Birmingham state herald., 1897-02-26

The second annual celebration of the Birmingham Carnival society occurs on next Monday and Tuesday, March and 2, ending at midnight of the latter date.
 That the celebration will be monster success there can be no doubting as time, energy and capital has been lavishly used in the effort.
 The society is composed of some of Bir- minghams most enterprising citizens, who never know the word failure" in anything they undertake.
 THE OFFICERS.
 The officers of the Birmingham Car nival society are as follows:
 President-E. Lesser.
 Vice-Presidents- Y. Anderson, Ru- fus N. Rhodes Gen. R. M. Nelson, J. w. Johnson, J. w. Tomlinson, J. R. Cobbs.
 Treasurer-B. Steiner.
 Secretary-L. Braun.
 Grand Marshal-E. J. McCross1n.
 Executive Committee-F. P. O'Brien, J. M. Davidson, M. W. Joseph Lotus ling, J. A. Van Hoose, H. B. Gray.
 Committee on Designs-A. M. Lopez, T. l.. McGowan, H. B. Gray, M. V. Joseph, s. Klotz, l.. Braun, D. J. McCrossln, Wm. Reckling.
 was the originator of the society, and is one of it's most ardent workers. He is sterling, able and worthy citizen, leader of the German-American element of Birmingham and a member or the board of police commissioners.
 The vice-presidents are too well known for special mention. Maj. F. Y. Ander- son is the representative of the Alabama Great Southern Land company; Gen. Rufus N. Rhodes is editor and proprietor of the Daily News; Gen. R. M. Nelson is ex-president of the Alabama National bank; Capt. J. w. Johnson is the ef1clent ticket agent of the Union passenger sta tion; Hon. John w. Tomlinson is lead, ing stockholder of the State Herald, and one of Birmingham's leading attorneys; MT. J. B. Cobbs is president of the Ser ney National bank.
 Grand Marshal McCrossin needs no eulogy He is too well known TOT com- ,nent at our hands.
 Mr. B. Steiner, the treasurer Of the so- cfety, is the senior member of the bank ing house of Steiner Bros.
 MT l.. Braun, the secretary, is one Of the publishers of the Courier, the leading German paper in the south.
 The members of the second committee comprise gentlemen in the several pro- fessions.
 ORIGIN OF THE SOCIETY.
 The following from Birmingham Illus. trated" is a brief outline of the origin of the society:
 Birmingham is among the southern cities the very latest competitor for car nivalistic honors. It is true that first and at the same time for the Birming- ham of that time, very creditabl= cele- bration was held about eleven years ago But since that time the matter of car nival festivities was not even men, tioned for ten years. Tn brilliant ana long esta blished carnivals of New or leans and also Mobile attracted yearly many thousands of visitors from all over the country to those cities. and 1t seemed as if the public had come to regard th5m as the only legitimate arrangers Of car nival festivities. When, therefore, Tn the year of 1895, few members or the Birmingham Turn Ver:in conceived the idea of arranging such a festival in Bir- mngham, nearly every one considered the thing as presumptuous and one that could only result in failure. Disregard ing the lukewarmness with which the first public discussion of the subject was received, the originators of the plan nev- ertheless persisted. They had carefully weighed all the pros and cons and saw even more than tha possibility of a sue cess. MT. E. Lesser, the president or the Turn Verein, and an enthusiast in amy thing he undertakes, made personal ap- peal before the Commercial club for the official indorsement of the scheme by that body. His eloquent advocacy was re- warded in that he succeeded in getting several influential members of the clup to accept his views and to enlist their cooperation. Principal among these gentlemen are Messrs. F. Y. Anderson, Rufus N. Rhodes, B. Steiner, T. l.. Me Gowan, Hon. J. A. Van Hoose, and oth- CTS, and to their efforts it is due that the Commercial club gave it's indorsement to the plan and appointed a committee to cooperate and assist. Now the ice was broken, and from this time on it was plain sailing. A committee of workers for am official celebration was formed, c11hSprihpd freely. mer chants began preparations for private displays, advertising agents were sent out in all directions, low excursion rates were secured from nearly all the rail roads designers and artists were brought here from abroad, the newspapers espe- cialiy were most valuable assistants in keeping up an unceasing agitation, and the conseuuence was that the Birming