The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-04-16

1 down on a land of beauty and of plenty A soft wind came up from the gull filled with warm delicious ozone. I'm sweet young buds on the trees along the avenues had burst into leaf O. tenderest green, and the pink petals o
 the early peach trees showered softly
 down, as the blue jays swung iron
 their branches. scolding and mocking.
 The endless beds of sweet violets
 starred with purple bloom, the smell of the moist earth. and the odor of the
 virgin pines foretold that twas spring time down in Alabama
 The capitol on Dexter hill. with its
 fluted columns, gleamed stately and
 white. and at its feet the old southern city lay in all her languorous beauty Over and beyond, the Alabama flowed
 crescent shaped. like an opal girdle glittering in the sunlight.
 Across the hills and In the valley, as far as the eye could see, the planta- lions of the wealthy southerner stretch ed out in a fertile panorama. It was the 18th of February, but spring awakens early way down in old | MO0IEOnl6TNf anu pii biiis ing in the year 1881, her people had come forth in the holiday attire, for
 this was the birthday of a nation and the beautiful southern city was to be its cradle
 Long before the king of the day had sailed above the horizon the high roads coming into town were lined with ve-
 hicles of every description, filled to the point of overflowing. and there were numbers of pedestrians also. The cool morning breezes tossed the Osage orange buds, the birds carolled in the lanes, and a great joy sang In the hearts of the people travelling toward
 town, for the day was filled with prom ise and the light of hope.
 Hotels. boarding houses and private houses as we'll were taxed to their ut
 most capacity. By 10 o'clock the surg ing crowds had lined Dexter avenue
 fthen Market street) leading up to the
 capitol and the scene was not unlike
 gala day in Washington, on minor scale, of course.
 Standing at the fountain, one could.
 by half closing his eyes and expanding his imagination a trifle, have believed himself on Pennsylvania avenue gazihs toward the capitol. The militia was everywhere, and bands were playing in many quarters Carriages rattled over the stones, small boys called and whistled shrilly, and the police did not suffer with ennui.
 Just before the noon hour an elegant equfpage, drawn by six beautiful greys, adorned with glittering trappings, drew m at the Exchange hotel on Montgom- cry street It was the carriage of Mrs. Tennant Lomax, the wife of wealthy
 and patriotic citizen of the city, who felt honored to loan it for the occa- sion.
 A mighty commotion ensued, the crowds parted, and there stepped forth the man of the hour, Jefferson Davis.
 The pale. high-bred face of the pres ident-elect relaxed into a smile as he seated himself in the Lomax carriage and bowed right and left to the shout ing populace.
 At his side sat the vice president. Alexander Stephens, and their yis-a-vis were Rev. Basil Manley and Captain George Jones of Montgomery, chaplain and personal escort to the President
 Then followed successively in car riages the congressional, state and city committees, visiting governors and
 hundreds of citizens on foot.
 The military escort were the 1nde- pendent Rifles, Capt. R. c. Paris; the columbus Guards. Lieutenant Ellis; the
 German Fusiliers Captain Scheussler
 and the Eufaula Rifles Capt. Alpheus | Baker, the entire battalion under the command of Capt. Paul J. Semmes of
 the Columbus Guards. The True Blues,
 Captain Andrews; Metropolitan Guards, Captain Winter the Tuskegee infantry, Captain Swanson. and Tuskegee zuaves, Captain Law first Lieut.. Fred Fer
 guson, all under command of Col. Ten nant Lomax, were away, at the time, at Pensacola. having been sent there to take the forts.
 The procession kept forming till 1t stretched far down the street, nearly to the river Just, as the clock struck 12 1t began to move past the fountain LID the broad avenue toward the cap itol cheered at every step by the swaying multitude; while cannons boomed and bands played their martial strains.
 The pageant was splendid and en- thusiastic. and the scene was engraven for life upon the, minds of those who witnessed 1t. Everything moved in perfect order and harmony. Col H. P. Watson of Montgomery was the grand marshal of the parade | by congressional appointment, and his assistants were William Knox. Jr.. of | Alabama Felix Roberts of Texas; Dan- | Tel PTlnIup or deOTBlai JOSepn b1llups of Mississippi; c. D. Capers of South Carolina; Robert Woods, Jr, of Louis jana; and Hamilton Wright of Florida | When the head of the parade reached | the capitol the last part had not left | the Exchange hotel on Montgomery | street
 | The capitol grounds and the building it. self were so packed with the seething
 crowd 1t seemed that one more person
 could not find space to stand. A way was opened by the militia and | the president-elect, vice president and
 others of the parade walked bareheaded
 to the capitol porch And the bands were | playing in a merry martial air that | frightened the eye and quickened the steps.
 | It was the same tune played by the or chestra on the opening night of the | Montgomery theatre with Wilkes Booth
 as Hamlet, and was written by Daniel | Emmett. a minstrel man of Bryants, Birch and Backus, and later in his old
 age a star and end man of Fields He wrote all day in his room one rainy | April Sunday. and the only tune that | suggested itself was a song his mother
 sang to him a child. called Come, | Philander, Let's Be Marchin'" And from
 that tune, crooned by his mother, as she
 bent above him in the twilight hour, sprung "Dixe.' the song of the south.
 How little could he know that that tune
 would be the inspiration to hundreds
 of soldiers, marching fearlessly to their death.
 The music ceased, and men stood with
 barred heads bowed as the Rev. Dr. Man ley opened the ceremony with an impress
 sive prayer, after which Jefferson Davis delivered his inaugural address amid all most continued applause