The dispatch-news. [volume] (Lexington, S.C.) 1919-2001, May 24, 1922, Image 6
I GRAND RECEPTION.
Thirty-first Annual Reunion United
Confederate Veterans at Darlington.
S. C., May 17-18, 1922.
Everything anticipated by the old
soldiers of the Southern Confederacy,
after having shared the grand ovation
at Camden last year, and accepted
the invitation of Darlington for the
meeting of the Thirty-frst Annual Reunion
of South Carolina Division.
United Veterans for May 17-18, 1922.
was fully carried cut to perfection.
Words are inadequate tcr express their
gratitude for the royal reception given
them. Darlington certainly threw
open her homes, her hands and her
hearts to the old heroes in gray. They
entered this grand city, cheerful and
jolly, and left with regrets, having met
such clever and hospitable people?
thoroughgong, energetic, progressive,
cultured and refined. Enthused with
the right spirit of well wishes for all
of its citizens and their guests. With
all of this we could not expect to receive
anything but cordiality and unbounded
hospitality which was shown
us on every hand and every step. To
say, we were nicely entertained and
cared for by these good people, would
be a mild expression, so a unanimous
vote went out from the old soldiers
with the proudest feelings for their
elegant entertainment, they returning
" home, ever to remember the people
of the "darling town", espec-ialy the
ladies who seemed to be deeply interv
ested for, and the care and well-being
of their guests, on this special occasion
.
Among the many interesting features
that will live long in the memories
of those who were privileged to
attend the reunion at Darlngton, as
one of her guests, there were three
most strikingly pleasing to all?whcih
will ever carry the most cherished remembrances.'"for
time."
Thev 01$ veterans ball, the * grand
parade Thursday, and the royal feasts
of Wednesday and Thursday, notes of
which we clip from The News and
Press of Darlington, which will gut
but a faint idea of this grand occa*
/ 7-.
. sicn. . v
The Parade.
"To the strains of martial music, in
which the minor notes of the wonder
ful melody of peace ever mingled, the
old veterans again formed ranks, and
amid the music and flowers of the
South, escorted by the rising generation
of boys and girls, flanked by the
stalwart forms of members of the American
Legion, surrounded by the girls
H of the sixties and the girls of today
and of tomorrow, proudly the old survivor^,
stepped with broken ranks, but
with ^undivided hearts, wth undaunted
spirits, /
"The broken battalions receved the
homage of South Carolina again today^
They marched under aches
wrapped in red roses, again the rebel
yell spit the air, mingled with the
same notes from others, and the scene
was inspiring the sight witnessed
deeper and more of inspiraton comng
from the lesson so vividly and so
impressively taught.
"Immediately following the United
States Artillery Band came automo
biles containing: the division commanders,
their sponsors, ther maids of honor,
their matrons. General Reed and
Miss Blanch Crawford Law in the
first car.
"Escorted by the school children
and members of the American Legion,
and amid the cheers of thronging onlookers,
the old veterans marched to
the portico of the Court House.
Thousands of Confederate battle flags
were waving in the air, battle flags
of the historc companies were again
waving, the school children wore red
white and red caps, and the line ol
marching pupils stretched, in double
column, around the entire Square, and
still they were marching! When the
notes of "Dixie" and "Bonnie Blue
Flag" was heard, the enthusiasm
reached its highest point.
"One veteran, who came from a city
of pretentious attainments, said that
he had seen parades where chidren
came from a $250,000 schoolhou.<e.
where the population numbered high
among the thousands, but he had
never witnessed such a grand parade
in all his life as was seen here today.
Had there been nothing but this
parade and the story it told, the reunion
would have held a sacred meaning"'
Sumptuous Dinner Spread: 800 Guest:
in Reunion Hall.
"Reunion hall was brilliant with uniforms
the red, white and red of the
Confederacy, the smiles and graces ot
about 100 pretty waitresses carefully
selected from the beauties of this favored
section, and with flags, banners
flowers and evergreens, when the assembled
hosts repared to this spacioui
hall for dinner. There was no spot
unde .orated: there was no table without
its spread of choice viands, ant
waitress to match?and there was no
a single veteran, sponsor or maid wht
did not receive every attention.
"This was one of the truly inspiring
events of the day. Including
I
j everyone, veterans, Daughters of the
| Confedracy, sponsors and maids, and
I always including the wonderful array
. of charming waitresses, there wort
about 800 persons present. Raids had
I been made upon every quartermaster's
department surroundnig Darlngton:
similar departments at various disi1
tances had likewise been raided:
' choice selections had been actually
commanderyd, when this was neces.;
sary, and the result was gratifying to
all.
"The decorations were in keeping
with the spacious hall, and the combined
effect produced a scene that was
dazzling, though this may seem an
exaggeration to those who were not
fortunate enough to look (and eat) for
themselves.
"Automobiles stood in line at t'ne
Square immedaitely after the pro
gram of the morning. and these were
promptly filled. They made trips and
return trips until the multitude had
been transferred to the refreshment
section of Darlington, and when the
cars had been parked there wag not
turning space for many blocks.
