Robert Lewis Dabney: A Prophet for Our Own Times
32. "It is to me simply incredible, that a people so shrewd and practical as those of the United States, should expect us to have discarded, through the logic of the sword merely, the convictions of a lifetime; or that they could be deceived by us, should we be base enough to assert it of ourselves. They know that the people of the South were conquered, and not convinced; and that the authority of the United States was accepted by us from necessity, and not from preference. [snip] The people of the South went to war, because they sincerely believed (what their political fathers had taught them, with one voice, for two generations) that the doctrine of State-sovereignty for which they fought, was absolutely essential as the bulwark of the liberties of the people."
~~R. L.Dabney of Virginia
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Edited by Robert Hoyle.
A Discourse delivered at the Annual Commencement of Hampden-Sydney College, June 15, 1882, before the Philanthropic and Union Literary Societies.[1]
Young Gentlemen of the Philanthropic and Union Societies, and Ladies and Gentlemen of the Audience:
You will credit my expression of sincere embarrassment at this time when you consider that I am attempting a species of discourse somewhat unwonted to a preacher of the Gospel, and yet more, that I am placed here only as a species of Dernier Resort. We all had hopes that another gentleman would represent the two Literary Societies, better fitted to entertain and instruct this assemblage. But disappointment left the place, at a very late period, unfilled, and we were threatened with having this important part of our literary anniversary left a mere blank. I stand here, therefore, in the formula of your exercises very much in the place of that “infinitesimal quantity,” which the algebraist places equal to zero in his equation, without appreciable error.
More @ The Abbeville Institute
Thank you for the lovely reminder of Rev. Dabney's writings.
ReplyDeleteArchive.org has several of Robert Lewis Dabney's publications available in various formats for reading or downloading, without charge or registration.
"The New South" can be read, in its original form, without "modern editing" at this link:
https://archive.org/details/newsouth00dabn/page/n1/mode/2up
I always prefer to read things as they were written by the original author.
Something that was written in the late 1800's is, in my opinion, not in need of "updating".
Miss Emma
I always prefer to read things as they were written by the original author.
DeleteAbsolutely. I recited part of his speech in front of the UDC, Marshall Virginia at the Baptist church, kindness of Mother.:) We can't speak/write half as well as those back in the day. http://www.namsouth.com/viewtopic.php?t=4478&highlight=grady
What a noble and gallant realm of thought. Thank you very much for posting about your recitation.
ReplyDeleteInspiring and humbling.
To rise in vision to love what we love, rather than to spend our time, affections, and energy in resenting, or smoldering against evil. And to work, to build, while keeping our highest ideals in our hearts and minds....
I hope your speech was well received. Your mother must have been very proud.
God bless you and your mother.
And thank you for a most inspiring subject on this Thanksgiving.
Miss Emma
Thank you for the kind words. I believe my Mother had to prompt me twice and I remember it like yesterday. :)
DeleteMiss Mildred was my friend's daughter who was big in the UDC.
https://freenorthcarolina.blogspot.com/2011/12/mr-bowen.html
https://freenorthcarolina.blogspot.com/2019/01/in-memory-of-mother-mr-bowen-kind-of.html