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% THE CONFEDERATE BATTLE FLAGS. We loved the wild clamor of Battle, The crash of the musketry's rattle, The bugle and drum. (We have drooped in the dust, long and lonely; The blades that flashed joy are rust only, The far-rolling Avar music dumb. God rest the true souls in death lying, For "whom overhead proudly flying We challenged the toe. I The 6torm of the charge we have breasted, On the hearts of our dead we have rested, In the pride of a day long ago. Ah, surely the good cf God's making Shall answer both those past awaking And life's cry of pain; But we nevermore shall be tossing On surges of battle where crossing The swift-flying death bearers rain. f , ?p"""GYPT and Greece and Rome I tall made use of flowers in their funeral ceremonies. The /Greeks and Romans honored theiriieroic dead by magnificent funerals. and various anniversary celebrations. The greatest orators of the period were proud to be selected to pay tribute to the memory of their fallen warriors. Pericles was chosen to deliver the funeral oration over the. slain in the Peloponnesian War, V ' and Demosthenes over the dead in the terrible battle of Cheronea. All great nations of the past have felt and acted upon this sentiment, and those of to-day are perpetuating the beautiful custom. Americans honor their patriot warriors by strewing flowers over their graves, and by reciting in glowing language the historic battles in which they fell. The American Memorial . Day is observed in almost every part of the civilized world?American soldiers lie buried in almost every clime, from the Arctic to the tropics, in the Far East as well as at home. Originally designed as a day to be * set apart for patriotic teaching and for the paying of a public tribute to the men who died in their country's service, Memorial Day has in recent years made its observance co-extensive with the boundaries of the nation. The decoration of the graves of the soldier dead of the Civil War was one of its impressive features, but was extended in many localities to the known graves of soldmrs who had fought in any of the wars of the Government. Thus soldiers of the Revolution and of the War of 1S12 were duly honored, as well ns those -who had served in the Civil War. Much has been said regarding the origin of Memorial Day. General Joseph Wheeler claims that General Logan's attention, when in May, 1868, as Commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, he issued orders in regard to keeping green the mfemorv of the brave "boys in blue," had, no doubt, been called to the custom of the Southern people of annually setting apart a day to pay reverence to those who sacrificed their lives for a principle that was dearest and nearest to their hearts. "The women of the South," says General Wheeler, "were ever assiduous in their care of the resting places of their dead, perhaps because of the customs peculiar on this side of the Atlantic to Mobile and New Orleans, where on All Souls' Day each year the cemeteries were carpeted with untold myriads of rare and costly flowers strewn by devoted hands over the graves of the beloved dead." During the contest between the I States the women and children of the I South delighted to bring flowers and ^ evergreens to decorate the graves of the martyrs to their cause. A6 the Xepring brought the anniversary of W the doomsday of the "lost cause," the fair women of Southland instituted another and a special day in honor of their beloved soldiers; and the pa fhne nf the> Horntmn t?*oo v**v S?VI VW4V4A " tUC in that the sacrifice of their lives had been made seemingly in vain. April 26 was the day set apart by a consent spontaneous in its universal adoption. Alabama's and Georgia's first public Decoration Day was 1866. Xo more fitting time than the : ^TO THE GLORY OF BOTH. ^ jflftemotial 2>av anniversary of the loss of the cause so dear to their soulscould have been chosen for the perpetuation of the memory of their heroes. "Women, and women alone," says General Wheeler, "inaugurated the custom. Men, more reserved in the 'jSc\>< '?T ? '* .v ,4> ' ^-v?! m$?g& & ; r< expression of the sentiments of tlieir hearts, might permit their departed comrades quietly to become a part of general history, but women would not have it so. The Southern States fell quickly into line, and then the custom found its way into the Northern States. 