New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-03-18
THE COMING CENTENNIAL DAY.
A GRAND HISTORICAL PAGEANT PROPOSED.

| SIR: As no programme of the arrangements for
the celebration of the coming Fourth of July has yet
| been published by the United States Centennial
Commission although it is believed that the Orator,
Poet and Reader of the Declaration of Independence
have been appointed, there is still time for the sug
| geston of feature which convinced would
! add peculiar interest to the occasion.
We assume that there will be military and prob
| ably also civic procession. in Philadelphia, or
| that day. The former only be made different
| from ordinary displays Of the kind by giving it o
representative character; it may be composed Of
regiments from every State in the Union but tho
| latter may become imposing commonplace,
attractive or tedious pregnant with meaning
| fused and incOhereit, according to the amount OF
| attention bestowed upon its organization. Above
ALL with strangers from all lands among the specta-
tors il should not be allowed to become adj
vertsing medium for the various branches Of indus
ry,-a feature which too apparent in the process
sion in Boston, the Bunker Hill Centennial day.
| What could be more appropriate than historical
| pageant representing completely possible tho
| scenes and characters of American historyf When
Holland celebrated the three hundredth anniversary
of her independence, two three years ago. such
pageant was the grand characteristic feature of the
solemnities attracting visitors from all parts of
Europe There walked the Batavia of Caesars day;
| the Tristan pagans who slew st. Bonifacus; the
| Norman marauders, Spanish Austrian, and Bur-
gundian soldiers; William the Silen; and John Of
Barneveld, in the costume of their time Erasmus,
Rembrandt and all other famous scholars and
poets represented BY gentlemen selected for their
personal resemblance. 1t was a moving panorama
both of Hollands history and the growth of her civ
| ilzation. 1t placed the Past with all its vicssi-
udes of freedom and subsection, glory and disaster,
distinctly before the eyes of the people. Oar his
tory, recent il is admits Of equally picturesque
illustration. Let suggest few of the groups iuto
| which such pageant would naturally fall
/. The NoRsEMEN. with al ancient Morse
| dragon, or galley, containing Left Ericsson, Born
| the Red Thorfinn Gudrida, and their followers.l
| 2. COLUMBUS.
8. Ponce DE LEON AND De SOTO.
| 4. THE CABoTs, SIR WALTER RALEIGH, and other
| English explorers.
| s. CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH. with Powhatan, Po-
! cahOntas, &C.,
| &. HENDRIX HUDSON and the Dutch
| z. The PLYMOUTH PILGRIMS.
| g. PRIyTz and the Swedes.
0. PENN, and the Quakers.
| 10. The CAVALIERS.
IL. THE HUGUENoTS.
| IL. TIE FIRST GERMAN SETTLERS, including the
Morayiaus.
13. SCENES OF COLONIAL LIFE.
Ii. SCENES OF THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR, with
all inc pfGclpaI characters
10. The WAR OF 1Sl2-15.
| TO- TIE OVERLAND MIGRATION OF 1910.
| II. NokrH AND SOUTH: TABLEAU oF RECONCILE
ALTON.
The above are the chief elements illustrating dis
covery, settlement. independence. and national de-
| velopment. But many additional features may be
introduced if the proposal should meet with general
favor. The preparations should be made under the
| supervision of a committee, or board, composed
partly of artists and partly of gentlemen of culture,
whose tastes have been directed to the subject Of
historical costume, arms and other appointments.
The interest of the display would also be greatly in
creased if gentlemen of sufficient and leisure
in all parts of the country would undertake to rep
| resent the same bands of colonsts from whom they
| are themselves descended,-f Virginia would fur
nisl the Cavaliers, Massachusetts the Puritans. and
Pennsylvania the Quakers and first German settlers
Following pageant picturesque and imposing
| as this might be made, the remainder of the civic
procession would necessarily assume another than
| the ordinary character. In place of mere truck
| loads of natural products and manufactured arti-
cles each form of production industry should be
| emblemaically treated. There is scarcely one Of
| them which does not admit of this, both in itself
| and in the many accessories which its history aud
| material suggest. In some of the smaller German
States popular festival important enough to call for
|
| treated. For example, number of broad
platforms are prepared placed the running
gear of wagons (which little drapery hides. and
| drawn by horses. Upon these are arranged scenes
| representing agriculture, commerce, and the me-
| chanc arts. There reapers resting amid their
| harvest sheaves; leaf-crowned vintagers with tuns
| grapes and goblets; woodmen under fir trees hoary
with cottonwood snow girls spinning and old
women weaving baskets; an Eastern Sultan receive
| ing til" merchants who buy crude mcerschaum
| backsmths beating anvil chorus. and scores Of
other equally delightful representations Ii is
| hardly necessary to add that no business signs are
| ever displayed in such professions, and no business
cards distributed from the platforms as they pass.
| We are mainly concerned however, in interesting
gentlemen of taste and intelligence, all over the
country in the proposed historical procession. IL
the plan were once accepted there would surely be
no lack of volunteers for the characters. The gen.
| tlemen composing the United States Commission
may be already SO burdened with the duties devolv-
ing inevitably upon them that they would prefer to
! avoid an ncrease but We believe they would
| willingly encourage the organization of such o
pageant and give it place in the solemntes of the
day.
| We are not aware that this feature has yet been
suggested as q part of the national celebration or
| the hundreds of thousands who viii be present in
Philadelphia on tho Fourth of July, not more than
from five to ten thousand will be able to hear
the official proceedings. Our proposition would ena-
! BILE all to enjoy spectacle less instructive than
brilliant spectacle which has never yet been wit
messed in this country, and may not be witnessed
| again for another hundred years.
| SEVERAL GENTLEMEN.
| Eec- York, March IL, 1875.
|