The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1904-11-11

Major IzIar's Welcome 10
The Confederate Veterans

AND (TENAA4EAh--N
Ills beautiful and touching Gus
tom Of happy families which celebrate
rba birthday of each child of the
household. and by smiles, and gii'S'
and gentle words, and merry sports
Ill each passing hour with the beauty
and fragrance Of domestic affection
on such a day. father and mother
mite their thanks, as they recall the
bour they received the sweet, bright
gifr OF God. On such days the child
feels 2 certain dignity in his growing
Ufa. and as the years unrOll from the
wheel OF time, he learns TO value
more and more the tender love which
has followed him day after day, and
with anxsous longines has watched
for his growth in wisdom. as he grows
in stature.
Most fitting and grateful then is
this annual celebration by Us of a
day-not OF a day when an infant ma
ton was born TO Us whose growth and
DEVELOPMENT we could watch with
pride and elation-but OF a day on
which we laid 10 rest in the tOmbs of
the eternal past a nation born OF
Justice and Right, which rose ike a
meteor upon the political horizon,
climbed 10 the meridian in magnifi-
cent splendor, and in four short years
went down in glorious effulgence!
II amazed gazing world at its rap
ID rise. its heroic endurance and I'M
paralled achievements 1t left his
tory which viii go down to the gen
erations vet unborn illustrating and
Illuminating the immortal pages! A
history so full OF sacrifice, so replete
with heroic endurance, so sublime in
its closing scenes as to command the
admiration Of the civilized world, and
extoTt unwilling enconiums from its
adversaries who labored increasingly
for four years 70 crnsh out its lofty
ambitions. A history which furnishes
leaders Of such self-sacrifice. such su-
perb genius and undying devotion TO
principle, a. viii stand out in bold re-
lief through all generations as charac-
tiers for admiration and emulation to
every patriot and lover of freedom
and liberty! A history which tells
Of soldiers whose heroic deeds and
sublime achievements under difficult
ties never before encountered, are
still without a parallel in the written
history o. the world! A history where
ali OF country's people-brave men
and noble women-laid their all as a
free offering upon the altar for the
protection of life, liberty, flresides
and native land.
Comrades, Confederate Veterans:
We helped to make this history. We
were actors upon the stage when this
overpowering tragedy was being play
cd. We came on and went off the
boards in many thrilling scenes be-
fore the curtain went down at the
end Of the last act. We played our
parts, and the books will tell, even
when the time comes when they are
read as ancient history, that we play
ed them well. 1t is a1egacy far more
valuable than the stocks and bonds of
Vanderbilt, Morgan, Gould or Rookie
Teller, TO pass on down to our pro-
geny, that we were on the bloody
fields, and acquitted ourselves like
men at Manassas. Fredericksburg.
Charlottesville, Shiloh, Chicamauga.
Franklin, Antietam, Gettysburg. Olus-
tee, and hundred other sanguinarv
backgrounds where to live is honor
forever and to have died is glory i'm
mortaIl
Is it any wonder, then, that the
Of those great and terrific
scenes, should love TO meet in annual
reunions and grasp the hands of those
who welded the sword, drew the
lanyard, or pressed the trigger in that
struggle for liberty? To turn
back the pages of memory and once
more review the momentous scenes of ,
those days? To commune with one !
another, and go over again and in orr /