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Mercer’s Retiring President.
By Rev. Len G. Broughton.
Nothing has more pained us in Georgia than the
loss of Dr. Charles Lee Smith from Mercer Univer
sity. During his year of service he has done great
things byway of bringing the University before the
leading educators and raising funds for better equip
ment.
Dr. Smith is himself a man of great and rare
scholarship. No man during so short a stay in the
state has impressed himself more favorably than
has Dr. Smith. He is aggressive in everything that
is for the cause of education. His ideals are the
highest and his methods of administration are such
as the great and leadng schools of the country have
found to be the best.
The foremost educators of our state greatly re
gret his departure, and wish for him a still wider
field of usefulness. In saying this, we are not to be
understood as reflecting upon the trustees who re
fused to endorse his advanced policy, which led him
to offer his resignation. They thought that they
knew more about Mercer’s needs than Dr. Smith,
and thinking so, they only acted on their convictions.
It was purely a question of policy. Dr. Smith, as
president, saw that certain things should be done or
the institution would continue to be apart from
the people. Seeing these things, he was duty bound
to say so.
The trustees and Dr. Smith differed in opinion as
to the policy of he institution, and Dr. Smith offered
his resignation. This makes the issue very plain
and gives the trustees a splendid chance to carry out
their policy, as Dr. Jameson is thoroughly in sym
pathy with the plans and purposes of the trustees.
We do not know what Dr. Smith’s plans are, but
on every hand and from all over the state have
been heard expressions of hope that he will continue
in the educational work of the South. We have
few men in the South so well prepared and with
such splendid abilty in the line of college or uni
versity work, and we cannot afford to lose them.
To More Than Two Million Georgians.
It affords the writer no little pleasure to say to
you that wherever the claims of the Anti-Saloon
League have been presented the people have been
very responsive and sympathetic. There is a most
pronounced opposition to the Saloon in Georgia.
I have never seen such manifestations of interest
on the part of our churches and patriotic citizens
generally. The license saloon and dispensary alike
are generally hated in Georgia. The Christian peo
ple and law-abiding, peaceable, liberty-loving folk
are simply chafing under the yoke of the drunkard
maker.
We do not expect to carry state prohibition this
year, nor next, but we do hope and pray, and are
working mightily with a view toward enacting
some wholesome temperance legislation this sum
mer. And if we do not pass an anti-jug law or
some other good law looking toward the curtailing
of the devilish liquor business in one hundred and
twelve dry counties, which have long been the dump
ing ground for the conscienceless and murderous
Rum-Masters, then all signs fail us.
Wherever and whenever hope of an anti-jug law
or other protection has been offered to these out
raged and helpless dry territories enthusiasm has
been invariably aroused.
Poor Lawrenceville, with her many beautiful,
but suffering sisters will not always bleed and nurse
her wounds and cry in vain for deliverance. No,
♦ as there is a just and merciful God in heaven this
wrong shall be righted. Gentlemen, we are going to
change law. We are going to make law. If need
be we will change the constitution to save oui’
fair State from such debauchery and shame. And so
help me God I will never let up till deliverance has
come. J. C. SOLOMON.
John Burns, the labor leader in the Ho se of
Commons of England, together with his wile, was
presented at the Court of St. James recently.
The Golden Age for June 21, 1906.
CHRISTIAN PATRIOTISM
The Confederate Flags.
“Stars and Bars,” the first flag of the Confed
erate States, with the blue union in the upper left
hand corner, containing seven stars and three bars,
the central being white and the upper and lower
red, was recommended by the flag committee of the
Confederate congress at Montgomery, Ala., on Feb
ruary 11, 1861, and adopted on March 4, 1861. On
the latter date it was raised to the top of the staff
on the capitol by Miss L. C. Tyler, of Virginia,
granddaughter of ex-President John Tyler.
The second, the “battle flag,” designed by Gen
eral Beauregard after the battle of Bull Run in
July, 1861, and proposed by him because of the
confusion created by the striking resemblance of the
rival flags in the field, which often rendered it
difficult to distinguish friend from foe, was adopted
by General Joseph E. Johnston. The flag exhibits
the blue cross with thirteen stars resting on a red
ground, as represented by the battle flag button of
the United Confederate Veterans.
The third, the “national flag,” adopted May 1,
1863, by the Confederate congress, with the cross
in the upper left hand corner on white ground, was
afterward discarded because when hanging limp
against the staff it resembled *a flag of truce, the
body of the flag being pure white.
The fourth, the last “national flag,” adopted
March 4. 1865, by the Confederate congress in lien
of No. 3, has a red bar running vertically at its
end from top to bottom in its white body, with the
blue cross and its thirteen stars and red ground in
the upper left hand corner. This handsome banner
is the one retained and still used at its reunions by
the United Confederate Veterans.
The Battle Abbey.
