The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-11-11
TRIBUTE TO SOUTHERN WOMEN
PAID BY MRS. w. H. FELTON,

The lecture by Mrs w. H. FELTON, on
Southern Women in the Civil War"
at the Lawton Memorial last
night, did not have the attendance it
deserved, but those who were present
were held fascinated by the distin-
guished Georgia woman, as she paid
tributes in eloquent language to the
self-sa crifcing heroines whose war with
hardships during the war of secession
have classed them to themselves. their
virtues unprecedented in history, their
praises unfortunately seldom sung, and
related medicines of that love and
devotion to the cause of the Confeder-
acy and their sincere patriotism which
sustained them amid the severest of
trials.
Mrs. FELTON,, in the introduction to
ner subject, elaborated upon the pa
triotsm of Georgia women, and their
loyalty in time of war. going somewhat
into the history of Georgia's colonial
heroine, Mary Musgrove, the Indian
woman, Queen of the Creeks" who
was the friend of Gen. Oglethorpe;
also the Revolutionary heroine, Nancy
for Nancy Hart whenever any one
wants to hear them, and I'll make
them loud enough, tool"
The negro women of the ante-bellum
period were also paid a well-deserved
tribute by the lecturer, who as her
tears flooded her eyes with the recol-
lection, told an incident connected
with the life of her black nanny"
and said, There was the most beauti-
full friendship between the white wom-
en- and their black servants. l am so
glad that my black nanny died
before anyone poisoned her mind
against us and made her to believe
that we were cruel to her. The time
is coming when we Southern people
are going to erect a monument to the
slaves who served us with such devo-
ton, and who were the only protectors
we Southern women had when all the
able-bodied men of the South were at
the front fighting back the Yankees.
I'VE are losing sight of the memo
ries which we should cherish as dear"
said Mrs. FELTON,. I'VE are too care
less in our regard for the beautiful
loyalty and patriotism of Southern
women during the Civil War; and l
think that this deplorable fact is be-
cause our children are taught in school
histories and otherwise that although
the Confederate soldier fought a gall
liant fight and virtually revolutionized
the fighting of the world, making the
grandest stand against hardships and
depredations to be found in the wars
of the world, that he was nevertheless
fighting the wrong fight, that the
cause was wrong.
But that is a mistake. 1 am glad
that 1 am allowed to come here as a
missionary as it were to speak against
that and to recall some of that beau
tiful loyalty and patriotism Of
Southern women"
The lecturer said that the public has
formed mistaken conceptions of the
life of Southern women at the be-
ginning of the Civil War, and that the
Southern women of that day, although
they lived in the midst of wealth and
aristocracy, did not lead lives of idle
ness, but that, on the other hand,
their domesticity was characteristic of
them. During the war" she said
they bloomed out as wonderful mana
gers, and it was their executive ability
that supplied the armies at the front
not only with courage to fight their
battles, but also with clothes to wear