The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-06-07
THE DAILY STAR
BRUUKLYN LETTER.


ousiy tiot Weather Interferes win
the Carrying out OF he Pro.
gramme-A rhasc OF the Ceiu brW-
ti0n That Provaixes Criticism.
Special Correspondence of the Sta.
BROOKLYN, N. Y, May 81, 1880
Brooklyn justly prides herself upon
he number and vigor of her Sunday
schools and once year with laudable
enthusiasm proceeds "to let" her '9ight
80 shine" by making demonstration pc
culiarly indigenous to her own sIil.
This demonstration is none other than
the marshaling of her army of Sunday
school children in the open air for a
grand parade. There are, in fact, three
demonstrations of this kind, but only
one is famous, that held in the Western
District, which comprises three-fourths
Of the city's area.
The Eastern District is composed of
What was once known as the City Of
Williamsburg and the Village O. Green
point, and which when it was annexed to
Brooklyn proper in 1856 brought with it
q certain jealousy and self-will which l
suspect still exist and find expression in
failure to cooperate with the older por-
tion of the city in the festival under con-
sideration. The result is that each Sec
tion of the Eastern District holds its own
parade upon date to suit its own con-
venience But as the Northern District
celebration is THE affair, it commands
the attention of the entire city, and
Brooklyn from one side to the other on
the 26th of May puts on a holiday ap-
pearance, and business comes we'll nigh
to standstill from noon until sun
down.
One hundred and fifteen schools max
fng an aggregate of some forty thousand
scholars and teachers, participated in
last weeks demonstration. When I
reached the City Hall at O'clock in the
morning, l found it beautifully decor
ated with bunting, the National, State
and Municipal fl gs fying from the
main poles, while from the lofty tower
on its summit to the four corners of the
roof ran strings of smaller flags of differ
ent colors From the tower of the Mum
icipal Building opposite hoated the Stars
snd Stripes, and the portico was draped
in most patriotic style. The marble
dome of the County Court House adj
joining also bore its tribute of flags, and
North, South, East and West, as far as
the eye could see, private and public
buildings had the Stars and Stripes float
Ing above them.
AT II O'Clock the great bell in the
City Hall tower began tolling, the signal
that the Committee on Arrangements of
the Sunday-school Union had decided
that the weather was favorable, adeci-
sion that they could not but come to, as
the sky was without cloud, though the
thermometer was registering in the
neighborhood of ninety degrees. At l
o'clock there was a similar signal, this
time for The children to assemble at their|
respective schools, and half an hour later
the schools began to appear Oh the streets
on their way to the churches designated 4
rs the rendezvous for religious exercises
of sections of divisions. 4
OF course it was inadmissabIe to mass
the schools in single procession, as I'M
order to accomplish this the
majority of them would have to
march or be carried from al
mile to three miles. They were there
fore distributed into seven divisions, des.
ignated according to the localities in
which they paraded, as Prospect Park,
Bedford, Heights, Carroll Park, Clinton
avenue, New York avenue and Tompkins
Park. Each division was in turn sub
divided into from four to eight sections
for religious exercises.
The religious exercises lasted from 2
Antil 3 O'clock, and then the parade be-
gan. But meanwhile the weather had
been growing fiercely hot. For several
weeks not drop of rain had fallen, and
the parched ground added its heat to the
reflected rays of the pitiless sun over
head. The danger of sunstroke and ex-
haustion was therefore imminent, and
the marshal Of the Heights Division re-
fusing to be responsible for any acci-
dents that might occur, as the line of
march laid out for his division was un-
protected by trees, Reluctantly gave Or
aers for his command to disband, and |
each school to return to its own church |
for the customary refreshments-ice-
cream, lemonade, cake and Strawberries. |
The Marshal Of the Prospect Park J
division, which was assembled on the
mall Of the park, also became alarmed at |
case of sunstroke, and another Of faint |
ing Of Rev. DR.. Talmage's school, and |
refusing to take the responsibility of |
ordering the parade to go on, left each |
superintendent to decide for himself |
whether his school should fall into line. |
The result Of this judicious action was
that the infant classes generally retained |
their seats in the shade, and two entire |
schools fell out of line. The parade
with forces thus diminished went on,
but all the other DIVISIONS having shaded
parade grounds or streets carried out