By JOHN U. WEIGH.
The press dispatches up to the present writing
have not indicated when this great memorial hall
for the Confederacy will Be commenced. But we
feel assured it will be completed in time to have
the reunion at Richmond, Va., next year. At the
Louisville reunion last year, General Clement A,
Evans spoke as follows in reference to the work:
“In our report last year we expressed gratifica
tion that we were at last in sight of the completion
of our cherished plans—that we had secured the
SIOO,OOO to Be raised by us to meet the condition of
the contribution of the same amount by Comrade
Charles B. Rouss—and that we hoped very soon to
eo forward in the actual building of our memorial
hall— 1 Battle Abbey,’ as it is popularly called.
“We confidently hoped that we could at this meet
ing report our building at least commenced. But
we then reported that the only obstacles in our way
was that the $40,000 balance due from the Rouss
estate was hung up by an attachment gotten out
by the former secretary and superintendent, J. C.
Underwood, in the suit he had instituted against the
C. M. A., in the United States court, at Brooklyn,
N. Y., for alleged commissions due him. We regret
to have to report that this same obstacle still ex
ists.
“We could have proceeded to build with the
money on hand, and many of our friends were in
favor of our doing so, and members of the board,
impatient at this lonsr delay, were inclined to take
this same view. But, as by the terms of Comrade
Rouss’ gift, the SIOO,OOO cannot, as we think, be
used until the whole $200,000 is in hand. We need
the use of an additional fund to secure the balance
of the Rouss subscription.”
Robert White, chairman of the executive commit
tee, in his report, says:
“Had it not been for the litigation referred to we
would long ere this have commenced the building
in the city of Richmond of that memorial which is
due to the memory of the Confederate soldiers, and
to the history of our Southland.
“We earnestly hope that in the end we may defeat
Conducted By GENERAL CLEMENT A. EVANS
the claims of this man Underwood, and eventually
receive from Rouss’ estate the balance due us.
“If, however, we should be dissappointed in this
we hope and expect to make such arrangements as
that whatever judgment Underwood may finally
obtain will be fully settled and the Rouss money
paid over to us in full. We deem it well to say to
the people of the South that it seems strange to us
that they will not raise enough money to place
$200,000 in cash in our hands at once and before
the litigation referred to is ended.
“Monuments have been erected all over the South,
yet no testimony of our people byway of a monu
ment has yet been erected in testimony of the cour
age and heroism of the Confederate soldiers as a
whole, in which could not only be gathered relics of
their great conflict, but which would also contain
the history of the war as well as the history of the
entire Southland and would be a Mecca for poster
ity.”
The Battle Abbey will be a great depository for
relics and memorials of the Confederacy and will
be as magnificent, as such a structure should be.
It is probable that the fund will go up to $250,000
before we are through.
It will include a library of books and papers bear
ing upon he history of the Confederacy. There will
be a department for statuary,,which will be one of
the features, and it is for the equipment of this
department that the additional $50,000 will be used.
There will also be a museum, where relics will be
kept and displayed.
It will be along the line of the depositories that
have been established at the capitals of many of
the states, but will be entirely independent of
them.
Richmond was chosen as the place for the building
because is was the capital of he Confederacy. A
number of sites, all of which are attractive, have
been offered by the committee at various sums and
it is probable that there will be some difficulty in
choosing the one best suited. Architects have made
beautiful designs for the building. While no posi
tive decision regarding the kind of architecture that
will be employed has been made, it is certain that
the building will be one of rare beauty in construc
tion and peculiarly fitted for the purpose for which
it is to be used.
The Faded Gray Jacket.
Fold it up carefully, lay it aside,
Tenderly touch it, look on it with pride;
For dear must it be to our hearts evermore,
The jacket of gray our loved soldier boy wore.
Can we ever forget when he joined the brave band,
Who rose in defense of our dear Southern land;
And in his bright youth hurried on to the fray.
How proudly he donned it—the jacket of Gray?
CHORUS:
Fold it up carefully, lay it aside,
Tenderly touch it, look on it with pride;
For dear it must be to our hearts evermore,
The jacket of gray our loved soldier boy wore.
His fond mother blessed him and looked up above,
Commending to Heaven the child of her love;
What anguish was hers, mortal tongue may not say,
When he passed from her sight in the jacket of gray.
Rut her country had called him, she would not repine,
Though costly the sacrifice placed on its shrine;
Her heart’s dearest hopes on its altar she lay,
When she sent out her boy, in his jacket of gray!
We laid him to rest in his cold, narrow bed.
And graved on the marble, we placed o’er his head,
/ s the proudest of tributes our sad hearts could pay,
“”e never disgraced the dear jacket of gray.”
Then fold it up carefully, lay it aside,
Te iderly touch it, look on it with pride;
For dear it must be to our hearts evermore,
The jacket of gray our loved soldier boy wore.
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