Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-05-12
MEMORIAL DAY.

Memorial Day was observed here on
Wednesday for the thirty-sixth time
and was participated in by what was
perhaps a larger number Of persons
than on any previous occasion during
the years that this loving tribute has
been paid by the people of this COM
munity to the heroes who have an
swered the final roll call. The pre-
liminary exercises were held in the
opera house, commencing at 1890 a.
m. AS has been the custom for sew
eral years, the children Of the graded
school attended in a body, each grade,
beginning with the first, being march
ed in, in charge Of it's teacher until
about one-half the seating capacity Of
the room was thus taken up. The
balance of the room was taken up by
an audience composed of veterans,
| their wives, sons and daughters and
their wives and husbands, children and
friends, etc. Col. w. w. Lewis acted
as chairman. The exercises were
opened with prayer by Rev. T. T..
Walsh, after which a number Of songs
dear to the hearts of the lovers of the
lost cause were rendered by the school
children as well as several by a choir
composed of Misses Lila Herndon and
Margaret Hart, and Messrs. M. l.. Car
roll, Webb Heath, John Barnwell, P.
w. Love, Will bEdllOH Lowry dl
the piano. At the conclusion of the
preliminary exercises, the chairman
presented Rev. J. l.. Oates, pastor Of
the Associate Reformed Presbyterian
church as the principal speaker for
the occasion. Following is a pretty
full outline Of Mr.. Oatess address:
They say that in the long ago when
the hOrdes Of barbarians had swept
over southern Europe, they came one
day within the walls of the Imperial
City and stood before the gray haired
senator's; and they who had feared no
foe and who had shrunk from no mur-
derous charge, stood abashed before
the dignity Of age and wisdom. One
who might stand in the presence Of
even a descendant of the Old Guard,
or who might look into the face of
one of Dewey's men would have some
thing Of the same feeling of unworthi-
ness. But to one who stands in the
presence of you gray haired sons of
strife, uphOlders of principle, and
bearers of the bloody brunt Of our own
mighty war, there comes such a feel
ing of insignificance that we can but
say to you that your glory Is assured
your brows are already crowned with
the wreath of fame, and your honor
will live while men are able to bestow
honor upon those who are brave and
true. 1t well becomes ones duty then
in such an hour as this to turn from
you and address his remarks to the
generation following you that they
may learn the lesson they ought to
learn as they look upon your faces this
hour.
In Dickens famous Christmas Car
oil, he tells Of three spirits who came
to Scrooge. The Spirit of the Past"
THE Spirit of the Present." and THE
Spirit of the Future" So today there
are three spirits l want to call before
you. The first is the spirit Of
reverence. This seems to be an
age of irreverence. The children of
the present have so many superior op-
portunities, they know so much more
of many things than their fathers
their generation that they often fail
to feel or to show that reverence for
age or true worth or the mighty
achievements of the past which should
by right be shown. Now If l wanted
| to teach a man reverence for art, l
would take him to the great art pal
aces of the world and let him look on
| the speaking canvas or the moving life
in stone or the symphonies in stone.
If I wanted to teach him reverence for
learning l would bid him read the ar
|
stand on the forum Of some ancient
seat of wisdom and hear those wise in
counsel speak. Today l would teach
you reverence for age, for authority,
for nobility of purpose for true worth;
and in order to teach you this l bid
YOU look at these men who sit here
and see in them those same qualities
of constancy and greatness, which will
wiring from you reverence for men or
age and worth.
The next is the spirit of manhood.
One of the distinguishing qualities Of
manhood is willingness to give all for
the sake Of principle. Another is the
power of being just in the hour OF
success. Another is the ability to be
great in the hour of defeat. These
men gave their homes, their comfort,
their loves, their all, and those in their
graves gave their lives also for prin-
ciple. In the hour of their greatest
success they remembered to be just,
and in their darkest day of defeat they
were not cast down. They were men.