The Barnesville news-gazette. (Barnesville, Ga.) 189?-1941, December 04, 1902, Image 16

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<h fln!i Contemplating a Materia! Change in Our Business on t.i. - ’ WE WILL FOR fc NEXT THIRTY DAYS, GIVE ( ■ v‘; , , * >nt j -v * ; T'• ' ' -* f ' ; _ if , '/ , / * * jf . • ' • *-• - -J " '•!? . * _ };• *• *• ’* ■ f . * . r \ ‘ * : ' ; ‘i V :■ *f; ,*£ Exceptional Bargains In Each and Every Department ' ’ ' >,■ - • -:£■ 4 i' • ':■ - r i*- ' -* ■. *sZCT ■Mgj. ‘ ’ * ■'* ■ * . SV. , ' * • ilk ' 'f ■ Remember that We are Offering • 1 fj * Our Entire Stock of Clothing At Cost To Close Out! YOU WILL FIND IT TO YOUR INTEREST TO CALL AND INSPECT OUR STOCK AND GET OUR PRICES BEFORE PURCHASING ELSEWHERE. Yours For Bonds and the Upbuilding of Barnesville and Community, THE PITTS-GRAY COMPANY, BARNESVILLE, GEORGIA. u n,c T iiJtf PrTh Tl What are the Objects of the Daughters of the Confederacy? This question is frequently ask ed, and yet it seems a useless one to those who have been busily en gaged in this grand and noble work ever since its organization in November of 1894. But there are some who are not well posted, and who have not had an opportunity of attending the monthly meet ings and the aunual conventions, or *>f hearing ways and means discussed for the good of our country, so for their benefit, I am requested by the Barnesville Chapter of the Daughters, to give a general history of this philan thropic work, that all may judge for themselves of w hat it has ac complished. Georgia has given to the field of battle some of the bravest, brightest and most brilliant men who illustrated our land in those eventful times, Shall their rec ord as heroes go down with their bodies into the dust? Shall fut ure generations know nothing of their struggles except the few slight allusions we see of their courage in those voluminous his tories, entitled * ‘The War of The Great Rebellion?” Are we will ing to be known to the wide world only as traitors to the United States, “slave drivers and rebels?” Such terms as these have gone forth into other lands, shall we not correct them and prove the falsity of these unjust accusations which were brought on us through our love for the South and its own state sovereignty? To prevent our children from being taught in such histories, the Daughters of the Confederacy have requested the legislators of every Southern state to prohibit, in our schools and colleges the use of all histories that do not give proper credit to the valor of the Southern section of the United States, and its glorious achieve ments in the Revolution, the Civ-, il and the Spanish American War. They have firstly resolved to give honor to whom honor is due, and place the South where it justly be longs, in the history of the world, among the bravest, best and high est toned of every nation. The land of Washington, Lee, Cal houn and hundreds of other great men shall not be looked upon as a “Barbarous nation,” theepithit bestowed upon us by one of the histories that should be denounc ed. The war between the States was an unequal struggle, and in the South a desperate fight against three times their number. Their valor and resistance may be com pared in history with the pass of Thermopolrt! or the brave 800 at Balaklava. Some of us remember that for long years after the Civil war our hands, lips and brains were in bondage. We dared not write our experiences, we dared not even to speak publicly of our heartfelt sympathy for the poor “Confederate rebel,” and our great and noble men had no voice in Congress. They were all left out, and not even allowed to vote. The poor boys in gray had no clothes buf their military suits, and these were in a seedy condi tion. Then they were not allow ed to wear brass buttons, so we young people forthwith* had to cover the Confederate buttons with black cloth. All of these indignities were nobly and peace ably born£, and all that was hon orable was done by Southern men to propitiate the government, but as our soldiers could not; wear brass buttons any longer it be came fashionable for ladies to wear them, so Generals Wilson, Meade and Kroxton were sur prised one day to see the ladies of Macon appear in Confederate gray covered with dozens of brass buttons! It would do no good to arrest a whole city of women, so they were unmolested. This same of bravery and determinat ion to be true to “The boys in gray and their brass buttons,” is still manifest throughout all the Southern states. If their fathers, husbands, brothers and lpvers had worn them honorably in a just cause, then they ohould be always reverenced and there was no use in trying to trample them out of the world. A Memorial Association was then organized in Columbus, Ga., by Mrs. Mary Ann Williams, a daughter of Major John H. How ard. and widow of General Chas. Williams, whom I knew personal ly, having made my first visit as a debutante, to her youngest sis ter in their elegant home at Wyn ton. Col. Isaac Avery in his ad mirable history of Georgia gives a picture of Mrs. Williams and a sketch of her as the organizer of Memorial Day, but of late years we notice that credit is given to Mrs. Lizzie Rutherford. Perhaps the honor was shared by both of these noble Christian women, and will always be a memorial of their patriotism and devotion to those who fell on the field of battle. The Memorial Association it was found, did not cover all of the work to be done. There were living issues to be looked after also. As the Manorial was con sidered an auxiliary to