The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1907-10-13
BEAUTIFUL TRIBUTE
DELIVERED BY MRS M'MAHON
AT FLAG PRESENTATION
TO CENTRAL SCHOOL

1t gives us pleasure TO publish be-
low the presentation speech of Mrs.
I. P. Mcmahon, delivered at the
Central School when the Daughters
of the Confederacy gave tothe school
large flag of the Confederacy.
at is becoming in us TO remember
the noble deeds of our ancestors,
and especially is it SO when those
deeds emanated from high ideals;
from sense of right and justice
Failure is not ignoble-the greatest
results often crown repeated failures
true success makes hero of It
rebel.
Washington was as great rebel
as Jefferson Davis, in reality Wash
ington was a rebel in every sense OF
the word; rebelling against the
mother country TO which he owed
allegiance, by inheritance and the
vows of a soldier who was wearing
the uniform and held a commission
from his government at the time of
| the Declaration of Independence.
While Jefferson Davis was chosen
president and comma nders in chief of
formed a conspiracy; founded 'on
| rights given them by constitution,
| more than eight years before.
To-day Washington is a hero, be-
success, and Jefferson Davis is de-
| lrounced in certain sections OF our
country as a "rebeI'-even by some
| of our own people. Time will wipe
out much injustice, and the songs OF
| the people will commemorate the
deeds Of heroism, of love, of sacrifice
and courageous warfare. practiced
| by the armies of those Confederate
states, led by as brave and pure men
| as God ever inspired, to WELD a
| sword or shoulder nusket.
Military schools throughout the
world have the campaigns of our
great generals in their text books
regarding them as most worthy Of
their profound consideration. and
pronouncing them the highest au-
thorities on strategy. Our generals
were OF the highest type of manhood
and our soldiers as brave and oour-
ageous as any that history has record
ed, and of whom the poets sung in
the brave days of old. The camps
are becoming fewer and the old vet
Grams are dropping out, one by one
and are gathered above, Dut they
are leaving a legacy, an inheritance
! for their children, and their chill
dren's Children duty, to conmem-
crate their noble deeds, in marbl :
song and history Let none of us be
recreant to our trust, let US not be
ashamed to proclaim their acts oil
| heroism to all the ages, because they
to separate from an unjust govern
ment (headed as we will grant now
/ by we'll meaning fanatics) and es-
tablish a government more to our
liking, dS We HdO every CO0St1Iu-
tlonal right TO do-althtough many
question this right. True, our cause
did not succeed, but that does not
proclaim us IN the wrong as to our
constitutional rights? God willed il
otherwise, and we must submit
| while we go on and buila our monu
mer1tS write ot1r histories aud enc
our songs. This right is still left u:
and the right to display our dea'
old battle flags is finally relegates
to us by (now) gracious govern
ment. In behalf of the Private Tay
lor Rucks chapter of the Daughter:
of the Confederacy, l present thi:
flag to you children of the publ,
| school, in all love and charity t.
the existing state of things and trus
that in honoring its ssfars and bars
no thought of disioyaity to our zcoun
.try's Stars and Strips Of today
will tarnish ever the beautiful in
spiration Of nation commemoratini
its heroes and its battles in caus,
i fought for our constitutional rights
/ even though It Be Lost Cause