Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1882-07-24

uOWH one Splnal COluInn on Il Winter
morning. The churches were open, of
course, but when the strains from brass
band came floating through the open
door, mingling with the voice of prayer,
the spiritual and material world are apt
to get into fearful tangle, and we strug-
gel to say, 'sLead us not into tempta-
tion," while our toes are unconsciously
beating time in our shoes.
Monday morning came, very warm,
very windy and very dusty, but no one
murmured. There was hurrying to and
fro, everybody in eager anticipation of
the arrival of His Majesty, King Rex.
People held on to their hats with one
hand and stood ready to wave their hand
kerchiefs with the other, tugging the
meanwhile at the door Of their imagina
tions, in an endeavor to drive all practi-
cal, hard sense out, and let romance revel
unconfined.
The booming of cannon, the screeching
of steam whistles, and the shouts of the
people mingled in one grand announce
ment ''The King is here"
The procession was composed of de-
tails from various military companies, ii
detachment from the U. S. steamship
Kearsage, brass bands, now and then a
merry maSker on handsome horse, car
riages containing first the King accom-
panied by two Dukes, followed by mem
bers of his royal household.
The Continental Guards, acting as
special bodyguards to Ellis high Mighti-
their quaint costumes, solemn bearing,
and powdered hair making one feel as if
those who lived in old cononial days
were reaching down to shake hands with
US as we go on our hurrying, helter-scel-
ter gallop to the Great Beyond.
The procession marched up one side
Of Canal street and down the other side
until the Grand Opera House was reach
ed, in which the ceremony of welcome
was held. Seated upon a mimic throne,
surrounded by his ministers, all clad in
robes which royalty itself might covet,
the picture was gorgeously brilliant one.
| Speeches of welcome and responses were
| made, and the city turned oyer to the
''rule of riot and fun people passed to
the stage and paid their respects to their
monarch-then the curtain fell.
People from every State and Territory
| in the Union, from Canada, from South
| America, and Mexico, were among the
| audience in the Opera House.
From the presence of the King we hast
| ened to six O'Clock dinner, then hurried
back to Canal street to witness the dis
| play of the society known as the ''Knights
| of Proteus."
Just here let me say Canal street is
| probably as wide as any street in Ameri-
ca; it may be equalled by Pennsylvania
| Avenue in Washington, or Market street
in San Francisco, but is as wide as either
of them, and the hanging galleries which
most of the buildings have, makes it a
| most charming street in which to witness
parade.
| Because it is always best for every one
to know just what is meant, permit me
to make little explanation of the man.
ner in which the ttsauX to be described
are put before the Nblic. We all under
stand how they are{ to be presented on
the stage of a theatre, but as the French
man observed, Sin horse train on de
public town, iss something else entirely
But it is not so very difficult after all.
Low trucks, especially for this purpose,
are prepared, and upon this is platform,
the sides shutting well down over the
wheels. On this platform the tableaux
is set, the same as it might be at thea
tire, except that it is so arranged as to be
completely seen from any point, and is
without background or curtains, and in.
stead of the figures remaining quiet they
are most of them in constant motion
every movement being in perfect time
bands. The animals hauling each float
Gas these platforms are called) are com
pletely enveloped in gorgeous trappings
and are led by grooms in livery. Innum
erable torch lights make the street as
light as day, and intensity the grandeur
of the pageant by turning all the tinsel tt
gold.
No one can realize the vast eXpendi
ture Of time, labor and money required tC
complete the details of such a parade
For ten months the work has been con
stantly going on, preparing for this carni
val season, brains and hands have fount
no rest, for from the beginning it was de
termined to make this Mardi Gras seasol
excel all others, and that could only b.
accomplished by most untiring efforts
? Imagination and research went hand il
hand, seeking for something with whicl
to challenge the wonder admiration o
the beholder; no cost was counted, s.
the prize coveted could be bought with
I price; nothing so remote as to be beyon
reach, nothing so mysterious that its rid
die could be read: every land, every clim
, was taxed to furnish something for tn
great annual feast, and for once, at least
f New Orleans gave to all within her gate
an entertainment such as would be see
: nowhere else in America, one which th
| cities of Southern Europe could not SUI
pass. The granduers of the carnvals c
{ Rome and Florence have never eXceede
: those displayed in New Orleans durin
: this Mardi Gras season, and while Rom
5 seems to be permitting these festivitie
5 to dwindle to insignificance, her Amer
t can rival adds new laurels to her fame wit
every passing year. No wonder we paus
4 to ask, can it go on from height t
height, or must it soon reach the uppe
Y side OF the circle in which all things tray
4 ell, and then begin its downward cours'
7 perhaps to reach, at last, the lowest roun
! of the ladder up which it has climbed, b,
q coming what it once was, hideouS eXh
bition, participated in by the roughe:
i element of the town, Stunned by respe
e liability, and recognized as parade SUI
q to end in a drunken brawl, yielding ric
t harvest to the city prison, and seldo
0 failing to furnish victim for the han;
:. mans rope.
d To one yersed in neurological lore th
# presentation by the Knights of Protel
e was crowded full and to the most ign
S rant beholder it was as a beautiful as
dream Tho uaird 1iubtS tho hrillial