The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1900-05-03
THE MEMORIAL MEETING.
The Leading Patriotic and Social
Gathering Of Bamberg Comfy.

Injecting Oi tne pNeis Dii"Se -hSiiioi ieAi
Association took place at the grounds
near the battle field where handful of
brave Confederates gallantly opposed an
invading horde. The weather was all
that could be desired, and it is thought
that the gathering on this occasion was
one of the largest ever assembled to do
honor to our heroic dead. Bamberg, Barn
we'll, Colleton and Hampton counties
were well represented, and the number
of visitors from Bamberg town was large.
1t is estimated that about 5000 people
were on the grounds.
About twelve o'clock President McMil-
Ian called, the meeting to order, and
prayer was offered by Rev. S. P. Chisholm.
After music by the choir the presiding
officer made short address and then in
|troduced Col. Robert Aldrich, of Barn
we'll, as the orator of the day. We could
not obtain copy of his speech for pub
lication. His subject was: The Confed-
crate Soldier, living and dead" and he
gave many instances showing that many
profound scholars were private soldiers
in the Confederate army. The speaker
also quoted extensive statistics giving
an account of the most important battles
of the war, showing the number of men
engaged and the Confederate and FEEDER
al loss. He closed with the statement
that living he cared fore no title other
than Confederate soldier, and dead, no
grander epitaph than Confederate SOL
dier. President Mcmillan then intro
duced Mrs. Virginia D. Young, who was
to speak on The Women of the Confed-
eracy." The most of her speech is here
printed:
MYFRIENDs: 1t gives me satisfaction
to be on your platform as one OF your
speakers. 1t is the first time in the his
tory of the Rivers Bridge Memorial AS
sociation that q woman has been invited
to take part in the speaking; the first
time that the heretofore voiceless or
silent half of humanity has been called
on to express itself in regard to those
great persons and events, which this AS
sociation was formed to commemorate.
And yet but for woman, would this AS
sociation have kept alive? Fancy only
men speaking to men, only men plak-
ing the music, only men decorating
the graves, only men providing the din:
ner. Of course some men are very good
cooks, bat in this section of country it is
mostly the women who have to get din
ner, breakfast and supper-and what dc
men know about "custard pies" pound
cake and the making Of pickles? Very
little, except to eat them.
Tri1y, in the best analysis we always
find the worlds work begins and ends III
woman,
"For mans work is from sun to sun,
But woman's work is never done"
Dear friends, as look back upon that
tremendous episode in the history of ma,
tions-the rise and fall of the Southern
Confederacy, F see in the perspective OF
every soldier the mother who brought
him into the world, who nourished his
infancy, protected his childhood, guided
his boyhood, and inspired his manhood
And I know that the genius and cour-
age of Lee and Jackson. and Hampton
and indeed of all the worlds great chief,
sains-of Washington, Napoleon, Well,
ington, Caesar, Alexander, were heritage
from their mothers, for the history of the
race proves that great qualities are trans
mitted from mother to son, and from IA
ther to daughter; in other words nature
reverses the sex of the inheritor.
Who kept alive the memory of Jeffer-
son Davis as did his daughter, winsome
Winnie-the adored daughter of the Con,
federacy? And upon whom fell the man
tie of Calhoun, but on his lame daughter
whose Clemson bequest" was the nucleus
from which sprung the great industrial
college for farmers sons, called "Clem'
son College"
have never yet met distinguished
man land it has been my good fortune tc
meet many who did not, at my question
tell me "he took after his mother"
And how men love their mothers, even
the worst of men, with q deep, touching
pathetic love, purer than any other. A
man may have several wives, and mul
titude of children, brothers and sisters
but only one mother.
The women of the Confederacy were
the breath of its life, it never could have
gone on a year, month, day, without
the toilers at home. Who fed the sol
diers in the field, in camps of instruction
in the hospital? Did you say the govern
ment? No, it was, when you come to
trace supplies to their sources, the women
for the wheat, corn, bacon, beef, rye, cot,
fee, potatoes, peas, whether bought by the
government or sent as gifts were all
raised on the plantations and farms, and
do you think that the work of the negroes
on those farms and plantations would
have gone on at all without the influence
the encouragement, the authority of the
women of the Confederacy? Never!
Not only did the women superintend
the farm work, but those whose soft
white hands had never worked in all their
lives before, labored then Of course you
know the story of how the gray" cloth
that clothed the Confederate soldiers was
made-how the wives and mothers and
sisters and sweethearts learned to card
to spin, to weave, and to knit. Old ne
gro women, who had not lost those arts
were brought to the white peoples houses
and installed as teachers to the fair faced
matrons and maidens, who had been used
to have servants tie their shoes for them
think it was in those crucial days that
a true conception of the dignity Of labor
dawned upon the Southern mind, and
they began to detach from it the notion
of Smenial" How can any labor be ''me-
nial?" I say unto you my friends
Labor, all labor is noble and holy,
Let th y good deeds be thy prayer to
thy God"
Not only did the women of the Con-
federacy farm, spin, weave, knit, but they
had shoes made for the soldiers, for them
selves and the negroes.
On every large plantation there was a
tannery, and here not only cow skins,
and coon skins, and dog skins were
tanned, but even the dear domestic cat
was called on to contribute her skin to
make the softest, strongest, most pliable
of gloves. Besides the shoes, and socks
and coats and pants and underclothes,
there was still another untried field of
labor, which the women of the Confed-