The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1919-04-25

Yer lace. she wore ndnusOme ucch-
lace of diamonds.
Mr.. and Mrs. J. A. Spruiii of Gaines
vile were among the 'home folks
seen during the intermission by tie
Banner reporter. Mra SpruilI was
formerly Miss Christine Richar is
who has frequently visited in Oca.a
Easter Sunday was a beautiful one
in Atlanta. The weather was per
feet and nothing happened to mar
the beauty OF perfect day. The
churches were thronged and all held
wonderfully beautiful services Cor so
the papers stately. We attended SER
vices at All Stints church and have
never attended a more beautiful ser
vice in any city.
Monday was a big day in Atlanta
for two reasons. For besides being
the opening day of opera it was also
the opening day of the victory loan
campaign which Atlanta celebrated
with big parade The following
account of the victory loan celebra-
tino from the Atlanta Constitution
we are sure will be read with great
interest by the Banner readers:
When the one hundred and eight
Belgian heroes who were in Atlanta
yesterday to boost the vistory loan
went out to general hospital No. s
at Fort Mcpherson, where there a'e
1900 Americans who fought with
them on the battiefields of Europe, a
scene was enacted that would have
thrilled the heart of a stone man.
Hundreds of one-Iegged, one armed
men with Z. 5. on their collars. crowd
ed about the automobiles that brought
the Beigians as if they were welco.a-
ing brothers, and there was a real SOL
diers reunion.
Grams of King AIebrt's armies rolled
into the gates of the fort, the
wounded men. grouped on the porch.
arose and hobbled out to the drive
way. The high powered cars had not
stopped well before there was a great
exchange of buttons and of Belgian
and American coins, and the broken
French was filling the air like the
humming of bees as the heroes t3id
each other of the battles in which
they had participated. To be sure
there was no cheering. no bowling and
no formaiity except the exchange of
salutes, but there was something SeS-
ter, a mutual interest and mutual
understanding.
The visit was very brief. a twenty
minute stay in front of the admins
tration building, where the visitors
climbed from the cars and the bu-
glers played for the gathering. Then
the visitors were hurried into cars
for whirl about the fort, including
the German prison camp, and then
to other points Of interest throughout
the city.
Belgians were selected for the
tour through America because of rec
ords unAsmirched and full of deedA
of valor.
Certainly no corps of men who
have been given such recognition
from the military authorities of the
greatest countries in the world has
ever before visited Atlanta, for there
was not a man of the hundred and
eight on whose coat there did not
hose shoulders there did not wave
the citation cord In many cases the
men wore six or seven decorations.
At IL o'clock the visitors mobiliz ID
1T the junction of Peachtree and West
Baker streets, and. led by a detach-
:nent of Atlanta's mounted police &
the band of the 45th infantry, paraded
Peachtree, Whitehall and Mitchell tC
| the state capitol
On the capitol the visitors were ad-
dressed by Judge Marcus Beck, wac
in the name of the United States gov
eminent welcomed them to the south
delightful luncheon was rendered
them at the Piedmont Hotel, at
| o'clock by the victory loan leaders
The orchestra rendered a special pro.
gram including the national air Of
Belgium and France. They were CT.
tertained there again at dinner las
night.