The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-03-31
WIDOWS HOME FESTIVAL.
The Opening Last Night..A Magnificent
Success.

ouOSOoos
The scene on the opening of the Widows
Home Festival last evening at the Music
Hall was veritable scene OF enchantment
The booths, kiosks. arbors, pagodas, grot-
toes, chalets, which yesterday.morDing were
rapidly crystalizing into form. had bios
somed In the few intervening hours into
things of beauty and brightness that could
scarcely be believed. The great dragon
over the entrance. fanked with
its flaming crescents and star,
were ablaze with light. The thousand and
one objects of brightness and beauty in
the multitude of bazars bewilde-ed with
their attractive colors, the kiosks them
selves were charming in their various hues,
the exquisitely costumed lady attendants
at the sales tables, the throngs of admiring
| visitors and the curious oriental and char
acter costumes moving ABOUT the hall, was
scene to be remembered for lifetime,
Here Fadladeen walks critically beside
the penslvs Lalla Rookh. There
Ichabod Crane in a bell-crowned
hat with red band, claw
hammer coat reaching to his heels, col
lar that endangers his ears and striped
trousers of the pattern and cut OF 100
years ago, goes wheedling the modest
Quakeress Priscilly, or Ike Partington
whispers soft nonsense in the ears of e
pretty dairy maid at his side. Aunt Tabl-
tina blooms in her new bonnet that is big
| almost as an umbrella, but not one whit
more ridiculous, ridiculous as 1t is, than
some of the modern head gear we see
daily upon the street. Yonder in the
| I'm ol uo1I ic v>ifohoH tho
| tent amid the frs and hemlock groves that
have been there improvised, and SIM
ulated gypsy maidens in highly pictur-
esque costumes will read your fortunes as
accurately if you but cross their palms
with the magic silver as though they sang
you love songs under the moonlight in the
Romanv tongue to the music of the man
dolin and the lutte.
The gypsy camp is presided over by the
| following ladies:
Miss Clara Doherty, Queen"
| Miss Susie Griffith. Miss Cora Paddock,
Miss Mary Doherty, Miss Jennie Crane,
Miss Eta Morris, Mr.. R. II. Crane, Mrs.
Edward McHenry, Miss Effie Evans Miss
Jennie Lea, Miss Teresa Donohne.
The scene of rollcking jollity in the Yam
kee kitchen lighted with the pencil of cal
cium-light thrown upon it during the
evening was simply immense. Mrs Aid
rich thummed the wheezy old piano that
was built probably so long ago that the
hands that played Its yellow keys and the
ears that listened to its notes are now sleep
ing forgotten amid the valley clods.
The Yankee Kitchen is composed of the
following strong cast of well-known ladies:
Mrs. George +. Ireland, Chairman.
Mrs. M. H. Crane, Mrs. A. r. Clark, Mrs.
M. D. Folger, Mrs G. 0. Locbard, Mrs. J.
B. Mears, Mrs. Chas. H. Fox, Mrs. II. X.
Lindsay, Mrs. W. G. Houston, Mrs. Stephen
Yeatman, Mrs. G. Y. Roots
Watresses-Misses Ettie and Ida Spooner
Mrs. Hy. De Camp, Mrs. Jos. Sherwood.
Miss Kate Eddy, Miss Addie Aldrich. Miss
Jennie Lockart Miss Clara Roberts, Mrs. I.
G. Heron, Miss Fannie Roberts, Miss Alice
Rule, Miss Carrick, Miss Lille Fox, Miss
Lottie Crolton, Miss Belle Dalton.
The Dramatic Corps, that is also part of
this amusing feature OF the fair, is as fol-
lows:
Mrs. Aldrich, Mr.. A. H. Pape. Albert
Spencer, Rankin D. Jones, James Sherwood
Miss May Donnally, Mrs. Nettie Gordon
Grose, Miss Mary Smith, Mr.. Hy. DeCamp
Mrs. NJ. A. Rogers, DR.. G. s. Muscroft, Dr.
Richard Taylor, Miss Lille Blanchard.
The English Cottage, located also IN the
Horticultural Hall, seems rather Swiss
chalet than true English cottage, but is
picturesque and beautiful under it's thatch
OF straw and clinging garlands of moss and
honeysuckle blooming beneath its caves.
The following ladies are in charge of this:
Mrs. w. A. G odman and Miss Amy Will
son in charge: Miss Ssllie Smith, Miss
Belle Eckstein, Miss Ella Corwin, Miss Jen-
ME Hobbs Mrs. T. H. Taft Miss Belle Will
son, Miss May Livingston, Miss Mary An
drews, Miss Madge Eaton, Mrs. Chas. +.
Taft, Mrs. Homer VESSEL, Mrs. Harry An
drews, Miss Genevieve Allen, Miss Clara
Keck.
In the main hall the cent ter was appro-
priately devoted to the flower stand, and
was arranged with the most exquisite taste.
In the center, the apex of bank of superb
plants, stood magnificent Bourbon palm,
with its deep green palmated leaves spread
ing in all directions like hands of blessing
stretching above the scene and the workers
below. Superb specimens OF maranta ze-
brina, aspedstra curculigo, yuccas, diff
fenbachas, pandanus, dracenas, crotons
and other exquisite exotics were grouped
upon this pyramid and around the borders
were bouquets and baskets of flowers for
sale, and blooming plants hedged in the
ladies who acted as presiding genii of the
place. The delicate eulala japonica threw
up its feathery sprays amid the forest of
roses and geTaniums and azaleas and be-
gonias. The display here was superb This
stand was presided over by the following
committee:
| Mrs. John Shillito, Chairman.
Mrs. Jacob Hoffner. Miss Emma Foote,
Mrs. VIM. Resor, Mrs. John D. Minor, Miss
Carrie Gibson, Mrs. L. Seasongood. Mrs.
DR.. Williams Mrs. J. L. Rutfin, Mrs. A. II.
Hinkle, Mrs. b S. Cunningham, Mrs Jas.
Bugher, Mrs Sargent, Mrs. A.Wessel, Mrs.
Jas. Andrews, Mrs. Dr. Miller, Mrs Gather,
Mrs. Joseph Smith, Miss Eliza Carson, Miss
Anna Henshaw, Mrs. Robert Parkinson,
Miss Athey, Miss Fox, Miss Gather.
The Oriental booth occupies the east end
of the hall, and is filled with the gorgeous
products of the East, as is fit. Rich stuffs
froni India, Persia and China, as also OF
Egypt and Turkey are mingled in con-
fusion here. Turks and Persians, habted
in their gorgeous barbaric splendor wander
amid the throng and minge through the
moving crowd of visitors.
Space does not to-day permit a proper