The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1903-05-08
]. NEWTON HATHAWAY, M. D.
MEMORIAL DAY.
oft,ur Denu Heroes.

Next Saturday is Memorial Day,
and tho graves Of the dead heroes Of
South Carolina wl,o died for the Con-
fcderacy will be decorated with sweet
flowers by our nobl: women. Once a
year, for the ra,t three decades. s., s
the Atlanta Journal. the people Of tie
southern states have observed !, f!ay
for the decoration of the lat resting
places nf tile Confederate heroes. and
III: recital Of their valuru,lS deeds.
!'lI now The ScaSpnS i,!vcaglin shit.
ed 10 springLime ana tile fuunls or
memory are unScalrd on many Il green
i.ili. Amid the strains Of mal;jal
music, thousands make their w,y 10
the tl3we:,. mounJs j .;.n wl.;.;,
lie the Heroes of tile Solnh. Uum
Those mounds they place Lhei. tribute,
or aiiecl!"n ana rcrercnt regard: ami
The lnneSome grasses are frightened
With fresh Il ,wtiS. IL is fitting, there
fore, that we Should consider for !, mo.
m.nt what this day inc;iuS. a.Ei wny it,
is observed. especially In reference to
the changed conditions OF this century,
And the long perspective Which now
lies between The present generation
and those who wore tile gray
Memorial day. as it is observed in
the south, Is whit its name implies
Il day Of memories. II is not desiunc,l
u KEEP alive any fvud ur acc,i nal
issue. IL Is rcvercntlu Retrospective.
The chiiruverSy Which urged these
dead soldiers to lly down heir lives
tur their country ius i,rrl buried will,
tiic:n:a.''l lie silent nr,rIliti1s w.,ic /
1o*ci hc;.frnwin! wl:rrc they irsI.;,r
>fmonlS 1T 1'c.., mt OF war. M,.u,,:iil
d,y stands iJr al ihtl was lnS,. ana
all that is hest, il, ;..,. su,,;n u; lbr
past ana uf The present i'nn same
spirit which impri!cd Slunew;,!: J l.k-
son, and at whose bid ling the y,,rd
0! Lee flashed from It's ScabDard.
lives in the south today, changed ONLY
rs to oolcct--tic guiding Star Of that
region where patriotism never dies nor
faltcrS.
The men who come from Appymat-
toy, and their SONS. lifted the south
out OF its ruins and rebuilt il into
more than its ancient opulcncc. This
task was not inferior TO the one whicl,
lay before them when they marched
out in 1861. Ii it was less pcrilous it
was more tedious. IL called for all tie
resolution, all the moral courage. all
the faith, hope and energy which
could nc summoned by the finest Anno-
Saxon stock which the world has ever
known Patiently uncpmplaininsly
they rebuilt, replantcd. and have since
retiarvestcd. Or such fiber were the
people who fought for home rule IN
the south. OF such Il force and purity
was the spirit which led forward those
who sleep today around the soldiers
monuments. 1t Is this spirit, devoid
or sectional strife or issue, which in.
form the observance or Memorial tiay.
10 remember, TO reverence, and To re-
peat these are the privileges OF those
who decorate the soldiers graves and
who gather near them.
But in this burying Of sectional
strife, Memorial day has lost not one
atom Of its insistancc upon the right
eOuS patriotism or those whose mem
ory IL pcrpctuates Not for years
and never, we trnst-~i.l the day be-
come memorial of misguided fanatics
who died for an unjust cause. Let the
phrase, They died for what they
thought was right, "J.crish half utter
ed upon the feeble lips that would
frame 1t. Let any suggestion that
those who wore the gr:y were rebels,
led by rebel chiefs, remain locked up
in those distorted sectional histories,
where they belong With the mere
abstract merits Of the controversy,
Memorial day and the generation
when now observes it has nothing to
40. But that this was was a struggle
between sovereign and Independent
states, is proposition which those
VINO decorate the graves of southern
soldiers cannot afford to rclnquish for
one moment.
N~N~S~eo~~~~N~~~~~~~o~~
~S~N~>~~~>~~~>~~NNS~~