Hattiesburg daily progress. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 18??-1909, 1903-01-06
IN MEMORIAM.

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! 1902.
Ny personal acquaintance with
him began January, 1895. when
Bishop Keener sent me TO that section
4 of the state TO supervise the interests
of the Methodist church. During the
four years. Of my incumbency, General
McNair was an interested observer OF
] the affairs OF the Methodist church
and gave his hearty approval TO means
and methods used to conserve the
unity and the integrity of the Metho-
dist Episcopal Church South.
He was loyal Presbyterian, but
he was far more, he was Christian
of philosophical term of mind.
About the middle of the year 1900
our association was resumed
Ny health having completely failed
1 gave up my pastorate, and repaired
TO Hattiesburg with my family, think
ing the final summons and the last
appointment was at hand.
After many months of untold suffer
ing on my part and heroic rallying of
physicians and friends, | at length,
contrary to all expectation, began to
improve.
TO my own astonishment, | am
now engaged in the melancholy duty
for. General McNair. which I had
reason to believe that his or some
othre kindly hand would have done
for ne;
This will explain to the reader of
these lines, the circumstances which
corspired in building friendship as
unselfish and genuine as it has been
my privilege to enjoy.
General McNair was no ordinary
man.
He possessed fine physical eevel-
opment, stalwart mind and a soul
filled with the noblest emotions, and
the loftiestst aspirations.
With a memory which fastened
with hooks of steel upon men and
measures in the days a-gone. and
penetration of vision which clarified
the present and threw the searchlight
on the future, together with a per
sonal magnetism amounting to fasci-
nation, it will be readily seen how
any one would be drawn to him.
The frOsts of 50 winters had
bleached his locks, but his vigoruos
mind was alert TO the very last
He held on TO the path, not like
the most old people do, because the
present Is too progressive for them,
finding themselves unable to cope with
the qnickened step of the advancing
age, but he held TO it as the artist
holds to the prospective that he may
give full advantage of favorable
backgrounds to the picture.
General McNair was a profound
believer in the accumulated possibili-
ties of the mighty present.
! His great heart was fired with
enthusiams as he talked to me about
the marvellous developments of the
country which began only few years
in davance of him, and closed just be
| fore he went away.
He loved his country and he loved
| his sJuth-land. He gave the best
years of his strong life in defense of
southern rights and southern homes
He loved his native state of North
Carolina, but he loved Mississippi
equally as we'll.
His faith i'll the possibilities of
south Mississippi and of Hattiesbnrg,
the city of his adoption, was truly in
spring and uplifting.
The abiding interest which he felt |
and asserted i'll the people of the town
was that of an observant philosopher, |
and was increased and intensified by |
his thorough knowledge of strategic |
position in military life. 80.
Geography, climate, soil and sun
shine had furnished data for conclud- |
ing that souht Mississippi and Hatties
burg, as the coming city of the state |
would in short while attract the at
tention of people throughout the coun-
trfy.
His prophecy has been fulfilled.
Then he had an unwavering conf
dence in the people who had come |
from every point of the ccompass and
yoked themselves together, in order to
make Il city and develop the wonder
ful resources of that highly favored |
section.
/ found, however, i'll my frequent
conversations with him, that he was
more interested in the Intellectual and
moral improvement Of the people than
he was in their material resources.
His favorte theme was education of q
high grade, and college facilities at
home. He dwelt upon this topic
with mingled pleasure and solicitude.
If he had been we'll provided with
shekels as he was with purposes and
aims, born of philanthropic earnest
ness the walls of magnificent struc
ture for college would have gone up
ON the amplest grounds which could
have been procured for that purpose
General McNair was not only citi-
zen and soldier and patriot, but he
was Christian of unsullied and i'm
peachable integrity. Too patriotic to
forget the past, too brave and sol