Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1915-04-14
SENlI.CENTENNIAL.
ANNIVERSARIES.

Last Friday was the annlVersaf
of the collapse of the late Southef
Confederacy, after four years en-
durance on the part of gallant me-
who formed the southern army. 1t wa
n case of exhaustion and inability an.
longer to face the oyerwheimlns
numbers of their foes as well a
their inexhaustible resources. 1t wa
simply might prevailing over VIVA
will be considered right by the hun
rry and tattered survivors OF TIM
Army of Northern Virginia who were
forced to give up the fight, but no
their principles.
Probably the south was over-conli
dent at the outset, as many have beer
since the dawn of history. linden
burg is poking fun at the English
army today. He does not regart
those composing this great aggrega
ton as soldiers, and is confident the
regulars of Germany will scatter then
as. they,.would old women with brooms
There have been rude awakenings tc
others; he may experience disappolnt'
ment. Numbers do count. The south
realized this truth long before they
found their cause was doomed to be
numbered with the lost!
While the hopes of the newly
formed Southern Confederacy were
at their height and before any bat
ties had been fought, Senator Ben
Hill said in one of his speeches: The
North will not fight. There will be
ro-war-.~-But-snou the North be-so
foolish as to so into the contest there
never was a people on the face OF the
earth so we'll prepared as we. 1t
should be an aggressive war. The
war should be carried into Africa
and when the cities of the North are
laid in ashes and the countrS de~as-
tated and laid waste. then sc shall
find that the people of the North vii!
be the ones to ask for terms and sue
for peace"
Four years later many who APP
plauded the Senator crowded around
Andrew Jackson asking executive
clcmency.
John Bunyan in the preface to his
"pilgrim'S Progress" says he started
to write Il hook on different lines en-
tircly from those in his chef douvrc,
but went off on another tack. We
started to say something in reference
to today being the fifticth anniver-
sary of the assassination Of Presi-
dent Lincoln but in the prelude drift
ed in another direction. The papers
this morning reproduced the history IL
connection with that unfortunate oc-
currence in American annals. Some
of us remember scenes in Alexandra
ON the morning of the fifteenth II
was necessary to tread easy as any
thoughtlcss remark was deemed oil
sufficient Importance by the military
TO land the offender in prison. c.
two or three occasions persons al!
legged to have been guilty of over
remarks were quickly locked up.
The great mass of those native ant
TO the manner born mingled thei
regrets with soldiers and union sym
pathizers that the President had bec'
shot down at a time when the Swor'
was about to be returned to tn
scabbard.
President Wilson yesterday issue
am executive order for the obseryane
of the fiftieth anniversary OF III
death of Abraham Lincoln:
He said: "As an evidence OF tn
profound affection of the America
people for the memory of Abraham
.--Nln, it is hereby ordered that tn
tive offices of the United State
be closed an dthat the natlons
be displayed at half-mast npo
all Federal buildings and at all fort
and military posts and naval station
and on all vessels os the Unite
States. and that the representative
of the United States in foreign cour
tries shall in like manner pay az
propriate tribute to'his memory, 9
tuesday, April Is, 1913, theEfftie,
versarytof his death. The owne
masters of all merchant ships
United States are requested SIT
lrly to display the national flag
aH-masta