The morning call., 1891-09-14
SCHWABEN VEREIN.
Tenth Harvest Festival of a Pop
uIar Society.
A Great Procession Of Floats and Bands
President Dreschers speech-Continued
To-Day and Evening.

The tenth harvest festival of the Schwaben
Verein tnok place yesterday, and will be
continued to-day in WOodward's Gardens,
and the thousands of Germans who gathered
there evidenced the popularity of the mid
season German festival. 1t is, in TACT, the
most prominent festival, and the best at
tended of all, in the fatherland.
The harvest festival is an institution OF
old, dating since the medieval ages OF
Europe, when the Germans were rural
race, and it has grown more popular as the
years have become centuries, until the feast
is one in which the present is more nearly
brought in relationship to the past than at
any other festival.
The days festiyity began with an elabor-
ate parade In two divisions. which traversed
he most prominent streets. 1t was formed
on Market street, near New Montgomery,
proceeded out Montgomery street and avenue
to Kearny street, thence to Market and out
Market to Valencia, to Woodward's Gar
dens, where it arrived at u 80 o'clock.
STREET PARADE.
The parade was elaborate yet concise,
inasnlich as every feature bore upon the
nationality of the people engaged or the
feast being celebrated. The advance was
three heralds of the medieval times of no
particular court They were Albert Fischer,
Charles Trefz and Chris knutte. Then
came Grand Marshal Jacob Rohrer and his
aids, Theodore Pauler and Emil Alber. fol
lowed by band. The German Garde Fusi-
lier. under Captain Schwauer, and the Ba-
varian Society under Fritz Krug, followed
the Grand Marshal and staff. Then came
the Baden Verein under AdOlph Becker and
FIVE floats, four of which were appropriate
to the feast and one TO the German patriotic
din al Ialh INN IN a
most elegant manner by grape vines and
fruits.
The four floats represented the seasons
spring, summer autumn and winter.
The float representing spring had as its
central figure the May Queen, Miss Emma
Spiegel, sitting on a drum and surrounded
by a court of youngsters dressed in an ap-
proprlate manner.
The summer float represented cOrnfield
on which the corn was harvested IN shocks.
A strong and vigorous peasantry surrounded
them, singing their harvest songs, play ing
their national games and enjoying them
selves as only the most rural peoples know
how.
AUTUMN AND WINTER.
The float representing autumn showed the
historical character, the Magistrate Of the
Province OF Posen, in an arbor among his
boon companions entertaining them. He is
a historically jolly person, and, as repre-
sented yesterday by Julius Unger, must
have been deservedly so. His hilarity was
contagious and spread along the streets
through which the procession passed.
Winter, the last fiuat. was hut covered
with snow. in which Santa Claus was sit
ting. August Robert. the Kris kingle Of
The day, did honor TO his office in appear
ance at least. The rest Of the floats was
devoted to home life in Schwaben, such as
the housewife at the spindle, family circle
and games.
Then came the carriages, with the Presi-
dent Of the society, Charles Drescher, and
the Nice-Presldeut, Eugene +. Teichmann,
and the carriages containing the Committee
of ArrAngements-C. Spiegel, c. +. Haas
and John Seike. This ended the hrst diyi-
sion.
The second division was marshaled by f.
Nalle and a drum corps. The Schwaben
Nerein, the projectors of the festival, fol-
lowed them under the captaincy of Fritz
MlnZenmeiSer. Then came the honorary
members of the society IN carriages, with
Charles Bauer in carriage alone. He is
the oldest honorary member, and for the day
was styled the king of Hops" his car
riage being covered with hops. The second
division ended with long procession OF
private vehicles.
At O'Clock in the afternoon the assem-
blage gathered about one of the harvest
monuments, n fruit column. Ii is seventy
five feet III height and four feet wide, being
a work Of art deserving OF perpetuatlOn in
photographs. IL IS the pfOuuctlOn OIL EMIL
Hole.
There, in the presence OF at least 1000
persons, the President of the SchwaDen
Nerein, Charles DreScher, made his address
of welcome. 1t was patriotic in every par
ticular He said:
THE PRESIDENTS ADDRESS.
Ladies and gentlemen-I extend you a
heartfelt greeting in the name OF the San
Francisco Schwaben Verein. Bismarck
once said that there was. once a great dan
ger OF the German language being wiped
out in the Province Of POSen that the Hun
garian language was 10 be substituted in
stead. He was then Chancellor, and he ad-
vised that a number of the inhabitants of
WuTtem berg be sent there, knowing that
they, being Schwaben, would cling TO their
old language and customs, and that the
German tongue would be preserved. 1t
was, and Bismarck's recommendation is the
best any people can have, for lie VINO honors
the language and customs Of his fcrefathers
honOrs himself. The Schwaben Velein ON
the Pacific Coast has often found that very
true.
AFTER ten years of life the Schabian Yer
Elm, though not numerically strong, begin
ming with seven members, has done great
good TO individuals and families, and we
glory in it. We are proud of our achieve
ments. We are good American citizens, and
we love our second home, but We have not
forgotten the home of our fOrefathers, and
still retain our German language, German
usages and German habits. Our motto is
the motto of Nurtemberg, Fearless and
True"
The days events closed with games, in
teTspersed with music. The festival will be
continued to-day.