The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-11-15
wELcoMsT TO THE .DAuaHrxrs...

On today the United Daughters OF The
Confederacy viii assemble In couven-
ton IN this city. They come from all
southland-from the ocean TO the ever
g1adez. from the mountains and the
savannas. from the cities and towns
from the plantations and the suburban
homes. They are representatives of the
modem hisrory-they are descendants
or relatives Of the men who wore the
gray, of the six hundred thousand who
fought on hundreds of fields of battle
nearly two million, eight hundred
thousand of the enem-. exclusive OF the
200,O0s in the great northern navy.
Think or it-S00.000 meeting over and
over again in so many hard foughten
fields Of battle 200, 900. Such are the
statistics as published by the two gov
ernments Of their respective strength.
These patriotic women of the south
are here to perpetuate the memories O,
the most gallant soldiery of the south
in the greatest Of modern wars. They
come to take counsel together. and to
devise plans for the extension of their
work and for the glory of the south.
In war, the women of this blessed
southland showed themselves every way
worthy Of the heroic and liberty loving
men-fathers, brothers, husbands-who
were in the forefront of the battle. and
often in the deadly breach-and in the
daily se~lf-sacrifice and the unweary-
ing toll to keep burning the fires on the
ancestral hearths they exhibited a pa
thence. and devotion to the south, a.
fervid heroism and an unyielding con-
secration to the great. precious, inner
tied, sublime principles of liberty and
Independence, the two great foundation
stones in the mighty fabric of national
glory and honor.
The city of Wilmington opens wide its
gates to these Daughters" of the
heroes of 1916, and welcome is writ
ten on the hearts of the people as well
as On the lintels of the doors of hospit-
able homes. May the entertainment be
every way appropriate. and may the
enjoyment of the visitors be sufficiently
SNN~ oio = ~ Ai1SS Gil -
pectancy. May the fires of true pa
triotism be made to burn the brighter
by this commingling of the people
of the south, n may the young catch
from the assemblage a higher inspira-
ton and more resolved will to learn
historically of all the great principles,
causes. sacrifices and efforts that en-
49, ;rf1 kLo o;-lt, I~x-----
a great people standing UP with the
ideals of manhood and the pro-
love Of liberty and a great
overwhelming mass OF invaders tramp
ling under their unhallowed, brutal feet
the sanctfties and guarantees Of the
1itions and past conduct A people of
immense waged'a war of de-
vastationI Of destruction: of consuming
hatred against a comparatively small
because they had, never UNDER
or had forgotten the real mean
Ing of state, Of sovereign, of citizen,
of nation. Let the Daughters Of
he C~onfederacy be ever watchful and
wise. and keep always the Westal fires
IL liberty burning with undimned
upon the southern affairs a
great English poet wrote OF Liberty"
more than eighty years ago:
Eternal Spirit of the chainless mind!
Bright in dungeons, Liberty. thou
art, I
For there thy habifation is the
Heart |
Tie Heart which love Of alone can
bind,
And when thy som Ia letters are con-
sig1'd-
To letters and the. damp vaults
dayless gloom
Their country with their
maTtyrdom,
Ard freedoms fame finds wings or
every wind"
Red Hot From the Gun