The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1914-04-14

I" VsOTlOoD MetTVpOto
Large Crowd Assured the Reunion
City.
Jacksonville, Fla.-Southerr social
circles are again taking an interest
N the great social, military and ser
tlmental annual meeting that brings
together q 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 s, 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 y
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 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 ev.
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 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. II the reunion 10 held
in city where hall large enough
to accommodate several hundred dane
ing couples at once can not be Sc
cured, dancing pavilion 10 construct
ed for the occasion. This pavilion
consists OF large canvas tent, we'll
f1oored and lighted; It Is also supplied
with comfortable seats on the grand
stand order, where several thousand
spectators may witness the ball. II
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 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.
The social side of the Jacksonville
reunion will be participated In by rep
resentatiyes OF all Southern States,
the border states and a few western
commonwealth. 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 their
social standing at home. In addition
TO the state delegations, the com.
| mander.inehief has his own official
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 appoints
maids and sponsors and sends them to
all reunions The scope OF country
covered by these many organizations
has about half the population of the
| United States; hence, the interest in
a Confederate reunion is always wide
spread. Society circles In all OF this
territory are interested In the Jack
sopyille reunion, and the event will
bring here one OF the largest crowds
of young people ever assembled in
the South. Florida appeals TO the
Young. because OF its flowers and its
yonders-its poetry, its songs and Its
attractive history. Rivers and ocean
gulf and bays have interest all their
own. The palm and the pine, liveoak
and holly, and hundred other forest
trees that abound throughout the
state as nowhere else on the cont
nent. invest Florida with an interest
az wide as the nation. Greater inter
es. attaches 10 the Jacksonville re
! ~ an opy ranapt mpetinp nj