The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1897-06-04
'Rah! 'Rah! 'Rah! Sizz! Boom! All!
Ogden! Ogden! 'Rah! Rah! Rah!

carriages with private citizens in them
citizens on foot, and, lastly, the rank
and file of the crowd, a heterogeneous
mixture of humanity that trails noisily
and unceremoniously after the regular
procession through the crowded streets
and out the long pike leading to the
Fair ground, where the barbecue a.
waits the peaceful onslaught of the
hungry multitude.
A noted general and ex-governor is
conspicuous in the column of Confed-
crate soldiers, 81 prefer to walk with
the boys, was his response when offered
a carriage. And with the boys he goes
thinking, 10 doubt. tf the "boys' of
thirty years ago, and the marches that
terminated in something vastly differ
rnt from a barbecue.
On winds the long procession, with
music, shouts, and waving of flags,
past orchard, field and suburban home,
and through the wide-open gates of the
Fair grounds. But going III through
gate proves too tedious process for
the latter end of the procession. Let
generals and colonels 90 in through
gates as BELTS their dignity, but there
is shorter road for the hungry multi
tude who care nothing for the emo
tional and ceremonial part Of the day,
but to whom barbecue is as feast
for the gods. There is a sudden veer-
ing from the line of march, a mad rush,
the fence gives way, and in tumble the
impatient thousands, trampling each
other in their haste to get to the table.
The vanguard Of the procession sur
ges toward the grand stand, where the
speaking begins. The band bushes its
| glare, the vast audience settles into
| something like stiffness; there is a
lr,,e er; chorous of sweet-voiced
girls sings "My Country, It's of 'Thee;"
and the orator of the day, white
haired general with the kindliest of
gray eyes, rises to speak. The first
words he utters provoke cheer. In
fact, cheering comes as natural as
breathing to-day. The murmur ofthc
| crowd browns the speakers voice, but
now and then we catch a word or
prase-' beloved comrades "the lost
cause" 'the old fiag,"-never mind we
shall read it in the newspapers to-mor-
row. 1t has all been said many times
before; it will be said many times again;
and the measured sentences are falling
on the ears and hearts of the listeners,
like the music of "Dixie" or the "S;wan
cen Ribber," awakening old memories,
and dreams of the valor that once ar
rayed itself against the Stars and
Stripes, but now stand ready to de-
fend them Nothing more than this.
More music! and how the tears flow as
that sweetest of southern songs, "My
Old Kentucky Home" silences every
voice and brings culver to every lip.
A Kentucky colonel rises to respond
to the address of welcome; music again;
a recitation by beautiful auburn
haired girl; more music: more recila-
tions,- what patience these old sol
diers have! And finally, after solid
hour and half Of teals and cheers
and retrospective emotion, there comes
the welcome sound of bugle. The
line of march is formed once more, and
on to this barbecue see the conquering
heroes come!
"My sakes alive!" says an old wo-
man. peering out of her sun-bonnet and
leaning over the balustrade of the am
phitheatre, ''were are they goin to git
enough to feed sich Il crowd as this?''
Where, indeed, except from the mex
haustible source of Kentucky hos
pitality. Yesterday, at sunset, fires
were kinded in the long trenches where
the barbecuing is done, and all night
long men were at work, turning and
basting the meats that form the picre
lie resistame in to-day's bill oi fare
Three hundred carcasses of oxen
sheep, and hogs! 1t is enough to
blanch the cheek of vegetarian; and
looking at the titanic feast recalls the
days when there were said to be
"giants on the earth Epicures tell
us that no r0ti of DelmOnicos is com.
parable in flavor to this barbecued
, meat. There are hundreds of loaves
crisp and brown; every variety of cake
and pie that Kentucky housewives can
fashion; pickles by the gallon, and cof
-, fee strong enough to ntoxicatc a weak
brain.
Twenty-one hundred yards, or near
ly a mile and.a quarter, Of tables are
stretched in snowy lines under the oak
trees shade, and scores Of young girls
and matrons are in attendance as wait
ers. Shining damask, costly glass
and china are entirely lacking, but
scarcely missed, while the wind blows
! /, hn hro .hn, II -
the jolliest of talk and laughter, and
f the most intimate good-fellowship the
rustic people are fed, and the poor o
the city shall have goodly feast to
morrow from the fragments that re-
main.
After dinner, what? Why, more
speeches, of course. Your true Ken