"The charge made by the old veter,
ans was a reminder of what Piokett
did at Gettysburg, and. under the same
management of those same lovely
waitresses, the old veterans, it is said.
refused to have any other dessert.
j "Here beautiful little Confederate
i flags were pinned upon the lapel of
the coat of each veteran: flowers and]
smiles were theirs wherever they
looked?and the veterans did rest. eat..
and enjoy themselves."
| '
Annual Veterans* Ball at Dixie I leadJ
qua iters Brilliant and Beautiful.
"There was a sound of revelry by
night." and the captial of the Confederacy
4<had gathered then her beauty
and her chivalry!" For Darlington is
now the capital of the Confederacy,
and the ball Wednesday nght at Dixie
urauuuai lci o wao ac^nuvu .
beauty and the chivalry of Darlington]
and of South Carolina. For there were]
fair women and brave men gathered j
l
together; there were more than 2.000
present, and the scene was a vivid re -,
i minder of the storied grandeur and
stately impressiveness of the vanished
; splendor of ante-bellum days.
"The hall was crowded: there was
scarcely room enough for the dancers,
and there were 250- couples on the
! floor at one time. .To the strains oi
.1
^martial and rhythmic music, the com!
manders of the various . divisions
* I -
called for their sponsors/"Itheir maids
and thejr dames of honor, and's'these
\
were n\any. \
, "Then came the-Jjevy of. beauties not
! included among "these favored ones,
' and when Generat Reed and bis fair
sponsor. Miss Blanch Crawford Law,:
i of this city, led in the stately grand
[ march, there was a sight never before
witnessed even in historic old Darlington
in all the long years of its fascinat:
ing history.
! "Sydnor & Stem's immense ware'
house had been elaborately and exi
quisitely decorated, completely transforming
it9 interior, and each old veti
eran had a fair and winsome partner.
The march concluded, the favorite of
J other days, the old square dance, was
j inaugurated, and again visions of the
j dignity and grace of the minuet was
seen. It is a fact that the old veteri
ans showed keen pleasure in the
| dance, even ^though their feet did not
i trip with the lightsome grace of their
I
; lovely partners.
"There have been many impressive j
IT
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And it se
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with 3 genuine m PAT. NOV.
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W?*
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BP. Gillette
J arid beautiful features connected with
this reunion, but none has held the
I winning charm, the stately dignity,
| and the wonderful fascination of this
occasion, which cannot possibly be
i . i
; done adequate justice m even a'
J much longer article than space here
| permits,
"Far removed from the years of;
! battle, of struggle, of strife untoj
death, was the scene, but memorv, the 1
i t
great necromancer, held the preesnt
' moments closely bound in tenderest
! ties, with never-to-be-forgotten days.
; "The other living, called the dead,"
! . I
i were not forgotten here, for emotions j
| too deep for utterance were visible {
| even while the lgiht fantastic was trip- j
.,ped. and "the tender grace of a day j
j that is dead" lingered and held its own J
! sway in hearts that are too true, too
loyal to ever forget.
j "With such a blend, the occasion
was complete?complete in all that
was needed, for without the memo-j
, ries there could not have beer, the-j
deep meaning conevyed unto all."
1
I When the vanguard of the veteran?
I
; had arrived in the city, they were met
at the depot and carred to headquar!
ters. registered and carried to the;
homes to which they had been as-j
.signed. The streets were approprate-;
J ?*:oi fiM:ind welcome!
ly ucivuiiru >.??;>"
banners, and the store fronts, the court!
house and the opera house all displayed
the stars and bars, and in many
' of the windows were pictures of Gen. j
Lee and other Confederate heroes. j
The first session was held in the i
I opera house and was largely attended. j
General Harden of Darlington presided
arid after the invocation by the
Rev. D. M. Fulton. .1. A. McLeod..
i mayor, delivered a welcome address in;
which he spoke of the pleasure Dar-i
lington takes in having as her guesti ;
the Confederate veterans of South!
Carolina. An eloquent response wa.< !
made by Col. J. F. J. Caldwell of j
Newberry. On behalf of the veterans j
of the Darlington camp, E. C. Den-1
t i
nis made a welcome address which
was responded to by Col. James Armstrong
of Charleston. Mrs. C. J.
Milling, president of the South Carolina
divison, U. D. C., brought words
of warm welcome from the J. K.Mc1
I vet* chapter, to which Mrs. W. B.
/
Burney responded.
A. H. Ward on behalf of the American
Legion then welcomed the veterans,
the response to which was written
by J. O. Wilson and read by Lieutenant
Lewis of Belton. J. F. Pate
presdent of the Kiwanis club, then
welcomed the veterans on behalf of
the Kiwanians and Capt. J. L. Ward
?
law responded.
