The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-11-05
A Galaxy of Southern Heroes.

By Dr. O. T. Dozier
 Once more the genial southern sun
 Has called the roses into bloom,
 Once more the golden jessamine Iades all the air with sweet perfume; Once more the little mating birds In every bush and tree are seen,
 Once more the earth her carpet spreads
 Of softest velvet-grassy green.
 Once more the dove of peace is heard
 In every valley, glen and cove;
 Once more l come with rapturous heart
 To greet the comrades that 1 love; And freed from hate and prejudice,
 All bitter memories laid aside.
 My muse but wakes to sing the praise
 Of those who for my country died. 
 And anon, here and there to lay
 A chaplet on some worthy brow
 Of glorious hero-yet alive
 And. as l place 1t. humbly bow, As well as l should, with reverence due;
 For language is too weak to prove How deep how strong the wond rous
 depths
 Of my unfathomed founfs of love-
 But would to God my struggling muse
 Could break the bonds that bind my
 soul,
 And let my wild impassioned thoughts
 Like oceans stormy pillows roll, While l so Vainly now attempt
 To sing in lofty peans grand
 That need of praise to patriots due The Heroes of my native land. 1 With heavens face for music scroll
 And realms of space for octave bars.
 My clefs should be the sun and moon,
 My music notes the blazing stars, | And Ohi I'd sing with lofty strain l And sweep the gamut of the skies, l Till every sleeping patriots soul
 Should wake and from his grave arise.
 But oh how feeble. weak am I, Poor humble creature of the sod, Who deigns to touch a theme too grand For any being, but that God Who rules the earth and realms above, Who speaks, and suns and worlds obey. | He. only He, the living God, | Their need of praise can ever pay. l What tho I had the cyclones force,
 The flaming lightning for my tongue,
 A brain as broad as universe, l My voice to tones of thunder strung, I still must fall unmeasured short In praise of those I fain would name, For God but made such God-like men To point the source from whence they came.
 How many names-bright, glorious gems In southern galaxy are set To blaze like suns forever bright In fames eternal coronet.
 Behold you, first our Washington,
 Whose hands the stars and stripes un- furled, A Christian soldier, patriot true, of ha
 Then see yon brilliant, fiery star. 1 Proud Robert Toombs-maje man, l Whose wild, tempestuous, flaming soul
 Too great for human words to span, 1 From out whose rugged, heaving breast, 1 In raging, seething tempests, rolled 1 Consuming flames of eloquence- 1 Mount Aetna, he, of human mould. 
 | And could I paint with master hand 1 The great Orion of the sky, With starry belt and lifted club, With daring men to do die, 1 What would I but hold up to view l The chief of that heroic clan l Who San Jacinto's battle won, l And name Sam Houston as the man. | But countless as the countless stars l That in the dome of heaven shine. I Each name bright as face of Mars. Made glorious by their deeds sublime. 1 And brightening with the passing years | Is that great constellation grand | Who followed where our Davis led l The heroes of our southern land, | No lowering cloud of dark defeat | Can dim or shut their light from view, But high above the horizon. Where God to justice gives It's due, n. xx,ttl As fixed as that of heavens own And shed glory on the world, The brightest earth has ever known. Go stand upon the Cumberland Go view the heights of Tennessee, Go climb to Lookout's lofty point And gaze as far as eye can see; On every crag and every plain. Marked by the storm of battle blast, Joe Johnston's name is over all To finger there while time shall last. And hear you there the distant boom And feel you there the vibrant jar Of aualxing earth beneath the roar Of thunder-crashing guns of war. Let loose by that young demigod- That reincarnate soul of love. Born but to reign mid battle stnrna-