Lower coast gazette., 1909-06-19

Memphis, Tenn.-Shortly after 10 p
o'clock Tuesday morning the 1908 con- II
of the United Confederate \ete- I
was called to order in the BlJou I
Theater by MajorGeneral John II. NC. Il
Dowell, chief marshal and commander OF T
the Tennessee division, U. {. '. }
The big theater was crowded from PIT
to dome" The hum of myriad human
voices, like the sound of many waters,
filled all the space, merging now and then
into the blare of brass and the palpltant
challenge Of the drum-or dying out to
make way for resonant oratory or the
sweet songs of Dixie. 1t was pierced
also. now and then, by the famous rebel
VEIL" as a garment is pierced with the
flash Of a rapier.
The wine of life was poured, rich
with mighty emotion, rare with the I'M
minent sense of its passing for all time.
| Gray-haired veterans, clad in the gray
uniform in which they had borne arms
on many a hard-fought field, filled the
central portion Of the house and surged
in serried ranks upward along the ros'
trum. Comrades leaned across the aisles
or over the backs of their opera chairs
and shook hands in the renewal OF a
fellowship which began one bright morn
ing in the early eos and, cemented by
suffering and the bloodshed of long cam
paigns, survives until this day.
Out in the wings old cronies gathered
and retold their tales of other days.
They snapped "reminiscences and wiped
| furtive eyes or roared their laughter over
funny happenings of half a century ago.
In its mingled gayety and gloom, the sit
uation at the opening of the convention
was like unto that Of the beginning OF
the great civil strife eight and forty
years ago. Women were futtering about
making much of valiant men.
The scene of the opening Of the after
noon session presented a wonderful con
trast. Gone were the futtering ribbon
- and nodding plumes Of the morning
Gone the thronging, chattering, applaud
y Ing mass of spectators. Bleak and bar
y, above the rostrum lowered the tiers o
- snowy seats where in the morning So
- the uniformed lows of beauties, sponsor
3 and members of the United Confederat
~ Chairs, Bleak and bare behind the pa
-, ouet and rearward toward the furthes
stretch of the ceiling, shone the empt
~ seats which had thronged and thrumme
~ with eager and a%pplauding friends in tt
~ morning. Down in the center, we'll towa'
the front, huddled a handful of gray We
Grams in gray. Facing them upon II
lhalf-deserted stage were a handful
pray-clad officers, whose thinning tel
rd- pies and deep-lined faces told of battl
he waged and won and lost; and OF the
to evitable approach of final defeat at t
70. hands of the last great enemy, whose a
Try proaches are silently but surely closl
ng in about them one by one. But the
'ur was a look upon their faces and a gle'
in their eyes which foretold that, as
Mr.. that defeat they suffered when the ST.
has and Bars went down in ultimate fall
NC when in 1865 "the grinders ceased
a cause they were few" these unconque'
yed and unconquerable heroes would y
through faith in their Almighty CAPITA
snatch from this approaching discom
ure a victory that shall be everlasting
M. Here and there, when the aftern'
ON session began, a weary old veteran mi
Of be seen nodding in his seat. The ia
70. of many dropped with pathetic lang'
to The day was very hot, and the exc
for ment and discomforts inevitably ate
in. ing such a gathering were telling u
for those one-time stalwart frames. 1
tho were the remnant, shattered and fee
an. of the mighty hosts of Lee and Bea
gard, of jackson and Johnston-yielt
now. as they had yielded then, to the
-, evitable, but facing the inevitable
"n1 z dauntless spirit.
anu The singing of the United Confede
u d Choirs was a decided feature of the
7ann y~ention. Scores of prettily unlfor
cane pretty girls with trained voices chan
INC the songs dear to the hearts OF the
oe Confeds would have stirred the bloc
ne's a far more phlegmatic people than
sup the Bijou Theater.
a'so After prayer by DR.. James H, VIII
ter, of Memphis, chaplain-seneral OF
U. S. G. v, Gen. George W. Gordon
rs. introduced and spoke in welcome OF
. cir. assembled veterans on behalf of tn
ecure ~ecutlve committee and Memphis
roth rams. Gen. Gordon spoke with grea
peni- liberation and splendid voice, every
D. c. of his address penetrating to the re
4 and est parts of the building. His mf
n the was very earnest, and he was more
Judge once interrupted by applause. His s
was as follows:
Gen. Gordon's Address.
"Comrades and CONFERENCE.-THE
# Co. or and pleasure Of greeting Jou herr
,es to beautiful summer morning, on beh;
large the executive committee of the re
and tbs Confederate veterans OF