Evening star., 1896-07-03
SHOWING
THEIR COLORS
Merchants Beginning to Decorate for the
@. E Convention.
Flags and Streamers for the Big
Tents-The Committee Moving to
New Headquarters.

Washington is beginning to decorate in
honor of the thousands of Christian Endea-
vorers expected to crowd the city next
week. Evidences of activity in this direc-
ton are already apparent on the streets.
Shop windows arc being Hned with conven-
ton colors. the convention flag is finding
conspicuous place and attracting attention
from passers-by, shields and other devices
in colors bearing the word Welcome" are
prominently displayed and fronts of stores
and buildings are already being draped.
The merchants and citizens generally have
promised with gratifying cordality to cover
their buildings with flags and bunting, and
the beginning of the fulfillment of these
promises is now beginning to attract at
tention.
Several F street merchants have made a
start in this direction and others will fol-
low their example in day or two. Wood
wari & Lothrop have quite an exterior dis
play. In the show windows on the avenue
red, white and blue silk is being substituted
for the usual draperies notably in Top
hams and b. H. StnemetZ & Sons
House & Hermann, on 7th street. have
finished elaborate scheme of exterior
decoration. Tomorrow and Monday the dis
play Will become more general, and before
the opening day. Wednesday, stores. houses
Office buildings and churches will be a-fiut-
ter with flags and bunting.
Decorating the Halls.
Chairman Tuckey OF the decoration conI-
mittee this morning received letter from
Mr.. c. H Roster, who has been awarded
the contract for decorating the convention
tents and meeting places. in which he
stated that by tomorrow morning he would
arrive in the city with a force Of assist
arts and at once begin the work of beauti-
flying the tents. The necessary material
has already been shipped and is expected
TO be on hand as soon as the decorator will
want to use il. A force of men has been
at work on the Washington Light Infantry
Armory, where will he located the head
neon today the entire front had been fes-
tooned and draped with bunting and
streamers. Over the entrance to the arm.
ory hall is large sign. Convention Busi-
sign giving a directory of the offices To-
Gated within. The front Of Central Hall
is also being draped today and will be COM
pleted without delay In fact, all the
final preparations for the convention are
being pushed ahead with encouraging
promptness. The task OF decorating the
three mammoth tents, however, is by no
means light one. and it is thought that
everything will not be in complete order
until Tuesday night But even that time
is thirty-six hours earlier than the first
session in the tents, SO that good mar
gin will be left for unforeseen delays.
Chairman Tuckey this morning received
a letter from Liberia, Africa, in which
the writer stated that he had forwarded
three Liberian flags for use in decorating
the tents. This was in answer to re-
QA<st from the decoration committee made
scme months ago to missionaries and
others in several of the foreign countries.
-auite a number. 1t is proposed to place
one of the flags in each of the three tents
as an indication of the worldwide extent
of Christian Endeavor, and TO stand, also,
silent representatives from the far
away lands Liberia. however, is to have
living representative in the person of
Rev. George p Coll, president of the
Union, who started for the convention
n onths ago and who is now stopping in
Philadelphia.
The three tents are in position on the
White Lot. The last two were erected
yesterday, and carpenters are hard at
work building the platforms. The plat
form In Tent Endeavor, the first tent
soon as the chairs are placed in it viii he
all ready for the first meetings. Ine
other platforms are well under way. All
the tents are ready to receive the benches
of the hall committee says that he is two
days ahead Of his expectations. and is
entirely satisfied with the condition Of
affairs under his charge.
New Headquarters.
Tomorrow the committee of '36 expects
to move into it's headquarters, in the
Washington Light Infantry Armory, and
VIII remain tnere until a1ter the cOnNen-
ticn. The furniture in the present head
qua rters on F street will remain il is
and considerable work will still be done in
these rooms. But the members of the
committee will be found in the new head
quarters after tomorrow. In the armory
hall will also be located during the con-
vention the offices of the officials of state
delegations. bureau of Information, bag
gage transfer office, the office of the Joint
agent of the railroads, with whom must
be deposited all tickets on which an ex-
tension of time is desired, telegraph room,
facilities for the press, etc.
Tonight the final section rehearsal of
the convention chorus will be held in Cen
trail Hail. Under the direction of Mr..
P. S. Foster section c will render the
program. More than one thousand sing
ers will participate and the musical effect
of the rehearsal will be, II is believed,
better appreciated in this hall than during
the convention, when the sections sing in
the tents. where the sound will be more
widely diffused.