The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1907-02-16
THE NEW COURT HOUSE.

The court house at this place is
now being dismantled and Will
soon be RACED to the ground to give
place to a more elegant, modern
building. 1t was erected about
the year 1850. It's builder was Hon.
Joshua Baker, who was then the
owner Of Fairfax plantation IN
this parish. We are told that 1t
was erected entirely by slave
labor: that every mechanic who
wrought thereon was slave OF It's
builder and contractor. Its simple
and stately Grecian architecture
is typical OF the unique purity ana
grandeur Of the old South. Ihat
era in our country's greatness when
the statesmen Of the South con-
trolled the best thought OF the re-
public-when selfish and sordld
purposes were unable to live in
the brilliant sunlight Of honest
and fervent patriotism-when the
machine politician of to-day was
unknown, unheard OF and un-
thought Of.
When we consider this old
building alone as physical re-
minder of the past-that the era
Of ST. Mary's greatest and truest
effort. even the most progressive
among US, who are to the manor
born. must feel a twinge OF deep
regret as we behold the material
OF this old structure piece by piece
torn apart and thrown into the
rubbish, just as the dear old time It
commentaries is gone, and is
now almost forgotten.
To many now living tender and
sacred memories cluster around
this old court house building OF
st. Mary. Its walls have resound-
ed often with the mighty elo-
quence and logic Of great men
while discussing the greatest
problems OF law, political econ
omy and ethics-Benjamin. Soule,
the Hunts, and many others.
Within its wall also the mothers,
wives, sisters, daughters and sweet
hearts of St. Mary's Confederate
soldiers gathered day by day du-
ring wars awful time-sewing
from morn till night that their
love ones might have the comforts
which their country was too poor
to furnish. Two-thirds Of the
gallant MIN they sewed for, wept
for-prayed for there-never re-
turned. But Of its many associa-
tons, the tenderest of them all is
the last. when the great
lamented Gallery, standing
on the brink Of his grave,
with matchless and fervent elo-
quence appealed to the courts OF
his State to spare this one monu-
ment of St. Mary's part in the
glory of the old South.
But the forces which control the
empire of progress are inexorabie.
The way must be cleared for them.
The restlessness of growing pop
ulation; commercialism, corrupt
or pure new ideas, right or wrong,
have the right of way, and their
march is op-on--they have no
memories-they have no past.
Theirs is the present, big, pow
erful strenuous-selfish. There
fore, old things must pass away,
and old ideas, however great and
sacred, must pass with them.
The empire of progress will brook
no resistance.
So it is now here with US. Our
old Temple Of Justice must go.
1t has out-lived it's time they say.
1t is Inadequate for the needs and
comforts of the people OF this
progressive age-and none can
successfully dispute this last
proposition. The new temple
when it is finished will amply
subserve every need. In richness,
in comfort, in usefulness, and in
the beauty OF its architecture it
will indeed be a monument to the
generation that is erecting it.
Therefore, let the old building go
in peace, out let its hallowed
associations finger forever. God
grant that the lessons of life, truth,
justice, patriotism and political
honor taught by the masters who
wrought in the old building. may
linger in the hearts and guide to
continued righteousness the minds
of those who will serve their parish
and people in the modern building
which is about to arise, in all its
grandeur, on its ashes.