The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1909-10-01
|GDLDEBIA DAUGHTERS
|GHEBRATE CENTENARY
OF RAPHAEL SEMMES
.,s uuNoREDTH ANNIVERSARY
W. ~ GREAT NAVAL COMMAND
ER FITTINGLY KEPT.
9Oj PROGRAM CARRIED OUT

=, Gamers Orator of The Day-GaVe
sketch of DauntIess PriVateer, His
lie And Achievements-Solo by
Mrs. Forgey.
Tho one hundredth anniversary of
,bs birth of Admiral Raphael Semmes,
,be dauntless Confederate privateer
chose naval career is second not even
~ that Of John Paul Jones, and whose
shin the Alabama" swept the seas
until sent to Davy Jones' locker in a
duol with the "Kearsage" was fittingly
and appropriately celebrated Monday
afternoon by the Daughters of the
Confederacy.
The celebration was given by Win
mic Davis Chapter and was presided
over by Miss Gene Dobbins, the capa-
HE president of the chapter. Maury
CHAPTER was present in body, the
invited guests of the occasion. The
4 Century Club ball room had been gen.
erously rendered and was decorated
with the flags of the two chapters and
beautiful autumn flowers. Rev. Wal
fer Branham Capers was the orator
of the day and delivered an inspiring
address on the life, character and
achievements of the great Rebel COM
mander
The exercises were opened with the
L. D. c. ritual, conducted by DR.. Ca
pers. Following this the Doxology
was sung.
my Rosary" was next rendered by
Mrs. Charles Forgey as a vocal solo.
Mrs. Forgey sang with her accus-
toned sweetness and brilliancy and
the number was voted the musical
treat of the celebration.
The exercises were concluded by
the singing of "Auld Lang Syne" by
the two chapters.
DR.. Capers in his address said in
part:
One of the misfortunes conquered
people are called upon to suffer is to
have the conquerors write their his
tory. This is just what happened to
the South; defeated the North has
written her history and given it's YER
sion of the war. Gradually, however,
the truth is being told; the South is
being understood, and her heroes are
receiving their Just measure of praise.
One or two examples will illustrate
the thought | have in mind. II you
look into any of the encyclopedias you
will fail to find, until within very re-
cent years, any reference made to the
battle of Kings mountain, which was
the turning point of the Revolution
airy War The New England scholars
wrote the histories then, as now, and
New England is represented as hav-
ing won her independence and freed
us from the tyranny Of King George
III.
The other day when was asked 10
address this chapter OF patriotic
young women on the subject OF Ra-
phael Semmes, the south's greatest
naval hero, | searched the encyclo-
pedias in vain to find more, than. a.
mere mention of him, and one OF the
Standard Biographical Encyclopedias
that Of Lippincotts, devotes about
four lines to a memorandum OF him,
and then has him born in 1910, instead
Of 1909. In recent publication which
have in my library. 1.-The Making OF
America a chapter is devoted to
Our Navy and Naval Heroes" but
there is no mention of Semmes.
mention this because I wish TO en-
dorse the effort that is being maze
Ilioushout the South to annually COM
memorate the natal days of our own
heroes, and upon such occasion 10,
from time to time, have their records
looked up, the motives for their con-
ouct analysed, and their notable
achievements placed before the pub
'c.IS
Nv IS to the man who is the sub
eetN our informal talk this AFTER
lo0n; Raphael Semmes belonged to
worthy and ancient family of Mary
and. His ancestors we're, l believe,
Welsh. He was educated in the COM I
non schools of Maryland, studied law,
ecame a mid-shipman in the Navy, !
nally abandoned the idea of the law
nd determined to devote himself to
ne service of his country on the high
eas. As hag-lieutenant he disting-
Ished himself in 1S47 in our war with
leXico He displayed great skill and
'Ient in embarking the army of Gen. /