The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-01-12
Alabama Woman Tells Confederate Veterans Some the
esting Events and Impressions at the Recent Conven
] tion of the United Daughters of the Confed-
l.. eracy in Washington
BY MRS. cHAPrELL CORY

| ans, Grand Army of the Republic and
Daughters of the American Revolution,
while seats for other guests were provid-
ed in front
| On the rostrum overlooking the spot
where the cornerstone was to be laid was
the master of ceremonies, Col. Hilary A.
| Herbert. the orator, Col William J. Bry-
| an; Bishop Robert A. Gibson of Virginia
Rev. DR.. Randolph II. McKim, Miss Mary
| Curtis Lee. only living daughter of Gen.
Robert E. Lee; Mrs. Odenheimer, presid-
ing officer of the conventions; Mrs. Mar
| vim Butler, president of the District of
Columbia division; Corporal James Tan
ner. former commander Grand Army of
the Republic: Mr. Wallace Streater, treas
urer Arlington monument committee Off
| to one side was the stand for the Marine
| Band, which interspersed beautiful south
ern melodies. 1t was a memorable and
| impressive occasion. There was enthu-
siasm, solemnity and deep interest; there
was splendid oratory and high ideals:
| there was much remembering and much
| yes, more wonderful of all-much forgiv-
ing. There was glory and shouting and
waving of flags. and mingling of Blue
and Gray and in spite of it all and be-
cause of it all there was mingling OF
| tears.
Uplifting Spectacle
| 1t was one of the most uplifting gpec-
tacles ever witnessed in any land, a SUI
preme moment for every soul present As
| sat there and looked through the gor-
geous forest toward the shining river
where Lees home still stands on southern
soil, as / reviewed chow could 1 help iD
| that sorrowful. bitter past as 1 thought
on the splendid monuments erected to the
northern dead, with all their illuminating
records. and never a shaft and never a
word of praise fer a southern soldier boy;
L. -
whose life and heart were twined about
the home out yonder, even as the ivy
about it's walls; as heard the words of
wisdom and the need of praise for north
as well as south from the southern man.
hood on that stage, 1 wondered in my
human erring soul how they could so for
give and forget, and as I looked and
looked again through the forest golden
and red with falling leaves, and mused
on the devastated homes, the libraries and
colleges laid in ashes. thought of the ter
rible reconstruction days and all the pow
erty and want. remembered the riches
of the north and how the taxes of our
poor people were still used to help the
ever increasing pension of the victorious
brother soldier, while our poor old men
down in Dixie are still hungry for the
necessities, many are too proud to ask;
when / thought on these things, my heart
almost burst within me and almost aloud
cried: oh, southern men, and southern
women of the long ago. with the branch
of olive in your hand and the waters OF
Lethe at your feet, ] bow in silent rev.
erence before you! God, indeed, made
you the most wonderful people of the
earth. But even as / was thinking, a
manned and gray old man upon request
arose and began to speak.
There was a great silence over all that
throng, for he was one of the noted OF
those who fought on the other side He.
too, had been listening and remembering
and he poured forth in torrent of elo-
quence the thoughts within his great soul.
And as he bravely and fearlessly paid the
tributes due the south and her gallant
men and her suffering people, and as he
spoke of the pain that was with him day
and night in his terrible wounds given
him by southern soldiers, I looked out
again under those trees and saw not the
old home by the shining river but the