The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1904-06-09

Governor under this constitution, was
from the same Virginia county from
from the peaceful environments of IIls
school into the Civil war Your first
long term Senator. John w. Walker, as
well as Hopkins. Davis and others in
the convention. were all Virginians by
birth.
"As I glance at your map I notice
that Washington. Madison, Monroe,
noted Virginians are among your he
roes, and as l read your history, / am
reminded constantly of prominent Vir-
ginians. my heart vas thrilled when
l first learned of the famous canoe
fight and IL seemed In keeping with
the eternal fitness that the hero of that
exciting contest. Big Sam Dale. should
that gave the adventurous Houston TO
Texas. But no Virginian,. and surely
no University of Virginia man. should
appear in Alabama without paying his
tribute to one of your citizens, who.
in my humble judgment, did as much
as any one man could do for your ed
ucationai interests, I refer to Henry
Tutwiler, of pleasant memory.
1T was my pleasure and privilege
not many years ago. to be in Harris
burg, his native town, and there to pay
to his worth my feeble tribute. --.l
institutions are known by their fruits
ence and gtanding as student his
ability as a professor, his career as
citizen, and counts him among the
Recalling his labors for a lofty and
inspiring standard of education in your
State. come as Virginian, from ale
University of Virginia. to speak, in his
spirit, of idealism in the midst of our
modern material progress.
when l speak to sons of Alabama,
proud, am sure. OF the old South,
with its splendid civilization, it's beau
tiful home life, its spirit OF ideal 4.v-
ing. / need not attempt to prove, am
sure, that 1t would be a loss-a sad
loss In our present day--if these old
the old South should be utterly lost.
And yet. as i wheel through your
beautiful State and note on every hand
the signs of modern progress. l am
forced to see that the agricultural life
of your whole community Is being
largely changed by industrial ac..vi-
ties, cotton mills are, visible on every
hand, and the richness OF your mineral
resources is fully exploited.
The contrast between the leisure
of the old civilization and the rush
and hustle of this modern progress
leads me to wonder whether we are
wise in our day. 1t is high wisdom
to retain from the past that which Is
best and so to weave 1t into our pres
ent living as to make II the stronger
for this tried material Yet. as / lis
ten to many young men talk, am
constrained to think that with many
of them progress seems to mean com
plete break with the noble TRADITIONS
of this past and the determination to
leave as far behind as possible all that
was peculiarly significant OF LAT
splendid past
without attempting to define it,
am sure that you all recognize that
the atmosphere of this past life was
idealism 1 am persuaded that you
know fully as well that the drift of
our present day is toward material
ism. / do not come to say one word
against material progress-1 glory in
| the triumphs of your State. AS 1 turn
| over the last census reports and COM
pare them with those of thirty or for
| ty years ago, / share your pride In the
immense progress you have made Yet,
am constrained to say that this pro-
gress may be attended by certain very
clearly defined evils. OF these / mem
ton as the first, provincialism. 1t has
always been the habit of other parts
| of these United States to refer to the
South as sectional and provincial; yet
| 1 appeaI to history to declare that in
the early days of our country there was
| no section more national than the
| Southern States To the councils of the
nation she contributed far more than
any other part of the Union; the very
/ flag of which the Union IS so proud
was largely made by her endeavors,
and the national spirit which pervad-
ed her gave to her leadership a power
and potency that have not been sur
passed by those of any other part Of
our country.
I'm time, 1t was true, there came a
large division of the country. cleaving
it apart and leaving us for the time
divided land. The exigencies of the
South compelled us to solidify our
selves for reasons of self protection,
and this solidification impressed upon
US apparently a sectionalism or pro-
| vinciaiism. That provincialism was
never, 1t seems to me, as much a pro-
vincialism of spirit as 1t was of neces-
| sity, and now that the necessity has
been removed II has become high time
| that we should consider more fully our
larger part in the affairs of the nation.
| so self absorbed have we been in
| matters pertaining to our progress, in
| the bare recovery of that which was
/ lost, that we run the risk of forget
| ting that. we owe any duties to the ma
| ton at large, or are at all concerned
in it's universal veal and prosperity.
Even our statesmen are Inclined to
count their duties 70 their own States
as not only first but almost exclusive
1 say 1t with regret that but few of
our Southern statesmen seem to care
for any influence in national affairs.