The Tupelo journal., 1909-06-18

AiClliDLllcs a aAtSA ~
O'Clock Tuesday morning the 1909 con
vention of the United Confederate Vete
ran was called to order in the Bijou
Theater by Major-General John II. Nc
Dowell, chief marshal and commander OF
the Tennessee division, U. G. V.
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 theI
into the blare of brass and the palpitant
challenge of the drum-or dying out to
make way for esonant oratory or the
sweet songs of Dixie. 1t was pierced
also, now and then, by the famous "rebeI
YELL" 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 it's 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 q
fellowship which began one bright morn
ing in the early '60s 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 OF 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 fiuttering 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 ribbons
and nodding plumes of the morning.
Gone the thronging, chattering, applaud,
ing mass of spectators. Bleak and bare
above the rostrum lowered the tiers of
snowy seats where in the morning sat
the uniformed rows of beauties, sponsors
and members of the United Confederate
Chairs. Bleak and bare behind the par
quet and rearward toward the furthest
stretch of the ceiling, shone the empty
with eager and applauding friends in the
morning. Down in the center, we'll toward
the front, huddled a handful of gray vet
Grams in gray. Facing them upon the
half-deserted stage were a handful OF
gray-claj officers, whose thinning tenn
pies and deep-lined faces told of battles
waged and won and lost; and of the in
evitable approach of final defeat at the
hands of the last great enemy, whose ap-
proaches are silently but surely closing
in about them one by one. But there
was a look upon their faces and a CLEAN
in their eyes which foretold that, as in
that defeat they suffered when the Stars
and Bars went down in ultimate failure
when in 1865 "the grinders ceased be-
cause they were few" these u%nconquered
and unconquerable heroes would yet,
through faith in their Almighty Captain,
snatch from this approaching discomft'
ure a victory that shall be everlasting.
Here and there, when the afternoon
session began, a weary old veteran might
be seen nodding in his seat. The faces
of many dropped with pathetic languor.
The day was very hot, and the excite
ment and discomsorts inevitably attend.
ing such a gathering were telling upon
those one-time stalwart frames. They
were the remnant, shattered and feeble,
of the mighty hosts of Lee and Beaure'
gard, of Jackson and Johnston-yielding
now, as they had yielded then, to the in
evitable, but facing the inevitable with
q dauntless spirit.
The singing of the United Confederate
Choirs was a decided feature of the con.
vention. Scores of prettily uniformed
pretty girls with trained voices chanting
the songs dear to the hearts of the old
Confeds would have stirred the, blood OF
a far more p~hlegmatic people than filled
the Bijou Theater.
After prayer by DR.. James H. Winches'
ter, of Memphis, chaplain-general of the
U. S. G. v, Gen. George w. Gordon was
introduced and spoke in welcome of the
assembled veterans on behalf of the ex.
~ecutive committee and Memphis vete.
rams. Gen. Gordon spoke with great de-
liberation and splendid voice, every word
of his address penetrating to the remot.
est parts of the building. His manner
was very earnest, and he was more than
once interrupted by applause. His speech
was as follows:
Gen. Gordon's Address.
Comrades and Countrymen-The hon
or and pleasure of greeting you here this
beautiful summer morning, on behalf OF
the executive committee of the reunion
and the Confederate veterans of Mem.