Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1909-02-05

mortal; Jackson, the invincible;
Ashhy, the fuperb; Forrest. the un-
conquered; Morgan, the dauntless;
Stewart, the peerless; and the heroic
men who followed the flag OF liberty
Justice and truth. These women will
teach our story to the .lisping babe
and it will 1--we forever. No good
story loses in the telling. Tell
whatever you will, men of the South,
of thel grand women OF the war
days. ] do not care how extravagant
your story may sound to other ears,
the men who wore the gray know 1t Is
true. And we know the women oil
1S6l-65 fairly won our alteration and
all that we can say for them, for their
love, fidelity and loyalty to the cause
we loved and lost. And right here,
comrades, l want to say that l Go
honestly believe that the work OF the
women of the South has done more to
perpetuate the story of the great con-
fict than has been done in the work OF
the men of the South. These girls OF
today have the force Of character OF
their mothers, they have the fidelity
and devotion displayed by their
mothers in the dark days OF our peril
they never faltered in their love for
us, nor in their loyalty to our Cause;
they stood with us, bearing their share
of the burden, and they must have
their page in history with US. If they
do not have their page in the history
of 1s6l-65, the story will not be crm-
plete. the history, false.
| Daughters of the Confederacy, your
mothers wrote upon the pages OF fame
| in lS6l-65 a story that is engraved
deep upon the hearts of the CoHfed-
crate soldiers. so deep that time can
rot efface it. II is the grandest story
ever told by human tongue, or written
by the pen OF man. IL is story II
| told every hour in the day would lose
none OF It's sweetness nor charm. Tell
it over and over; its telling will never
turn bitter nor harsh 10 the ear OF the
true Confederate soldier who honestly
wore the gray. To you, daughters OF
the Confederacy, your mothers be-
! queathed the story. 1t is yours to
tell. It's telling will gladden. the hearts
OF the man who wore the Jacket OF
gray: il will warm his old heart, it
will take him back 10 those days OF
his youth when his soul was tested
: 10y fire, his manhood tried by shot and
she'll. Tell your grand old story
again and again. 1t is true. wish
the pencil Of the artist were mine that
could paint for the coming genera
tions the grandest picture OF woman.
hood the world has ever known, the
woman of the South during the war
of 1s6l.6j.
In the Book of Life, with the in
delible ink OF God, the story OF the
Southern woman is written, 1t will
never fade. it will never grow dim. II
I could push back for you the curtain
OF time that hides from the view OF
the generations OF today the days OF
the war, would do it for a moment
that indeed you might see your moth
ers as they were in the days OF the
war, and you would fully understand
why the Confederate soldier loves
these women OF the past.
This word picture which | have
tried to paint, comrades, was painted
for you long ago, whom the sword OF
the invader flashed death over our
land. 1t was painted by the glare OF
the torch that destroyed our homes.
1t is picture Of conservation and
love. II is the picture Of our women :
implicit faith in God, true picture
of what your mothers endured. II is
| the picture that cheered the Confeder-
ate soldier on TO deeds Of valor that
startled the world.
The women of l86l-65 were not only
our miniStering angels, they were
more than this, they were our inspira-
ton. 1t was their sublime courage
that drove black despair from OIL
hearts, and bid the dove OF hope
! spread his white wings about US when
our days were darkest, these grand
women never faltered, they looked M
: to God and prayed for US. In the
terrible days of the war, when The
mourning crepe hung from every door
when every heart in the South was
} bowed in grief and pain, it was ther
we learned 10 love and velerate oui
noble women, aud we knew the South
e land possessed the grandest woman
! hood OF the world.
Il Our peerless women cared FOR us
they prayed for us, and today we boV
] our heads in veneratiOn and love fo'
I the conservation they made for US
l Daughters of the Confederacy OF to
= day, as we felt the love of your moth
I ers in the days of the war, we feel to
Q day your love and charity to ward u
t now like the benediction after tn
prayer.
Let me tell you of the noble Con
federate mother, as she girded on ne
. only boy the sword, hear her SPARTA
; farewell, "Go, my son, your countr
needs your service. Come back to IN
in honor, or come back upon you
shield" and that boy was his mother
s consecration upon her coun try
o Alar, in Liberty's holy name.
mo braver danes had Sparta,
No nobler matrons, Rome,
d than those peerless women OF tn
l. Southland. Sons and daughters c
e today, these noble women were you