Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-05-23
Dust and Dixie Reign
At Formal Dedication
Of Stone Mt. Memorial

bent With age. His head was bowed on
his hands and every now and then he
reached out and fingered the flag.
He did not raise his head through all
the speeches, but just sat there with his
face buried in his hands, lingering the
flag
! Forrest Adair, in opening the cere-
mony, paid a ringing tribute to Samuel
Veuable for donating Stone mountain
: for the monument.
THAT old mountain" he said, waving
one hand toward the granite face, stark
against the blue sky, lis no bigger than
the heart which throbs in the breast
OF Sam Venable. Above all, he is mod
est. About an hour ago he sent me
word that he was suddenly taken i'll, but
/ reserve the right not to believe him.
He was just too modest to face this
crowd"
In the absence of Mr.. Venable, Or. ].
n. Ellis, his brother-in-law, rendered the
deed to Stone mountain in behalf of
Venable Brothers to Mrs Plane.
Mr.. Adair then introduced that gal
liant soldier, that true man, that gen-
erous gentleman, General A. J. West"
and General West spoke, introducing
Judge Emory Speer.
PLEA FOR PREPAREDNESS
MADE BY JUDGE SPEER.
In the course of his speech Judge
Speer took occasion to warn his hear
crs of the unprepared condition IF the
United States, which he called the most
ominous portent of our country's fate"
and to denounce the submarine policy of
Germany, comparing German atrocities
on the seas to the humane policy of the
Confederate navy during the Civil war.
Their ships were few" he said in
part, but from every ocean they swept
the great maritime commerce of our
foe. Nor, in four years, do l recall
that woman or child was put to death
in their operation, or that . man lost
his life save in honorable battle Again
and again justification equally strong eX-
listed, had the naval officers of the Con.
federacy thought fit to anticipate the
horrors of the the Lusitania, the Arabic,
the Sussex and many another which
impart to modern warfare a cruel
atrocity which might pale an Attila or
Genghis Khan"
Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor, who
followed Judge Speer, asked the CO.
operation of all his hearers in the work
he has come here to do.
"I am in a difficult position" he said,
coming, as 1 do, from the north to tell
the story of the south. Two wishes
and two prayers are in my heart, one
that / will live to tell that story, the
other that you will help me to tell it,"
Mr.. Borglum pointed to the sheer face
of the mountain.
High up on the side hung 'Confed-
crate flag. So far away it was, so eX-
pansive the monuntainside, that it
seemed little bigger than a postage
stamp, the streamers which held it
hardly the size of girls hair ribbon.
OF HUGE CARVED FIGURES.
THAT flag" said Mr.. Borglum, is
twenty-five by fifty feet. these stream
ers are 800 feet long. Remember. that ev-
cry figure we make must be larger than
the flag when we carve the figures of Lee
and Jackson and Johnson, moving 81
lently across that rock forevermore."
At the conclusion of the speeches the
crowd trudged along dusty pathway to
the base of the mountain, where, in a
pit dug from the solid granite, was laid
the memorial cornerstone by Atlanta
lodge No. SO, Free and Accepted Masons
under the direction of the grand lodge
officers of Georgia.
In the cornerstone was put box con-
tanning copies of The Atlanta Journal
the Constitution and the Georgian; the
deed and survey of the mountain; a
copy of the program of ceremonies; the
autographs of the principals; the hrst
report of Gutzon Borgium to the Memo
rial association; a small Confederate
flag, and a tiny jewel.
On one side of the cornerstone is an
Inscription, "1916-May 20. The face or
this granite mountain and adjacent land
was presented by Samuel Hoyt Vena-
BILE on behalf of William Hoyt Nenable
and himself to the men and women OF
America for the purpose of perpetual
ly honoring the memory of the south
ern Confederacy."
Inscriptions will later be carved on
the other side of the cornerstone, one
when the first chiseling is begun, an
other when the final touch is put to the
monument.
The crowd stood with uncovered
heads about the cornerstone while the
Lords prayer was recited. Then, Grand
Master Ballard declared:
81 do declare this cornerstone to DC
true, tried and trusty."
Three Masons stepped forward with
silver cups One poured corn on the
stone, the emblem of plenty; another
wine. emblem of joy and gladness; a
third oil, emblem of peace.
During the ceremony Mr.. Borglum'
little son. Lincoln, named after Abra-
ham Lincoln, stood with his hand In
that of a Confederate veteran.
Grand Master Ballard presented the
silver trowel used in laying the stone
to Mr.. Borglum, but the latter, turning
10 Mrs. Plane. gave it to her as the
woman to whom more than any one
else is due the credit for inaugurating
this work"