The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-05-21

than he mere design 9f reverence"
~. pregnant with The beginning
~ history in the date of the Iwen.i
II n Max.
Through the generations i has oe'
cur-a5 again and again as the tirntaf
p5int II those crachs about |h'cf
deatirv revaiycs. ami from WIZ
~rrogrc.e dates. and to which ~
of tragedy reyerts 70 c''
accounts Or popular dciiverance.
IN the length ~ the shadow that =
east across the future Of the W"ri1
the greatest Twentieth # Nav vas
t4at which had its signfcance In TIE
county Of MecklcnurR. when the sign
ers Of the nr2 Declaration Of lnde-
iendcncc gathered together 10 make
defiance t. the organized strength u
the world that. vas bailded on INC
tradition Of oppression. TO inaugural
a new. order. and To start in motion
tie evolution Of humanity from ser'-
dom 70 kingship.
Almost it would seem that the IN
faite GOOD looked down on that sim
PIE gathering Of provincial men; that
TO their human eyes was given the
vision OF the seer: that, as Destiny
delights to choose an unsuspeeted We
Iicle. II picked the man Of Mecklen-
Iurg and endowed them with a divine
courage ana invested their acts with
the force of prophecy.
ANA the years passed and that which
was the dream OF hearts indomitable
became the fact Of history. Impe3led
by its promise and its invitation. sane
toned bv the deeds with whfeh It
lowered and the spirit which gave IT
voice. the whole world stirred in its
sleep and opened wondering eyes to
the new light and the new confidence.
Drawn as by a magnet Of faith, the
oppressed poured to the shores OF tne
Colonies that were weak and from
their soil found new strength to make
them great. Looking and wondering,
the poor in spirit everywhere felt the
rev energy. everywhere found the
heart to strive and the power to do.
France wrought more bloodily what
the nation she had helped To freedfn
did more easily b the independent
beginnings of its blood. The spirit Of
liberty grew throughout the world;
the doctrine Of humanity became the
doctrine Of government; Kings wno
had ruled as of their right found that
here had been made for them the
silent but compelling constitution of
the peipIe's will.
This started in Mecklenburg, n
North Carolina. The Impulse has car
ried far. but it is yet in the beginning.
Today. in widening circles and With
force the impulse Of one hun
dred and thirty-two years ago still
sweeps onward through the years to
the time whe the final barrier shall
been submerged ms the peoples
the world shall rest in peace and
smile with labor.
That was the first twentieth Of
Again in North carolina, the day
has the deep significance of marking
the date on which a reluctant people
the choice of heart and took the
of their blood against betraY-
al ct the price of wealth and security
at the cost of kinship. The TwentiAth
of May. 1861. when the flag of the
C~onfederacy became the symbol Of the
allegiance of the State, marks the
definition Of the peoples c~haracte~.
remains a heritage Of pride that
more brightly through the
mists of tears in which it was born.
Around the twentieth of MAY of
forty-six years ago cluster the tokens
Of Bethel, hang the pictures of Get
tysburg and ~Chicamauga and the Will
derness; are suggested the gaunt out
lines of retreats, of surrender; is renew
ID the heartbreak Of Appomattox. Pre-
was this the day which ex-
alted faith and degraded opportunity.
which set for generations the example
Of love and valor out Of which alone
can come a perfect conservation
once again, or May goth. 1872,
there seemed to be re%-announced the
spirit of the day when the young Gu
Republic was formally l~aunche1,
in defense of whose right to live and
to be free this State furnished in the
War with Spain, the first Offering IN
life Of Bagley, the realization in
blood spilled at Kings Mountain
in that of Shipp, the renewed tradi- |
of loyalty and duty done for du-
tvs sake in the achievements of Hci.-
and of Blue.
Time is marked with steps that hes
but never really retreat. Cuba
is not still free, may yet have period
of waiting till the ideal of Peace thai.
gave endorsement to a war shall have
long hence met its final achievement.
the faltering is not in the heart
Of this good old state, which. with the
of chivalry and the habit OF
sacrifice, proved with the blood and
deeds of her best and ~tronges the
sincerity OF her past and the pledge cr
future.
And noW, once more, as was TIE
in 1895. are the people gathering
on the Twentieth Of May to renew the
covenant; to come together to bon,r
the memory of a faith kept and y
duty done bravely in the sight of men
and gods: to recast the pages of tba
years n spell the well remem barad
lessons over again-that. when onna
more the summons shall come Of
nI aI, -