The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1902-02-06

II took them about an hour to get
+be corn and the wagon together
again. and with dripping garments
they hurried on to the mill. A photoS
granh of the scene would sell as the
champion picture Of the women oil tns
war. The good miller gave them dry
meal for the wet corn, and by sundoWn
they were all at home again ano
laughed over it, and everybody laugh
ed who heard of it. Almost every
family within Sherman's belt nave
fireside stories to tell that would III
a book. They are curious medley
of the sad, the pathetic and the anus
ing, and excite more fun than sor.
row. How blessed are they who stlN
live, and how sweet are the memories
of those who are dead, for 1t is the
mothers of the confederacy who have
perpetuated the love Of truth and tns
love of southern patriotism in the
hearts of the children and inspired
those principles that have IN recen'
years developed that grand organlza
ton known as the Daughters OF tne
Confederacy. Our northern brethren
may boast of the Grand Army of the
Republic, but our mothers smile and
say, 81 don't see where the Crane
comes in, for all who came this way
were low Dutch and hungry Irish
who feared not God nor regarded
women" Well, 1t is all over now,
and we are at peace, that blessed
peace that hath her victories more re.
nowned than war. And thrice blessed/
is the woman whom the dark agd Z,
kept subdued for centuries, but hA4
come to the front and now stands side
by side with man and is always first
in every good word and work. For
two thousand years she was called by
name but twice in the Bible. Mother
Eve, and next came Sarah, the wife
of Abraham, and for another two thou
sand years was mentioned by name
only a few times, but at last she was
honored as the mother of our Savior
and was "last at the cross and earliest
at the grave"
Within the last half century she has
made more progress in establishing
her natural and God-given rights than
in all preceding time. She is the &C.
knowledged head of all religious, mis-.
sionary and charitable institutions.
She is the school teacher of the world
and in these United States constitutes
ninetenths of all the public school
school teachers in the land. In sever
al states she has the right of suffrage
and is eligible to office on the school
boards. Time was when she was al.
most a dead letter in literature and
hal dly ever noticed in the press or
tho country, but now great metro
politan paper or magazine could not
exist without large space being de-
voted to her service and her fairy pic
lures made to adorn the columns OF
every issue. Woman in this south
land is a power and woe be to the
men who scorn it, for they are always
en- the side of religion and good NOR
ais and purity in private life. With
cut them, the church, the prayer
meetings, the Sabbath-schools and
even the home would speedily Adecline (
into that state that Grover Clevelanef
called an "inocuous desuetude." II
trath, she is the hope Of the world and
her progress the best sign Of the COM
ing millennium. AS to her influence
for all that is good in educating and
refining mankind, no man ever wrote
a more beautiful science than that OF
Sir Richard Steele, when he penned
that: "To look upon and love a fair
and y.rtuous woman and be loved by
her is a liberal education" And so
let me say to the young men, these
sons of confederacy, don't despair;
don't grieve for a college education;
don't lament your poverty; but get
married and your education will be-
gin. Sometimes the course is long,
but it is happy. My own has been
for nearly fifty-three years and 9.
is not completed, for l have not yet
received a diploma nor taken the first
honor. l am ssill school boy.-Bill
Arp, in Atlanta Constitution.