The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-06-19
TO WOMEN
THE SOUTH.
scl,oolboy Writes Remarkable
Essay OH Their Patriotic
Devotion.
FINE GRASP OF THE THEME:
Paper Shows a Breadth and Ma
turity of Thought Surpris-
ing Indeed.

Tho essay BY which Willie Gilman. {
grammar grade pupil. won the ten-dolla
goid piece offered by the Confederate
Memorial Literary Society is realyia re-
,narkable piece of literary work. With
a keen sense OF the fitness of things
This lad selected THE Devotion of the
y Women OF the Confederacy" as his theme
and handled 1t In remarkably good
English with a surprising grasp OF limit
less subject. The award was made by
Captain Carlton Mccarthy. Or. James
Power Smith and congressman John
Lamb after a careful reading of oil the
essays submitted.
The prize was delivered Wednesday
night at the High School commencement
by Captain Mccarthy, Mrs. stephen Put
noy, Mrs. James r. Werth and Miss
ellie Cary, comprising a committee TO
represent the society offering 1t.
The essay follows:
The first gun fired Mt Fort Sumter,
echoed not only through the world on
politics, but 1t re-echocd through the
q hearts of the trembling women Of the
South. The mothers and sisters, VINO hau
been SO guarded from harm or from any
danger knew they must lose their pro-5
lection, and that when they saw ne men
no forth from their homes many OF
4 them would never return. The apprehen-
n Sion OF losing the servants was pot the
y heayy side Of the scale. The old mann
mics we're loved by the little children,
and valued by tho mothers; and all seem
ed to see before them the tableau OF
what would result when these ignorant
and carefree people were turned loose
without a guiding hand to manage for
them.
The real fear was for the precious
lives. and the tender hearted people felt
almost MS if a stroke Of paralysis had
struck them. At tins time, and in the
months following, there was developed a
1lerolsm too long unsung and unrecog-
u riyed. Whatever be the difference ofopln-
ion as to the merits of the case, North
must Join with South In admiration or
The courage and endurance of the lone
women Of the South during those days OF
(. battle and Of death, Mothers sent Their
STRIPPING SONS out into the army anu
watched them go out with many s triue'
while they tried to hide the tears
When the battles waged. and the time
grew long and no peace was in sight,
Bthcn slaves began to leave, and there was
no one to require them to work. Cat
Tie died, or We're stolen; horses We're USED
Tor the army OF defnse, or We're taken
h 1or the army of invaders; ana the Wo-
X men left on the great plantauons coulc
vi =, =, sInnsept Visit their friends and receive
s,t,a1nsIire or renew courage. Times go
~ worse, and provisions gave out. Their
Were no harNests to be gathered, and III
lnorey to buy sugar and coffee. but they
smiled at each other as they drank bit
n ter coffee made of5toasted bran. they
\ divided their cups of black molasses With
and used it for sweetenlng.
81 When letters came from&the absent sol-
tlicrs and the need OF clothes was made
known, then the women would collect
their own pretty garments and cut them
into strips. travelling out the silken
threads and carding the threads With
cotton or wool to knit socks for the boys
in gray. Boxes sent from home contain
ed shirts made from the muslin curtains
OF the old homestead; blankets from the
beds We're made into trousers. or into
warm undergarments for the severe
weather. The best of the fruit was
made into preserves. or cooked in mo-
lasses, and sent to the hospitals. Let
ters were written when paper was hard
to get, and the fly leaves from old
books at home carried many a hopeful
message to weary men,
SWEET SONGS COMPOSED.
Many OF the sweet songs of that time
we're composed BIZ thc.9 mothers and
sweethearts at Home, and around the,
camp fires the, boys would gather and
ring, while they thought of the longing
B faces at home.
Each heart repeats n different name;
< But all sang Annie Laurie
The acts of courage and bravery and
.i.1t.
success, cannot be told in volumes OF
prtnt--there arc too many 9l4
The women could not carry the coll
rrs, but they could make the flags and
baptiZs them with tears and embrace
them in prayers. They could and did
send their best beloved to war: and they
remained alone, guarding the homes left
10 them. They hoped through all that
a day of different feeling and prospect
would come. and when the sun rose on
fair Richmond with tho invading army
'n possession, then the courtesy of tho
Immortal South was shown as never be-
fore in tho graceful submission to the
inevitable.
The women OF the South received calm
1Y and tsfaciously those who had done
80 much TO make the sunny South
land of bitter memories. Many a soldier
md officer of the Northern army owes
ills life to the illustrations of a mother
,n the South, (wfo nursed him back to
health, trying all the time 10 imagine
that the same might be done for her abb
sent boy
a morning paper recently described the
suicide Of a Japanese woman whose son
had been refused admittance into the
arrny because his mother was n widow
md had no one else to take care of her
She deliberately took her life, and said:
Now, my son is not hindered; he can
fight Tor his country
WAS such a shirt as this that anil
mated the noble hearted women of the
south 10 give up all they held dear for
n fotIorn cause
STRONGER AND Drawer.
M Woman Is stronger than man. She is
Il frnYer IN All that goes 70 make up moral