The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1894-02-07
MARDI GRAS SCENES,
CARNIVAL SEASON CLOSES AS LENT
COMES IN.
Magnificent PrEeants of Rex and Co.
mus Furnish FnnOrnmns for Day
and Night The Royal Court
and Grand Bali OF Rex,

New Orleans, La, February s.-Today
saw the advent and the close OF Mardi
Gras and the carnival season saw It's
height and its elimination. The children
and others OF the local populaee did more
masking than is usual, that custom hav-
Ing dropped in.o disuse to a great ex-
! tent.
The number of visitors from distant
points in the country was much larger
| than In previous years and every eaort
was made TO royalty entertain the visiting
soldiery and the civilians wAo accom-
! panied them.
About 10 o'clock Rex appeared upon the
streets in magnificent pageant.
| The gorgeous day pageant OF Rex APP
! peared upon the streets this morning at
| 10 O'Clock and wound Its dazzling length
| through the principal avenues of the city.
| The subject of the pageant was "Inustra-
| tons from Literature" The matter re-
| cclNed an exceedingly chaste and artistic
| treatment, and even The New orleans
public, critical in matters OF public fetes,
| was enthusiastic about the superb process
sion.
Preceding the pageant proper was the
! customary boeut eras, massive Western
! beef In a tr.umpA1l car This animal ia
] slaughtered in the early days OF Lent,
| and serves as the center OF a banquet for
| the maskers.
| The title cur next doomed into view.
| The ccntcrpiece was a golden herald hold
! ing scroll, upon which gHttercd the
| words of the subject Papyrus scrolls
| with majestic characters lay at the feet
OF the herald, while the genius of litera-
ture wrote upon her tablet strange sym
| bOls.
| Car No. bore the royal person Rex
n tnrOnn
honors upon literary asplrants. The crown
| Jewels he guyly wore and his scepteC was
| lifted gracefully TO salute his liegG sub
jects. His costume was a grand creation
IN white satin, with pearl and diamond or
nameuts, and his throne was builded upon
the back OF an anomalous bird with cloud
like feathers. The ground In front was
banked with roses and the air was redo
lent with perfume.
Moore's THE Sylphs' Bail" was the
subject of the third tableau, Chrysoltte
columns supported prismatc roof under
which the winged dancers juyously played
a drunken revel of n feast of Caligula
was pictured upon noIt No, 4. The sen
sUous Roman emperor lay upon couch
at the foot of his marble terrace. The
common soldiers, whom he Is said to
have loved to make companions of, sur
rounded him and urged on the feats of
| drinking.
The succeeding car typined Scandina-
| Wan mythology in Freya, goddess of love
| She was SHOWN in her wild pursuit of Odin
her truant spouse. Her chariot was drawn
along diaphonous clouds by wondrous cats
whose harness was all gold and jewels.
Tableau No. was Biblical. Esther was
shown before the throne Of Ahasueras,
! petiuoning him to leave the presence of
her enemies and return to the feast she
had spread for her royal spouse. The fam
tastc and strangely beautiful architecture
of Syria was copied here, as well as the
| rich costumng of the personages and the
| age.
| The next phase Of literature deineated
| by Rex was that which embraces the fairy
| tales OF childhood, The Cur was mass
of foliage covered with the sill5cn webs OF
spiders, In whose tanges Were caught
| Robin Goodfellow, Puck. Tttania and num-
| bers OF goblins and elves.
| Oriental history furnished the succeeding
subjest: Bajazet receiving his bride from
| the Prince OF Kermain, Bajazet having
| conquered the greater portion of the East,
desired to complete the acquisition OF en-
! pirc dominious by an alliance with the
daughter OF his powerful neighDor The
gorgeous festival which accompanied the
nuptials were here portrayed,
Rex now turned to the north and por-
trays a romance from Goethe. The humor-
GUS epic Renccke Fox, was the subject
of the ninth car, and the trial Of the fox
before the Hon was shown with delicate
adherence to the fun OF the story
4 dream of the antediluVian age was
sought to be matcrialiaed In the next tab
leau II was a dark and desolate picture,
Curious fungi growths thrust Themselves
through the marsh mold In an iridescent
Jungle. Great scrpents, with shaggy teeth
and scaled backs formed for an attack
upon n small band Of preadamites, who
resist wiuh the puny weapons of the age.
SCOTS "ralk.man' provides the spirit
for the eleventh tab!eau. The meetins Of
Richard and Saladin was shown. The bnr-
barrie splendor of the Musseiman's camp
was displayed. An immense tent Of fam
ing silk covered the scene. Inside were
rich rugs and bghly colored shawls. Tine
figures were heavily clad in man.
The twelfth car consisted of n Chinese
galley, loaded with finely clad Jlndarins.
who were entertaining Marco Polo, the
worlds first explorer of note.
Modern romance Is next depicted. The
immediate subject displayed was Rider
Haggard's she" The interview OF The
Englishmen with the wonderful queen on
her ebony throne afforded opportunity for
a striking picture.
Tassos "Geruseme Liberath" furnished
the matter for a superb tableau on the
fourteenth ear. RInaldo, the Lberator. Is
shown in the enchanted grove into which |
the hero has been cast by sorcery while |
on his journey 10 Jerusalem.
An effective tab!eau was that represent |
Wives Of windsor" Falstan in the IN |
congruous garb Of the hunter Herne was
discovered In the wood attacked by the |
elves Of the forest led on by Mistress Page. |
lex now returned to the classics and pic |
tured Ulysses in the flagship OF the Gre !
clan squadron nearing land. The hardy |
warrior wore wonderful suit OF arrnor, |
and all his crew were mailed and jeweled, |
while the craft wore holiday ribbons and |
decorations because OF the near approach |
of land.
The enchanting interview Of Tannhauser
and Venus IN the depths OF the Black For
est was chosen by Rex as the most fitting |
scene 10 typify grand opera. Wagner's
''Tannnauser" Is 50 honored The gem
grit cavern. the faultiessly perfect woman
aud the superb form Of the warrior gave
a picturesque study.
The eighteenth car was a tableau fur
nished by MHton's picture of hell. The
grim horrors OF sheol were shown, the
hideous monsters the. angels OF destruc-
ton and the black throne OF Satan.
Tae anal car Of the carnival pageants
Is always reserved for the best Of