The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1901-10-09
GEORGIA VETERANS HOME.
A Day With the Old Soldiers Who
Once Wore the Gray.

!. |
Once Wore the Gray.
The following article was written b
Capt. j. U. Strbling, of Pcndletor
giving an account of his recent visit t
the soldiers home near Atlanta, an
which was destroyed by fire on tn
Both of September, only few day
after his visit there. In view of tn
citation for soldiers home IN Soutl
Carolina, the article is rep: oduced il
our columns:
| About four miles from the heart o
the city of Atlanta, at the terminus o
the street railway, js beautiful hill
covered with primitive forests upoI
the highest point of this hill annie
large oaks is nestled grand, u beauti
/, full building, built there in 1891 by the
efforts of Henry Grady and the good
and patriotic women of Georgia for g
Soldiers Home.
After thus writing down their senti
ments and generations for the grand
old heroes who wore the gray in tan.
gible way at the cost OF $45, 900 invest-
ed in 119 acres Of land and this grand
edifice by private subscriptions, they
rendered this building and land to the
State of Georgia to house her INDECENT
soldiers in, if she would feed and care
for them. But the politics of Georgia
were then like they are here in Sou.n
Carolina to-day, and the Georgia Leg
soo, 10 IL,
bequest, and gave her INDECENT soldiers
pensions, ranging from IS to 800 a
year, or about $50 year where we
give $19.60-and told the old soldiers
it was better for them to take this and
live among their friends at home. But
after ton. years experience it was found
that $50, or even $1C0, would not half
board and clothe them and pay some
one to attend to the decrepid or sick
soldiers, and on the first Of June, 1901,
the Home was occupied and formally
possessed by the State with an appro-
priation of $4,000 for its support, if
so much be necessary, and the Home
is now occupied by 20 inmates, the
sight of which wish every member Of
our South Carolina Legislature could
look upon that his heart, if even of
stone, would soften and he would at
once be converted to the truth that no
treasury could hold dollars enough to
repay these old veterans for their pat
rl0tis.Is tshfat ttsf.tt 80 deprived them Of the
use of limb or body =; some of them
around on one leg, some with
heads bowed low down with suffering
from wounds or rheumatism, while yet
others are in bed never to rise again.
No soldier with heart of flesh, who
has ever grappled with the dogs of war
or experienced its vicissitudea, can
look upon this gathering Of the relics
of our great army without feeling
choking lump rise in his throat.
When news was spread through the
Home that an old South Carolina SOL
dier was at hand on a mission to in
spect the Home, the gathering around
and the eagerness of the old boys to
hear the news aud give information
during the war (for Georgia is to-day
In front on duty for her old soldiers,
and South Carolina is in the rear),
evinced itself, and after hearty hand
shaking from the official head down TO
the old army nurse, was invited to
breakfast that would have been con-
silered good enough for Gen. Lee or
President Davis during our army days.
These old veterans piled questions
and queries about their South Carolina
comrades faster than three men could
answer, and among the questions was
one that I had rather took whipping
than to have answered, viz: What sort
of Soldiers Home have you in South
Carolina? My reply was that South
fered her for Home that was better
suited for Home than theirs, and that
there was no doubt in the minds OF our
people but that South Carolina would
at the next meeting of our Legislature
step to the front and provide Home
for her wornout soldiers that would be
second to none in the South.
The Home building OF Georgia IS
three stories high with yeranda after
the style of the health resort hotol, and
contains 65 rooms, 10 of which are
mostly large rooms for memorial hall
library, drawing room, dining room
kitchen, and for each Office for super
intendent, matron and steward, ant
basement rooms for laundry, gas gen
| orator and storerooms and commissary
55 rooms are made for bed rooms, will
2 single beds, rockers and 2 arm
chairs, Q bed rugs, bureau and wash
stand, towel rack, etc., all of which
cost about $50 for each room, ant
every rooms furniture, that is nov
furnished and occupied, has been con
tributcd by some individual or societ
Of ladies or gentlemen, whose name
are written in large letters above III
d ,ors of the rooms they have ful
nished, such as Chapters of the Daugf
ters of the Confederacy, Memorial A,
sociations, Camps of u. g. VS., ct,
But the most touching of all was a d,
nation for furnishing q room fioI
the Atlanta Camp of the Grand Arm
Republicans once enemies IN war
while the merchants, manufacturer
| firms, ETC., have filled all the 9TH
3 rooms, halls and closets with all Il
3 necessary fixtures and appliances. III
] moiiul hall Is used for all the gathc
ings, preaching, prayer-meetings spea
8 ing, etc., and 10 well furnished wi
: NICE seats ana an organ. Over q
L door Of the large drawing room is t
j name Of Henry Grady. This room b
It nice furniture, o good pilno, violin,
1t gan and guitar. The library is a
,r we'll furnished with cases, chat
n books, weekly and daily newspapo
THE dining room has modern hotel
Va hlns for ni.s nennla and Ia annin,f