Hattiesburg daily news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1907-1908, 1907-10-18

real, true valor than did the bravest
of brave Spartans. You left the Con-
federate ranks penniless, sore and
thousands wounded to return to where
you four years before had left happy
homes and dear ones, in plenty, where
you found a land ransackedland made
desolate by the enemy; you found the.
land teeming with widows, orphans
and childless mothers and fathers, and
to land of waste and ruin. Not the
bitterness of defeat could have tempt
ed you to end the struggle, but it
seems now that the universal desola-
ton and sorrow which lowered over
this beautiful Southland almost tempt
ed you to end the bitterness and al
most caused you to turn upon your
own weak, half starved selves to fall
asleep beneath the Calling yoke. but
tainted with no drop of cowardice you
accepted your fate, and with the brave
and unequalled women of the South,
you went to work as you had fought
to bring order out of chaos, and we'll
have you succeeded.
The sad desolate Southland to
which your returned to only about 40
years ago, has if by magic arisen from
ruins, until today our section of the
United States is the admiration of
the world over. With Confederate
soldiers in our highest offices and
places of honor, trust and useful
ness, we have taken the front rank
in everything great. In literature,
art and wealth she is becoming first
The recent relief given the eastern
financial centers by the surplus money
in the South has demonstrated our
real wealth and taught the outside
world that though you did not sue
coed in war, you have succeeded in
amazing the world with your energy
and determination. The greatest her
itage young man can have In this
age is to be the son of Confederate
veteran and next to that is to be a
son of the growing South. He that is
an offspring of both can face the world
with the assurance of success, and
he is rich indeed / might stand here
for hours and tell you of the greatness
of this beautiful Southland, whose
destiny you by the splendor of your
manhood has shaped, but time does
not allow, =
( / shall now come to the thing l have
been selected to do, and that is to
bid you welcome. Enshrined in the
heart of every veteran of the lost
cause is the memory of its greatest
chieftain, and when we speak the
name of Robert En- Lee, every lover
of the pure and the good instinctively
uncovers with reverence. Robert e.
Lee has said the noblest word in hui
man language is duty" And we all
accept Internationally the statement
that the sweetest words that ever
fell on mortal ear are mother, home
and heaven" These reflections lead
me to- say that there is no word more
human and Therefore more fitting for
such an occasion As this than the
word welcome" The technology of
which is said to be 1T rs well you have
come" We sincerity hope YOU will
nnd during your stay among US that
the entomology harmonises with the
actually. as stated esteem the hon
or conferred on me in being permit
ted to greet you here today, and To
say with all fervor of the warm throlp-
bling heart of young man of the
South, son of veteran, lover OF
all our traditions and deep sympa-
thizer with the veterans in all their
sorrows incident to the frosted brow,
the bending form and lettering step,
as they from year to year keep alive
on memories alter the deeds Of valor,
the scenes of camp life and the suffer
ing and sorrow incident to war by
these reunions and camp meetings.
/ admire and commend every ef-
fort of the Daughters of the Confed-
eracy and the Sons of Veterans to
more permanently enshrine those
deeds by their varied assemblies and
practical labors for the comfort of
the veteran and the proper education
and instillment of the children and