Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-06-07
GRADY'S FAMOUS Speech
Notable Ovation Of Greatest Southern
Orator.
PROPHETIC VISION OF THE new SOUTH
Mastery Effort Of Brilliant Georgian
Which Did Much Toward Re- Unity
ing National Spirit That Was Des-


On the 21st Of December, 1886, Mr..
Henry w. Grady, in response to an ur-
gent invitation, delivered the following
address at the banquet of the New
England club, New York:
There was south of slavery and
scces.ion--that south is dead. There
is south of union and freedom-that
south, thank God, is living, breathing,
growing every hour" These words,
delivered from the immortal lips of
Ben jamn H. Hill, at Tammany Hall,
in 1866, true then and truer now, l
shall make my text tonight.
Mr.. President and Gentlemen: Let
me express to you my appreciation of
the kindness by which am permitted
to address you. I make this abrupt
acknowledgment advisedly, for feel
that if, when I raise my provincial
voice in this ancient and august pres
ence, could find courage for no more
than the opening sentence, it would be
well if in that sentence had met in
rough sense my obligation as a guest,
and had perished so TO speak, with
courtesy on my lips and grace in my
heart. Permitted through your kind
ness, to catch my second wind, let me
say that I appreciate the significance
of being the first southerner to speak
at this board, which bears the sub
stance, il it surpasses the semblance
of original New England hospitality
and honors the sentiment that in turn
honors you, but in which my PERSONAL
ity is lost, and the compliment to my
people made plain.
l bespeak the utmost stretch Of your
courtesy tonight. I am not troubled
about those from whom come. You
remember the man whose wife sent
him to a neighbor with a pitcher OF
milk, and who. tripping on the top
step, fell with such casual Interrupt
tions as the landings afforded into the
basement, and, while picking himself
up, had the pleasure of hearing his
wife call out: John, did you break the
ptcher?"
mo, I didn't" said John, "but I'll be
dinked If don't"
! So while those who call me from
| behind may inspire me with energy, II
not with courage, l ask an indulGent
hearing from: you. l beg that you will
bring your full faith in American fair
ness, and frankncss to judgment upon
what I shall say There was an old
preacher once who told some boys of
the Bible lesson he was going to read
in the morning. The boys, finding the
place, glued together the connecting
pages. The next morning he read on
the bottom Of one page, When Noah
was 120 years old he took unto HIM
self a wife, who was"-then turning
the page-"14O cubits long-4O cubits
wide, built Of gopher wood and COW
! cred with pitch inside and out" He
was naturally puzzled at this. He read
| it again, verified it, and then said: My
friends, this is the first time l ever met
!
an evidence of the assertion that we
are fearfully and wonderfully made
! If could get you to hold such faith
tonight 1 could proceed cheerfully to
the task 1 overwise approach with
sense Of conservation.
Puritan and Cavalier.
Pardon me one word, Mr.. President,
spoken for the sole purpose of getting
into the volumes that go out annually
freghted with the rich eloquence of
your speakers-the fact that the cava-
lier as we'll as the Puritan was on the
continent in Its early days, and that he
was "up and able to be about" / have
read your books carefully and 1 find
no mention Of that fact, which seems
to me an important one for preserving
a sort of historical equilibrium If for
n thing else.
Let me remind you that the Virginia
cavalier first challenged France on the
contincnt-that cavalier, John Smith,
gave New England it's very name, and
was so pleased with the job that he
has been handing his own name
around ever snce-and that while
aIyles Standsk was cutting off mems
ears for cDurting a girl without her
parents consent, and forbade men to
kiss their wives on Sunday, the cava-
lier. was courIng everything in sight,
and that the Almighty had vouchsafed
great increase to the cavalier colonies.
the huts in the wilderness being as
full as the nests in the woods.
But having incorporated the cavalier
as a fact in your charming little books,
I shall let him work out his own saliva
ition. MS he has always done, with en-
gaging gallantry and we will hold no
controversy as to his merits. Why
should we? Neither Puritan nor cava-
!lier long survived as sucll. The vir-
tues and good traditions nl both hap
PLY still live for the inspiration Of
their sons and the saving Of the old
fashion. But both Puritan and cava-
lier were lost in the storm Of The first
revolution and the American citizen,
supplanting both and stronger than
either. took possession of the republic
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