, by
eliminating from the text books the word
traitor and rebel as applied by Hess ans and
the sons of Hessians to those Americans who
disease and death, as did their ancestors at
Valley Forge for the perpetuatiOn of the prin-
clpal of hume rule, since recognized by the
highest judicial body i'll the land, and as dear
to the citizens of Maine, Massachusetts aud
Nebraska as to those of Louisiana.
1.-THE spirit of Chautauqua teaches the disuse
of such hyphenated anomalies OF Creole-Amer-
ican, German = American, 1risll-American, as ap-
piled to those of our felloW-citlzens who are in
every way entitled to and worthy Of being
called American by virtue of their citizenship.
1t teaches the use of the simple word American
without frills and furbelows. which should be
the proudest boast of every citizen of these
United States, regardless OF ancestry and origin,
of the earth, the respect and consideration
which the might of the great republic should
inspire in the person OF its humblest citizen.
''The spirit of Chautauqua shall have been
invoked 1G no purpose it the next generation
he not taught TO look upon the heroes of the
civil war, regardless of which side they fought
on, as bTkUUuS U1 IO-uGy lUOA upUH UutlI
heroes with reverence aud respect. whether
they were Saxon or Norman, Roundhead or
Cavalier, Stuart or Gue]pha, and unless our
school histories will teach them to LOOK * upon ION
Lincoln and Davis, Grant and Lee, Mcclellan
and Jackson, as the highest types of American
manhood, from whose lives is to be drawn that
inspiration which will lead to deeds of equal
valOr and renOwn, should the occasion demand,
for the perpetuatiOn OF those principals upon
which rest the security, the happiness, the
glory and the honor OF our country.
,~sf r,f[ N,nYr ton oh hna
invoked to no purpose il such contemplate ex-
hibitions of pusillanimOus and rancOrOus parti-
sanship are not promptly and Indignantly snp-
pressed as that recently given by that Lllipu-
ton, who doubtless never drew sword nor
shouldered a musket in defense of the Union,
but who attempted to win the cheap applause
of his ilk by raising bitter partisan objections
to the planting of a sprig of Ivy from the tomb
of the immortal Lee at the recent dedication OF
a monument to the late president of Yale Col
lege. 1 echo the sentiment OF one-half the
ment Of the other half, as evidenced by the
action of the majority OF Yale's alumni Ill say
ing that whatever hOnOrs may have been
showeEed upon the late president of Yale
whatever academical laurels he may have been
crowned with during his useful life, there never
was moment of such honor as that in which
his cold and lifeless effigy was thought worthy
Of sprig Of ivy that sprang from the heart ol
that great soldier whose sp0tless life made him
| the foremost man Of his time!
81 know that such indecent exhibitions
should be treated with silent contempt, and
refer to it now simply as pointing to the mora
| that if the spirit OF Chautauqua can accomplish
| anything it should suppress such blatant dem
| agOgus, who can be likened to nothing on Gods
! green earth save mass of pntrefying anima
| matter lying in river bed Of filth and slime
| which yet the rivers rising washes not up unit
| some counter current or eddy dislodges it from
it's position, when, distended and buoyed up by
| the putrefective gases of decomposition 1t rlsei
to the surfa, 9 to vex the atmosphere for a sea
| son with It's mephitic exhalations, until it il
| swept out into the sea OF oblivion.
"The spirit of Chautauqua shall have beer
| invoked in vain il the next generation fails tt
| pause reverently by the monument of the lat
president Of Yale and say: "Let US do hin
| reverence. for he was thought worthy OF
sprig OF ivy from the grave Of that greatsoldie
| whose military genius has been compared t.
| that of Hannibal and Caesar, Marlborough ant
| Napoleon, but who lowered above them all il
| the simple majesty of an American leading
forl0rn hope and q lost cause from a sense o
| duty"
| Continuing, DR.. Mayer said the trinity o
| Chautauquan ideals embraced thOrOughness il
all branches of education; popular extension q
catiOnal factors He thoroughly treated tho il
fiuences and workings OF The Chautauqua in 1t