The Savannah morning news., 1900-07-08

idea of the generous and unbounded hos
pitality awaiting the old Union soldiers.
But ii is a remarkable fact, and one
that reflects great credit upon Southern
hospitality, that no city has given the
Grand Army more cordial welcome and
bountiful hospitality than Louisville, Ky,
extended. Nor has any city given the So
ciety of the Army of the Potomac
heartier greeting or a more generous en-
terainment that Fredericksburg, Va.
Both of these Union soldier organizations
hesitated to meet in any Southern city,
but now they would be only too glad to
come again. And they have cordially in
vited che United Confederate Veterans
to meet in the North.
The appointment of William c. Oats, Jr.,
of Montgomery, Ala, cadet Eat large
10 West Point Military Academy, will be
gratifying to old Confederate soldiers,
showing, as it does, a practical evidence
of reconciliation and a reunited country.
There was no Drawer soldier in the Con-
federate army than Col. William c. Oates,
the one-armed hero of the bloody Fiji
teenth Alabama Regiment After the war
he served his people as Congressman and
Governor and when the Spanish-American
War loomed up President Mckinley APP
pointed him a brigadier general of vol
unteers. Should his son and nameaake
succeed in gradua ting at West Point he
will carry the fathers honored name into
the regular army. Already the South has
there Joe Wheeler, Jr, johnson Hagood,
Jr., r. II. Anderson, Jr.. Fitz Lee,
Jr., NJ. c. Butler, Jr., and others, all sons
of Confederate generals, some of whom
left the regular army to enter the Conted-
crate service. Already several OF these
young offers have attained higher rank
than their fathers held when they resign
ed, with fair prospects of still higher pro
motion. The South cannot complain of
the number or quality of her present
army representatives.
have no feeling other than that of pity
and contempt for any man who is an
American citizen, North or South, who de-
liberia teiy holds up to ridicule in any
form, especially in an illustrated maga-
zine article, the movement to teach pa
triotism and love of the "Old Flag TO
the pupils of our public schools. In a
reunited country one whose gallant sol
dier-boys, from all Its parts, have rallied
round that flag to sustain its prestige and
power wherever attacked, it would seem
that no man could be found base enough
to beiitte or Tidicule any movement TO
instill into the minds and hearts OF the
rising generation. a greater reverence and
a stronger love for the Stars and Stripes.
Il is an insult to the Daughters of the
keVOlOtlOn, ana tfe DauSNttES Ol Lit Opll~
federacy, whose patriotic labors with the
children have won such hearty praise from
all good people who love their country
and its flag. 1t remained for one Marion
Hill, in McClure's Magazine, for July,
to cast slur upon this patriotic move
ment, and to make it ridiculous by dis
torting the lisping utterances of little chill
dren. There is neither truth nor common
sense in half the statements he makes.
low boz
poem to the flag
Forever wave that standing cheat
Where breeze the foe but falls befOrus,
With freedoms oil beneath our feet
And freedoms banner screaming orus."
Another example is given where a
schoolgirl wrote down America" for the
author of the article, and here is sam
pie;
my country tissuf thee,
Sweet land of libaet tea
OF thee l sing"
I venture to assert that he can hear just
such a rendering as this of many fami-
miliar hymns by thousand high-priced
church choirs in this country. But to
make his article more ridiculous he gives
another sample:
II love thy rots and chllls,
Thy woods and temper pills.
My heart with hatcher thrills
Like thar above"
Now, If there is anything in this article
to make a true patriot or a loving parent
or a faithful school teacher feel other than
ashamed of its author, l am greatly mis-
taken. Gront for the sake of argument
that some little children make ludicrous
mistakes, does it warrant us in belittling
and ridiculing grand patriotic move
I think T1rin0 civil
War l addressed big mission Sunday
School and the exercises were closed by
singing America. But one bad boy dis
turbed the soemnfty and sacredness of
the occasion by winding up the line.
Great God, our King" by adding in
loud tone, "or any other man." Should
that one break stop all future efforts to
improve such boys?
There has never been time in the his
tory of our country when such an article
could have been more unimely. Not only
has the South come back to its first love
and brave defense of the "Old Flag of
the fathers, but to-day 1t waves over
many islands of the sea as an emblem of
freedom, power and protection to all that
can elevate, Christianize and improve hui
man beings. Col. Allan c. Blackwell,
commander of lafayette Post, G. A. r.
of New York city, and chief special aide
to Commander-in-Chief Shaw, has in
charge the work of teaching patriotism
in the public schools and encouraging
military instruction in the same Through
the generosity of his wealthy post. and
his own desire to do good, he visited Por-
to Rico and placed a handsome Ameri-
can flag on every school building on the
island, and furnished the pupils with pa
triotic songs and other instructive reading
matter And Bishop II. b. Whipple says
the most attractive feature Of Washing
tons birthday celebration at San Juan
was the singing of patriotic songs etc,
by the school children. And the same
good work Col. Blackwell is promoting
in the Philippines. in Cuba and in Sand
wich Islands. God pity the man-be he
Marion Hill, in McClure's Magazine. or
any other man who can ridicule such
patriotic movement Sidney Herbert.
FIFTEEN YEARS AFTERWARDS.