Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1896-06-13
NORTH AMERICAN SANGERBUND
Now i'm Session Mt PittsburE-Fhe
smoky CITY Looking Gay.

Pittsburg, June S.-Pittsburg and Allie
gheny City are gas, ,oday with triumphal
arches, tri-coIored bunting, the stars and
stripes and the flags of the Fatherand,
and the air is nleu with the music of
bands and of vocal song. All these in
dications of festivity are in honor of the
opening of the 2Sth annual sangerfest OF
the North American Sangerbund, and
which was inaugurated this morning with
a reception to the visitors at the old city
hail and other central buildings
Since Saturday organized clubs ana
their escorts have been coming on each
arriving train from the east and west
and this morning the scenes at the depots
recall those of the last national Grand
Army encampment in this city. AS each
club or chorus left the cars 1t was
pounced upon by a reception committee
and escorted to the stopping place Sc
lected for it by the local committee
BY noon delegates had arrived from
nearly all the principal cities of the coun-
try, and according to the badges con
spicuously worn, the German populations
Of Chicago, Milwaukee. Peoria, Cincin-
natl, Cleveland, st. Louis, New York, In
dianapOlis, Wheeling CIV. Na), Philadal-
phia, Columbus, Dayton, Evansville, LOU
isville, Memphis, Minneapolis, Denver
San Francisco and New Orleans are "s-
pccially well represented. This afternoon
was devoted to exchanges of visits be-
tween the societies, and tonight the great
fest received it's baptism in the magnlh-
cent exposition building, which has been
remodeled to afford seating capacity Oh
between 5000 and 5000.
An earnest invitation had been extend
ed to President Cleveland to take part
personally in the opening ceremonies, out
the chief executive. finding =, impossible
to leave Washington at this time. the
program has been so arranged as TO en-
able him to perform the duty of declar-
ing the fest open, through the medium OF
the electric current. Precisely at half
past the president, seated at his desk
| in the White house in Washington,
| touched a button, and the electric cur
| rent thus created Illuminated an immense
! red, white and blue flag of incandescent
! lights that had been erected In the rear
| of the big stage. With the first touch OF
the button the red portion of the flag
was Illuminated, at the second the white
! and at the third the blue; the orchestra
| meanwhile rendering America At the
! moment the illumination was completes
| the immense audience at a given signal
! rose and the Star Spangled Banner
was played and sung with vigOr and pa
| trOtic intensity. John Dining OF TINS
| city, the director general of the fest. de-
| livered the address of welcome and ac-
| copied the sangerbund flag, first present
| ed to the North American association 81
| years ago by the women of Columbus,
| Ohio After this, as a token of tribute to
| Stephen G. Foster of this city, the mixed
chorus of 5000 voices sang THE Old
Folks at Home" There were more
speeches, followed by a rendition of
Saint-Saens "Deluge" by the combined
festival chorus and orchestra. This
brought the exercises to a close. To-
morrow the musical features Of the fest
will be inaugurated IN earnest with the
appearance of the great soloists who
have been engaged and who form a gal
aXy of stars of melody.