The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1914-04-10

OF Dixie J
VIE At REUNION
Brilliant Fetes Planned For
Jacksonville Meeting
May g., 7 and 8 To Be Memorable
Dates In Fiorida's Metropolis
Large Crowd Assured the Reunion
City.

N
Dates in Florida's Metropolis
Large Crowd Assured the Reunion
City.
Jacksonville, Fa,--Southern social
circles are again taking an Interest
In the great social, military and sem
timental annual meeting that brings
together a crowd OF I ON $4,000 to
10000 people to do ho"or 10 the ex-
Confederate soldier-the reunion OF
the survivors Of the Confederate arm
les.
The reunion Is 10 be held this year
at jacksonville, Fla, May 6, 7, 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 here
and throughout the South. Owing -
the comparatively early date OF the
reunion, the divisions, hrigades 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 Off.
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 ey.
cry Southern state. and hold their re-
unions on the same dates. They ap.
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,
tAerefore, for q 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 reuniC' 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 a hall large enough
to accommodate several hundred dane.
Ing couples at once can not be so,
cured, a dancing pavilion Is construct
ed for the occasion. This pavilion
consists of a large canvas tent, well
1oored and lighted; 1t 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.
nual balls at a Confederate reunion
he has but limited idea of Its size and
brilliancy. Nothing to equal 1t In
splendor can be seen In the United
States, unless 1t be the Inauguration
ball at the national capital, now fallen
into social desuetude. II 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. i
The social side of the Jacksonville
reunion will be participated in by rep.
resentatives OF all Southern States,
the border states and a few western
commonwealths. There are sixteen
state divisions Of the United Confed-
orato yotar,np, Ap,octotinp .au 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 ONE to the re-
union, selected with regard to their
social standing at home. In addition
to the state delegations, the com /
mander.inchief has his own official
ladies', chosen from the South at large. n
There are three departments, known
as the Army of Northern Virginia de-
partment, Army Of Tennessee depart
ment and Trans,MisslssIppt depart.
ment. Each department appoints
and sponsors and sends them to
all REUNIONS. The scope Of country
covered by these 1iaaly organizations
has about half the population Of tISI
States; hence, the interest in !
! Confederate reunion Is always wide ,
Society circles In all Of this J
territory are interested In the Jack /
Bonville reunion, and the event will I
bring here one OF the largest crowds !
pf young people ever assembled In ,
The South. Florida appeals to the
young, because OF its flowers and Its :
wonders--its poetry, Its songs and It's
attractive history. Rivers and ocean,
gulf and bays have interest an their
OWN. The palm and the pine, llveoak =
and holly, and a hundred other forest J
that abound throughout the 4,
as nowhere else on the CONT
nent, invest Florida with an interest
rs wide as the nation. Greater inter.
est attaches to the Jacksonville re-
union than to any recent meeting Of !
he ~Confederates, and preparations are ]
being made to entertain a large
crowd Of people In May. J
The %nonuiation of Jackaopvi1in Il +.