Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1899-05-18
MEMORIAL DAY.
The Most POpulous Observance cf
the Day Goldsboro Has
Eyer Seen.
A Magnificent Speech by Mr. r. N. Simms,
Distinguished Young Member
of the Raleigh Bar.
Daily Argus, last Thursday.


try stood still and the vigorous,
throbbing heart of business ceased
its pulsations while the operatives
and counting room clerks dcrned
their holiday attire and gave pause
to the busy avocations of life in
order to observe the South's Me-
mortal holiday in sober spirit ol
patriotism meet for the hallowed
occasion.
Such were the scenes not only
in Goldsboro, but throughout this
dear Southland of ours. The Gay
had arrived when the living should
do honor to the dead-the Con-
federate dead-Men who fought
and died for their country, and
the people of Goldsboro were out,
as they never were before, to pay
tributes to their memory.
At 4 O'Clock in the afternoon
the court house square was crowd
ed with gay-looking throngs.
Several hundred Graded school
children, each one bearing bou-
quet Of fresh flowers which were
to be used to decorate the graves
of the Confederate dead, were as,
sembled in marching order under
the direction of their several teach
ers. While these children and the
still larger crowd of old men,
young men and boys, old ladies,
young ladies and Misses were in
waiting the Goidsboro Rifles,
Capt. G. j. Griswold, and the
Veterans of the Spanish -Ameri-
can War, Lieut.. J. W. Gulick, the
whole under command of Capt. T..
FL. Balm, acting as Major, marcked
from the Armory to the Court
House square and from there led
the vast procession, under direc-
tion of Chief Marshal, Mr.. Jos.
E. Robinson, and his staff of effic-
lent assistants, Messrs. Albert Uz-
zell, Jno. G, Sizer, Lyndon M.
Humphrey and DR.. W. s. Jones,
to beautiful Willow Dale Gene
terry, where the exercises of the
day were to take place.
At the cametery the military
marched in and took their stand
near the Confederate Monument
and to the right of the speakers
stand, while the Goldsboro Choral
Society, who were to sing for the
occasion, took seats Immediately in
front of the speakers stand, and
the large crowd of civilians took
their stand directly behind the
Choral.
"America'' was first sung by
the Choral, then followed the
prayer by Rev. S. H. Isler and a
chorus from Athalie by the So
ciety, after which Mr.. Jos. E.
Robinson introduced the speaker
of the day, Mr.. r. N. Simms, q
talented young member of the
Raleigh Bar.
/ Mr.. Simms took his stand and
made a speech, and such a speech!
| The audience stood spell-bound,
enraptured, charmed and amazed
while this young apostle of Cicero
; with beaming countenance vividly
portraying the sincerity of the sen.
timents he uttered, eulogized th'
heroism of the private Confederate
! soldier. Notwithstanding his youth
full appearance he was as calm ane
self-possessed as thu sculpturet
! marble Confederate soldier tha
/ adorned the monument in from
Eof the speaker, His eloquen
i words flowed as easy. as freely, a
Il graceful and as natural as the sof
i zephyrs that famed and swaye'
, the woodbine that clustered aroun,
: and above his head. There wa
' not the least hesitancy or paus
between his well-rounded sen
tences, each of which marked
n grand climax and was vigorousl,
+ applauded. There was one constan
t stream of living, breathing, burn
: ing eloquence. adorned with rares
g flowers Of rhetoric as pure, a
sweet, as fragrant as those bloom