The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1889-11-29
THE CENTENNIAL,
TIL f GREATEST CELEBRATION IN
THE ANNALS OF THE STATE.
Progress and Hospitality Are the Dual
of Fayetteville.
Editorial Correspondence.I


FAYETTEVILLE, n. c., Nov %. 1851
The Centennial Celebration has ended
The lights are out. The Marine band has
sounded its last sweet notes and returned
to Washington. The military has heard
the last ''hep, hep, hep" stacked their
arms, and returned to peaceful pursuits
The distinguished orators and statesmen
have returned to their homes. The mar
shals have presented their beautiful and
snowy regalias to their wives and sweet
hearts and come down again to mingle
with the common herd. The bellies of the
balls weary of dancing, and the beaux
weary of unmeaning love making, have
left off tripping the ''light fantastic" i" and
gone to seek new fields of conquest. The
great crowd cf men and women who
gathered to view the pomp and pageantry
have returned to everyday occupation, car
rying JEFF Davis badges" and toy bal
looms to the children. The bunting is still
flying, but the glory of the waving has
departed The Celebration is over The
Fayetteville people having, by great exer-
| tions, made the Celebration signal sue
cess, have now chance to take long
breath and felicitate themselves upon the
brilliancy of the Celebration. So far as
the good people OF Fayetteville are con-
cerned, nothing was left undone to pro-
mote the success of the occasion and the
pleasure OF their guests. There are no
better people in the world than the dwell
lers in this progressive old town. They
preserve the hospitality and social pleas
ures of the olGen time, and happily make
| them fit in with the business push and
progress which characterizes the Fayette-
vile of to-day. These people believe that
there is something in life other than mon
ey worth living for. They work hard here
and many of them make money, but it is
with them the means to an end, and not
| the sum total of all that is good. Their
| money is used for their own and their
| friends pleasure, as we'll as for the com
| merclal glory of the town and their own
| individual prosperity. Long may this
| dual spirit of Progress and Hospitality con
| troll the town, May the day never come
| when these great hearted people II their
| greed for gold shall emulate those cities
where money is everything, and where So
cial courtesies and pleasures are measured
| by dollar
| The Nasty Weather.
l cannot attempt full particulars of the
| great Celebration. Last weeks CHRONICLE
contained most Of what was done. | shall
| briefly state the facts in regard to the
| other exercises. The weather was not
propitious. In fact it behaved unseemly.
1t rained and the mu was decidedly mud
| dy. The parade could not be held on
| Thursday, and on Friday it was not as
| good as il would have been if the weather
| had been more favorable. 1t was on SAT
URDAY, Nov. 21st, 1883, when the Consti-
tuition was ratified. 1t was THURSDAY,
| Nov 21st, when we ratified it. Ii may
be that the Weather Clerk was dispIeased
because the Celebration was not on the
| same day of the week as the ratification.
and evidenced his displeasure by sending
bad weather. However that may be, it
was nasty weather for a great celebration
| and no mistake.
The Marine Bands Compliment.
| Next to the pleasure of being il Fay
|
ing was so delightful as the music by the
Marine band. 1t was worth the trip to
hear this music. On Wednesday afternoon
| this band gave an open air concert which
was probably the best musical entertain
| ment ever heard in North Carolina. There
| We're airs from the latest popular operas,
| but the most enjoyable of all the music
| during the Centennial were the Scotch
airs and melodies given at their open air
concert. This was a delicate and apprO-
pirate compliment to the Scotch popula-
tion of the Cape Fear country, and by it
| the band quite won all hearts. No music
ever comes so near my heart as the simple
Scotch airs, and whether | owe this to my
Scotch ancestry or to the intrinsic superb
| Ority Of these airs | have never tried to
determine OF course SENATOR RANSOM is
to be thanked for securing the Marine
band. He always procures for North Car
olina people whatever they desire if it lies
within the range of possibilities. The
Marine band was the great attraction, and
it is no wonder that these people and the
State as we'll feel grateful to the senior
Senator for his influential help.
Senator Ransom's Grafton.
I shall attempt no synopsis of SENATOR
| RANSOMs oration. 1t was, in the main,
a recital of the historic event celebrated
an able and convincing answer to the in
correct statements in regard to North Car
olina's delay in adopting the Constitution
given by the great historian, BANCROFT
an unanswerable justification Of NORTH
Carolina's delay then and its glorious ac
ton in the late war; a beautiful tribute te
the South; and an elegant eulogy upor
Hon. JEFFERSON DAVIS. 1t was patriotic
throughout and calculated to inspire al
with veneration for the Constitution an6
love of country. At one point in the Sen
ator's address there was pronounced out
break of applause by those on the stand
Those below heard the applause (they coule
not hear what the Senator saiO and alst
applauded with enthusiasm. SENATOR
RANSOM turning around said: Il tbanl
you gentlemen and l feel highly compli
mented as know you cannot hear wore
say" Some one replied 1--WE applaut
from faith
The Sanford Express pronounces SENA
TOR RANSOM 1.-The FULLY of North Carroll
ma" Commenting on the speech, the Tar
boro Southerner says; ''SENAToR RAN
SONS speech was the crowning effort 0
, his life, and gentleman present, capahl
of Judging good speeches, remarked tina
. he did not believe that SENATOR RANso,
could be surpassed by any speaker in th
United States on an occasion like that.
The Wilmington Star says, st was tn
master speech-the great effort of bril-
liant llfe-and held thousands enthralle
for two and half hours.
= T hone that the OratiOn will be prlnte