The colored American., 1902-10-18
JUDGE DAVIS SPEAKS.
Stirring Events ef Civil War Re-
cited in Eloquent Period
DIR Snowd-n Obs rVes @. A.
r. Wet k

The series or entertainments given
under the management of Rev. w.
Snowden and Mr.. J. Newman at the
Metropolitan A. NJ. E. Z. Church, south
west, during Grand Army week was
success. The beginning of these enter
tainments was masked by an enthuSias-
tic reception to the Bell Post I34, of BOs-
ton, Mass, which was well represented.
Inc speakers of the evening were Hon.
J. G. Dancy and Judge S. q. Davis. Mr..
Dancy made an able speech on the con
ditions of the Negro prior to and after
the Civil War. 1t was received with
hearty applause. Judge S. @. DAVIS
made the opening address. He spoke
on the Spanish-American War, and the
pople showed their appreciation by their
vigorous and repeated applause He
spoke to them as he would have done
to any intelligent Caucasian audience,
which is out of the usual way of the
white man when addressing a ColOred
audience But it is characteristic of the
man himself, as he was born in the
State of Maine, of parents who were
strong abolitionists and operated an un-
derground railroad Judge Davis spoke
III part as follows:
''As our minds revert to the terrible
and bloody campaigns of the civil war,
fought nearly one-half a century ago !;
as we call to remembrance the hardshlps
and privations of the soldiers during
that eventful and momentous epoch IN
our ,country's history; as we bring IN
review his patriotic and heroic conduct
during those dark days that tried mems
souls. and their Willingness TO do and
i, So fIa Of he
our admiration for them is truly great !;
but when we realize, as we do at this
day, the Importance of their work. and
consider the grandeur of their achieve
ments as seen in the light of the course
of events that have followed the termina-
ton of that conflict, and that have re
suited from the perpetuity of the unity
of the Union in its full extent, our ad-
LmiratiOn for them far SurpaSSeS that
we had for their brave deeds during the
struggle itself, and becomes unbOunded.
The colOred race have great reason to
| have their hearts filled with gratitude
towards the soldiers of the civil war
| for the benefits that have accrued to
them from the success of the Union
Army in that conflict, for as an incident
of that conflict, the accursed institution
of slavery, then justly denonn;nated as
one of the twin relics of barbariSm,
was eliminated from every section OF
our country and swept from the land
1t was indeed a sickening stencil and a
shameful disgrace to our boasted civili-
zation. The numberless streams OF
varied opinions that flow from the foun-
tains of thought that exist in the minds
of different men make up the ocean of
universal thought. The surface of this
ocean is at times as calm and placid as
the face of d mirror. At other times It
is tumultuous mass of seething, tur-
bulent pillows, giving evidence that the
elements of good and evil within it are
disturbed and in agitation. These con-
ditions exhibit the different states of
society as seen in peace and war. The
individual, in a civilized community, can
be restrained in his propensity to evil,
and punished by operation of law-and
no community is civilized whose obed1-
ence to law ceases to prevail and mob
violence holds sway. But the history
of mankind is an almost uninterrupted
narration of a state of war, for princes
and states acknowledge no superior
power on earth, and in case of differ
ences put themselves upon the justice
of God by an appeal to arms"
From this he enumera'ed some of the
general causes that beget war; gave a