The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1913-09-11

suburb -of-the Burlington, Confeder-
ate soldiers and their friends, gathered
Friday, September 4th. in a notable
reunion. -
Before the morning sun had exhaled
the dew from the freshened leaves, the
! spacious auditorium, in the center of
number of less pretentious buildings,
was filling by arrivals from the COM
munity and many distant points of the
State. Smiles upon the faces and
greetings upon the lips evinced the good
fellowship animating all classes and
creeds, and told that the cup of days
pleasure was brimming. Here and
there in the windings of the throng.
| like frost-fakes from the winter of hfe
among the youthful, were sprinklings
of old veterans who had followed the
fortunes of their cause till it went down
before resistless numbers. Their talk
was OF battles, victories and defeats.
AS they pictured stirring scenes in the
deadly tempest it was less a marvel to
some why, in a distant and dim antiq-
uity, a rude but valorous soldiery
would gather about their proudest chief
upon the field of his conquest and
crown him with the dignity of God.
In the many speeches and statements
marking the proceedings, nothing fell
more pleaslngly upon the ear than the
warm and pronounced asseveration of
gratitude and delight arising from the
great reunion of all soldiers upon the
field of Gettysburg last July. Such an
anniversary fifty years after the most
fateful and bloody battle known to
civilization, in which former foes met
at brothers graves to let brothers quar-
rels die, as no similarity in the history
of revolutions. Gratefully constructed
resolutions were offered and enthusiasts
callv adopted, breathing the patriotic
sentiment born in the fraternal har-
monies of clasplng hands and mingling
hearts in July. 1918, on the battle field
of Gettysburg. Fifty-fve thousand
were there, where fifty years before
more than two hundred thousand, under
illustrious chiefs, had locked arms for
mastery in a three days. strife.
At the close of the usual business
transactions in the morning session.
by invitation, C. M. Miller of Keyser,
made an address. Following this adj
dress came what the people about Bur
lington lightly term lunch" but
which was feast of good things fit to
serve king, and more than the multi
tude could consume in two hours of de
voted trial.
The Hon. john Cornwell, the orator
of the day. was gracefully introduced
at two o'clock. The well established
reputation of MIR. Cornwell as a popular
speaker upon the West Virginia hust-
ings, was shown here, as on all occa-
sions, to be a resistless magnet. In a
chastely cOuched preface the speaker de-
clared he was not present to extol either
the soldiers in the ranks or the COM
hdhuels lhey lolo"eu, lhdC 10 llAeu III
history and will continue there while
history continues. He wished to use the
opportunity for a review of how the
South had recovered from the defeat,
desolation and poverty of the time. At
the close of hostilities an atmosphere of
impenetrable darkness hung over the
South homes were in ruin. the white
race disfranchised, and the State and
county government maintained by the
power of the Federal administration in
the hands of an unlettered people just
liberated from slavery. To day, less
than half of century, she stands out