The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-05-23
SCENE MOST INSPIRING
Old Soldiers Are Hailed With
 Loudest Acclaim.
The Day One of Tropical Warmth and About 10000 Men Join in March Through Crescent
 City's Streets.

New Orleans. May 22.-To New Orleans was revealed this day what no man has seen for two score years and more.
 For a few brief hours she held close to her heart the incarnate spirit of the Confederacy, and for her it lived and breathed again. Always hers to love. it was today hers to have and hers to nold Once more she pressed to her lips the white starred cross of blue on the crim- son field and flung it loose to the winds that loved 1t well. the symbol of the cause for which the heroes fought and by whose blood it was purged and sanc- tified. Again he martial airs of forty years ago were borne upon the breeze again the streets were trod by men of war, again the cheers for the marching host rang high and again the echoes Ie- turned the rebel yell.' that Southern cadence of tire lighting cry Of the fight ing Anglo-Saxon race, that never for a thousand years has suffered any save the dead of an. alien breed to sleep upon a battlefield.
 Worship of Old Soldiers.
 It was a day such as New Orleans has never seen before, such as she may never see again. It was revelation in pas- sionate patriotism and to the old soldiers of the South an offering of affection that was closely akin to worship
 The hour for the great parade was o'clock. For an hour previous to that time Canal Street. upon which the head of the line of march was formed. was tumble that defes language. It was a chaos, a convulsive conglomeration of cit izens, str3 et cars, polic9 nsn, women, vet erans, militia, wagons, bands, children and carriages. The people pushed here and there they cheered and waved their flags, they stood in front of street cars and ran before horses until the police were we'll nigh insane.
 Through all this the various organiza- tions which were forming on Canal Street were forced to press their way. The idea of the formation was that the head of the line should march south on St. Charles Street from Canal and the various di- visions which were stationed in the thor oughfares which cross St. Charles were to close in and form new rear guard for the marching column.
 Order Out of Chaos.
 At 2:30 1t seemed as though nothing like order could come from that mixture on Canal Street, but just at o'clock there came from its eastern end of the thoroughfare bugle's shrill noteA It was the call of Forward! March!' and as 1t had been obeyed on many a bloody field so was 1t answered now. There was surge of the ranks a cry of delight from the throng, a toss of crimson banners and then in close set ranks the men of the South came on. Up St. Charles Street the column turned. passing under the eyes of General Gordon, too i'll to take part in the parade. and marched away to he Lee Monument around one-half of which it circled and passed on south along St. Charles Avenue to Felicity Street. where the countermarch was be- gun on St. Charles Avenue. The Lee Monument was passed again on the op- posite side and then the way was down Camp Street to Canal, where the parade disbanded.
 It was a day of tropical temperature, a fact which kept a number of the vet erans from the ranks and the parade was set for late hour in the day so that a number feeling disinclined to remain over another day had left for home, but des- pite these drawbacks it was a wonderful parade. capably handled and inspiring to look upon.
 Led by Levert.
 At the head of the column came Gen J. B. Levert. of New Orleans, the Chief Marshal. with his numerous staff, all beautifully mounted and presenting a brave appearance in gray and gold.
 The scarlet uniforms of the Memphis Bugle Corps were seen ahead of Com pany A, of the Confederate Veterans of Memphis. whose splendid marching in- duced great appaluse
 Behind Company A came. beautifully
 
 the sixteen heralds of the reunion, Miss Eunice Michie of Virginia, Miss Willie Henry of Louisiana. for Maryland; Miss Lulia Alexander of North Carolina. Miss M. E. Walrous f South Carolina, Miss Elise Vance of Tennessee, Miss Frances Meldrum of Georgia, Miss Willie Haral son of Alabama, Miss Ethel Sivley of Mississippi, Miss Elliott Todhunter of Missouri. Miss Elizabeth Fleming of Florida. Miss Estelle Cartwright of Tex as. Miss Bessie Rogers of Arkansas. Miss Madeline Bridgeford of Kentucky, Miss Bessie Ulz of Louisiana. Miss Benetta Coleman of Indian Territory. The young ladies, all in white. presented a beautiful picture. surrounded by the gay decora- tions of their float, and no feature of the parade with the one exception of old SOL diers brought forth as much applause.
 Wives of Famous Men.
 Following the young ladies were car riages in which rode ladies whose hus- bands had .'endered distinguished services Stonewall Jackson, Mrs. E. Kirby Smith, Mrs. Baxton Bragg. Mrs. Thomas J. Semmes and Mrs. John H. Reagan. Judge Reagan was in one of the carriages with two of the ladies.
 After these had rolled away with cheers following after, came the parade itself. the cause of 1t all, the service of it all, the veteran soldiers of the Co1federacy. It means nothing that applause should be given unsparingly to the pomp and show of a parade, to the features that fascinate with bright colors and sparkling steel. but 1t means much when deafening cheers are given as old men march by with ranks that viewed with a military eye are kept none too well, 1t means much when fair young women break into the v lines to hand them flowers, to clasp them round the neck. to kiss the wrinklad face and all these things happened today, not once but many times.
 In the hearts of the people there was nothing too good for these man, and they told their loving message in cheers that lasted as long as the parade itself.
 These were the men whose morning was spent in pain and suffering, who stood at aOon in a sunburst of fame and around