, 1863-02-09
A CHA nay AN NuN TIE
II VsnxAA UiAA Ul1 11k1x ANAs
Five Thousand School Children on tho
Washington Park,
I0tNG AMERICA IN A yNIIIRL OF
EXCITEMENTs

Saturday was day to be marked with
white stone In the lives Of school children. In
their rccollcctions, Washington Park will be
Intimately associated with the Fourth of July,
tue first new drum, The first pantaloons, and
the proycrblal good man who always has his
coat pockets crammed with candy. The an
nounccment In the papers Of Friday that the
managers Of the Park would open it free to
the school children, Saturday, created untvcr-
sal enthusiasm, aud tho news flew like Wild
fire, for there is no telegraph like boy to
spread intelligence, especially il it runs
parallel with his amusemcnts. There was it,
tic studying Friday, for what were text books,
compared with the great event Of the coming
dag. The masters ferule lost all its tails
manic influence, viewed in the shadows cast
By the approaching festivity. 1t was whisper.
I'd mystcsiously from bench to bench, 1t was
talked over, and dreamed over, and tue hours
were as long as years.
At lust the great day comes, glorious with
sunshine, crystal in atmosphere ond balmy as
day in mid spring. The lee was in capital
condition, as blue and hard as 4 great steel
mirror. The managers were on hand bright
and early, louking genial and f4thcrly. Equal
u as bright and carly came the torrent Of
children. They ca,nc singly, in twos, tlirecs,
fifties and hundreds. Tie spacious rooms
we're crowded to suf1ocation, and resonant
with the jangled din of hundreds of voices
keyed up to the highest pitch. There were
boys from homcsrun to l'roadcloth, and girls
from calico to ei]h nj! ages from five to twen-
ty: little fellows E..liy out Of their swad-
ding clothes; little girls i'll the dignity and ial-
rortance u first crino!ine; big boys who
know. y tLing or TWO On s:zatcs aad sweet six
teens, Just budding into the full blown rose Of
beautiful wouaanhood.. Presently, one little
fellow boldly shot of across the blue, frozen
field. A little girl modcst1y aud cautiously fol-
lowed. Then another boy and another girl;
then two, three, ten, twenty, hundred, five
hundred were off like hornets out Of nest.
The ice rang with the sllrili whistles Of !.
thousand skates and the air was full Of sweet
trcblcs. Fresh accessions we're made TO the
ranks, aud by II o'clock full two thousand
children were on the ice at once. The park
WAS vast Ewarning nnt-Lill, alive and with
lug with conglomeratcd life. And thus the
merry carnival went on until 8 O'Clock, by
which time it is estimated five thousand chill
drcn liad bcen on skutes.
And What a scene it was! No pen can do
Justice TO 1t. Five thousand blue:jays, in con-
ye,ition assembled, could. not hive cluttered
more necessarily. How many spread eagles
yc1c performed: how many rings cut. and
how many fantastic figures executed, In such
4 vast crp,yd. collisions were frequent. and
not a moment nassed Int some little .ona--
sometimes ha,fa dozcn-wcnt heels OYER l,ca1
and came down in promiscuous hean. A
lo,,pb md shont. AM, nm a,r,,n-pooa ne ncw.
far ;cc ;s M feathers tn the juvenile skatr-
whose homes are not us s,iff as vou1s ana
ours. and who docs NOT carry round the souy.
c,;rs ,f n dounf,l, for , vce, .s ro do
probah1v so mnch b,nn5n...s w,s nara,
sonoozca into s;x bo,r. hof,-o ,rta ,;,.,o
.ucs uaro oe ,,uorart .. ,,n,,,,,oe ,r,...
1,nobad s,,tr ,ro,rad h,,1oaa.,d a,nooa 81.
xor,, ior I;Eo ,roa+ h,,r.t of 1or,-s 49,,
flashed ocross .,r i,1uo fa,d with enor,r,;n1
axac roe, ,hoot,s and .,,,;,o fia+ thai 1;,.,o
cnns.,f ;ov fi11oa fn1, and r,,n,,7,,o ,ror Nv.
little fellow especially attracted our att cption
IT. ,,.,.,-1. c.st 49,.
| ,,u-,,. ,>..a,, ',,,,t.,aa s,>>o a.. ,-..>
o-n7a,, waz -. ,rona,1;~a .a,-1r 1,u sea.s.
- ,.,':., ~ .~.,.15 .,:.,',.. =,
s.,,,.,,..sa ~ 49, 49, c',..'' 49, NV =.
w.. 49, -.4s ~ N',"'s ~ =,
~ ,,,,-o H., .,.a,,,.c', ..."4 =. Wv
~. .na .,,.,,,,t 49, 1.a -. .A@ls w -. A'47
,,,,',, ~ o.,,,;n' r,,o,,oro, 1,o,,,,,,,a. ~
~. ,,o,e 49, ~ tho don+,,. ,f ,,,s r-oa+
,ao,t oo~,a a.a .ha ,,.c.,n.. r-ora- ,s,,,.h
sr,n,a ,.rono.,, ,,on,ot tha soano ~'@
put ~ tt;n,xs ,,,,,,,,,, 40 o1onosoon+ ,na
tbc fatal bovr of tbrcr c,,ye <xh,c,, 1,s ~
ona ,,c ,rro,,;,c f..,;vit;os ~ +lc d., 1,he
hi, sounded Int st;u thc ,hronr covt;rvoa
+,o;r s,,o~t H.. ,n,r,,.rs n,aa ,,n.. :,
t1rort $ to r1ar The PARK and G.u r.1nct,nt1z
1co. rom. wos strc,ri.d o.rosc t,,c son:1,
ern houn,,arx and dravr ike \ seine N thl
.,1,or s;dn c,r1os;nr , r3., <,o,1 of ,itv.
c,cs ,vho sudde,,1v fornd ,hcmsa,r,.s ,,,,I
M,1 toc. t,er n a ro,n.r ,;kn ,n;nro,rs =, ,
NJ r., .1,.r d,ro ,,n,1or H., -,,,a .na =.
n,sh wo,e ~ 4hc other s,ao - tts par,- =,
vas ,i,c trr;no ~ ,,;c1. ~ h,,,e,
u cc,a .ync, ,s,n,d souao.a ,,~o., ~, 49,,
1,nrerc The f,rco vas 1nnn1,.,, md ,,,;,t M ~,
| ron,. w,s dr,r,, and th;s t;ro tna ,St,,o FL
,o,,. ,..,o o,,t,1o1,., ~ t,,o ,no.h.. ,,,e+ ~.
] t ~