Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-02-06

Here's to the men who lose.
The ready plaudits OF fawning world |
Ring sweet In victors ears:
The yanquished banners never are IN
For them there sound no cheers
Here's to the men who losel
The tombstone OF true worth IL not
success,
There is a higher test
Though fate may darkly frown, on
ward to press.
And bsavely do ones best.
Here's to the men who losel
1t Is the vanQuished's praises that
sing.
And this Is the toast choose:
a hard-fouSht failure Is noo'e
Here's to the men who lose"
Confederate Memorial Literary So
ciety.
Mrs r. c. Minor, as the representative
of the Confederate Memorial Literary So
ciety, spoke eloquently of the achieve
ments and ambitions OF the society. She
said
To begin ct the beginning OF the work
or the Confederate Memorial Literary so
Getty would take us back TO the Sd OF
| May, 1876, for 1t was then, when the Hol-
| lywood Memorial Association was or
ganized that the firm determination 10
Keep green the memory OF the Contede-
rate cause had its origin in formal or
ganization OF women for that purpose. In
| those days the city was under martial
law, and any formal observance would
not have been tolerated but quietly, by
| twos and threes, the ladies walked out TO
| Hollywood and laid their floral offerings
upon the new-made graves In fearful ST.
lence- With the lapse Of time came more
| OF pomp and circumstance In the OBJ
servance OF Memorial-Day, and twenty
four years had passed before the ladies
were able TO do more than build the SOL
diers' monument and tend the graves In
seph Bryan BHya belongs tie honor Of having
first conceived the idea OF securing the
official residence OF President Davis Tor
use as a museum of Confederate relies.
On May &C. 1890. she called together the
Hollywood Association that
they might organize a new society-tne
Confederate Memorial Literary Society
which should have for its object the Sc
curing Of the White House OF the Con-
federacy and therein preserving the pre-
cious relics fast disappearing Tor want OF
safe repository fSr them; our cnarter
was obtained May 31st. and then began
long and weary series OF negotiations
with the City Fathers, eliminating on
June 3, 1894, in the cession OF the build
ing to the society for the purposes OF
museum for Confederate relics. The
house was bare and dirty, the walls lined
with blackboards, the floors rough with
the screws which had fastened down the
verify a specimen Of dilapidation.
CONVERTED INTO A MUSEUM
On the 22d Of February, 1896, the build
ing was opened 10 the public for inspec-
tion-bare, indeed, but strong substan-
tial, fire-proof in perfect order, and re-
stored i'm every minutest detail to the con-
dition In which President Davis left IT.
We are not yet two years old, and i
might tell you Of many Of the relics
which now crowd our cases, but l prefer
TO let you discover them for yourselves
by visiting the Museum. We have man
aged so far to keep out of debt and TO
make the Museum self-supportng, and
we have now ventured to extend the
scope OF our work. There are many
places Of historic interest scattered
through the city. such as the house in
which General Lee lived, the site of
Libby prison, &c. These will shortly be
marked in some permanent way, as will
the Notifications outside the city which
were never broken thTough-a standing
monument to the valor of our men and
the brilliant generalship OF our officers.
The railroads have been approached with
tle-helds through which they pass, and
the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Poto-
mac road has already promised TO erect
a substantial monument on the battle
field OF Fredericksburg, while the Chesa-
peake and Ohio Is pledged for one at
Williamsburg and one at Trevillian's.
Others will follow shortly, and II Will
not be long before the many places OF
historic interest in the late war will be
suitably marked 10 serve as object les
sons for all time.
UNIVERSITY-MEMOR HALL.
Our next most important enterprise is
the establishment of a memorial hall at
the University Of Virginia to the memory
of the alumni who fell in battle. or the
thousands of graduates from Harvard 13S
| fell in battle and the North has seen fit
to erect in their memory the grand me
mortal hall at Cambridge. OF the hun
dreds who claimed our University as
up their lives in defence of their coun-
try. We do not propose anything so stu
pendous as the memorial hall at cam
bridge, but the century shall not go out
till we have secured for the alumni or
the University fitting memorial OF their
matchless courage. We have still other
plans before us, but think enough has
been said to indicate the scope and gene
raj purpose of our work. Washington died
! 100 years ago full of years and honors,
and the whole world has long since
agreed to place his name In the fore
front of the greatest Of the earth. The
| aim of the Confederate-M Memorial Literary
Society is nothing less than this, TO see
TO 1t than in another 100 years mere
shall be an equal unanimity In regard TO
the name OF Lee. There never was in the
tide of time a more glorious struggle for
the right than that made by the Confede-
rates States, and nothing Is further from
the truth of history than TO claim that
i'm the tr1Iest sense our cause ever was or
ever will be a Lost Cause
Work of the A. II. V. A.
Mrs. Charles Coleman spoke for the
Association for the Preservation Of Vir-
ginia Antiquities. She said that James
town first appeals TO the heart
of Virginia, though spot of
great interest to the whole United
States, as il was here that the great re-
public was born. She spoke Of the sug-
gestion made by the Washington branch
of the association, seconded by the Co.
lonial Capital branch, and approved by
the Central Committee, TO erect upon the
site of the old Capitol in Williamsburg,
as commemorative of the action OF the
House OF BurgeSses against the stamp
act and other kindred resolutions,
building on the Old foundations which
should be a public library for the Co
lonial capital of Virginia, and the sur
rounding country. She then referred 20
the neglect Of tombs scattered through
out the country, saying that as Glouces-
ter was the banner county for valuable
tombs, so also il might be considered
the banner county for their neglect. Car
ter. Bacon. Burwell, Warner. Page, and
Mann are names found on the broken
tombs of Carriers Creek, Timber Neck,
Warner Hall, and Roosevelt.
Mrs. Coleman made an urgent appeal
10 the descendants OF the Digges family
, to add TO funds that have been already
collected to repair and inclose the hand
some and interesting tombs of Dudley
Digges, Edwardus Digges. and others on
the York river. She also spoke Of the
, effort being made TO place a stained-glass
window in Bruton church TO the memory
Of Rev Robert Hunt the first English
speaking missionary on the shores OF the
=. Atlantic in this country.
WORK IN THE VALLEY.
Mrs Coleman mentioned the work that