The Era-leader. [volume] (Franklinton, La.) 1910-current, 1914-04-16
Bellies Of Dixie
VIE AT REUNION
Brilliant Fetes AIMED FG
Jacksonville Meeting
May 6, 7 and 8 To Be Memorable
Dates in Florida's Metropolis
LARGE Crowd Assured the Reunion
City.

| WY. |
Jacksonville, Fla.-Southern social
circles are again taking an Interest
in the great social, military and sem
timental annual meeting that brings
together crowd Of from $4,000 to
10000 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 8, !, IN
elusive. 1t is the first time that the
ex.Confederates have selected Florida
as the reunion state, and uncommon
interest attaches to the meeting mere
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 ON
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 "a
theirs, maintain organizations in eV.
: erv Southern state, and hold their re-
3 unions on the same dates. They ap.
point sponsors and maids OF honor.
The two organizations, closely allied,
therefore, send to each Confederate
y reunion several hundred official ladies,
8 selected from the best families of the
r South that stand high in the social
scale in their communities.
Mapping out social program,
9 therefore, for a Confederate reunion
8 is a task that demands the best OF
g talent in the entertainment line
5 There must be dinners, receptions
u balls, trips to points of interest around
9 the reunion cities and anything else
7 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 a hall large enough
| to accommodate several hundred dane
| ing couples at once can not be sc.
! cured, a dancing pavilion is construct
ID for the occasion. This pavilion
| consists of a large canvas tent, well
! foored and lighted; it Is also supplied
! with comfortable seats on the grand
| stand order. where several thousand
| spectators may witness the ball. II
| a reader has not seen one Of these an
| he has but limited idea 81 its size ant
| briliiancy Nothing to equal 1t IL
splendor can be seen in the United
II States, unless it be the inauguration
/ ball at the material capital, now faliel
1 into social desuetude If the inaugu
d ration bail is put out of the contest
4 the annual ball Of the Confederate re
4 union, a. which the maids and spon
4 sors hold sway, is the greatest socia
4 function Of the United States.
The social side of the Jacksonville
: reunion will be participated in by rep
''' resentatives of all Southern States
}" the border states and few western
commonwealth. There are siXteel
70 state divisions Of the United Confed
crate Veterans Association, as fol
ia lows South Carolina, North Carolina
ar Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland
he Louisiana, Tennessee, Florida, Ala
ia bama, Mississippi, Georgia, Kentucky
ia Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Al
~. kansas Each state sends large dele
O, cations of young women to the re
ny union, selected with regard to thsi
social standing at home. In addition
rk to the state delegations, the cen
N. mander.inchief has his own officia
ia ladies, chosen from the South at large
i'll There are three departments, know
na as the Army of Northern Virginia dc
dc partment, Army of Tennessee depart
la ment and Mississippi depart
ar ment Each department appoint
~ maids and sponsors and sends them t
~ all reunions. The scope of countr
or. covered by these many organization
ur. has about half the population of tn
"a United States; hence, the interest i
NJ Confederate reunion is always wide
en spread. Society circles in all of thi
its territory are interested in the Jacl
nd sonville reunion, and the event wi
he bring here one OF the largest crowd
ata of young people ever assembled i
IN. the South. Florida appeals to tn
On young, because of it's flowers and it
a wonders--its poetry, its songs and il
attractive history. Rivers and oceal
on. gulf and bays have interest all thei
IN. own The palm and the pine, liveoa
~ and holly, and hundred other fores
nv trees that abound Throughout tn
es state as, nowhere else On the cont
al nent, invest Florida with an interes
,ts as wide as the nation. Greater int
,ca est attaches to the Jacksonville r.
union +hon ony roccnt rneotiop r