The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-06-25
WITH THE CONFEDERACY
 FORTY YEARS AFTER
A Young Northerner's View of the LOUIS
 vile Reunion.

s,ssinpi"-are a fair .epltome of the views of the whole body of the more temnerate and cultivated veterans or inc Confederate army. Even more ao his views represent the opinions or the younger generation of Southerners' They. like General Lee, dread more than anything else the violent utter snces of the professional old soldier,
 whether he be of the North or or the South. Every explosion from such . source, even though the source pc a rnaundering old man speaking Tn the fretflll dotage or of cruel penury that had its origin with the war; Ians into flame many a smoldering resentment' ignites a long train of bitter contro' versies and, in the rural ana more
 cluded communities of the South, re- tards in some measure the establish nnent of complete friendliness De- tween the two sections.
 The mistake of talking too much along lines which properly admit or only a tactful reserve does more 10 keen the Southerner "rtled' than gov ernmental blunders possibly could oo' The latter he Is rather inclined 10 ac- cent as part of his portion; the former he construes as a deliberate anront 10 his tenderest susceptibiltties. Natur- aIlv courteous in the observance or so- cIal amenities-often to fantastic ex- tent--he cannot understand how a Northern man can speak the hateful or boastful word when he comes among a neople still engaged in repairing the ~ayages of A conflict that left it's traces upon every Southern household. But this happens Southern woman. born fen wears after the war, and hence not a sharer in It's immediate legacy or want and bitterness, commented with wonder upon this tendency Of many Northern visitors to outrage the sent iments and traditions of the descendan- ants of the old wartime families.
 "Thev come among us." she said
 a.na GreeIV make the cruelest com. voeyts on matters which to us are nc longer a source of feeling, but only of sentiment, if you can understand what I mean by making a distinction between feeling and sentiment. we cherish the memory of what our peo- nie suffered and did in the war, but WI do moi harbor animosity toward tho North. But 1t Is when the memory o those sacrifices is made light of anC when our fathers are called traitori | that we sometimes feel that we nevel | can love the North because the Norti
 will not let us love it. l have had t' l sit silent. because I was guest in { | connnany of Northern people, while {
 woman hummed Hang Jeff Davis to { | sour apple tree.' and that is a compar | atively harmless and childish illustra | tion of the unfortunate tactlessness o | fine attitude of q certain class of North | erners we are brought in contact with. Childish indeed such demonstration | of inherited enmitles are, but, pett. and mean as they are, the careful read ! CT of history knows that they consti 1 tute precisely the medium which per l petuates the animosities between na | tton and nation and section and sec | ton from one generation to another l distorting and coloring great evets | | the minds of the immature and linkin | the hearts of the aged more and nor | firmly to their ancient prejudices.
 The young Northerner who can kee | A civil tongue in his head. who wi somewhat adjust himself to the view II of an emotional and susceptible peopl, | and who will listen with respect to tn
 "reminiscences of men who passe
 through the most picturesque and wall ant struggle for lost cause since tn
 stuarts were driven out of Englan, can learn much by a pilgrimage to
 representative Southern city when
 Is en fete for the veterans of the Cor federacy. as Louisville was last weel He will get at certain aspects of tn most momentous epoch In his eour , try's history in an intimate and dV