'But it is to General John A. Lo gan, a distinguished soldier and nc le-ss distinguished as a statesman then Commander of the Grand Armj of the Republic, that the nation owe: the establishment of a National Mem orial Day. No doubt his attentior hnri beon called to the custom of th( Southern people of annually setting apart a day to pay reverence to those who fell in battle, and saw the bene fits likely to accrue to posterity bj establishing a similar custom in re gard to keeping green the memort of the brave 'boys in blue.' Genera Logan issued this order May 5, 1SCS.' Tenderly bury the fair young deadPausing to drop on his grave a tear. Carve on the wooden slab o'er his head: "Somebody's darling slumbers here." ,( ?Unnamed Southern Poet. />-' '' Again in the wind we are streaming, Again with the war lust are dreaming i'be call of the shell. What gray heads look up at us sadly? Are tlie.se the stern troopers who madly Koae straight at the battery's hell? Nav, more than the living have found us, l'ale specters of battle surround us; 'Die gray line is dressed. Ye hear not. but they who are bringing Your symbols of honor are singing The song of death's bivouac rest. ! Blow forth on the south wind to greet us, O star flag, once eager to meet us When war lines were set. Go carrv to far fields of glory The soul-stirring thrill of the story, Of days when in anger we met. ?Dr. S. Weir Mitchell. W PRECIOUS TATTERED EMBLEMS. The return of the battle flags to the Southern States by the Federal Government was hailed with great joy by the old heroes who wore the gray, and these tattered emblems of more strenuous days are highly prized by those who followed them so devotedly on so many fields. The Virginia flags returned are carefully stored away in the Confederate Museum, which was the home of President Davis during the Civil War. They were shipped from the War Department, each carefully wrapped in a separate package. The box also contained a number of flags on the poles on which they were originally used during the war. The flags returned to Virginia are indeed Interesting, i There is, for instance, a flag of the ! State, made of fine blue silk, which I saw service all through the war, and > which was presented by the ladies of j s Bath County. "God Protect the Right" is the inscription. Another i flag of great interest and historic - value is that of the Second Virginia ) Infantry. This old relic went nearly ? all through the war, and is now but ' a mere fragment, having been torn > almost into shreds by Federal bul lets. i ; ROBERT E. LEE. > a ~ A gallant foeman in the fight, A brother when the light was o'er. The hand that led the host with might ,,f lo'inriim* hfirp. JL liU UKWVU kViVU V?*. JVU4.?...D ?> - ? j Xo shriek of shells nor roll of drums, No challenge tierce, resounding far, When'reconciling Wisdom comes To heal the cruel wounds of war. Thought may the minds of men divide, . Love makes the heart of nations oue, .And so, thy soldier grave beside, We honor thee, Virginia's son. ?Julia Ward Howe. , ^^9B^H^?^y/.:' '<lj ^*cSP^ JEFFERSON DAVIS, TYPICAL SOUTHERNER * By General Stephen D. Lee. Jefferson Davis' life teaches us that character is secure. Character was his bulwark against all the slander, ridicule, insult, which the wit of man could devise, and that defense stands sure. As a soldier his brilliant and promising career was cut short. He had no opportunities to develop the great qualities of Lee, the prince of commanders. As a statesman he did not quite reach, perhaps, the commanding stature of Calhoun, to whose work he succeeded. As an orator he may have lacked the impetuous fervor of Yancey, the splendid declamation of Lamar; he surpassed them all in his majestic thought, the chaste beauty of his strength and his thrilling earnestness. But Davis was greater than them all. He was an accomplished soldier, a great statesman and a consummate orator of his J J llmA hH'V' ; .' >j': ih I i Jackson, the genius of war; Toombs, the thunderer of debate; Benjamin, the jurist; Campbell, the judge; Bledsoe, the statesman?men fit to Mrs. Jefferson Davis. measure with the knightliest. Yet from the vantage ground of history his sublime head lifts itself above them all. il ?i i i ? Palmetto Slate News|: Orphanage Building Dedicated. < The new building which is in course < of erection at the Thornwell Orphan- i age was dedicated to the care of or- < pfcaned children a few days ago. Rev. 1 \V. G. Neville^ president of the Pres- i bytcrian College, gave the dedicatory fldrtwss < 1 <= s ? ] Charleston Distributing Point. ] Charleston is to be the distribut- < ing point of the importations for the 1 srate of South Carolina and Georgia 1 by the United Fruit Company. < The fruit has been imported < through Charleston and distributed i from Columbia, but the big fruit syndicate had decided to consolidate the * two offices and make Charleston both ' the receiving and distributing center < of the fruit for these two states. ] ? * Oppose Articles of Agreement. The presbytery of South Carolina declined to accept the ''articles of agreement" on closer relations with the Northern Presbyterian Church. The vntp wns about fiftv against six, and the general assembly to meet in Birmingham next month was over- , turea to cease any further agitation or the subject. There is a decided opposition in this presbytery to any measure that anticipates organic union with the Northern church. * * s New Officers of Kings' Daughters. The state convention of the King's Daughters was held in Charleston the past week. Officers were elected as follows: Miss Etta G. Trott, of Mt. Pleasant, state secretary; Miss Lula Lee, of Charleston, treasurer; Miss Bertha Vonkolnith, of Charleston, corresponding secretary. Executive committee: Mrs. J. B. Jcnnson, of Rock Hill; Miss Lula Buist, of Charleston; Mrs. Hugh Aiken, of Laurens; Mrs. W. H. Richardson, of Summerville; Mrs. W. Hampton Perry, of Charleston, and Mrs. W. P.' Correll, of Charleston. The next convention will be held at Walterboro. * * * Negro is Again Respited. After having refused to interfere in the . case, Governor Ansel finally L?inr?Arl 011 roc fin rr K'r\f turn OijjUCU, au VI UVl i VC[/lUii5 A.V1 C l? \J weeks Joan Sbelton, the negro condemned to be hanged at Spartanburg on the 19th, for the murder of his wife's father more than one year ago. On one pretext and another the execution of the court's sentence has been postponed four or five times, In order to permit the negro's attorney to bring the case before the supreme court or the pardon board, but it has never been presented to either tribunal at all. In February Governor Ansel refused / / to grant a respite for Shelton, who was then under sentence to hang on March 1, but Chief Justice Pope the day before the day set for the execution granted a stay of execution until the 19th day of April to, permit the attorney to appear before the supreme court. The court met the past week, but the order was not filed by the attorney. Chief Justice Pope requested the governor to grant r. w-hirii wa? done. * * Suggests Colonization Scheme. A solution of the difficulties of the establishment of an immigration line for the diversion of desirabte aliens from Europe to the south Atlantic states is offered in the scheme of colonization on agricultural lands, which is being urged upon Charleston promoters of immigration by Geo. C. Sheridan, an experienced immigration agent, of Wisconsin. In the recent report of President P. H. Gadsden, of the chamer of commerce, who has been in Bremen with State Commissioner Watson, urging the North German t Lloyd Steamship Company to re-establish its line to Charleston. Mr. Gadsden dwelt with special emphasis on the necessity of settling these foreigners on farms rather than in factories. The experience of Mr. Sheridan of thirty odd years corroborates the view of Mr. Gadsden, that success in turning the tide of immigration to the south lies at present only along this line. Mr. Sheridan has held several conferences with the local promoters of immigration .movements and it Is proposed to make an attempt at securing lands for settlements in various sections of the state and renew the efforts at securing aliens who are farmers. * * * Greenville's Cotton Industry. In a report made to the board of trade of Greenville by a special committee some interesting facts and figures are given concerning the rapid advancement in cotton manufacturing. Here is what the report ' ' * f j , >ays as to that item: 1 Nominally speaking twenty years p igo the raw cotton crop of Green- 1*|! .