The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-05-15
thence, patriotism and a united pur-
pose remain"
ADDRESS READ BY CAPTAIN T. D.
MEARES.

thence, PATRIOTISM ana d united pur-
pose remain"
ADDRESS READ BY CAPTAIN T. D.
MEARES.
Following the prayer the people join
ed in singing My Faith Looks Up to
Thee" being led by Mr.. A. s. Holden
and accompanied by the band. And
thereafter Captain 7. D. Meares was
introduced and read an admirably pre-
pared sketch of the memorial associa-
ton of Wilmington, compiled from a
partly written address and notes left
by the late Joshua 7. James. He pre-
faced the reading Of he address with
the following fitting tribute to Cap
tain James:
Daughters of the C~onfederacy and
Comrades
Il speak today in the words Of N
passed over the river, M whose NOR
tai form now rests beneath the sod of
this beautiful city OF the dead.
The history of the Memoria Asso-
citation, which / have been requested
To read to you, was prepared by one
who was a gallant soldier, a good cit
iZen, a man of honor and worth,
whose unfailing interest in all matters
pertaining to either past or present We
shall greatly miss. True to his family.
true to his country true to his friends
and, including all, true to himself; 1t
is fitting that we do reverence today
to the memory of Joshua T. James, as
one of that splendid band Of heroes
now, alasi SO rapidly diminishing"
With these Introductory remark
Captain Meares proceeded with the
reading of the address, which was as
follows:
The organizations known as Memo
rial Associations of which we believe
every southern state has or more,
are peculiar to the states which, seced-
;~r -1~ ~ ,;4- ~ 1921 on6 cub
scribing to the governmental compact
forming The Confederate States OF
America" were termed the southern
Confederacy', which name by the way
is not known in history, and was never
a fact in iaw-it is simply a more COM
pact form of expression. The object
with which the Ladies Memorial AS
sociations were organized are unique
and peculiar to themselves. They had
no antecedent and so far as we know,
no precedent in any country in the
world.
LAS the name would indicate, this
object was to do honor, and give re-
membrance to the names n deeds of
| those gallant men who died in defence
of that principle for which the first
war of the revolution was fought in
this western world, the right of self
| government. They fought the world
in arms against them-and .necessari-
ly, failed-and are branded as rebels
and traitors. Had they succeeded,
they would have been classed, the
world over, as they are by us,as heroes
and patriots. Such is the measure of
success, or unsuccess.
There was a practical unanimity all
over the south regarding the war, and
the cause for which the southern peo-
pie fought, and suffered, and endured,
and died, and hereafter the memory
of those who fell in the bitter and
unequal struggle is a common heritage
with all. 1t is not felt necessary to
preserve their memory for that can
never fade, nor a record of their
heroic deeds, for the ook of history
cannot be written without that. 1t
can no more perish than can the stars
of heaven, but the rea object is, as
has been solemnly attested, to hand
their names and their deeds, and the
heritage of unfading glory and gall
lantry and unselish, undying patriot
ism they have b~eQueathed, to those
who come after them.
People come and go, wars are
fought and finished and all but those
whose names appear in the official
bulletins of events die and are forgot
ten. 1t is the general who plans and
the officers who lead, but il. is the
common soldiers-the privates-who
do the fighting, and upon whom the
great disasters of a conflict fall. The
generals are ,remembered-and the
privates are forgotten. This is, in
brief, the history of the worlds great
battles and the conflict of nations. No
so with us-thanks to the grateful
hearts, the loving recollections and the
gentle hands of the women of the
south, each n every one who laid
down his life in defence of his native
land and it's liberties is carefully, tear,
1 f,,1l,r -n-,n-,hnrnI md or q @ rhn xraQ r
go on, and as the old veterans droI
out of ranks n by one, overcome by
the heat of the day and the burden OF
years, and go to rejoin their lost com
rades, they too, are placed in the
memorial calendar, and their name:
are added to the grand roster of those
who have 20 long slept together, un'
forgotten in our quiet and beautiful
city of the dea 1t is when the youns
spring has matured, and lowers ar
most ~luxuriant, and sweetest, anC
freshest, and fairest, and the foliage
of brightest and tenderest green, tina
the daughters of the south gather, t.
lay their floral tributes on the grave!
of those who sleep under the sod-al
are honored-the loliest as well as thu
greatest-the sacrifice made by all wa!
the same, given for h same cause
with h same cheerful and unselisf
patriotism-and in death, all are equal
<AuO gathering Ol the WOIlcu VI LII
south, at the grave side OF those wht
died in their defence, is one of tn,
hottest n most touching and mos
beautiful things in the history of ma
tons And thus it is that on the 10tf
of May, the anniversary Of the day
that Lees Right Hand Stonewal
Jackson crossed over the river to res
in the Shodo of the trees" that thu
fair women OF this city, make eacf
year, a pious pilgrimage to the spo
where sleep so many of u gallan-
lead.
ut seems that the Memorial Asso'
citation had their origin in the wifely
devotion of the memor Of her hus
band of Mrs. Charles j. Williams, Of
Columbus, Ga, whose husband Colo
mel Of the Seventh Georgia regimen
died in 1862. Mrs. Williams and he
little daughter regularly placed flower.
on his, and h grave of other sol.
diers, and this probably suggested t.
her the formation of association.
among the ladies throughout tn,