The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1901-05-30

fathe rs, let tho bones Of her sons who per-
ishcd at Kings Mountain at Cowpcns,
at Eutaw, and at the Palmetto Fort,
speak For her determination to per.
pctuate those principles let the blood Of
Bonham who perishcd at the Alamo, and
the Palmetto boys who fell with Butler
amid the halls of the Mo ntcZumae speak
For her firm determination to stand
and to die for what she conscicntiously
believed to be right, let the trail Of her
dead and wounded in the war between
the States from the Potomac to the Rio
Grande speak
"Caroinas dead, Carolina's dead
On every hill they lie."
In Virginia her spirit was cvinccd by
the brave boys led by such men as
Hampton and Butler and Gary and Nc.
| Gowan and Hagood.
Ridley and Elliott, Rhctt and Mitch.
ell, Gaillard and Hugucnin, and their
| noble boys stood amid the crumbling
walls Of Sumter for four years and never
| surrendered.
And here, right here, amid the crash.
| ing of arms, the martial muster Of battle
and the terrifying trials of the frav, 10
seph B. Kcrshaw, States Gist, Ellison
Capers, Irvine Walker, Arthur M. Mani
gault John D. Kennedy and those chiv
| dlliC LlDCTG lSlauU ana JODn
s Hard. who fell with their faces to the
foe within few feet Of the place where
we now stand; and those other brave
gentlemen who led her boys to victory
on this spot, illustrated the spirit Of
Carolina, always prepared to do her
duty.
The granite shaft has not yet been
cut that would be tall enough to com
memorate the deeds Of her private sol
diery.
Her white voting population in 1860
was $4,000, yet she sent to the war 65 900
soldiers, rank and file. There is no par
allel in history to such a record
From the first bud Of youthful man.
hood to the gray haired fathers, they
| Went without murmur, and fifty per
| cent. were killed and wounded.
Let the Palmetto tree which stands
as the cap piece to yonder monument,
remain there forever as the memorial of
her vcncration for the deeds of her brave
boys; and when in after years Carolin-
ians Of another age stop here to view it,
let them in memory recall the fact that
| on the monument erected at her capitol
city, Columbia, by the women of her
State to her Confederate dead, is craven
that wonderful sentence 50 powerfully
| put by the polished John 8. Preston,
which applies to all alike, there anl
here: I" Let the stranger who may in
| after times read this incription recognize
that these were men whom power could
not corrupt, whom death could not ter.
| rify whom defeat could not dishonor,
and let their virtues plead for just judg.
| mcnt Of the cause in which they persisted.
Let the South Carolinian Of another
generation remember that the State
taught them how to live and how to die,
and from her broken fortunes she has
preserved for her children the priceless
treasure Of their memory, teaching all
who may claim the same birthright, that
truth, courage, and patriotism endures
forever"
One more word and have finished. |
In this bivouac Of the dead, where these |
silent scntincls commence ating the love
of the living for the departed heroes, lift |
their heads to high heaven in testimony
thereof, we have assembled on this aus
plclous occasion not as COnfcdcrates or !
Fcderals. but as Americans, and the sur
VlVors OF the heroes Of both sides, who |
thlrty.sX years ago laid aside their arms
and returned to the peaceful vocstions |
or life, realizing the fact with satsfac-
ton and pride that they are component |
parts Of the greatest Union Of the world.
The South in that period, by earnest
endeayor ADD candid realization of her
ions, but in the true manly spirit of re-
cancellation has resuscitated her waste
places and energies much moro efrec.
tually than France has done from the
result Of the Franco German war. Wo
live today in an era Of industrial advance
without parallel We are making his
tory each day, and not simply living on
the traditions and ideas OF the past.
Standing in the dawn Of tho twentieth
century with its allurcmcnts of power:
with it's impcdimenta Of growing civili.
zH'ion; with its temptations that besct
the new giant-our Republic the
world POWERS; and the bcwitching On.
Elements which our increased res ponsi-
b!lity cngcnders, 1t behoovcs us as pco.
pie as Republic, Especially when
pondering lover such memolie, as are
brought to our minds at such places az
this whcrc we linger today, to look
well to our mooringS and aspirations. and
to consider our destiny. We are equal
TO any emergency Of advancing civiliza.
ton, if we as q people only keep our
peace with God by our voice and con
yersation.