The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1905-09-13
SOLDIERS REUNION.
The Largest Crowd Ever in Attendance
at One of THESE Annual Gath.
erings.
AND BY FAR THE WORST ORDER.

The weather last Friday morn
ing was cool, the sky clear, tn,
roads dry, and conditions gener
ally were favorable for a days
outing.
AT an early hour men, womer
and children in buggIes, carrlag-
es and farm wagons were on the
different roads leading toward the
Association Grounds 1T j. w.
Hoops, about a mile south of Har.
risonville.
This condition increased until
by nine or ten o'clock the road
near the grounds showed one sol
id moving procession, ard nearly
every available tree near the
grounds was used as a hitchlng
post
The formal exercises began at
II o'clock, under the skllful di.
rection of Comrade George w.
Decker, and after solemn invo-
cation was made by Chaplain
Hous ston, the address of welcome
was delivered by Prof. b. q. Lam
berson, of the McConnellsburg
Grammar school, and the re-
sponse given by Rev. S. b. Hous-
ton, pastor of the Associate
church in the Big Cove.
Mr.. Decker now announced
that the next thing on the pro-
gram was Hardtack and Coffee,
and directed the veterans TO fall
in line and march to the tables
prepared for their serving. About
a hundred of the old boys in blue
fell in line and charged on the
works. In less than an hour the
victory was won, the vets return
ed without the loss Of man,
while the ground in the vicinity
of the scene of action was strewn
with the bones of--chickens.
This part of the program did
not attract very much attention
from the multitude of visitors,
for the greatest activity was
shown by the ladies in spreading
table cloths on the dry leaves IN
the shadows of the overhanging
boughs, and laying out a spread
of dellcacles such as are always
50 much enjoyed at picnics.
Order was called at 1:30 and
We're delivered by
Judge Swope, of Gettysburg,
Horace N. Sipes, Esq. of McCon-
nellsburg, and Rev. S. j. Pitting-
er, of Harrisonville. Recltations
were given by Marden Stoutea.
gle, Ruth Kendall, Ada Daniels
and Bertha Newman.
The addresses were fine and
the recitations well delivered; but
it seems like a waste of good ma
terial and effort for with the surg
ing to and fro, the talking, and
the general hum of the crowd,
made 1T possible for but a very
few to get much good of the reci-
LaGions and speeches.
Program makers generally
make the mistake of providing too
much speaking at gatherings like
that. If instead of having half a
dozen and expecting the people
TO sit still and be good for about
three hours when they came to
with the people, see their
and have a good time all
lay, they would have just one add
lress to not exceed 80 or 40 MN
ltes IN length, the crowd would
hen be willing to pay respect.
iul attention, and the speaker
would not have to wear his throat
'ut In trying to get his voice
lbove the din of the crowd.
EARLY in theafternoon thecrowd !
began to dispense, and by night
all the grove hard resum ed it's us
lal quiet.
One of the things much deplor-
I'd by the management was the
disorder. There seems to be
ONE people hwng yet who feel
hat they capnot have n good time
3 public gatrerin rs unless they !
Jet drunk. Then, wheu wlliskey
$ IN wit IS out and fights follow.
There were at least half a dozen
Il tic ancnuptare duriptr tho dow