..?rV' ' vie
, At this point. Gen. W. A. Clark of
r'rwTMrrijvkf was called to the chair by
F den 7'. ?R eed^cofnmand er deift' Clark
| then'presented R. K. Berry, a' youn|
man ofrChera^Y who presented in bet*
~ ."v v "
half of the school children of South
Carolina a life size portrait of Gen. .
Wade Hampton, also a portrait of '
Fighting Dick Anderson of Sumter
was presented and accepted to
be placed in the Battle Abbey in Richmond,
Va., among other heroes of the .
Confederacy.
After the busness session, the veterans
went to the beautiful grounds of
St. John's school where under the
wide spreading branches of great
! water oaks they saw some' of the j
| dances of the '60s by little girls dres:
ed in ante-bellum fashion and boys in
Confederate gray. The dances were
gracefully given and were watched
. auto
wnie"?a genuine
azor j
le same fine Gil- I
es I
Us for the popu- j
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Brownie I |j
jritjUitie j
LLETTE SAFETY RAZOR CO. j
Boston, U.S.A.
w at all Dealers
15. 1904 \
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i0t / V^V
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i
with closest interest by a great crowd. j
After' the dances a pageant. "The!
Spirit of the Southern S'a v;a- !
presented by the girls of the graduat-:
ing grade. The exercises ch? I
school grounds were conclude i with j
the "March cf the Southern flose" in
which all the girls of the high school
partcipa>ted. These exercises by tlr.
pupils were very pretty and a-Mec
much to the pleasure of the occasion.
The teachers in charge were Miss-.sj
Kate Finch. Brunson an'i Aus'.n. rne
tiigh school orchestra c ?neeui <1 in a |
leafy bower furnished must during j
the dances, pageant and rvrdms. |
At night the veterans en.; sye i themselves
at the reunion hail. A large
platform had been erected n one end
of the building, and from it the sponsors
were introduced. There was a
grand march of the veterans. spon-j|
sors and invited guests and then came
the dances. The young women j
of Darlington had rehearsed the fldli
fashioned dances so that every veteran ||
who felt so inclined had opportunity : ; i
get on the floor with a fair partner. ]
This dance brought the day's work i
I |
and pleasure to a most fitting close j
and it was a tried but happy throng of j i
old soldiers tht left the reunion halJ j
about mdnight for their beds.
Drlington certainly did htrself proud j
for the manner in which she enter- j
tained her guest, the old soldiers, last |
week at the reunion. Th-* committer j
of arrangement were composed oi |
some of her most prominent business j|
men and cleverest housewives and j
well did they complete their program lj
so satsfactorily and pleasingly ar-r
ranged. We were nut (o-dially with j
autos at the depot on arrvni and assigned
to homes, and every old comrade
we met. was bragging that he
had the best home in town. Truly
they were, kind and attentive. It was
our fortune to be in the care and
keeping of Mr. and Mrs. Henry
Baker, on W Broad St., to whom we
shall ever feel grateful for their kind
ness. And every one of the old Confeds.
left Darlington with hearts full
of grattude, and proud they had attended
the reunion there.
Next year we meet at Florence. S.
C., they havng giving us a most hearty
invitatoin, whch was accepted.
Gen. W. A. Clark of Columbia was
unanimously elected Commander of
the South Carolina Division. United
Confederate Veterans for the ensuing
term.
To the good name and honor of the
old confeds who attended the reunion
at Darlington we can truthfuliy say we
never saw an old soldier intoxicated
nor heard an oath by any one of ou"r
comrades, while enjoying the grand
festivities of Darlington.
?
Unsung Philanthropy.
"And will you make a contribution 1
toward the new parish hearse, Mrs. <
Hogan?"
"Sure and I will not. I gave a dollar
tor the I&st won and never had the
cha ico to use i\ once."
If Ford has too much money why
doesn't he try raising chickens?
SHOES!
TIIE KIND THAT WEARS
EASY AND LONGEST, i
We are always prepared to serve j
our Lexington friends from a large
stock of dependable Shoes for every
Kino. ot wear, in an teainer.s ana sizes, i
The "Family Shoe Stove of Colum- |
bia." j
E. P. & F. A. DAVIS
Farmers' Medium and Heavy Work j
Shoes a Specialty.
PROFESSIONAL CARDS
MOVED
from 1615 Main St., to 1423 |
Main St.
DR. CLARK,
Chiropodist.
J. FRANK KNEECE
Real Estate and Insurance
i
BATESBURG, S. C.
B. J~ WINGARD
ATTORNEY AT LAW
Xo. 12 Clark Law Building
Law Range Telephone lit
COLUMBIA, S .C.
i
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AT THE
Sanitary Cafe
1345 Main Street, Columbia. S. C.
pome Cooking and Reasonable Price?,
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Quick, Polite and attentive service.
Open Day and Night.
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Same rate of interest (4 per cent.) paid on both large and 3rnall
accounts.
THE OLD RELIABLE
The Carolina National Bank of Columbia
W. A. Clark, President. Jno. I). Bell, Asst. Cashier.
T. S. Bryan, V. President. Jos. M. Bell, Cashier.
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