the Vete ran’s Association then forming in every state, Mrs. M. L. Rivers, of Savannah, while speaking of the rapidity with which the vete rans are passing away, and the NLE NEWS-GAZETTE THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1902 pmi JO'JUH lary Ist, 1903, and in order to Reduce Our Stock Before Taking an Inventory J + - " 4 • sad probability that the Memorial Association could not bean Auxil iary, suggested that it should no longer be dependent on any other association, but become one which was independent, and upon which the parent association might lean and look to for support even as an aged father might rest assured of a daughter’s love and care in his declining years. The idea met with instant endorsement, and re sulted in the organization of the Daughters of the Confederacy. We only wish that Georgia could claim all the honors of originat ing this beautiful organization, but Mrs. Raines afterwards heard of a society of this kind at Nash ville, Tenn., conducted by Mrs. Goodlett. Then it was ascertain ed that both Mississippi and Mis souri had local organizations of this same kind. Correspondence was opened with them and now the United Daughters of the Confederacy are earnestly working from New York, Ohio and Missouri down to the Gulf of Mexico, and from the Atlantic to the P?ifH9cean9. Their object is, educational, memorial, social and benevolent. They collect and preserve the material for a truthful history of the war between the states and give due credit to the brave eon 9 of the South as well as to those who were humane and considerate in the Federal Army. They as sist in the education of daughters and grand daughters of the Con federacy, and keep fresh in their memories a beautiful, glowing picture of the old time Southern home with its princely hospitality, its wide open doors, its whole souled generosity unstinted by cold calculation of dollars and cents, and of the knightly chival ry that has characterized a high toned Southern man throughout the whole world. They fulfill the duties that are sacred to the survivors of the great struggle, and feel determin ed that they shall receive honor due, as well as those who fought on the other side, and yet while crowning our own beloved heroes with a halo of unfading luster, they kindly wave aloft the white banner of peace, love and forgive ness for every wrong, and sweetly whisper “Charity suft'ereth long and is kind I” Someone asked a few days ago, “What are the Daughters of the Confederacy doing?” It would take a whole volume to tell all they have done since 1894, but I will mention a few noble deeds recently accomplish ed. They have placed 35000 marble head boards over Confede rate graves in Ohio, and about 20,000 in other places. They have furnished fuel and free meals to disabled veterans in the large cities, they have built handsome monuments to the mem ory of our great men, and they have aided hundreds of our sister Chapters in repairing, and beauti fying their soldiers’ graves. They have not only built a handsome monument in matchless marble to the memory of Winnie Davis, the first daughter of the Confederacy, but have just laid the corner 9tone of one far more enduring, the Memorial Hall at the State Normal School of Athens, for the free education of the grandchildren of Southern Veter ans. They sent contributions to the sufferers of Jacksonville: to the wrecked city of Galveston, and helped to feed the starving poor of India. We of the Barnesville Chapter, I am prond td say, have put in our mite toward svery benevolent call that has come to us, and we have among our records a most beauti ful tribute of thanks from Dan Emmett, the aged author of “Dixie ” Miss Mildred Rutherford, the State President, in her annual re port, says: “Twelve new Chapters have been granted this year. Total 600 Chapters, 30,000 members. The Winnie Davis Memorial Fund has grown to $1,000; the Soldiers’ Home has received from the Daughters $500; the Jefferson monument fund has grown to $1,000; a large amount has been paid out for the care of neglected Confederate graves; 2,615 letters aud 820 postal cards written; be sides 73 historic circulars and 2,- 650 application blanks sent out. During the year, 1,300 crosses of honor have been presented, mak ing 22,000 that have been given the past three years.” Besides all this they have given six free scholarships to the chil dren of soldiers; two for Lucy Cobb, one at Brenau, three in Macon and one in Atlanta. These scholarships are made perpetual. Mrs. Plane, our former State President, was greatly exercised oxer the fact thatjso far* one boy has come into possession of a free scholarship. She wants the boys educated as well as the girls. It is the determination of the United Daughters of the- Confed eracy not to cease work on this line until they have a free schol arship in every school and college in the state. Now after this resume of what the Daughters are doing let all of the noble women of our town take an interest in the work, and edu cate their children to look with honor upon the patriotism of their fathers in defending our beldved southland from invasion. Never shall their record be for gotten, and even hundreds of years hence when the originators of this holy cause have mingled with their native dust, may the white-winged seraph of Memory sing of "How woman's love midst sorrows and midst tears, Midst fortune's changes and midst time’s decay. Unchanged, unfaltering, hath through aU the years. Clung to the boys who wore the stainle** tSf&T’ Lula Kendall Rooebs.