The review. [volume] (High Point, N.C.) 1908-19??, 1913-09-04
Copyright, 1902, by
SYNOPSIS

N0Pyr0n<s iSV<, oy
SYNOPSIS
Nelse heroic old negro, returns from
Lees surrender to the desolate ruined
SOUTH bringing Mrs. CASTOR and her little
son the news of Colonel Gaston's death.
The widow is Frustrated.
Tom Camp, poor white Confederaxs
soldier reaches home peg leg cripple
for life and cheerfully begins his struggle
to make living in his little place behind
Mrs. Gaston's This scene of peaceful
rebuilding is broken by northern teachers
who preach negro equality.
Rising tide of anarchy by proclain,ing the
Views of the marty-ed Lincoln. His
words fall on deaf cars
The south is transformed into a roaring
hell Of riot and confusion b. the recon-
struction acts which cafranchise the ne
groes and disfranchise thousands Of
whites.
The people ists=;::5STteiy neved their
heads, Fred by the subtle quality of in
tense emotion the tones of his voice
communicated and many of the peo-
pie were already in tears.
'"ThOU turnest man to destruction:
and say est return. We children of men.
"WhO knOwest the power of thine
anger?
"Retprn, o Lord. how long? and let
1t repent thee concerning thy servants.
Beloved, he continued. ut was
permitted unto your fathers and broth
ers and children to die for their coun-
try. You must live for her in the
black hour OF despair. There will be
no roar of guns. no long lines of CLEAN
ing bayoneti, no flash of pageantry or
martial music to stir your souls.
"You are called to go down. man by
man, alone, naked and unarmed in the
blackness of night. and fight with the
powers of hell for your civilization.
you must look this question square
~ in the face. You are to be put to
The supreme test. You are to stand at
ehe judgment bar Of the ages and make
good your right to life. The attempt
is to be deliberately made to blot out
Anglo-Saxon society and substitute
African barbarism.
"In the madness of party passions.
for the first time in history. all anar-
chiSt, Thaddeus Stevens, has obtained
the dictatorship of a great constitu-
tional government. hauled down its
flag and nailed the black flag OF con-
fscation and revenge to its masthead.
Lincoln, with his great human heart
and broad craftsmanship. could have
saved us. But the south had no luck.
God alone is our help. Let us hold
fast to our faith in him. We can only
cry with aching hearts in the language
of the psal1nist of old. "Eow long, y
Lord. how longY"
The people left the church with
heavy hearts. They were hopelessly
depressed. In the afternoon, as the
churches were being slowly emptied.
groups of negroes stood on the corners
talking loudly and discussing the
meaning Of this new Sunday SO
strangely observed. 1t began to snow.
It was late in March, and this was
Rn unusual phenomenon IN the south.
The next morning the earth was COW
cred with four inches of snow that
glistened in the sun with strange
found that every snowdrop had in 1t
a tiny red spot that looked like
drop of blood. Nothing of this kind
had ever been seen before in the his
tory of the world, so far as any one
knew.
This freak of nature seemed ,har-
binger Of sure and terribls calamity.
Even the most cultured and thoughtful
could not shake off the impression 1t
made
The preacher did his best to cheer
the people in his daily intercourse with
them. His Sunday sermons seemed
i'll these darkest days unusually tender
and hopeful. 1t was a marvel to those
who heard his bitter and sorrowful
speech on the day of fasting and
prayer that he could preach such SER
mons as those which followed.
1t seemed a joke sometimes as he
thought of it, huge. preposterous
joke, this actual attempt to reverse
the order of nature. turn society up
side down, and make thick Tipped.
nat nosed negro, but yesterday taken
from the Jungle, the ruler of the proud
est and strongest race of men evolved
III two thousand years of history. Yet
when he remembered the fierce pas
Sons in the hearts of<the demagogues
who were experimenting with this
social dynamite it was joke that took
on heliish. sinister meaning.
When Charlie CASTOR reached his
nome after a never to be forgotten day
III the woods, he found a ragged little
ulrt smeared negro boy peeping
shiol:::ls t!.e rence into the woodward.