The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-12-14
Cordial Address of Welcome
 and Happy Response
TRIBUTES ID DR ELIAS DAVIS
Mayor Drennen Welcomes Association to the City and pr. Woodson Gives Welcome on Part of Local
 Medical Profession.

The feature of the first days session of the Southern Surgical and Gynecolog- 1 ical association held yesterday in the council chamber of the city hall was the sincere, spontaneous and graceful tribute paid by not few of the speakers to the memory of great and good man. who Is now no more.
 The subject of the speeches was the late Dr. William Elias Brownlee Davis. physician who, born of parents that H. i lustrated in every relation of life the en- during virtues of true manhood and true womanhood. rose by the might of merit in his profession, till at length his fame penetrated the entire medical and surgi- cal world.
 Deprived of the genial comradeship and helpful counsel of their former associate, f. was not unnatural that the memory Of Dr. Davls-his character and achieve ments-should have awakened the liveliest interest and given an exceedingly tender and impressive touch to the association's proceedings. That it did so was not doubted by anyone who attended the ses- y respect and affection and faces made sombre with sorrow. as the speakers one after another referred to the associa- tion's founder-to the manner in which the life of Dr. Davis had enriched and uplifted his fellow men, testified eloquent l ly that though no longer in the flesh. Dr. Davis was still a living, active force in the mind and heart of every one who had known him.
 Human Sympathy.
 In a day crowded with interesting ad- dresses delivered by experts on subjects l for the most part technical, the note of human sympathy and human affection sounded clear in the council chamber. No young Lycidas, 'dead ere his prime," could have awakened a sincerer lament. The tributes reflected adequately a sor- row common to the community and an- ticipated the formal memorial address that will be delivered when the monu- ment erected in memory of Dr. Davis is unveiled this morning.
 l The Attendance.
 When the meeting of the association , was called to order at 9:30 clock yester- day morning the chamber was well filled with surgeons and physicians who repre- sent great deal that Is highest and best in their profession. The exercises opened with a few remarks by Dr. J. Shelton Horsley of Richmond, the second vice president of the association. After prayer had been offered by the Rev A. c. David son, D. D., the pastor of the Southside Baptist church. Mayor Drennen was in- troduced to make the address of welcome l in behalf of the city. The mayor, who was received cordially by the association, awakened the interest of the association the moment he began to speak and this interest was admirably sustained throughout his felicitous address After welcoming members of the association to Birmingham, the mayor tactfully drew 1 his hearers attention to the remarkable growth and development of this com 1 munity.
 Mayor Drennen's Address. l 'I trust that the local members of your association" said the mayor; have ar | ranged, in making up the programme, ] that all of your time will not be taken in 1 the discussion of papers which will come 1 before you. 1 hope the programme has ] been so adjusted that you will be enabled not only to meet and commingle with the members of your profession, but with the | citizens of this city as well, in order that we may show you the appreciation and l high esteem in which your profession Is | held by the people of Birmingham.
 Ours is a great and growing city. The | very spot on which this city hall stands was cotton field less than thirty-two | year ago, and the city was incorporated | less than that number of years ago. We | have six trunk lines now, and the coal and iron that moves in and out of this city have a greater monetary value than the entire wheat crop of the northwestern states, and Is worth four times more 1 than the cotton crop of the southern l states. In the city of Birmingham in | the past three years more than six thous- and houses have been built, at total cost of something over ten millions of l dollars.
 We have street car system with over l one hundred nils of track. ranking third l in point of mileage in the south, and serving population of almost two hun | dred thousand.
 While we have made great progress l in mining and n1anufac actlirinR and in de-