The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1899-05-25


the other. We shall not forget tina
we have been out under the Stars an,
otrlpes together; that we have bivou
acked and marched and suffered ant
fought together.
On, friends, as | have looked upol
your gathering here and noted how
universal is the silver thread in hal,
and beard; how the Confederate grey
has stolen into face and mustache,
am reminded that in one respect at leas
age has an advantage over youth. |,
Is In this that our memories are fuller,
richer, longer. TO every old cam
paigner life is full OF "reminiscences
In MS idle hours some touch Of sea or
landscape; some color Of the sunset
| some fleeting odOr; some ringing
bugle call some solitary rifle shot
| will bring back with Uvcrpow ering force
scenes of camp and field long since
passed away. And l am thinking
could we turn an N-ray on the hearts
OF these Old Veterans, what revelations
we should make what startling con-
trasts we should find. For, while there
may be snow upon the brow and frost
upon the lip
nnere Is no snow upon the heart,
lis summer always there"
Lying stored away In each old SOL
dler's inner sanctuary of life we should
had pictures full Of fire and action ::
pictures OF the venturesome skirmish
line with its creeping, stealthy, scat
tered line OF fire and smoke pictures
OF wild assaults, of desperate dctences:
OF lonely picket posts, Of slashiug vic.
tories and stubborn defeats. | have no
doubt that | sholld find hidden away
IN every heart before me sacred me-
mories OF the flag you loved-colors
that went down before the iron hand
OF destiny, and that should also find
some one sweet woman's face, which
has grown only more tender and beau
tiful with the lapse Of years. And
should | really find all these things
shrlned away In your inmost souls, I
should have only thoughts OF sympathy
and appreciation, and perhaps some
thing of envy with 1T all. For cause
gained must run the gauntlet Of hard
experience, and Is apt to lose some
thing OF its glamour through the
srtlety OF realization. a cause lost is
cause untried by the last measure of
daily contact and, like the mirage,
only gains beauty with growing dis
tances. Victory lives in the garish
sunlight OF actually. Defeat hovers
In the twilight Of the beautiful might
nave oeen.' Success must ever 20
marching on, through blupderings and
dar rkness, to It's final goal, failure rests
under the dropping cypress in the
shade OF tender regret and dreams, ra-
diant dreams, of the fallen favorite.
But, friends, | come to you to-day
glad beyond measure at the final frui-
tion OF generations hope and effort
for national Reunion. rejoice mex
pressibly over our re-established Amer
1canism. | do not know how It NAV
be with you, but have no patience
with the remnants Of paleozOic age
In the North who rail at our new and
soliditied nationaljsm.
l am glad, l say, over this reconcilia-
tlon and reunion. In many ways we
are the necessary supplement and
counterpart each Of the other. Our
Northern wheat needs Southern cot
ton. Our prairies need your piney
woods. Our wedding bells would ring
forsaken chimes without your orange
blossoms. Our over strenuous life and
tho dolce far niente Of your ideal en-
lstence each draws nearer to the ideal
by infusion with each other. The
angular ruggedness of the Puritan
gains grace without weakening, and
the imaginative chivalry OF the Cava-
lier gains practically without loss of
manly courtesy from mental inter
course. The loosening tendency OF
Northern cOsmOpolitanism receives q
wholesome check from contact with
your purer Anglo-Saxon Americanism
And our over development of indiyi-
dual Independence and liberty, which
believes not only that all are born free
and equal, but that each Is born better
than his ncighbor, born to leadership,
to kingship-must look for its correc-
tive to the Southern lingering of tho
old Feudal days-to Southern respect
and reverence for constituted au-
thority.
In Dumas's "Three Guardsmon you
remember how, when some heartlese
rut1ian spat In the face of King Charles
tho giant POrthos with his ponderous
fist killed the scoundrol with a blow
and how the fiery D'Artagnan, his
soul Overlooking with sorrow and
anger, cried out, Respect for fallon
majesty" In the flood Of irrclieion
Socialism, Anarchism and thousand
othor isms, which have ewept upon us
In the North we have beon tempted
| knowing her steadfastness, to call
upon the South to como up and hell
us. But have faith to believe that ali
will yet como to 500 how great, how
real, how worthy Of all respect and re-
| vercnce is the delegated majesty of g
mighty people.
In his monument address In Chicago
your grand old soldier, Con. Hampton
said:
"a King once said of a prince struck
down,
Taller he scems In death.
The saying Is true to-day as then,
For 'tls after death wo measure mon
Only half truth, General The
world has measured your dead ant
named them horOos-but 1t has also
measured your living mon--those wht
out OF defeat and sorrow--out of wreck
and ruin, have buildod u now South
stronger, creator, fairor. more endur
ing than evor. Tho world has moa
sured those living mon and named thcn
Egreat
II Friends, brOthors | hayo sDOkcn Il