The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1912-05-15

Sumter along with other places
in the South has for many years set
apart May 10th as Memorial Day on
which by appropriate ceremonies fit
tingly honor the heroes who wore the
gray. Friday was no exception to
this rule and as usual more than a
thousand people gathered at the GEM
etehy to pay their respects to the
dead heroes and to join in the Ser
vices and hear the address Of Jus
tice Charles a. Woods. Of Marion.
who had been chosen by the United
Daughters of the Confederacy to
deliver the annual memorial address.
All Of the stores were closed in
the afternon i'm observance Of the
custom and all of the banks were
closed throughout the day. The Sum-
ter bar association took Mr.. Woods,
the two guests of honr. out To Gains
Mill and rendered them big fish
stew and made the day very eni oy-
able for all.
During school hours the choldren Of
the primary schools at Washington
st. school decorated the Confederate
monument OH the school square
really the school is on the monument
square--and at the school exercises
appropriate to the day were held.
honor of the day was the second an
nual dinner given the veterans by
Dick Anderson chapter, Daughters of
the Confederacy. Under the great
oaks on court square. behind the
court house. tables were spread, and
here four score Of the old boys sat
down to enjoy bounteous repast,
'served in the best manner and shared
with the comrades OF half century
ago. The dinner was a great sue
cess and the veterans gathered SEEM
ed to have real enjoyment from
It,
In the afternoon the Veterans were
conveyed to the cemetery In auto
mobiles.
The exercises at the graves Of the
Confederate dead in the cemetery
began at 8 i'm the afternoon. The
procession formed at the gate on the
avenue and moved to the stand al
the graves. where was gathered a
crowd of fully a thousand people.
The Sumter band lead the procession.
and next came Camp Dick Anderson
and other veterans. Then came the
little flower girls. then the Sumter
Light Infantry, and the rear was
brought up by the companies of the
high school battalion. After the
speakers and veterans had been seat
cd on the large new stand. X. - P,r
dy asked Rev. Walter /. Herbert to
offer a prayer. After this the band
played, and during the music the
flower girls decorated the graves Of
the Confederate dead. Next Mr.
Purdy introduced the speaker of the
day. Justice Charles A. Woods.
Mr.. Woods said that often on SINH
lar and other occasion had been
praised the courage of the Confed
crate soldier. displayed during the
war of the sixties. Beo ause Of warI.cu
representations in history. he said,
even the Southern people were grow
ing up believing that slavery was
the skeleton in the Southern closet,
and that the least it was shown the
better. Justice Woods believed that
IL such skeleton existed that the
best course was to open the closet and
let in The bright sunlight and the
pure air. and. therefore. speaking. as
he said not To the veterans. but for
them, he COsc for his subject "The
Confederate Soldiers View on
Slavery"
The address of Mr. Woods was a
mastery handling of the subject lie
reviewed the history of slavery. show
ed how the decay had set i'm i'm states
and countries where ii did not pay 9 :
I'm investment. showed how the trade
had never been foStcrcd i'm tho S'0utl,
a. II had i'm the North, show .G how
the question Of aholshmcnt had ac-
tuaUy been ballOtcd on i'm the South
before the agitation was started in
the North; and that when the North
crn aholitioriSts began their ncfari-
"us course that compcl!cd the South
Z" take the course adopted H.,
showed, too how the men Of tin,
south Know thMt frncing In. hnrdn.