Colquitt County GaArchives News.....The Pic Nic (General Alfred Colquit) 1874
************************************************
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm
************************************************

File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Doris Robbins polkgen@earthlink.net February 27, 2004, 7:08 am

THE RECORD Saturday Morning Aug. 8, 1874
The Pic Nic

        The gala day last Saturday, was a mammoth affair and a success in every 
sense of the word.  We lived more, eat more and heard nore than we had in many 
days before.  There were more good things to be eaten, more good things to be 
heard and seen than is common on such occasions.  We had a fine day, all aglow 
with sunshine and fanned by breezes, so our turnout was a thousand, more or 
less.  The most remarkable feature of the occasion was, that out of five 
speeches, we heard not one word of politics, and strange to say, every one of 
them was interesting and not one of the speakers was a candidate.
        General Alfred Colquit, (God belss the man and may he live forever) was 
introduced to the audiance as the first speaker, after a fervent and appropiate 
prayer by the Rev. Mr. Taylor.  He represented the agricultural interest and 
direct trade, and did it with ability and power, and the happy results was a 
large subscription of stock to the direct trade movement.  His speach was 
replete with humor and stroing common sense reasoning.  The General is a man 
after our own heart, he speaks for the edification of the people, he speaks 
that good may come of it and there is not a single evidence in all he says that 
he is trying to get a name for Colquit.  He delivered a most touching address 
to the Sunday Schools in the afternoon, which greatly endeared him to the 
children and the people generally.  Would that we had space to say more of this 
good and great man.  He is one of the few pure, undefiled and undefilable men.  
Would we had more like him.  The longer he lives the more we shall love him, 
and hope that he will come to Cedar Valley every summer, yes, and winter too.
        Dinner came in just here and those who have been to Cedar Valley 
dinners, know what sort it was.  We put our ladies against any you can find to 
get up good eatables.
        After dinner and courting -- and there was much of the later done, for 
many a young hero humbled himself before the goddesses of beauty and gave up 
the ghost -- Rev. Mr. Gwaltny, of Rome, spoke as the representative of the 
Temperance Cause, and chiefly of legal prohibition.  His argument was the best 
we ever heard on this point, and was conclusive.  He showed it was not only 
lawful to prohibit liquor traffic by statue, but also proved that it had been a 
success in those states where such laws existed.  His reasons were canvincing 
for the justice, legality and praticability of putting diwn liquor.  Mr. 
Gwaltny is a good speaker and is in earnest in this matter.
        The Rev. M Brown was here introduced, and spoke with great earnestness 
of the importance of the good, energetic Sunday School teachers.  Mr. Brown 
spoke briefly but spoke well and to the point.  He is right about the wants of 
the Sabbath School.
        Rev. W H LaPrade was the next introduced to the audience as an advocate 
of the Sabbath Schools.  He talked about the obligation of every Sunday School 
attendant to work for the promotion of the cause, everyone had a work to do and 
it is a duty to do it.  Mr. LaPrade, in his concise, logical way, sent probing 
truths to the hearts of his hearers.  He is undoubtedly a clear and close 
reasoner.  He made a good address and a good impression.
        The singing was splendid for the open air, and the organ was a great 
advantage and was managed well.  Altogether it was a joyful time and we all 
went away happy.  We must refer to the proficiency of our town officers and 
sobriety of our people, evinced by the quitness of the day.  Only one 
intoxicated person created any disturbance and the authorities readily took 
charge of him.
        Three cheers for the Granger, Farmers Club, Good Templars, Sunday 
School, Masonic, Colquit Pic Nic.



Additional Comments:
General Alfred Holt Colquitt 1824-1894 was the son of 
Walter Terry Colquitt whom Colquitt Co. Ga was named for, 
biographies of both men can be seen at the following links.
http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=C000647
http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=C000648

The above Newspaper Article appeared in The Record a newspaper
covering Polk Co. GA and can be seen
at http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ga/county/polk/8Aug1874.html
thanks to the Polk Co. Ga American History and Genealogy Project volunteers. 


This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/gafiles/

File size: 4.9 Kb