The Richmond climax. (Richmond, Ky.) 1897-1914, 1914-04-08
BELLIES OF DIXIE
VIE AT REUNION
Brilliant Fetes Planned For
Jacksonville Meeting
May 8, 7 and To Be Memorable
Dates in Florida's Metropolis
Large Crowd Assured the Reunion
City.

Large SToWo AsSuTeo tHe Heo"'o"
City.
Jacksonville, Fla.-Southern social
circles are again taking an interest
in the great social, military and SEN
timental annual meeting that brings
together a crowd of from 10000 to
100000 people to do honor to the ex-
Confederate soldier-the reunion OF
the survivors of the Confederate arm
les.
The reunion is to be held this year
at Jacksonville, Fla, May 6, z, in
elusive. Ii is the first time that the
ex-Confederates have selected Florida
as the reunion state, and uncommon
interest attaches to the meeting here
and throughout the South. Owing -
the comparatively early date OF the
reunion, the divisions, brigades and
camps made their appointments OF
sponsors and maids early. and these
ladies compose the social side of the
reunion. They are known as the OIL
cial ladies of the meeting, entertained
as such, and courted by the entire So
cial fabric of the South.
The Sons of Confederate Veterans,
following in the footsteps OF their IA
theirs, maintain organizations in ev-
cry Southern state, and hold their re-
unions on the same dates. They APP
point sponsors and maids of honor.
The two organizations, closely allied,
therefore, send TO each Confederate
reunion several hundred official ladies,
selected from the best families of the
South, that stand high in the social
scale in their communities.
Mapping out a social program,
therefore, for a Confederate reunion
is a task that demands the best OF
talent in the entertainment line.
There must be dinners, receptions,
balls, trips TO points of interest around
the reunion cities and anything else
in the line of social entertainment the
committee may devise. The crown
ing event of the week in society,
however, is the annual ball for maids
and sponsors. If the reunion is held
in a city where hall large enough
to accommodate several hundred dane
ing couples at once can not be Sc
cured, a dancing pavilion is construct
ed for the occasion. This pavilion
consists of a large canvas tent, well
fioored and lighted; ii is also supplied
with comfortable seats on the grand
stand order, where several thousand
spectators may witness the ball. If
q reader has not seen one of these an
nual balls at Confederate reunion
he has but limited idea of its size and
brilliancy. Nothing to equal it in
splendor can be seen in the United
States, unless it be the Inauguration
ball at the national capital, now fallen
into social desuetude. If the inaugu
ration ball is put out of the contest
the annual ball of the Confederate re
union, at which the maids and spon
sors hold sway, is the greatest social
| function of the United States.
The social side of the Jacksonville
reunion will be participated in by rep
resentatives OF all Southern States
d Il
commemorative. There are sixteen
state divisions of the United Confed
crate Veterans Association, as fol
lows: South Carolina, North Carolina
Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland
Louisiana. Tennessee, Florida, Ala
bama, Mississippi, Georgia, Kentucky
| Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Ar
| kansas. Each state sends large dele
cations of young women TO the re
union, selected with regard to theil
| social standing at home. in addition
TO the state delegations, the com
mander-in-chief has his own officia
ladies, chosen from the South at large
| There are three departments, known
as the Army of Northern Virginia de
partment, Army of Tennessee depart
ment and Trans-Mississippi depart
ment. Each department appoint.
maids and sponsors and sends them t
all reunions. The scope Of countr,
| covered by these many organization!
has about half the population of tn,
| United States; hence, the interest il
Confederate reunion is always wide
spread. Society circles in all of Thu
territory are interested in the Jack
sonville reunion, and the event will
bring here one of the largest crowd.
of young people ever assembled il
the South. Florida appeals to thu
| young, because of its flowers and 1T
wonders-its poetry, its songs and it
attractive history. Rivers and ocean
T! gulf and bays have interest all thei
own. The palm and the pine. liveoal
and holly, and hundred other fores
| trees that abound throughout thu
state as nowhere else on the cont
nent, invest Florida with an interes
as wide as the nation. Greater inter
est attaches to the Jacksonville re
union than to any recent meeting o
the Confederates, and preparations ar
being made to entertain a larg'
crowd of people in May.