Birmingham state herald., 1897-03-02

| conception. and met with marked ap- 1 proval
 Then came the president of the Bir- mingham Carnival society, MT. Emil Lesser, with the officers and committees of that honered society. Each gentle ]. man was attired in black, on their breast appearing beautiful badges an nouncing theire respective stations They were manly lot of Birminghams most influential citizens
 The royal baggage wagon brought up the rear
 To the southside the parade moved.
 counter marching up Twentieth street to
 First avenue, thence to Nineteenth
 street, out Nineteenth street to Fourth
 avenue, where the royal chariot halted in
 front of the city hall, the military being
 drawn up in line at present arms.
 In front of the city hall was the
 platform erected for His Honor, Mayor
 F. " Evans and the city fathers. This
 platform was beautifully decorated in the
 royal colors.
 Immediately after the halting of His
 Majesty's carriage the presenta tion of
 the
 KEY OF THE CITY was made This pleasant duty fell to MAYOR FRANK V. EVANS. In the following well-choSen words His
 Honor presented the massive golden key
 gorgeously bedecked in royal colors:
 Your Royal Majesty: It pleases us
 much to welcome you to this great young
 city, the rendezvous of more than one
 hundred thousand of your loyal subjecss
 who await to bow in your presence, to
 do homage to the King, to greet you as the most worthy descendant of Haphaes- tus and of the royal line of Zeno and Hera. With eager interest we have watched the progress of your journey thitherward from the Orient, and rejoiced that the gods of storms, of lightning and of winds have dealt so kindly with your hi3'hness and your royal suite. Birmingham, the one American city for which you rightly feel such deep concern, rejoices to have you here. Much, how ever, do we regret that the work of con- stiucting the Valley Creek canal has. not so far progressed as to allow your royal fleet to enter this harbor. We do hope that at your next coming the waters will be so deepened and widened as to bear you safely from and to the sea. The oldest inhabitant tells us that over there on Red mountain, your paternal ancestor landed when flung from Olym- plan heights, and that he planted there the immense beds of iron, from which he forged and wrought these wonderful works of art for which tradition ascribes to him all honor and praise. There are no divine marines now living here to re- ceive you, but all of Birmingham and the legions of your loyal subjects, who are with us today, would wish you could ever remain here in the very shadow of the scene or yOuT ancestors WOrlQ-t9- nous achievements
 Time has wrought many changes since first the earth received the imprint of the feet of your royal house, but while Br- mingham has grown great, Elyton still lives as of yore, and the blasts and forges of these great furnaces and workshops have made no visible impress as yet upon your ancestors planting. "He bulded better than he knew" and for the use of centuries yet unborn. Then why should not Birmingham pay homage to the no- ble scion of such sire?
 By command of the people of Birming- ham a board of city fathers, who dare do the right, present to you the key to the city. I yield the charge to you. Seize the treasury, command the popu- lace, and should any man dare to resist @ single one of your royal edicts, com- nunicate the insubordination to me. and I'll report him to the police commission, that justice may be delt out to him ac- cording to the rules of the royal court of Feagan. Accept this key, not as a scepter swung from the hands of a re- luctant foe, but as am emblem of a gift of the freedom of the city.
 GRAND MARSHAL'S REPLY. In a few well chosen and timely words Grand Marshal McCrossin replied for his majesty, Rex Vulcan H., accepting the key which implied the freedom and hos pitalfty of the Magic City of the south. He stated that his majesty had come
 
 Free State, Africa, to visit his faithful subjects in the province of Birmingham. That he was profoundly impressed with the gorgeously bedecked city, the inn
 mense outpouring of people and the mag nificent splendor of his reception. He was proud of the greatest city in the south, and, in fact, the coming city of America.
 In token of the presentation of the key 1 of the city his royal hishness bestowed a | like honor upon the chief magistrate of | the city. The royal emblem, medal made of Birmingham iron. imported to l Congo Free State for that especial pur- pose.
 The grand marshal gracefully pinned l the medal in place and then his majesty bowed to the city officials. The process 1 sion again moved out Nineteenth street | to Sixth avenue thence to Twentieth street. down Twentieth street to First l avenue. out First avenue to Twenty-sec- l ond street, colptermarching and pass | tcontinued on Second Page)