-file county, which furnishes the new nouey each year, was worth $1,250,nW. Today in this city alone the vagcs for its manufacture in our owa . ity is over one million dollars. jreenvillo county, the mill takings of aw cotton in 1906 were about 67,- vVfi WO bales. The average crop for the last ten years was 32,CG& bales. The ^ ncreased value given cotton by reason of this manufacture within, the ^ confines of our county is $3,350,000?. /Jt vhich figures do not include the cost". price of cotton imported. We. have sot lost in the production of raw cotton and adding the value of our y J f lome-grown crops (average 22,000 jales) Greenville countyV cotton and jotton products are worth $4,600,000,. yM an increase of about four-fold in twen- . ty years. In South Carolina for 1S06 the to- / :al value of cotton and cotton prod- ' K.-ifi acts, including cotton seed, was over . "ftj Due hundred million dollars. Our ' 'fal mill takings were about . 672,00ft hales. WOMEN IN A WRANGLE. | President-General of Daughters cf the Revolution is Hissed and Refused Endorsement for Re-Election. v ''-kM* After being hissed in Tuesdays- ' meeting of the Continental Congress of the Daughters of the American 'gM&k Revolution at Washington, Mrs. Don- 1 aid McLean, the president-general of ' |j|8 the society, at the night session, fail- CsgK ed to secure the endorsement of her. home state of New York for, re-elec- . tion. Despite expectations, a haute \;J|jroyal ever a proposal to endorse her candidacy, the question was not brought before the meetiDg. Charles H. Terry of Brooklyn was elected vice president general for .{'warn New York state. Mrs. Terry Issupporter of Mrs. McLean. * Dtiring a controversy in the mora- ^^P ing session between Mrs. McLean and v Mrs. M. E. S. Davis, the treasurer general, when the latter aske? for more time in which to sub mit her ... report, many of the delegates hifcs^ 0 . Mrs. McLean when she remarked that the treasurer-general's report .. &&;. "seemed to be up in the air." ' ^''^0| The name of Mrs. Ellen Washings ; ton, it was announced by "insurgent leaders," probably will be presented as a candidate for president-general, The reports regarding financial in* ? *V vestments of the socUty were brqufdrt^^^* 1, out in the report of the treasurer-^ ^ general, Mrs. M. E. S. Davis, which was submitted Tuesday afternoon.isJ|^Bj The question as to the investment'of ;'L^! a .portion of the* society's funds 1 railroad bonds has been a bene of cpn~ |||M| tention among some of the delegates; t ^?^8 it being openly charged by Mrs. Da&Sg' 4 vis that the investments had been '-J||j V made in "insecure speculation." The ' r report showed that the society has &>^|3g? total of $24,477 in Baltimore and Ohio v^gaSp and Union Pacific railroad bonds. Mrs., Davis stated that she was doc con- VFim suited about the purchase of these 5j| * bonds, and that she paid out diedts'^^E for the investment on the recommen*^^ffl dation of the finance committee/. The f- . . report points out that if the bonds were sold now, this would be. a loss J of $502 as a result of the deprecation of the market value of bonds or a. net loss to April 11 of $271. * ' Mrs. Ellen Spencer Mussey o? Washington stated that the bonds had been purchased by' the finance com-r^^||j mittee only after it had sought the: advice of the most reliable financial experts in New York city. The report was referred to the proper commit* tte for consideration. STATUS OF CUBAN AFFAIRS Reported Fairly Satisfactory by Taft, ; Who Has Just Returned. Secretary Taft and party arrived , 1gf? at the Washington navy yard on '' board the Mayflower Monday night afcer an absence of exactly a month on a trip that included Panama, * ** hpu_ ana rono ruco. me bcvicioi; Mrs. Taft were immediately driven to\\g|pgi their residence. Former Governor Ts^ of Porto Rico Beekman Winthrop and ||yi Mrs. Winthrop were guests of the secretarv on the return trip. The others in the party included Representative^ Burton, of Ohio; Kittredge, of So'uih Dakota, and Miss Margaret Ide. The party arrived shortly after o'clock. Later Secretary .Taft gave / out a statement in which he saya fce found matters in Cuba -in what, der the circumstances, must be coa- . '* ' sidered a very satisfactory condlr' tion;" that there is every ground for;'" hope that the plan adopted for a census, preliminary election and then again an election six months later, will result in the selection cf a presi-' ^x^ dent and congress who will be able to maintain themselves and give aC^aKj stable rule to the island; and that the delay in taking a census is knownby Cubans as an earnest of the Amer- r ic-au government to secure a stable government before it leaves,'. *4sb< -wl' there will be no excuse for a second J|pjj He stated that in Panama the engl- J neers reported to him th3t the foiin-. \^r obmOHB dations for the locks were entirely.