The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-05-13

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 Proud are the memories that wreathe the name of our own loved Alabama. Glorious the ties that bind her to that storm cradled nation that fell From her capitol whose majestic dome cast its shadows to the graves of her nativa heroes. panoplied in the wisdom of statesmen and sanctihed by the claims of the righteouness and truth dawned on the nations of the earth the grand old Southern coufed- eracy.
 Dear are the associations and hal- lowed are the scenes that link Ala bama to an historic past; resplendent and beautiful. in the glory of. her matchless present.. sher prospects and her hopes are bright and cheering. After having accepted the kind in- vitation of the ladies of the Dixie Club to prepare and read a paper on Alabama, and having never read one before an { organization. became vaguely alarmed. Fl felt that was pretty old to be learning new tricks. Suddenly by leaps and bounds my thoughts passed the barrier of years. As a child again on my grand-fathers knee I was listening to the stories of his early boyhood in Alabama! How my grand father a general of the rev. olution had brought his wife and eight children, slaves and household goods in carriages and wagons fror. South Carolina to the wilds of Ala | bama. St
 Without delay peace had to be es. tablished with the Red Man.
 A crude hut with dirt floor was the only home. Meal being plentiful. l corn bread was 6 frequent means of sustenance. This was called by the children Johnny Constant" wheat l bread, being a luxury was greeted as Billy Seldom" So from the first. the name became linked with the growth ' of the State sos feel that the same might be said to. me as the boy said to the Bishop, who told him that he ought to go to church because he. the Bishop was going Course you are" said | the boy, that's your job" So. I hope 1 may be excused it seem vain and boastful of Alabama. because, you see' that's my job"
 In reviewing the genius of the pros ducts we must not overlook the state | that produced it.
 From the first exploration in the early years of the sixteenth century Alabama has an interesting and thrill- | ing history.
 The earliest permanent settlement | in any of the Gulf States waS found
 ed at Mobile River. on the site of the old Mobile.
 Of the several territories Alabama became settled most rapidly and past l soonest of all from territorial prtvil- 1 eRe. In 1892 the first railway west 1 of the Allegheny Mountains was conn ulettA in Alabama. This is now q part of tiis Southern Railway System. 1 fn* Alabama was granted the hrst diploma issued by a chartered educa- | tionai institution authorized to conter
 degrees. Alabama was the first cot 1 ion state to establish a common school system.
 In the present historic state capital the delegates from six seeding states
 met and organized the Provisional Gov. ernment of the Confederate States Of l America; adopted provisional constl- l tuition; elected Jefferson Davis and Alexander Stphens, President and Vice
 President, respectively of the new con-
 federation. On the front portico MT Davis was inaugurated Feoruary ls'
 1881. .-
 When a formal declaration of war
 was made from the Gulf to our North" ern border, from the mountains, Val- leys and plains; from the East ana West; the brave and patriotic sons of
 Alabama rallied to the standard of
 the new born republic, I
 the Mississippi River, Aiabamians took I honorable parts and some of the most
 brilliant leaders were natives or resi-
 dents of the State.
 "AIabama," says General Lewis Par
 sons. State Superintendent of Army Records in 1865. sent more troops into the service in proportion to the popu-
 Istion than any other State. l am
 certain. too, that when General Lee
 surrendered his army, the representa-
 tion from Alabama on the field that day
 wsa inferior to no other State in num-
 hers and surely not in gallantry."
 Tn Montgomery was built and ope-
 rated the first electric railway in the
 United states. .-.
 .nnsratus used in the United States
 ssr tha demonstration of the K-ray.
 rho AIshanaa Polytechnic Institute
 -vas tbe first South ern College to estab- Iish a separate chair for electrical en-
 ginsering. ,An,
 Alabama Department of Archives ana
 History was the first attempt In tne
 lTrited states, through Legislation, to
 rneet inc duty of the State to it's ar
 chtves and public records of every
 cha racter. through a separate depart
 went of cSovernment administered by a
 State officer. .
 This department, under the emeleht
 directorship of pr. Thomas Owen, has
 "faithfully and earnestly performed the
 duties imposed and has developed the
 activities projected in the act Of es-
 tablishment. ,. In Montgomery is the first White House of the Confederacy. Some ] years ago a few patriotic women form ed an association the object of which is to preserve the historic old house occupied by MT. Davis and his family in 1881, while in Montgomery. Ala and to perpetuate 1t as Confederate museum. The membership of the as-
 sociation now includes the names Of men, women and children not only ir Montgomery and Alabama, but in the entire South. To Mrs. J D. Beale the Regent. Is largely due the success of the association. It was through her Instrumentality that Mrs. V. Jefferson Davis gave to the association the nu- merous and valuable furniture and rel ics from Beauvoir.
 Of the present-day artists, Mir. Samuel Hoffman and Mir. Roderick Mckenzie have done excellent work in portrait.
 ure; the latter being favorably known