Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-03-06
= Great-R rffainous View OF the I'm.

lately, was on here Monday blocking out some
new features in the way of Inauguration re-
PORTING. and the result appears i'm a couple OF
inauguration Stories" by Edmund Yates the
English novelist, and our own Dom Piatt. The
HFstd. rather rreverently STYLES them ''stories .
though Mr. Yates assumes to presents matter
ct-faCt narrative. Donn's effort Is laughable
extravaganza. Both are lively reading, but
occasionally the nsrrstiv e. jOstle, when, for
instance. Mr. Yates, to make a point on the
cavalry in the Inauguration line declares tina,
''OEe g,ment vas mounted on horses belonr =
ing to the kRickeTboeker Ice Company ~ OF
this city, and many Of the members lost their
seats IN consequence of the animals pulling ND
suddenly at the doors OF the houses where the '
we're accustomed to deliver the daily cooling al
iowsnce-' Dom. however, in his ''story'
asserts that the cavalry were mounted on street
car horses temporarily out of use because of the
s'oPIsge of car travel. His narrative proceeds:
- But when the procession fairly under
way a great difficulty occurred. These horses,
trained to the cars, missed the bits and the
brakes, and u was found almost impossible to
halt them. or, getting them halted, 20 make a
start again The confusion at 18th street came
10 be serious, and il looked for a Will e as il our
beloved President would not be sworn in for a
week. The horses backed and bolted in the
defenders put in their spurs the animals went
To kicking and plunging. 20 thai II was difficult,
extremely difficult, for the brave defe nders To
keep their seats. Added to this was a great loss
Of vsrlike dignity. for the poor animals, not be-
ing accustomed 20 being ticklei by spurs in the
ribs, demonstrated with unseemly and diseordant
Eoiscs- that made q crowd inclined to admire
break into loud laughter and jeers. Indeed, the
Africans present. regardless of propriety
former state or servitude. actually rolled on the
ground, uttering wild cries OF delight. Colonel
MeGruder, however, gentleman of rare cour-
age and great presence of mind, walked to the
nearest hardware store and procured large
n IS haA tzfr hut.
the sergeants, with Instructions to ring on the
command of a halt or the mand of
march. This was done, and afterwards the
President cOmplimehted the mounted defenders
upon the finish and beauty of their drill"
A. there does not happen to be a Knicker-
booker ice company in Washington (that desig-
nation being New York institution. and as
bOnn's narrative l. much more clrcumstantiaI
than his fellow novelist we must give the shade
OF preference for veraeity in this horse business
20 oar home story-teller.
Mr.. Yates objects that there was too much of
the Stars and Stripes in the display, and that
the enlblems OF other nations were ignored Ii
was rather to he expected that our national dag
should predominant, but il Mr.. Yates did not
see the hags of other nations displayed profuseiy
was because his eyeglasses were bad or that
he was laboring under that s'hxty of eve and
tndecisiOn Of uttersnce'' which he saws affects
those who paTtake OF inauguratio luncheons
And when Mr.. Yates proceeds to criticise the
unpretending character Of the Inauguration
decorations ''in the capital of this vast and
enormously wealthy Continent" as compared
with the State displays in European capitals,
he betrays an ignorance, perhaps natural in a
foreigner, of the relations between Washington
city and the country at large
. This enormously wealthy continent out
side OF the District Of Columbia does not con-
tribute penny for an Inauguration display and
the whole expense falls upon few citizens of
Washington in the way OF voluntary contribu-
tons; whereas in Paris for instance, the bril-
liant Imperial displays cited by Mr.. Yates are
paid for by all France.
Mr. Yates thinks the procession was "iackins
IN dignity" but he finds something to praise in
the military feature. He says:
''But decidedly the military portion Of to-dav's
display was by far the finest and most impress
>Ne- Nothing could he better than the bearing
snd dressing OF the West Point cadets, the Navy
cadets. the regulars and cert ain of the militarv
regiments, notably the ALBANY Burgess cornss
ana the Boston Lancers. The Fifth New York
regiment was also deservedly cheered. 1T seems
questionable whether the lire brigade il a per-
maseible portion of such a procession; but un-
dOGbtedly IL was most effective and the floral
garlahded wheels and the horses, each bearing
upon his neck a floral wreath. formed a yery
pretty sight. The presence of the veterans OF
the Mexican war was well timed and interest
ing But surely 10 would have been better to
haft idi tuC DclOTc the ewes Oh their tei-
ioS citizens in some vehicle more di,;nified than
a broked down omnibus with a linsn placard
bearing their printed des ignation-n
Of some Of the " inharmoniOus items of the
procession, Mr.. Yates thus records his impress
SONS:
people, dressed in preposterously gauly col0rs
the rank and file unable to keep time. Such
we're the stumbling, struggling collections OF
citizens IN plain clothes, with hats and gar
ments varying in color and shape a. much as
did their owners in size and height, without the
faiEteSt notion of keeping step or line. and re-
ininding an EDgllshman irresistibly Of the holi-
day outing of some convivial and benevolent
brotherhood in his native land. These worthy
Iersonages would be well known on an Easter
Monday trte at the Crystal Palace or in the tea
gardens Of the Gobblng Duck, but look horri-
bly, out OF place in national procession ON a
national iestivity. The ame remark, save as to
TIER unfor M which was neat. and their march
IEg- which Was excellent, applies to the
Knights Of st. Patrick and to certain other
organizations whose names do not remember
10 the stanger Noticeable feature was the lack
OF cavalry, aud the ron oh and ready appear-
aEce of such as were present, which would
lave been admissible and in some cases admira-
he parade ground. To the eve accustomed to
'le siick and span neatness-I do not allude TO
? style of the uniform, but the manner in
lich ~ was worn and kept-of the English and
Teneh household troops of the Life Guar,ls
I'D the Cent Gsrdes or the Prussian UhIsns
-ndeed, OF the light cavalry and hussars of
provoking in the slOvenliness of the dress
Tant OF polish to the accoutrements and
wTetchedly iLl-groomed condition OF the
- which was strikingly Disappointing
re- again, Mr.. Yates does not seem TO b.
e. re that the cavalry he compares so disad-
tgeously with the crack cavalry bodies OF
BE, are nothing more than volunteer or
s..z cavalry, and that he did not see single
''' .uisr' of our cavalry service in the line.
again Mr.. Yates was disappointed in the
d the crowd; "messuring il, not from an
'--ish, but from an American standpoint. A
I'D inclined to say that in very few places did
tcuele the ordinary crowd to be encountered
broadway at the height Of the business tide f"
= lie likely; but then Washington differs some
" i'At from New York in point of size. That the
crowd OF visitors was rather large will probably
he testified to by the hotel keepers and the rail-
road men.
Mr. Yates writes mistakenly on a soo.l MANY
matters but on the whole with good temper.
and some OF his criticisms may do u service.
At any rate, We are not 50 thin-skinne,i now A.
10 lose our e9uanimity when the blarsted Brit
ishers paint cur great and ge-lorious iustitu-