The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-08-27

ana breathe prayer for her sons who that
day left happy homes and sorrowing loved
ones to go where duty called them. They
went not for the spoils of war. but to
aYenge their countrymen. They went not
to seek vain glory, but to rescue Cuba's
starving thousands who cried to them for
help. AS their cry rose to heaven Philip
Nicely Finch looked upon a faded jacket,
he gazed on dented sword and rusted
musket, and those holy relics of his faith
er's fired his young heart with patriotism.
On that May day, when from yon red hills
we lost sight of the homes we loved,
Americas great captain and her gallant
sons announced the end of Spanish tyranny
at Manila from an hundred iron Threats.
Reaching Mobile the regiment was with
out flag or colors. A week afterwards the
women of Birmingham presented them to
US Sergeant Finch was one of those
appointed to receive them. No man of the
First Alabama can ever forget that even
ing when Miss Lewis, addressing the Of
ficers and men, said In part:
Il come from the women OF Alabama
your mothers, wives and sisters, to bear
a message and to present gift, which
should inspire you to heroic deeds. to pro-
teet and defend which should be your
highest ambition. As the prayers of our
mothers were offered for your fathers,
so do, our prayers and blessings go with
you. As slight expression of our love
and devotion for you, the women OF BIZ
mingham present you this flag, every
stitch Of which represents woman
blessing, and whose every thread is sane
titled with woman's prayers and tears
Remember that the love and belief IN
you of your mothers, sisters, wives ana
sweethearts urge you to brave and hon
orable discharge of your duty, land their
prayers are offered up for your safety and
WaIfaVa Take and sustain
the honor as your fathers have done, and
as your mothers would have you DO
and when you return, which God grant
may be soon, the smile of Alabama
daughters will greet you as their highest
hopes now follow you''
But, my friends, Philip Nicely Finch
was never again to see the faces he loved
The smile of Alabama's daughters did
not greet him when he returned. Not
many months passed before the one we
loved and trusted most was ordered to
stack his gun and answer roll call on the
battlements above For days we watched
him tenderly, and when at last he was
released from his post, we wrapped him
In the Stars and Stripes, the loving hands
of his comrades bore him here to rest,
and Alabamas daughters sanctifed his
resting place with their tears. He went
to his last long sleep Sustained and
soothed by an unfaltering trust" he APP
preached his grave like one who raps
the drapery of his couch about him and
lies down to pleasant dreams" Thus went
our comrade to join the choir invisible
to the immortal dead. His last words
were like those of the gallant Pelham,
that peerless son of Alabama, that mir
acle of artillery genius, who said as he
breathed out his last: II have done my
duty" May the memory of our comrade
stimulate our patriotism, dignity our cit
izenship and elevate our civic virtues.
Thus alone can we lift our country to chat
higher plane of freedom and good govern
ment that will make 1t In fact an ex-
emplar OF the nations of the earth.
My friends. the manly youth whose
memory we love and cherish, whose deeds
grow brighter as the years go by was
not great as the world counts greatness.
He did not die on the field Of battle nor
in a foreign land, but In the land he
loved surrounded by his comrades I do
not discount the patriotism of our Inn
mortal dead. but would remind you that II
Is nobler to live for than to die for your
country. The name of Philip Nicely Finch
has not been heralded to the world nor
written in the Hall of Fame, but he was
great in that he was good. Greatness is
of the heart, and he was ever guided and
inspired by the sense of duty, which led
him In the way of right, Self-reliance
was the great staple of his character, pa
triotism his first civic duty, loyalty his
first virtue. So long as our country has
such sons as Philip Nicely Finch, invin-
chile armies will fill the land, steel-cad
sauadrons sail the sea, when our coun-
trM is attacked or our flag insulted, for
to live for our country Is honor and to
die for her Is glory.