Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-05-19
TALK OF LAST REUNION
BEATS HASTY RETREAT
BEFORE VETS CHARGE

his whole family in a yellow fever cpl
demic in 1878. and is now alone in the
world, an inmate Of the Confederate
soldiers Home At Nashville. Deputy
Sheriff Batson. of jefferson county, has
taKen him TO his home honor guest,
and is showing the old man jolly
time. riding him all over town every
day in a big automobile covered with
Confederate fass.
Undoubtedly there will be A last Con
federate veterans reunion some OF these
DAYS. but Ii will probably be when
one, or a dozen or a hundred veterans
are all that remain. and that reunion
will be attended by all the more spOn-
sors. ali the more sons of veterans,
all the more Daughters of the Con-
fedeTacy. and all the more visitors.
who will climb over one another for
the privilege OF honoring the finaI sur
vivors of the lost cause.
And speaking OF the lost cause, the
veterans have taken occasion to demon
strate in various ways and on various
occasions during this reunion that the
farther they get from the Civil war
and the nation white and fair" the
less they like 20 think Of it a lost
cause. and the more they prefer to
regard IL as cause that won. Irwin
beautifully in his address. and the vet
Grams rose TO their feet and cheered~him
10 the echo
Henry b. Walthau. the famous mo-
tion picture actor who plays the role
OF the Little Colonel in The Birth of
a Nation Is back in Birmingham. his
home town, TO spend his vacation ming
ling with the veterans of the sixties.
And perhaps the girls haven't made
l. pleasant Tor him,
The way they took on over the Lit
tie ColOneI'"in the lobby of the Tut
wiler this afternoon was positively
painful 10 the young chaps in their
teens who had to stand there and look
At il.
Every time Mr.. Walthall would start
TO leave the lobby the girls would make
a rush for him and surround him, and
claps their hanSs and give vent to lit
tie feminine ordinations of admira-
tion.
Il Just want TO shake hands with
YOU. Mr.. waIthall." they would say. i
saw you in the Birth of a Nation ana
you were--Oh. so grand.
Then Mr. walthau would stop and
shake hands all around and make an
other dive for the revolving doors, but
there was nothing doing. 1t wasn't
every day in the year that these south
EEW -AEA1 A9Au AAAE NAbAA NNAAAA3 - ANNA-'N
ing their eyes upon real flesh and
blood actor who typifed. in their youth
fuI fancy. the bravery and the chiN airy
Of the south. and they didn't propose
to let him get away from them They
weren't bold or gushing, but simply
Youngsters waiting on the outskirts TO
resume their One-steppius when the &c
ception should finally be over
Nor were the girls the only ones WhC
.s~f~h s.nmrw1F-
mentS. The veterans. who had seen
The Birth of a Nation" at a local pic-
ture theater. slapped him on the back
and wruug his hand. and told him with
shining eyes how they were taken back
10 the DAYS OF their youth. and TO the
scenes of the Civil war. when they saw
him lean over the breastworss and
charge the Yankees with the stars ah@
Pars wrapped around him. And they
told him il made their hair stand or
end and made them rise up and ven
themselves hoarse when they saw the
KIN KIux riding down that white road
like a whirlwiud-
VETERANS First. j. the slogan ali
aver Birmingham. The wearer OF
sray- uniform is the first to be given
Mace in an elevator. first TO oe served
in a restaurant. first TO board street
sar and first to be given seat, hFst
meetings are held. first TO he admitted
10 the grand balls i'm the Hippodrome.
And when it comes to making up their
dance cards the girls give the veterans
preference over all corners the young
er generation is all right in its place
and Il viii have its inning I'm the course
~ events. but il must wait until the
veterans have danced Some OF the old
boys are more expert i'm dancing the
virginia reel than the modern fox lrot
and one-step. but il makes no difference
With them or with the girls The man
VINO fought with Lee. or rode with For
rest. or charged up the heights at Get
tysburg. certainly is not one 10 let a
little thing like dance step bother
him.
The sight OF the old men, heads erect
10 the music. step elastic once again,
marching in the grand march around
the HippodrOme with the girls on their
arms-the sight, believe me, i one that
makes your nerves Jingle and your
pulses leap.