The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-07-27
COMPLETE COMMITTEES
FOR MEMORIAL WORKERS
AT UNIVERSITY ALABAMA
by MRS. cHAppELL cory

0Ohf
The committee on highways and his
torfc places makes a most fitting OPEN
ing. We go to Richmond and the very
soil seems hal1owed. Why? / Because
virginia loves her history and COM
memorates 1t. Our battlefelds in Ala
bama are few, and Confederate events
and places outside our own capital
city are not SO many as in some of
four sister states. All the more rea-
son we should seek them out. There
Is deplorable lack of information on
these subjects, which we should speed
lily remedy. Here is where historians
and members of highways and historic
places committees can work hand in
hand. Even the university of our state,
teeming with historic interest, has not
a bronze tablet or a marble memorial
| anywhere to tell its story to our
| YOUTH
Hopes to Begin Then
1t was my ardent desire to see this
| work begun for University then, as
many of my friends know, and | was
at that time anxious to recommend it
as division work. But feeling we must
complete the Julia Tutwiler scholar
ship and the memorial to our founder,
Miss Sallie Jones, and also striving to
make our organization a solvent body,
decided best to wait another year.
!
about my plans right after Greenville
convention; also in November, 1912, at
the general convention, again in De-
cember 1872 and early in the year
1913 in February and March, receiving
from these friends valuable historic
information on the subject. On April Is
L wrote DR.. Denny, president univer-
sity in part as follows: II am very
anxious that the Alabama Daughters
of Confederacy place a stained glass
memorial window in Morgan hall to
the memory of the little band of boy
soldiers who went out from the uni
versity and to the other students of
university who fought under the stars
and bars. We desire also to mark with
appropriate tablet the spot which was
laid in ashes. Am sure when We COM
plete the memorial window others will
come and we can thus beautify> and
| make historically interesting our state
university. L believe you will give us
your hearty permission. / have spoken
to many daughters who are enthu-
| siastic about it"
He replied gladly consenting and prom
ising to do all he could
Tuscaloosa's Interest
On April % L was delighted to receive a
letter from Mrs. Bryce, showing Tusca-
/ loosa's interest. She stated she had seen
my letter to DR.. Denny and that he
thought the stained glass window would
be best In Clark hall, that her chapter
had already suggested boulder for the
old rotnnda, that they had two views in
sight, this one and the spot on the brow
of the hill where we had a sharp skirmish,
and that she hoped the boulder for mark
Ing ruins of university would come first,
before windows. At Camden convention
by recommendation in my report the
work of making historically beautiful the
buildings and grounds around the uni
versty was accepted and became division
work. The following is taken from that
report showing the recommendation pass
ed. For historical interest the Uni
versity OF Alabama stands eminent
IN our Confederate history. Out from its
walls went band of little boys, mere
children. to make a stand against an
army of veteran soldiers. In this engage
ment two were wounded. 1t was as brave
deed as many more widely heralded, yet
very few people in Alabama know any,
thing about It, and many never heard of
IL. There should be a beautiful stained
glass window in oQe of the buildings on
the campus in memory of this LITTLE. band
of soldier boys and other university stu
dents who fought under the stars and
bars And upon the spot where stood
the splendid library some memorial should
be placed, etc. This historical place could
De made one of the most memorially
peautltul rendezvous in all the states,
ana the daughters and alumni who love
their state and alma mater should not
delay beginning this which recommend
as work of the whole division
Defeating Boulder First
Now, although my idea was that the
stained glass window to the memory of
The boy soldiers and other students who
fought under the stars and bars should
go hand in hand with marking the spot
laid in ashes, which I deemed secondary
vet when | found Mrs Bryce had sug-
sested the marking of old university be
IN the form of a boulder, and had set
her heart on dedicating the boulder first
very gladly in Difference to this beloved
woman's wishes, decided the boulder
should be dedicated first However, while
we are collecting money for marking
these spots, 4 think 1t should be equally
divided, and part of the money set aside
Tor the memorial window to the boy SOL
uiers and students who fought under
stars and bars. Dr. Denny's plans for
Clark hall will lend admirably to our
plans for stained glass windows. Why
should not idea for memorial to Mr..
James II. Fits, the great friend of the
university be Incorporated here and also
become a stained glass window for Clark
hall?
That / should have been deeply inter-
ested in projecting this work goes with
out saying. Many ties bind me to Tus-
caloosa and her people. Some of the hap
piest days of my young ladyhood were
spent within those walls and grounds
when military was in flower and brass
buttons shone resplendent. There l met
young alumnus. whose name I now
Bear, returning as commencement orator
to his alma mater. There his father died
while rendering his last duty as trustee
% the institution. And now member
4 the third generation, grandson of the
nus is a student within its hallowed walls
and draws my heart to 1t as to my own
fireside. All these and many other rea-
sons prompt me in hoping to do this
great work at our university and help tc
historically mark and beautify its sur
-oundings.
And now having discharged the self