The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-03-10
Rex AS THR EMPEROR AZURE
LIUS MAKING HIS
triumphant Entry Into Rome After
the Defeat Of ZenObia and HIS
Conquest Of Palmyra.
PROTEUS ILLUSTRATES THE
PLANETS AND THEIR PRGPLE.
Ehe Balls at Night at Carnival Palace,
Washington Artillery Hall
aud the 0pera.H9Rse.
ESPECIAL TO THE ePPEAL.l

meriment and madness. Nowhere,
save in a Southern cline like this or
italy, could thousands of people be
found to throw aside decorum and dig
nity, as was done to-day, put on masks
and dominoes and with them all the
antics of youth, and dance and caper
likeso many madmen. There is some
thing in the air that brings out this
spirit, for to-day the most staid and
sedate of Western merchants and
bankers threw themselves into the
festivities of the carnival. and frisked
around as merrily as the street gamins.
To day as yesterday, but in far great
er numbers, the crowd poured forth
from all the side streets into canal, and
before II o'clock that great thorough
fare, it's galleries, its banquettes and
even the roadway was crowded with
mass of people.
The morning, as hitherto, was de-
voted almost wholly to the promis-
70 .Cuous and unattached maskers. Twen-
ty years ago Mardi Gras was cele-
brated altogether in this way and
mask ers of this kind were far more
numerous than they are to-day, and
the carnival far more like that of
Rome or Venice, with more license
and adventure. The maskers marched
or drove around town in parties of ten
or twenty, with bags of -four and con-
.tetti at their sides, wherewith they
pelted every one they met. The city
was shocked one day by several muir
ders committed by masked men, and
an effort was made to regulate and or
ganize the celebration. The result
was the masked procession which now
constitutes one of the features of the
carnival, and which are nowhere else
to be seen in all their grandeur and
magnificence. There is somewhat
of disposition to return to
those old days where there was less
grandeur and display, but more gen.
uine carnival fun, and this was con-
spicuously shown to-day by the pres
ence of unusual numbers of unat-
tached maskers, who kept the crowd
laughing all the morning with their
antics, and gambols, jokes and funny
sayings. Professions of Indians, frogs,
troubadours, monkeys and minstrels
were passing continually up and down
Canal street, while feminine maskers,
in airy costumes, and some even in
masculine attire, but feebly disguised,
seemed to draw forth the admiration,
especially of the corner masers.
The crowd good-naturedly jostled !
each other and laughed at everything
that struck its fancy. Every now and
then two opposing crowds would meet |
each other at corner, creating a sort |
of deadlock where one could not |
move forward or backward, and giving |
a splendid opportunity for those light
fingered gentry, the pickpockets, who
have never piled their trade more sue
cessfully than this carnival.
From daylight until after noon, al
though the weather during the morn
ing was cloudy and threatening rain,
thereby delaying the carnival process
sion, the fun kept up, the scene ever
changing and shifting, but always
bright and beautiful. The blowing of
innumerahhe horns and trumpets an
nounced the coming of Rex, the mask
ers fell into the various divisions to
which they we're assigned, and, with
glare of light reflected from the gilded
chariots and the armor of the knights,
the procession filed into Canal street.
The b9uf gras, or fatted OK, as usual,
led the procession an animal of pure
white, free from any f1ecks or blem-
ishes, prepared for the sacrifice, with
gilded hoofs and horns, and with its
neck garlanded by flowers and rib
bons. A number of butchers stood
around, armed with axes and dressed
in the costumes Of the medieval ages.
REX AS AURELIUs ENTERING ROME.
The tantara of trumpets announced
the approach of Rex. Squads of
knights in Roman armor rode before
the procession and announced that
the King OF the Carnival would appear
this year as Aurelius, Emperor of
Rome, returning in triumph to the
eternal City" after the conquest of
Palmyra and his capture of the famous
Zenobia, Empress of the East. The
procession depicted a Roman triumph
in all its details, just as it marched
through the streets of Rome some six
teen centuries ago, with its thousands
OF captives, its spoils treasures and
mysteries.
The first five vans consisted entirely
of treasures brought from the East and
by the Roman army. One of
them was loaded with golden statues
of oriental fashion, figures of Chaldean
human faced lions, shields, vases, he'll
NETS of the most precious metals, piled
pell-mell upon each other in the form
of aspyramid, the whole surmounted
by a,colossal gold statue of the Phe-
nician god, Baal Another chariot
brought the treasures torn from Judea,
vases and candlesticks of gold, rich
veiVets and other woven goods. Bare
armed negro slaves, clad in the prince !
lest raiment, carried immense. .salverS I
iiled with plates of gold and piles of
precious stones Files of .turbaned {
slaves bore. vases on their heads con- s
aiming the riches found in the treas :
Try OF Palmyra. Arabs followed lead
ng camels, also similarly laden with 7
he trophies of the conquest of SYRIA. '
All alOngfhis line, marching on either c
ide of the treasure .chariots, were the {
Roman eentuSions, and the standard s
.earers, the latter holding aloSt the c
Soman eagles. @
Another division consisted OF the v
come from various Orien- L
al countries, from China, India and v
eythia, seeking the alliance of the f
ietorious Aurelius and offering him il
resents TO propitiate his good will.
Then followed the troops of slaves, r
aptured in this war, beautiful oda- s
sques and slave girls, scsntily but s.
obly clad, and famed by immense 81
ans of ostrich feathers operated by p
egro attendants. Behind these came p
he great Zenobia, famed equally for
er beauty and her wisdom, her hands a
ound together by chains of gold. l.
he high chariot she occupied was 81
rawn by four white horses, richly Il
aparisoned. A company of soldiers b
cted as a body guard and escort and h
nrrounded the chariot, Il
Amid The noise Of hundred trum- u