The herald., 1895-02-10

Did Testament and lasts about nine hours,
with short intermissions. About 700 act
ors are required, all living in the village,
who study thei rparts for ten years.
The Lord Mayors show in London has
all the appearance of the old pageant or
triumph. The custom of installing the
new Mayor of London with great pomp
and public parade has been in existence
for at least foar centuries.
With the professions and different parts
of the festivities of the present time, most
readers are sufficiently acquainted from
the accounts published yearly in the
newspapers.
The first account of this annual exhi-
bition was written by George Peel for the
Inauguration of Sir Wostone Dixie on the
10Th of October, 1885. On that occasion
there were dramatic representations in
the procession of an allegorical character,
children were dressed to personify the
city, loyalty, science and the river
Thames. They represented also sailors,
soldiers and nymphs and delivered appro-
pirate speeches. The show opened with
Moor, mounted on lynx.
The show of 1913 is described as unpar-
alleled for the cost, art and magniticence of
the pageants, chariots and night tri-
umphs. Sometimes royalty and foreign
EN- bassadors took part in the procession.
Some of the characteristic features of
centuries ago are yet seen at the annual
Lord Mayors show.
The Mardi Gras of New Orleans is known
to every man, woman and child in the
United States, if not through personal ac-
quaintance, certainly by reputation.
The Mardi Gras of New Orleans, how
ever, is simply copy of similar cele-
bration in Paris, when under the regime
of Louis Philippe it attained its greatest
splendor and gaiety. At the French cap
ital the license of those who take part is
unbounded, and it is almost dangerous to
be present on the Boulevard without cos
tune or mask. The entire city is given
over to the reign of maskers, who patron
ize the cafes and cafes chantants almost
uninterruptedly for twenty -four hours of
each day during seven days.
Business is suspended and all is gaiety,
and when Frenchman is gay there can
be no mistake as to his intentions and
desires.
The Mardi Gras at New Orleans has a
striking resemblance to the festival at
Paris. 1t is said that the first celebration
took place in that city in 1927, when
number of Creole gentlemen, who had
just returned after finishing their educa-
ton in Paris, organized the first grand
street procession of masqueraders in New
Orleans. A still more brilliant and nu-
merically stronger parade took place in
Lr,1
From 1913 to 1916 several of these bril-
liant day displays took place. They were
in the hands of gentlemen representing
all the respectable element of the city's
population and were conducted in the
same style, and the same taste, and lib
eral expenditure of money that have
made the later displays OF Mistick Krewe,
The Twelfth Night Revelers and The
Knights of Momus, memorable gala
nights in the history of New Orleans.
Mobile first inaugurated the idea of
presenting scenes on floats moving
around the streets, the Cowbelions of
that city having had parade as early as
1881. The first entertainment of this
kind in New Orleans was given in 1857.
There was SO much secrecy about the
ticipated were ignorant of their lords
doings.
All that the public knew was that an
organization calling itself the Mistick
Krewe would appear ON the streets at
night, representing various tableaux.
The consequence was that the streets
were crowded with people, who welcomed
this display with shouts of applause. Its
complete success was assured and as a
result the Mistick Krewe has ever since
paraded on Mardi Gras.
Perhaps the most vulgar and extensive
display of wealth and pomp recorded in
history was on the occasion of the meet
ing of Francis l., King of France, and
Henry Will, King of England, in 1920,
on plain near Andres in France The
spot upon which that event took place is
called the Field of the Cloth of Cold"
for the reason that the entire area, upon
which the royal personages and their
knights met, was covered with the richest
tapestry woven with solid gold wire.
The tents in which the rulers of'the two
Kingdoms spent the days and nights were
of the most expensive character, orna-
mented with golden emblems and studded
with precious stones. The route they
covered in the procession to and from the
place of landing was also covered with