The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1876-05-09
THE MAY QUEEN,

prepared.
THE MAY QUEEN,
Miss Josephine Bohny, n very pretty
aud modest young lady, with the Ia
dies of her court, Miss Katie Deubler,
representing fall, Miss Annie Boil sum
mer, Miss Julia Miller winter and
Christina Miers spring, and her maids
of honor. Misses Matilda Mirrors, Hen
rietta Boil, Anna Reinecke, Amelia
Haberman, Katy Warsmouth, Lima
Bohne, Henrietta Keller, Hedwig Boil,
Louisa Haberman, Minnie Boil, Pau.
line Arenson, Frances Het2er and
Susie Eppler, who occupied II beauti,
fully decorated triumphal car, drawn
by four horses in the procession, took
her position on n throne erected, anC
the ceremony of crowning her rs May
Queen was performed.
sPBEOHEs.
The Mai-Fest as Explained 10y Mr.
Gibbs in his address.
The Mni-Fest is peculiarly n reli
gous festival, u tribute OF nature tC
natures God, and has been observed
by all nations and people, given the
time that whom memory runneth not
to the contrary. lis history is one fnl
Of interesting facts, and because of its
very ancient origin, there is no festival
SO much worth the attention of the
curriOusly inclined.
Ii is observed now, and has even
been observed, not because of any ira.
dition alone, but rather, because of the
fact, that the outbreak into new life
beauty, which marks nature at this
time, instinctively eXcites feelings of
gladness and delight, which. maniiest
themselves in u desire on the part OF
man to seize some part of the profu-
sion of flowers and blossoms which
surround us, and set them up in a
decorative fashion; these natural feel
ings have also found expression at all
celebrations of the kind in dance and
song.
Among the Romans, 1t was
called the floral month, and
began on May first, and lasted
until the 9th, and at this festival,
which is also known as the "Feast of
the Roses,n each man torgave his
neighbor all the wrongs he had done.
IL was feast of music, love and flow
ers, and feast Of thanksgiving for
the disappearance Of the gloom and
restitution of the winter season.
In England for many years IL
was n custom for high and low TO
engage in this festival andslay aside
the distinctions Of rank; and the court
itself, together with the Lord Mayor of
London aud aldermen of the corpora
ton, participated In the games and
festivities, and every house and even
the fields were decorated with flowers,
and the MINISTRIES and ladies hailed
with music and dancing and every
sign of joy the coming of the Mai-Fest.
There has ever been tradition that a
marriage contracted on this day would
prove happy and fortunate, and that
the vow of love breathed at the Mai
Fest would ever be true. For this
reason In the time of one OF the Eng
lish bards ii was called the ladies feast. |
There was always crowned a Queen of
May, the fairest maid in all the coun-
tries, indicating their appreciation of
the beauty OF nature and the crown |
was always wrought from the variety
Of flowers and green plants; the May
Queen led the dance and presided over
the festivities.
The Mai-Fest was always more gen.
orally and closely observed by the Gel.
tic people, and in modern times has to
some extent been confined TO them
and at present the Germans and Swiss
celebrate Mai'Fest with more zeal and
regularity than any other nationality,
perhaps for the reason that they more
keenly appreciate In their native coun-
try, the change from the rgor OF win.
ter to the beauty and milduess of
spring-the May pole was at one time
the principal feature in the Mai-Fest,
but In the time of Cromwell the Puri.
tans did away with this by law, and
attempted to suppress the Mai.Fest
altogether, but after the restoration.
The feast continued to be observed in
England.
OuErNic cprrrty