The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-04-12
MEMORIAL SoCIETYS GIFT.
CONFEDERATE MONUMENT TO BE
CoNFIDED TO THE CITY'S CARE.

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Practically Ended When the Mon
umcnt Was DuiIt-The Decoration
of Confederate Graves Performed
For Years by "A mmittee-The
Monument Given Into the City's
Charge with the Condition That
the Iron Railing Surrounding 1t
Remain.
A meeting will be held a the residence
OF Mrs. Octavus Cohen, on Lafayette
square, Tuesday afternoon, April 90 to
arrange for the consolidation Of the La
dies Memorial Association, of which Mrs.
Cohen is president, with the Daughters of
the Confederacy, of which Mrs. l.. II.
Raines is president.
The Ladies' Memorial Association is the
Oldest Of the several societies in the city
for the perpetuatlon of the memories of
the confederate dead. It's special purpose
was the erection of a monument to the
memory of the confederate soldery. This
was accomplished when the noble and i'm
posing structure in the military parade
ground was completed in May, 1876 It
was erected entirely with funds contrib
the memorial association and the monu-
ment is due to their enterprise and their
devotion.
After the completion of this work the
association was kept together for the pur-
pose of caring for the graves of the con.
federate soldiers in Laurel Grove and
elsewhere, the work being directed by an
executive committee. In recent years
the decorating of the graves on Memo
rial day has been chiefly performed by the
Ladies Auxiliary of the Confederate Vet
erans' Association and the Daughters OF
the Confederacy, into which the Ladies'
Auxiliary was merged about two years
ago. The late Mrs. j. C. Williamson was
for years president of the memorial as
ISOLATION, and a devoted worker for the
objects which it represented Upon the
death of Mrs. Williamson, Mrs. Octavus
Cohen was elected president. Mrs. ]. u.
Thomas is the secretary.
For several years the association has
pract ically consisted of the executive
committee, no general meeting of the as
ISOLATION having been called. The COM
mittee consists chiefly of elderly ladies.
and now that the main work to be done,
the caring for of the soldiers graves and
the preservation of the memories Of the
confederacy has been taken charge of by
a younger and more active organization.
| the merging of the memorial association
into the Daughters of the Confederaey
has been practically agreed upon.
Before going out of existence, however,
the ladies' of the memorial association
will take an important step. 1t has been
decided to request the city to take charge
of and care for the confederate monu-
ment. The four other monuments in the
city are cared for by the city, and the
| ladies' see no reason why the confederate
monument should not also be cared for
in the same manner. They will make one
condition, however, and that is that the
| iron railing which surrounds 1t, shall not
| be removed. The monument is supported
by a terrace of earth and the ladies are
satisfied that If the railing should be re-
moved the terraces and the base of the
monument would prove such an attractio
to the boys and the children generally
who throng the parade ground, that it
would soon be rendered unsghtly.
| The monument is one of the handsomest
and most imposing in the south 1t was
built from a design by Robert Reid of
! Montreal, Canada, the style being modern
Italian. 1t stands about fifty feet in
| hight from the base to the crown of the
| figure by which 1t is surmounted. On the
! base of the pilasters are appropriate
notices. The north panel on the first
| stage shows figure in alto relieve, a pros
| trate woman representing the south in
| mourning; from her left hand she lets fail
| a branch of laurel In one corner of the
| panel is a group of weeping willows with
| their dropping branches. The reverse
/ a. IL
| provides for its occupancy by a figure, also
alto relieve, of a military char
acter. Above the panels is rich
| cornice. The next stage was orig
inally an open canopy supported on
| pilasters, underneath which was a marble
statue of silence, but this was removed
| and the space filled with stone to strength
en- the structure. Above this is another
stage deeply recessed and moulded, and
ornamented with draped banners, guns
and sabres. The topmost panel is eXquis-
| itely moulded and forms the base upon
which rests the browning figure. The cor
| ner stone of the monument was laid June
| 16, 1875, and the monument was unveiled
in May 1876. The bronze statue is a work
of art. Ease. grace and manliness distin-
| guish the figure, and the musket, worn
| hat, and tattered clothing are true to the
life, reproducing with wonderful exactness
the rents, patches, darns and rude sew
iAiH NAldA btNidS inc hfpilNdAlbIS ana ndfQ-
ships which the confederate soldery had
to endure in their gallant, but painful,
struggle of four years warfare.
The Bible quotation upon the die of the
| monument
Come from the four winds, O breath.
And breathe upon these slain that they
may live"
is striking one which never fails to at
tract the attention Of the visitor. The
| quotation is said to have been effectively
used by the Hon. Julian Hartridge, father
| Of Mr.. w c. Hartridge, who will deliver
the memorial address April 26, in his ad-
dress delivered at the unwilling of the
monument.
The work of decorating the monument
for memorial dry as well as the graves
of the soldiers, will be taken charge of
by the Daughters OF the Confederacy. as
sisted 10y committees OF the veterans.
Should the city take charge Of the
monument as It doubtless Will II would
no doubt be placed in the care Of the park
| and tree commission.
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