The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-05-15

"NNNO III (iAN = vi OIS IN
in the open courts of public opinion.
Seven of these We're of the south and
seven Of the north: Daniel Webster,
HOrace Greeley, Abraham Lincoln,
Stephen a. Douglass. Charles Sumner,
Wendell Phillips and Henry Ward
Beecher. Facing these from thu south
were Jno. G. Calhoun, Henry Clay,
Jefferson Davis, Alex H. Stephens,
VIM. Yancey, Robert Toombs and par
son Brownlow. So far as argument
went, destruction came Immediately
thereafter. The floods broke loose the
old barriers of arrested progress and
self satisfaction of the old south were
swept away; war was declared. Satan
was at liberty to smite Job with every
element theoretically, the southern
champions had the better of it as every
impartial reader Of those splendid de-
bates Will admit. Just after the war
Of words with Eliphaz, Bildad. Zaphan.
and Elihu. Job was justified. in his
integrity. He was theoretically right.
the intellectual victor. But as a matter
of fact, of NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. 10
a his life
1t was in the quite April morning of
AZ years ago that the oxen were
blowing and the asses were feeding be-
side them when the Sabeans fell upon
and took them away, and not even a
~ NiI I'LL " tSIl liIte % the prop
erty OF the south was swept away with
the red rush of war.
Then fire fell and burned up the
sheep and the servants Emancipation
took away the servants and freed the
negroes.
h the Chaldeans in three bands
fell upon he camels and carried them
away n Smote with the edge of the
sword Sherman through Georgia,
sheridan in the Valley, and Grant in
Virginia made a desert in the south.
"A great wind from the wilderness
sn1Ote the four corners of the house
and it fell among the young men and
they are dead From the -four cor
ners of the world came the foreigner
INTO the Federal army and the young
men of the south were slain. This
would seem enough. but not so, the
worst was still to come. SO Satan
smote Job with sore boils from the
sole of his foot to his crown The
days of reconstruction came in q. way
worse than war The whole body, civic,
social n economic, broke out from
head to sole. The tempter came and
said: Despair utterly, let anarchy
reign and chaos come-curSe God and
die The wife of Job does not repre-
sent the ~wOmanhood of the south. but
only the tempter in another guise.
The womanhood of the south finds it's
~ pc III the spirit OIL the ever present
God who talked to Job out of the
whirlwind,' and consoled and strength
ened his heart by pointing to the one
bright star of religious hope that
shone in the black night of temporal
destruction.
From chapter So to Al. Job was born
again and in the new birth he adjusted
himself to the larger visions of Gods
ways with men, So in the years from
60 to rs the south saw the hand of
God and heard His voice through the
n thunders of the storm,
and started to turn the larger vision
into reality.
I accomplish this completely the
programme Of the south must be:
a. ITO liberalize in fought
(2.) ITO nationalize in politics.
CD TO lndustrialize in production.
a. I Spiritualize in religion.
Already this holy quartette of forces
is transforming the southland. Today
the south is most hospitable to the best
thought of the age. An educational re-
Vival is IN the air. That her education
al scheme is not narrow or selfish is
proved by the fact that the white race
OF the south has taxed itself $3.50, 600, OOG
since the war for the education of the
black race n lat too at a time when
every black voter was the political foe
OF the white mans best interest. The
national spirit of the south is tokened
and written in the red blood of Worth
Bagley and his southern brothers. who
We're first to die hat our flag might
over Spanish-America. Our in
p n power is felt al
ready in the markets Of the world.
w are told by the school of COM
that we should not treasure
the tragic past-that we should cease
to wander away in the graveyard of
yesterday n cut ourselves among the
to1rbs,' no more. Whoever is without
pride IN u glorious past is nft to
mother and father a noble posterity.
There is glory in gloom,
There is grandeur in graves
For IN these graves of ours. lie the |
.dauntless dead and through the gloom !
behind US stride the heroic figures of
Jackson and Lee, followed by the i'm
hosts in gray, who smiled at
death as they gladly died for duty as
saw it.
B the flowers fragrant that cover
their graves. Be the hands tender that
StreW them. Let the eyes that look upon
them today, be dimmed with tears. I'm
marchers sWeetly rest under the
green trees. God of battles watch over
-hem. Angels of the Resurrection, be
assured when you blow your trumpet
the roll call of the dead that these
were first to respond to the call of
iuty VIII be the first to answer here
stand farther in the white light of
he throne for judgment.
When the heat of all our conflicts
ire cooled in the dews Of that great
and all their battle scars are touch
ID with sacred glory, then all u heart
by defeats ana hope deferred will
De healed forever
Upon conclusion Of the sermon Chief
Boatwright called the roll of
he heroes who died during or just at
he close Of the war and during this
early answered but loyal roll-call
he entire ~assemblage stood with I'M
covered and bowed heads. The roll-call
vas followed by singing Of the familiar
touching hymn. Soldiers of Christ
which is always made a part
If the beautiful observance, and then
Marshal Boatwright announced
he names Of five veterans to whom the !
Of the Confederacy wished
% present the crosses of honor-Messrs. !