The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1890-04-11
WAY DOWN SOUTH IN Dixie. y
Tho Capital OF the Confederaoy-
birmingham and tho New South
"A Made to Order" Town
Chattanooga, Mission Ridge
and Lookout Mountain.

birmingham and tho New South
"A Made to Order" Town
Chattanooga, Mission Ridge
and Lookout Mountain.
To traverse the whole length of the
Confederacy and not zee the place
where the Confederacy 'got torn," or
at least christened, would be unpar.
donable, and so we broke our sleep in
two and left the train in the "dead
waste and middle Of the night" when
the brakeman called montgomery"
There was no runner" nor omnibus
nor other sign or emissary Of hotel
at the station, but with the instinct
acquired by much tramping-if an in
stinct can be said to be acquired-we
found our way without difficulty to
the Exchange Hotel, and to bed.
The morning showed US that our &C.
cidental caravansary was the principal
one in the city, cornering on the cen.
trail square, or octagon rather, for at
least eight streets diverge from 1t.
Looking up one of these streets we see
the white walls and dome of the Capt.
toll crowning the hill at the end Of 1t.
We follow our eyes and In ten minutes
are standing in The columned portico
of the building in which, with much
pomp and rageantry, the curtain was
rolled up and the prologue spoken on
that tragedy whose last act was
played at the country cross roads in
Virginia, when one Silent Man rung
down the curtain and spoke the
epilogue in two words, Unconditional
Surrender" The building looks neg
lected and shabby and old. 1t is on q
hill that overlooks the whole city, and
at distauce.its towering dome and Its
stately columns make it appear impos.
ing. But close inspection shows
that at best its gentility is but shabby
and shoddy. tits built of brick and
its walls are plastered over, after the
bad Southern fashion, to give the ap-
pearance of marble,-surely of all at
tempted receptions the most detesta-
bic. Even the fluted Corinthian col.
umns are Of brick, the flutes icing the
result of an artful application of plas.
ter of Paris or other similar stucco.
Here and there patches of plastering
have fallen off and the naked bricks
look out ashamed and pitiful. The
windows are of the old style, eight lit
tie papes to sash. The sashes are
implanted and in the upper stories
about half the panes are broken and
inside shutters may be seen hanging
doubtfully by one hinge. I wondered,
: as 1 looked at it, how long Kansa:
would stand that sort of thing. 1t be.
ing Sunday the building was not open
and so we were obliged to content our
selves with an outside inspection, tht
result being what has been briefly
sketched.
The only other structure sharing tn.
State-House yard is soldiers monu
ment. That is it will be when com.
pleted. At this writing the base ha!
been constructed and on it has beer
erected a column perhaps sixty fee
high. This much of the work wa.
done a year ago. TIE monument will
be completed when its projectors make
up their minds what kind of figure
they want to have to surmount the
column. They do one thing at time
in the South.
There is fine view from the Capitol
hill. In front the city. nesting among
and on top of its seventy times seven
little hills; to the right the Alabama
river taking its winding course out o.
the hills on the north, into the
hills on the south; stretching a.
way in every direction range after
range of wooded hills, growing fainter
and bluer as the eye is lifted until it is
hard TO tell which is hill and which
cloud. This is the last city of the Old
South we are to see, and 60 we put
in the pleasant Sunday morning stroll
lug up and down its elm and oak and
magnolia shaded streets. / have had
occasion a good many times in these
letters to speak Of "columned por.
ticoes." There ia no other feature 90
characteristic of southern ante-bellum
architecture. It doesn't seem to mat.
ter much what the columns are made
of or what kind or how large a house
it is. But the columns must be there
Here in Montgomery this fad has run
riot. 1t is not so bad to see stately pill
lars along the front of some great
massive house-although when the
house is of red brick and the pillars
are of wood painted white it looks
rather queer-but to see those pillars
in front of q three roomed frame cot
tage rather staggers one. 1t is q good
dea! like hitching four prancipg
piumed horses to dog cart.
There are plenty Of smart, modern
houses though, for Montgomery has
multiplied her population by five since
the war, and the town gives evidence
of possessing much wealth and refine.
ment. Beautiful for situation, clean
healthful,-the annual death rate pei
thousand is only ID, the lowest of any
American city of similar size,-it wal
the unanimous opinion of this excur.