Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1899-04-22
Queen Of the South"

Inc inspiring drama, "Queen Of the
South, written by a Mississippi vom.
an, and presented before a Macon audi.
ence on the 14th of April, under the
auspices of the United Daughters Ct the
Confederacy, was n Of the prettiest
spectacular performances ever put upon
the boards of the theatre here. The
beauty and chiyalry of Macon was well
represented upon the beautifully deco.
rated stage, forty-one young women and
eight young men appearing during the
progress OF the play, not counting the
iartette, Messrs. Carlton, Simpson.
Thames and Thomas, who discoursed
sweet music before the curtain. The
chorus, Way down upon the Swannee
river sung without accompaniment,
alone was worth the price of admission.
Miss Lula Griggs, as Fame, acted her
part as regally as if the mythical god
dess had herself coached her, and Miss
Ethel Bush. the New South, whom
Fame crowned Queen, was worthy to
occury the throne aldicated for her,
The various southern states, reuresen.
ted by some Of the most talented young
women of the town. when refused the
crown after affecting p~leadings, accept.
ed their defeat as gracefully as possible,
and passed or to their respective places,
calm in the Knowledge that if looks
counted for anything they had NJ rea-
son to feel detected.
ii. II. Brooks, jr., as Herald, an
nounced the approach Of each state as
only an orator can; and Macon's other
young lawyer, H. l.. J, Barnes, as a
descendant Of Lee. delivered the poem,
Sword Of R. E. Lee, most impress
sively. W o. Barnes, jr., as bearer
of the Confederate flag, the red, white
and red, spoke his piece like a man, and
mounted his stand, where he held the
glorious defeated banner proudly above
Fame, as she sat upon her throne.
The participants in the drama were
90 numerous to be mentioned by name.
but each n who put his or her aid to
this grand enterprise may feel gratifed
to learn that the public has been mosl
generous in its praise of the whole per
formance.
Eric Scales, who waved the stars and
stripes above the head of the new Queen
as she approached the throne, looked
proud, every inch, to have 50 honored a
position. When he mounted the stand
behind the throne. and the folds of the
two grand flags were mingled, it was 2
strong heart that did not respond. with
emotion, to such an inspiring sight.
Messrs. L We and Tatum, as represen-
tatives of Uncle Sam, with guns upon
their shoulders, needed nothing to make
them effective but a tattooed Confede.
rate soldier on the other side Of the
throne. In the absence Ct this charac-
ter, Miss Ada Sessions. bearing a tat
tered battle flag, begged, in language
to make the heart of a Confederate vet
eran bleed, that Fame would plant that
flag for which any Soutierner would
die, on high once more, SO that we might
still follow it in line of the Stars and
Stripes.
This is the second patriotic entertain
ment given within this year by local tai
ent, and the second at which the vete-
rans were conspicuous by their absence.
This is the only regret felt by the projec-
tors of the monument enterprise, being
= fact that is acting as a wet blanket to
their efforts to erect a suitable memorial
to the Confederate dead buried al the
Odd Fellows cemetery.
Let every citizen of Macon loosen his
purse strings for the benefit of this no
BILE cause, that we may see before many
INT nths a marble shaft standing sentinel
over those who fought, bled and died to
give us our rights. M.