Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1903-07-15
THE PICNIC AT NEWaY,
Memorial Address by Col. B. S. Bosss "A
Day TO be Long Remembered.

Newry, Oconce county, July TO-
The glorious Fourth of July, 1908,
has come and gone and one more
mile post in the birth of the freest
and best government in the world
has been passed, making one hundred
and twenty-seven years since the
eloquent and patriotic spirit of such
men as Patrick Henry bore fruit and
material results--such results as cam
not be found in the history of the
world when considering the means
at hand and the opposition that had
to be met and Sovercome. But the
means was sufficient to the end and
after seven years of patriotic fight
ing, all opposition vanished like
the morning dew and over the reck
and ruins of despotism burst forth
in all of it's effulgent beauty and
grandeur, human liberty and justice.
And from those feeble but resolute
efforts in 1776 we are the happy par
ticipants in and part of a govern
ment to-day that excites the admira-
tion and respect of the entire world.
So it was in honor of all these
grand achievements and in due re-
spect for the efforts of our forefath-
ers and the day and names of those
illustrious patriots that gave birth to
our liberty and rights that the peo.
pie of Newry met on the Glorious
Fourth to celebrate, which they did
in splendid style by inviting the New
Hope Sunday school to participate
with them in all the refreshments
and recreations of the day, which
were abundant and was enjoyed by
all, and to listen to the memorial
Grafton by Col. B. s. Boggs, which
was as follows:
Ladies and Gentlemen Happy am
| that this Glorious Fourth has
brought US together here where we
can mingle and commingle in recrea-
ton and refreshments and celebrate
that great and Christian institution
the Sabbath school-and one of
the greatest events that was ever
recorded in the history of the world
AN event that will ever live green
in the memory and upon the pages
of American history. That event
which we, with millions of others
have met to-day to honor and cele.
brate, occurred 1877 years ago and it
was the declaration of independence,
an event upon which hung quivering
mighty issues, and the principles of
Justice and human freedom, but after
seven years of heroic fighting and
untold suffering, that declaration
with it's principles was brought to a
successful and happy issue. There
fore, / need not to tell you as to the
results of that declaration, and the
gathering together of patriotic citi-
zens from Georgia to Massachusetts,
and of the fiery eloquence of Patrick
Henry or the resound of arms from
across the plains of Massachusetts or
the laundering of the American
guns from many hard fought field,
for you and | can and do to- day fully
realize and enjoy the happy results
of those trying times and memorial
events; in being part Of the best
and frecst government in the world
"a government whose fundamental
principles are justice and human lib
erty and whose foundations having
been laid 30 broad and deep that no
power on earth can overturn them,
and whereupon has been erected the
beautiful superstructure of republic
of forty-six free and independent
States, extending from the stormy
! Atlantic to the calm Pacific, from
the frozen lakes of the North to the
balmy reefs of the South, embracing
almost every variety of climate, soil
and production, and cemented into
one harmonious whole by some of
the best American blood, and bound
together by one unbroken link of
steel and brotherly love.
So | ask with all the candor of my
heart, lis such government not
worthy of living for, and, if need be,
worthy of dying for, and should we
not meet this Glorious Fourth each
year that we might indelibly impress
upon the minds and hearts of our
children the love of country, liberty
and justice, and to honor and cele-
|