The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-11-08
1.-THE Clansman."

How enoblipg, how elevating. how refining
is this latest agony Of Mr.. DlxDus. the CIan--
man What a beautiful influe zee etnmenates
from Inc staging, of this thing throu shout the
south land. Wnata benignant spirit IL en-
genders In the negro who goes 10 see IL anu
oh. what a charitable frame OF nina IL puts
the while mnn In who sees II staged! How
a. replaces atscOrd, dlstrust' and anIinosity,
between the races with peace and u better
hope for the future. How IL carries US back
10 the agonizlng days o. recohstrnctl"n ma
How IL permits us again TO roll the sweet
morseI OF past ag my under our tongues and
become again Intoxicated WIN lne neliisn
excitmpnt that held us In thrHlldom from DO
10 rs. On what a beautiful play IL THIS that
On rries us back 10 anarchy aud chaos, lest
we folyet,' How IL fills our minds with the
pacifying inflaences Of rape and blood ana
heIIisb horror, "lest we forget, lest we forget"
We an 80 liable to forget, God has not en-.
dowed US with good memories. We are
prone 10 forget the trials that we and our
fathers went through. We are 70 APT u lor-
gel the terrible torturts our mothers, wives
and sisters endured from 81 10 16.. That we
endured the horrors of that period are not
burned into our souls With letters 0f blazing
fire. We have heard these things recount ted
IN no purpose ut our hearihstonts and w.
iess we 20 to see The CIansman we might Tor.
get. We might forget the .Ver decreasing
humber of our fathers, and Inc nameless
graves on the far off battle fields that hold
what were once the ASPIRATIONS, the cherish.
| ed hopes, thu fond loves OF a thousand south
ern homes. We might forget The prlvatlons.
the \ earnings for those who never returned,
the terrible toll hat our noble southern wo.
men Underwent, unless We went, 10 ste the
clansman played! We might forget tbat The
negro Ia 10 be bounded and that IL IL our
christian duty to curse forever and never To
forgive those OF the north who were pre6Ju
diced agnipts US. We might forget that IL Ii
our bounden, cnrislian duty to anatheula;Ize,
and conslgn TO the deepest hoe In Hades,
any poor miscreant who, Tor q lew sheckels OF
~ n roicn1IAoH O0nnpnttnn nf 6nfE
entered the. south with q carpet bug. What d
noble thought. this, "lest We forget" OF Mr.
Dixons.
a fighting frenzy, to hear the uhrestrainin &
veil "shool! klll!" How exciting 10 hear The
hand claps OF appreciation and the bliss o.
hatred at the same Instant. Mr.. DIXON has
indeed done a noble work. He has dug down
and brought to light this buried putrld cancer
that we might gloat on It once more, that
once more the stencil might touch our nos
trils-this beautiful cancer that grew on oul
body from 81 10 rs and which we cut on ano
buried, Mr.. Dixon has resurected that we
might take another look, "lest we forget"
How noble in Mr.. Dixon 10 make the sacri
fee OF leaving nis pulpit and deyoting his en-
this old sore "lest we forget" .
All Mr.. Dixon, OF all your ~ut'erances, OF al
your writings, OF all we have ever heard from
YOU; this Is the weakest. most tneminate e1
preston that you have ever breathed! "les1
we forget" To Insult our patriotism IN this
mean guise-to %insinuate that we, sons OF tht
south, are forgetting or ever Will forget GU
traditions you have overslepped The bounda
ries In this MIR. Dixon. In this you have
wounded our pride, and lrampled on oul
patriotism. Forget! Forget our past wher
our hearts are back there! Forget the fathert
or the btoLher's bones that lie bleaching or
the many battle f1elds! Rather "let my rIgh
hand foI get her cunning" or let my tongue
cleave W The roof Of my mouth.
My earliest memories take me back TO tht
time when l was q tot, and among my hrs
e%xcitemenLs was listening 10 the heart iel
yeiIs, Hurrah for Hampton! To my young
mind this was q demigod, one whom l de-
sired RrdentIy 10 see and hear. In later day
| found that / was not much mistaken in my
man. His words, those that are commonl!
seen with with his picture Indicate the man
"Ail my people, both black and white, Goo
bless them all" What would Hampton ga,
of Mr. Dixon's play? This magnanimou
noble Soulherner, what would be bis verdict
His verdict would be ours. 1t IL yours, 1t IL
That the Clansman will not do good put harm
W.. w. r. b.