The Savannah morning news., 1901-03-19

when the death song of Ossian comes
true: Roll on, We dark brown years; We
tring no joy in your coming. The
sons of song are gone to rest" How
desolate will be the day when the wit of
Swift, the sweet simplicity of Goldsmith
and the melody of Thomas Moore have
persisted from the earth. I have no
quarrel with my friend Capt. Smith in
extolling manufactures; I have no quar-
rel with my friend Editor Stovall in glor-
flying commerce. But, sir, let me sound
a note of warning against the growth of
an over-weaLing commensurate 1 have
not sat under the palm tree Of prophecy,
but, l, too have had a vision. The key
note of our national anthem was con-
fessedly what it long had been in fact
and this was the burden of it's strain:
France has the lily and England the
rose,
And everybody knows where the sham
rock grows.
Scotland the thistle, Towering on the HILL
But the emblem of America is a one-dol-
lar bill"
Along the highway rolled the Jugger-
maui of an ultra-materia,ism beneath
which the frenzied votaries cast them
selves until the MANNED and mangled
made its circuit of the continent a YER
table trail of tragedies. 1t swept
through the mines and foundries of the
Keystone State and the name of Home
stead beanie a bloody mockery. 1t skirted
the shores of the Great Lakes and the
beggarly builders of pa ace cars cum
bered the streets of Chicago with their
corpses. 1t was driven by Avarice and
its name was Mammon. The smoking
| blood of its victims rose appealingly to
heaven. Misguided but desperate thou
sands, stirred by the spirit Of unrest,
challenged first the esta blished forms Of
government. The rule of materialism had
reached its climax and with the next up
| heaval must totter to its fall. The do
! minion of greed must shortly yed to the
dominion of sentiment and humanity. The
contending factions gathered for SUI
preme and fna. conflict. The foundations
Of the republic tremb.ed with the fearful
shock of battle. The rivers ran ensan-
guined to the seas and the earth was wet
with tears
At last the Armageddon OF our national
life was over The dreary war clouds
drifted from the anxious face of heaven;
the world was filled with melody and the
triumphant dreamers sang like hooking
birds after a storm. The pacifed thun-
ders died away into symphc MES of poe
try and peace. Commerce became the
handmade of culture and the chastened
republic became the Augustus of govern
ments.
Was 1t only a vision? Was it prophecy
or feverish fancy? / warn you to look
deeply into the history of the world where
revolt invariably succeeds commercialism
and decay and the pendulum swings back
to the pure and sweet ideals.
Among the other speeches were those
by Col. P. a Stoyall on Commerce. g"
Mr.. J. Rice Smith on "Manufacture &"
Mr. Roland Ellis on Woman" and Hon
J. NJ. Terrill THE City of Savannah. :"
There was much regret at the absence
Of Hon. Robert Falligant. who was to
nave responded to the toast THE Irish
Soldier"
Among the kilograms of regret was one
OF greeting frcm the Hibernlan Society
OF Baltimore, which held its ninety-eiqhth
annual dinner last night. rendering it's
hearty good wishes 10 the Hibern'an So
ciety Of Savannah. President Medium
at once replied returning the good wishes
OF the Savannah society.