The Palatka news and advertiser., 1915-09-10

the ordinance of secession-and the
state stood alone. Even Mr.. Petrl-
CRU, the most brilliant man of his day
in the city, and the leader of those
who had stood against secession, was
confident of their right. 1.-The state
is sovereign" he said. What can
put a hook in the nose Of Leviathan II
Then there were days of breathless
waiting. Timrod, the greatest OF
Carolina poets, vividly expressed the
feeling:
"Calm as that second summer which
precedes
The first fall of the snow,
In the broad sunlight of heroic deeds
The city bides the foe.
As yet behind their ramparts stern
and proud,
Her bolted thunders sleep =
Dark Sumter, like a battlemented
cloud,
Looms DER the solemn Deep"
Not long did the bolted thunders
sleep. Soon the "Star of the West"
the ship sent to revictual the fort by
the United States government, was
fired upon, and General Beauregard
came to command the city. Fort
Sumter was bombarded for five hours,
and then surrendered, and the new
flag, the Stars and Bars, and the Pal
metto flag of the state waved over
Fort Sumter, and the war was on.
And when later in the war Charles
ton was invested and besieged, the de-
fenses of the harbor stood the siege
for SGT days, and the city only sur
roundered then because Sherman was
coming up on the land side.
Thus in two wars-the Revolution
and the war between the states-the
defenses of Charleston harbor have
proved the truth of that same report
to the Lords Proprietors which San
ford made when he says in 1t:
"And we doe further avouch that
this country may be more securely
settled and defended from any of the
attempts of it's native inhabitants
than any of those other places which
our countrymen have refined from the
dross of Indian barbarism."
The fleets of France, Spain, Great
Britain and the United States have all
tried to break down the defense of the
city and have failed
Charleston has suffered more by
fire than by war. In the years 174H,
I1798, 1858, it was almost destroyed,
losing in this last year it's chief build
ing both for beauty and historic inter-
est-St. Philips Church, said at the
Ime to be the finest building in Am
erica. Again in 1888 and in 1861 it
was devastated by destructive fires.
The city has also suffered from time
to time by dreadful storms and cy-
clones; it has been laid waste by an
earthquake; it has suffered oftener
and more cruelty by war than any
other American city, and yet neither
the pride nor the spirit of her people
has been broken.
The story of the past of Charleston
has been charmingly told by Mrs. St.
Julien Ravenel in her book, "CharleS-
ton-The Place and The People," 70
which book | ann indebted for some Of
the facts of this paper. But Charles
ton is not only city with pictures
que and noble past, but with a prom
ising and fine future.
Modern progress has touched her
INTO vigorous life without Spolllng het
charm or her beauty. Modern bust
ness now makes her old streets TEEN
with busy life, modern ships of trade
now drop their anchors at her
wharves, mighty dreadnoughts nov
come and go into her navy yard.
Like the wise householder of Scrip
ture, she draws out of her treasure
house things old and new. Her old
things are rich with traditions of the
past, her new things are bright with
promise for the future. She still
looks out over the sea, proud of her
past, satisfied with her present, con-
hdent that she will have spirit and
strength to meet whatever the future
may have in store for her-and quite
confident that there are many features
of her life and civilization which new
er communities might well possess t.
their advantage.