The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1907-05-07

Never Been ExccIICd in This City. -.
Interesting and highly enjoyable and
instructive exercises were those held
Yesterday afternoon at 4 80 o'clock. at
teudant uDOn the unwilling Of the Cor
nelius Harnett monument and its PIE
sentation to the city by the North Car
olina Society of Colonial Danes, Under
whose auspices it a erected.
On account of the very %incleuCnl
condition of the weather, d steady
down pour of rain having FALLEN
throughout the entire day, it was found
necessary TO hold the exercises IN the
Academy of Music. The stage Of the
Academy had been prettily decorated
for the occasion, there being q line
display ol palms and rubber plants OIL
either side of the speakers stand and
at the edges of the rostrum. Seated on
the stage were the orator of the OCca-
sion, DIR. G.. AIphOnsO Smith, the mayor
of the city, Hon. A. u. Waddell, Mrs.
George w. Kidder and Mrs. James
SDrunt of the Colonial Danes. Bishop
Robert Strange and Z. S. Martin, Esq.
There was Il large audience in at
tendance and the exercises were VeIy
greatly enjoyed. The Colonial Danes
had seats together in the parquet ard
half a hundred children from the
High School were in attendance. The
balcony was filled by several hundred
school children from the various public
schools and they led in the singing Of
"The Star Spangled Banner The
members of the SorOSiS attended iC a
body and special seats were given to
the members of the boards of aldermen
and audit and finance.
A military phase to the exercises was
given by the appearance Of the Viii
mington Light Infantry, the Naval Re-
serves and the Boys Brigade.
The exercises were opened with an
Invocation delivered by Rt. Rev. Rob-
ert Strange, bishop of the diocese of
east Carolina. In the following we'll
chosen words. Mrs. George W. kiGder
then presented the monument to the
city of Wilmington:
"Mr. MayOr:-The pleasant duty has
been accorded me of presenting to the
city of Wilmington, through you, its
official representative, this, the first
public monument eve erected in our
town to the illustrious men of Colonial
times. It is the fulfilment Of the untir-
ing work and patriotic zeal of an or
ganization of women known as the
North Carolina Society of Colonial
Danes Of America.
''The object of this Society is 10
memorialiZe the history of our state
and to preserve and restore its an
Client landmarks, as we'll as to trace the
ancestry OF its members to worthy
p~rogenitors. IA distinguished North
Carolinian has said, There is no,higher
duty %devolving upon faithful states
than to preserve the memory of their
fIuble men, Therefore, it is our pur-
pose to record and transmit to genera
lions yet to come the names and deeds
which speak of an honorable past.
"Conspicious upon this shaft is the
name Of Harnett; but when the pas5er-
by shall see also inscribed thereon the
early record Of our Cape Fear section,
the founding of Brunswick, the resist
ance to the Stamp Act (the first armed
resistance to British authority in Ane-
rica,) The incorporation of Wilmington
and the battle of MoOrc's Creek Bridge,
he will recall the men whose splendid
courage, wisdom and achievements
have enrolled their names high on the
pages of history.
and now, Mr.. Mayor, the North
Carolina Society of Colonial Danes of
America transfers to the city Of Will
mington, and to its care and protection
through all the years to come, this
monument to Cornelius Harnett a@i
the heroes and patriots Of the lower
Cape Fear"
Mayor Waddell, in accepting the
monument on behalf of the city. re
ferred eloQuently TO the high and patri-
otto purpose that had inspired the
Colonial Danes in the work of having
the monument erected and he ex-
pressed the hope that it was the be-
ginning of movements which would
result in having many beautiful memo
rails in the streets of this city.
A certificate of transfer with the
seal and co1ors of the Danes was then
presented to the mayor by Mrs. James
Sprunt, president of the Colonial
Danes.
Kipling's Recessional, Lest We For
get" was then beautifully rendered by
a choir composed of Mrs. Longfellow,
Mrs. Smith, Mrs. c.. E. Taylor, Miss
Waddell, and Messrs. r. E. Fowler, H.
*. Holden and Brooke French.
In a splendid introduction speech,
which referred in high terms of praise
TO the orator, Eugene Martin, Esq,
Then presented DR.. c. Alphonso Smith,
,~YIrOfeSSOr of English at tho cto+o mn