The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1891-05-19
The Centennial.

The Centennial.
My ideas concerning what the Cen
~tennial celebrated are, like the clouds
which characterized it, somewhat MUIR
ky. Anybody, however, who has had
the honor of an acquaintance with
Mcdonald Furman, knows that he is
generally sound on the facts, and the re-
Election that he is the man that raked
up the records ought to satisfy the
most sceptical. To be sure The State
and other newspapers made complete
exposures of all that the great town.
painting signified, but most Of us were
happy only I'm the thought that 1t vas a
genuine bona Jde centennial and didn't
burden ourselves with the details.
People who were in Columbia We'd
nesday, Hampton's day, say that the
welcome accorded to the old general
was grand in every respect. His speech,
as reported in the papers, was in exquis-
lite taste and could not not AVE been
more appropriate, but the presence of
the hero himself awaking the wild rebel
yell from old soldiers vas the true elo-
quence of the occasion. The Laurens
Guards formed a part of General Bamp-
toms military escort to the Fair
Grounds where the speaking took
place.
I arrived in Columbia Thurs
day morning in time to view the
military parade. 1t was the feature of
the three days. There were moro than
fifteen hundred soldiers in line, possi-
bly, the largest body of troops ever to-
gether in the state in time of peace,
They were a fine looking set of fellows
and q sight of them would have argued
the exasperated citizens of modern
Rome into a good humor with the
whole world.
Our company, the Guards, was one of
the handsomest in the line and the bear
ing of the boys was generally admired.
Lasrens civilians were very proud of
them and the town may rest assured
that honors will be added to it's reputa-
ton whenever and wherever tho Guards
make an appearance before strangers.
Lieut.. Col. Crank Evans rode just in
front with the officers of the brigade.
Governor Tillman rode at the head Of
! the procession and looked as we'll as an
unprofessional beauty knows how. The
fact that he was not chcered very much
doesn't signify the crowd INDUCED in
very little noise and cheered nothing
save n or two companies as they
passed and those only to a limited OK
toni.
Politics and Tillmanism were conspic-
uously absent from the whole celebra-
tion. The Laurens arch was n of the
pretttiest on the street. To the gentle
men who instigated and perpetrated it,
our city owes a lasting debt. Mr.. ]. II.
Harris, who was On the ground, several
days before the opening of the show,
took charge of it and saw that it was
properly decorated. Tho fire works n
industrial procession I did not see.
The number of visitors in the city
was very, very large and most of them
well behaved. 1t was not uncommon to
see a man on his last legs, but, unlike
McGinty, few of them went down COM
pletely.
Marie Greenwood's Opera Company
sang "Tho Mascotte" Thursday night
to a packed house. In the second act
sponded with "Annie Rooney" When
she came to the chorus, the audience,
led by the Charleston soldiers, took it
up anu SdnS III WtCn nor. Inc eHecC WAC
splendid and neve in camp meeting or
campaign was there a grander volume
Of music. Then when the songstress had
finished and in obedience to another
encore sang with fire and spirit "Dixie,"
the crowd went wild. F~ashionably at
tired ladies and gentlemen, soldiers,
children, everything from gallery to pit
cheered and oheered again until the
ratters shook and trembled. 1t was a
glorious time which will not be forgot
ten.
On Thursday evening, a State Confed-
crate Survivors Association was
formed. Gen. M. g. Butler was unani-
mously elected president. General
Butler Is no less a leader in times of
peace than lie was in wal and the best
of it all is hat he is still in the prime
and pride of his fighting days. Long
may his voice be heard along the lines!
Friday night the Guards, the Mayor
and the ADVERTISER came home ten
derby chaperoned by Hon, Bob Haynes,
of the Greenville Daily News.