St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1901-07-13
A GREAT GATHERING
Arp on the Recent Confederate Re-
union at Memphis.
says Soldiers Of the Blue and the
Gray Are Yearly Becoming More
and More Considerate OF
Each Other.

Gray Are Yearly Becoming More
and More Confederate Of
Each Other.
copyright. 1901, by the Atlanta constatu-
tintl.l
Forty years have passed since these
soldier boys first skouldered arms and
hurried to the from. No such arrayof
patriots were ever seen, for there was
not tory among them nor foreign
hireling, AID even the northern-born
citizens of the south volunteered with
one accord and cast their lives and
property in the common peril Of their
adopted state. To that class we owe
all the more honor, for it was great
heart struggle to sever the bonds that
bound them to their kindred and the
place of their birth. Forty years have
not effaced nor dimmed the memory
Of those four long years from the
minds of the veterans who gathered at
the Memphis reunion. As time rolls
on they seem the more eager to con-
gregate and commune together; and
happily, there are none now to modest
or make them afraid.
Happily the soldiers Of the blue and
the gray are becoming every year the
more considerate of the feelings and
principles of each other. The soldiers,
I say-those who fought against US
for the bravest are the tenderest. It
is the politicians who saw the battle
from afar, who still refuse to give US
back our flags and are still worrying
over the rebel brigadiers whom we
have sent to congress-. But time is
wrath.
That was grand convocation that
paraded the streets of Memphis.
Hearts beat rapidly and eyes were
moist with tears
while memory fingered Ger the sad re-
OF joys that faded like the morning dew"
That was beautiful prayer sent
up to Heaven by our beloved grand
chaplain, Rev. J. William Jones, the
faithful bulwark of confederate his
tory. I know that the blue and the
gray clasped hands and hearts as
he invoked blessing upon Mr.. and
Mrs. Mckinley and asked for her
restoration to health. tell you,
my brethren, there is nothing small
or selfish or mean in the hearts of
our great leaders. In war and in
peace they have been and are gen.
tlemen. There was not q Nero or
q duke of Alva among them nor q
heartless destroyer of the innocent
nor violator Of the laws of kind
ness to women and children. Our
soldiers fought a good fight, on pa
triotic principles, and it rejoices us
. that they have kept the faith and
are as true now to the nation as
they were then to the principles for
which they fought. Those principles
are not dead; and we believe that
If this republican government is pre-
served from the domination of inn
perialism, with which it is threat
ened, it will be the conservative
spirit of the south that will do it.
The spirit of constitutional liberty
is yet alive with US and will be
transmitted to our children. It is
high time that the northern preach
ers and teachers and editors were
learning q salutary lesson from
these annual reunions Of the old
confederates. II I had been q fed
eral soldier and lived up there, it
seems to me that would say: "My
brethren, those rebels must have
been tremendously in earnest.
There is no let up or abatement in
their faith. Forty years has not
: humbled them one iota. We had
better make friends with such q
people and divide honors and PEN
sions. too. They have carried an
awful load for all these years. They
have to pay q good part of the PEN
sions to our soldiers and all of the
pensions to their own and-a big tax
to educate their negroes; and they
had to endure the ravages and steal
ages of the carpet-baggers for
years, but they never complain.
They fight back and defend their
honor, but, like the sons of Alno-
mok, they never complain. Surely
they are q great people. They suf-
fer, and are strong, and when sol
diers were wanted for Cuba and the
Philippines they came at the first
call. Brethren, let's stop all this
anti-southern sentiment and make
our preachers and editors stop it.
There is no good in rubbing an old
sore. We don't know what may
happen, and we may need those
boys to save the country. The old
veterans are dying out, but their
sons are the same old stock. The
south is fast coming to the front,
and is destined to be great power
in the land, and If we keep on ag-
gravating them with abuse, it is
possible they may get fighting mad