The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1901-05-09

ing that of the Southern soldier in his
hour of defeat. Before, he had been
every inch man; but now he is king
amongst men, | hold that the supreme
achievement of Anglo-Saxon civilization
was the cheerful spirit of that footSore
man in gray as he turned towards his
devastated farm, with malice toward
none, with charity for all, with irmness
in the right" as God gave him to see the
right, ito bind up the nations wounds,
to do all that which might
achieve and cherish a just and lastin g
peace among ourselves, and with all ma
TONS"
1t has been the hardest thing in the
world for the North to understand that
this was actually fact, and that the
Southern soldiers really submitted in
good faith when the struggle came to an
end in 1865. But it was fact. And vet
the North has had some excuse for it's
misconception, because not all of us who
should have learned from the Teachers in
Gray did in fact actually learn this Su-
preme lesson in manliness. | yield to
none in my honor for the old South. On
the other hand, l am proud to claim
my place in the land which Ben Hill, of
Georgia, felicitOusly named the new
South. There is difference between
honoring the past and living in the past
Pity it is that all of our statesmen and
journals cannot make this distinction, and
learn the highest lesson the Southern SOL
dier teaches us-the lesson of genuine
manliness. There was something noble
about the old code Of duelling. There
was this much noble about it: When the
duel was fought, the defeated man shook
hands with his antagonist, regarded the
quarrel as settled, and stopped whining
about it. So Southern honor, no less vi
tai now than in the days of duelling,
should manfully accept the result Of that
colossal duel, as Lees soldiers accepted
it, and should despise equally with the
victor who trumpets over his wounded
antagonist, the disarmed duellist, he who
whines and would fain prick open old
sores. However strong may have been
his conviction of the justice of his cause,
the knight who fights and loses rises and
shakes hands, and shuts out from his
heart all bitterness. They fought for the
Union, we fought against it. The North
won; and, therefore, the cause of the Un-
ion is henceforth our cause. The issue is
forever closed. We shall insist to the
end of time Oh Our reverence for the men
of '65; but now and forever loyalty has
for US become law, and we shall no more
be traitors than We would be ingrates.
Now, fellow citizens, let me not be mis-
understood. Let me make it very plain
that have no particle of sympathy with
that emasculated type of Southern mer-
chant or lawmaker who for "commerciap
reasons believes, or seems to believe, that
the South ought to fill its mouth full
of soft soap and play the part of a uriall
Heep to the powers in Washington-a
"umble" man; "umble" because humility
is the best policy, learning to bend the
ready hinges of the knee, that thrift might
follow fawning," and forever washing
his hands with invisible soap in the I'M
perceptible water"-a tumble" man, a
imam with his hat in his hand" asking for
favors. God forbid that the South should
ever become that. But on the other
hand, gentlemen, despise also the man
who whines-the man who can see moth
ing that is good or noble in this nation
the man who, every time anything hopeful
or pleasant happens, has to 60 out to the
ruck-heap of history and rake up some
nasty and utterly unnecessary memory
which spoils it all. Unhappily, we have
these two extreme classes in the South
few, but extremely mischievous-both OF
these classes equally lacking in that splen-
did manliness which crowned the South
ern soldier SD nObly in his defeat. Both
of these classes are enemies to the
South. The true friend to the South is
friend to neither of these, Rather stands
he aloof from them both, his heart true to
the past, yes, but his face turned full to-
wards the sweet sunshine of the future
his heart true to the past, yes, with all OF
its holy memories, but his energies for
getting those things which arc behind
his faith reaching forth to those things
which are before, and his firm hopes
pressing towards the mark of that glorious
zenith which awaits this fair and risen
Southland, now all bright with the prom
ise of the morning.
That, gentlemen, I conceive to be the
type of manhood which is to be achieved
by those that would be faithful to the
second great lesson of our beloved Teach
ers in Gray. We are to be men, loyal
men; as loyal to our State now as they
were to their State then; and loyal above
all to law.
Here again I sound the note OF warn
ing.
Gentlemen, We are citizens of de-
mocracy-of government ''of the people,
by the people, for the people" We have
no monarch to rule us, we must therefore
rule ourselves. There is no one to en-
force the law unless We enforce it. And
in q democracy like this, when the people
lose regard and respect for the law, when
they cease to use it, neglecting or abusing g
it, the days of that government are num-
bered. There is no other nation on the
face of the earth today so absolutely de.
pendent on the integrity of the law for
its own integrity and preservation as this
country in which We live.
Very well. Is the law regarded as it
should be? There is not q man of you
who can claim that it is. Is it regarded
with the same respect that it received
twenty years ago? l do not believe it.
The thoughtful student of history, as he
examines the course of contemporary
events in the United States of America is
appalled,, and his heart sinks within him
for the future as he sees countless eyi-
dences of growing lawlessness all about
him.
There is common impression abroad
that law is to be kept when it seems to US
good to keep it, but may be ignored when
punishment is not to be feared, and when
it is convenient to ignore it. Especially
is it a prevalent belief that there is no
compulsion of conscience towards keep
ing laws that seem obnoxious and unde-
sirable. That is a. dangerous fallacy.
There is something sacred in thevery ma
ture of law which deserves regard, and as
for bad laws, the best way to secure their
repeal is to enforce them rigidly, SO that
their badness may he manifest. | want
to remind you Of what q good old Book
says On ibis subject. You turn to the
18th chapter of Pauls letter to the Ro-
mans, and you hear him saying, "Let
every soul be in sqbjection to the higher
powersi for there is no power but OF
God; and the powers that BIO arc ordained
of God. Therefore he that resistcth the
power resisteth the ordinance Of God; and
tbo,, +bot ,rithStanl shall receive tO hem