Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-02-07
THE REX PROCESSION

tFts TREN EFhSSESStSFN
Started from press in the neighborhood Of
that from which Proteus came last night
The same difficulty was encountered in get.
ting the floats out of the building, the rooi
of the press being too low TO allow the high
tshlesux to pass out. and requiring TO be
removed before this could be done. Not.
withstanding this delay, at the hour adver.
tised the procession had started, moving,
like the other displays, toward Canal street
first.
A banner informed all of the fact that the
subject illustrated bye Rex, this year, was
"The Lost Continent OF Atlantis" which, &C.
cording 10 Plato, stood in the center OF the
ocean that now bears its name, containing
pepulous cities and towns aud civilized
people, but which was finally overthrow by
a deluge, wherein this lost continent sank to
the bottom of the ocean. The tableauz
were taken mainly from Plato or from the
book written by the Hon. Ignatius Donnelly,
on this subject, who advanced the idea that all
the races OF the world TO day are descendant:
from the Atlantesns, and all the religions,
customs and habits prevalent merely those
handed TO them from Atlantis.
The custom Of Mardi. Gras requires that
the King shall represent one of the heroes oil
the subject treated in the Rex procession
Thus, when it was "Grecian Mythology and
History" he was Agamemnon, and when il
was the ARABIAN Nights" he was the grea
Shahriar, the man with so many wives
This year, the subject being "Atlantis," III.
King was RabuzataD, one of the legend
airy monarchs Of the lost continent. H,
rode in a chariot entirely gilt, the pill
lars Of which, gsrlanded with fowerr
supported a high canopy overhead. Or
all four corners OF the chariot were altar
wherein incense was burning. Accompany
ing the King were various officers of his
court, heavy and light guardsmen, mounted
and armored, a corps OF heralds, and mum
Der of warriors in chsriots of war, sno
finally band of mounted musicians playing
on the musical Instruments, queer in shape
but sweet in sound, that were used in an
cient Atlantis. The approach Of the Kinl
was everywhere welcomed with applause.
Following the King and his royal guard
came the display proper, relating in eighteen
floats the story of Atlantis, as told by Plate
and Donnelly. as follows:
The Lost Atlantis.
l. CLEITo. Showing tbe coral grotto, the
pillars covered with flowers, where this wo
man, from whom the races that inhabited
Atlantis sprang, resided. Urule, captain o.
the sea.god, who carried her of to become
his mistress.
2. THE TEMPLE OF PosEIDoN Oh NEPTUNE
the tutelary divinity OF Atlantis; massive
structure built Of shells and coral, and blue
like the ocean.
3. THE MARKET PLACE OF ATLANTIS
where we're assembled the inhabitants
traficking in the game, the meat and yeee.
tables of prehistoric ages, pterodactyls and
icihyosaurians instead of ducks and cab
bages. The peculiar theory held by the
Hon. Igustius Donnelly, ex-member of Con.
gress from Minnesots, about the lost CONT
nent 10 his Book Of Atlantis, is here brough,
out, He holds therein that all the present
races OF the world were represented in At.
lantis. In the market scene, side by side
are seen prototypes of the present Chinese
Malays and other races. The market itself
being pagoda similar to those 10 be seen to-
day in China.
4. THE KING AT THE PLow, a custom
handed down from Atlantis to Egypt, where
the king, each spring, himself took the pillow
in hand ard plowed small patch OF land
In this instance the Atlantean king is util-
izing pair of ostriches to draw the pillow
The queen, mounted on a white elephant,
watches the scene.
5. The HANGING GARDENS OF ATLANTIS
amid which, in grove of palms and ferns
the queen and her maids of honor are sit.
ting, playing maudolins and other musical
instruments.
6. A MARRIAGE FEAST, the groom, bride
and guests richly arrayed 10 flowers and
feathers. A group of harpers afford music
Ia another room the marriage feast awaits
the bridal party, in queer, curiously shaped
pottery, such as are dug from ancient Indian
mounds today
z. A COURT OF JUSTICE IN ATLANTIS
The king, vino is administering justice, ID
seated on his throne. Before him the pris-
oner, with hands tied and heavy weight at
tsched to his neck, kneels, stripped to the
skin, awaiting sentence. The courtroom il
blazoued with skulls and cross-bones, and
similar graveyard emblems OF justice.
s. A SEA FIGHT BETWEEN THE Fed AMI
WHITE RACES, the rival and inimical peo-
pie inhabiting Atlantis. Two banks have
met, one bearing a dragon as a head-piec
The other vessel is sinking rapidly from the
shock, but her crew have sprung aboard the
dragon boat, and are engaged in a warm
hand-to-hand conflict with its warriors.
9. TEE WHITE RACE BEsIEGMe CITY Oh
TIE Red. The city is surrounded by high,
~~s<s~----s-S