15 we have been left without the sympathy of the nations until we conquered that sympathy with the sharp edge of our sword. For “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity,” we have deliberately SUBSTITUTED SLAVERY, SUBORDINATION AND GOVERNMENT. Those social and political problems which rack and torture modern society we have undertaken to solve for ourselves, in our own way, and upon our own principles. That “among equals equality is right;” among those who are naturally unequal, equality is chaos; that there are slave RACES BORN TO SERVE, MASTER RACES BORN TO GOVERN. Such are the fundamental principles which we inherit from the ancient world, which we lifted up in the face of a perverse generation that has forgotten the wisdom of its fathers; by those principles we live, and in their defence we have shown ourselves ready to die. Reverently we feel that our Confederacy is a God-sent missionary to the nations, with great truths to preach. We must speak them boldly; and whoso hath ears to hear let him hear. If we had been crushed in this mighty struggle, it would have been truly a judgment of Heaven against us and against our cause. If we had gained that cause easily, and it were without sanctifying it with such a baptism of sacrificial blood, and if the policy of foreign nations had even induced them to interpose on our behalf, and so saved us from this agony and bloody sweat, our position at this day had not been so high and clear; we should neither so fully apprehend the duty nor possess so completely the power to start in our proud career. We should then have had “spectators,” patrons and intermeddlers. We should never have lifted our thoughts up to the height of our great argument, and our national life would have been but a half life, an abortionate compromise. We start fair when our soldiers shall have sheathed their bloody weapons; then will come the task of our sages and statesmen in building up society, and uttering by word and act the truths which are its base. And, thank God ! the Confederates have some statesmen and thinkers up to the mark and level of the situation. There are men in these Confederate ■ "» / 1 c
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTM4ODY=