The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-04-30
LOS ANGELES FIESTA.
First Floral Night Parade At
tempted There.
The Effect Was Dazzling in the
Extreme.
Sixteen Floats Each Representing a
Different Flower.


parade at Los Angeles last week which
Topeka expects to eclipse next au-
tumn at the Fall Festival. AS the de-
scriptions will be interesting to many
who expect to participate, they are re-
printed below:
The pageant was an unusually beau
tiful spectacle, being maintained
throughout on a high plan of strictly
aruSt1c creations on wheels. 1t was
composed of sixteen floats designed to
tell the Legend of the Flowers" No
other features were permitted in the
line, there being besides them the COM
mander-ln-c chief and his aides, the ca
baleroS serving as escort to the COM
mandant, the commanders of the sew
eral divisions and their aides, and then
the music, consisting of a liberal sprink-
ling of brass bands throughout the
line.
To this, of course, must be added the
queen and her court to whom all street
parades are supposed to serve as an es-
cOrt.
The floats were all poeticaI concep-
tons, carried out on lines that seemed
to give no thought to either space or
expense. Some of them were immense
affairs. They were drawn by process
sionS of horses in white coverings, each
horse being attended by a fOotman in
mask and domino. On each side march
ed tOrchbearerS, while at the four cor
ners were still others, burning Greek
fire. With the liberal illumination of
the streets with electric lights the giId-
ing and tinsel that made so large a,
part of the decoration of the floats gilt
tered and flashed in dazzling fashion.
The amphitheater at the tribuneS was
lit up with arc lights until the darkness
of night was entirely diSpelled. The
tribunes were well filled with specta-
tors and the scene there was one worth
travelling far to see. But the thrOng
gathered there seemed scarcely to be
missed from the streets. Along the
entire line of march, which was an IN
usually long one, people were massed
sOIidly along the sidewalks, and they
also occupied windows, steps and every
available space.
The scheme of the spectacle was to
typify the flower by a tableau repre-
Senting a legend with which it, or at
least its name, is popularity identified.
The aurora borealis, for instance, was
made to represent the glory of the
morning, the morning glory. Renis'
celebrated painting Aurora and Phoe-
bus" was utilized as the portrayal. The
Goddess of Day appeared in an open
gold chariot, her attendants scattering
flowers in her path. Cupid, with burn
ing torch,l led the way, tipping the clouds
/ with silver Morning glOrieS entWined
| the base of the car in a seat of sky
/ blue bloom. The characters in float
We're: Aurora, Miss Leota StOney; at
/ PENDANTS, Miss Kate ChaptOn, Miss
| Stella Chapton, Miss Ekman.
The night blooming cereus was typi-
/ fed by the Queen of the Night seated
| upon the earth in a throne of stars. The
/ queen was rObed in indigO-blue draper
! les, spangled with stars. The effects
/ were all of moonlight glow-wOrnl, a
! bat, fire-f1ies and night birds. In the
| front was a magnificent open flower,
! sprung from a bed OF cactI, the leaves
| and prickly arms draping the body of
! the float. The characters on this float
/ were taken as follows: Cinderella,
| Norma Graham; heralds, E. Ryder, r.
] Hanchette; prince, Walter G. Fogg;
! waiting maids, Maude Tinklepaugh,
| Lizzie Cummings
! The white rose followed. Tt was his
toricaIly the best known of the many
badges of the house of York, and was
typifed in the float representing two
| historical scenes. One was a garden
| scene where Edward, the Duke of York,
| with Elizabeth WOOdVille, is listening
| to the court Jester. In the second
( scene Richard. the youngest brother
! and last of the house of Plantagenet
| is leaving the castle for a fight with
| drawbridge, attended by knights and
| men-at-arms. On the base of the float
| were armOrial insignia. and hereditary
| emblems of the house of York. The
| characters were as follows: Duke of
! York A L. Fowler; man. alarms, Joe
| Goldsmith; Jester, Aubrey Austin; court
ladies, Paul Elliott, Alice Winchester
The pansy was represented by scene
| from "A Midsummer Nights Dream in
! which dew, mo0nshine, glittering insects,
/ little eenu with butterflies, and many
coiored flowers filed fairy world. IN
| der an immense mushroom Bottom and
Titania are standing, she paying him
| tender homage with a coronet of flowers.
| P1lclS the rna9-caD sprite borne like the
1tgbt and gIittering gossa.rner before the
| breeze" was near. GlOw-worns, moths,
| Srefies beetles and erasShopperS from
| the fairy court. At the base was a sea of
pansies rich with the color of purple and
And now the proud lily. A scene from
'Iolanthe' was pictured in this float. 1t
was a water scene of fairy Hagnlhcence.
Iolanthe after her twenty years, iEnprlsoI N
! ment. Around her We're grouped me
Earl of Tollaller. Phyllis, the Lord Chan-
ceuor and StrephOn- Upon a rock vas
enthroned queen of the fairies, holdlhs
her wand and awakening IOlanthe from
her lily bed Conventionalized lilies
formed the base of the float
| PapyruS, the plant which, centuries
ago the Egyptians used as paper. told It's
legend in a chapter OF history taken az
| that fatefuI time when Cleopatra first mel
Mark Anthony upon the river Cydnus.
The float represented the Egyptian
| queen in her barge of state, covered over
/ with pavilion-clOth of gold tissue, Wltf
siIker sails and gay festOons- At tbs
( slaves. The barge was q blaze of magni-
fcent color. surrounded by papyrus and
Captain Soiano. marshaI and aides had
the third division with the PaSadefl3
band. The floats represented the laurei
cactus. snapdragon and goid OF pPnlr
The laurel was represented by tabIeal
in which the victor in the Olymplar
games is being crowned a Greek TEN
pie, severely classical. was pictured a
surrounded by cypress trees; before II {
group of athletes were returning from tfft
games: before them. upon Greek pedeS
TAI burned the sacred fires. Upon the
steps of the temple stood the Victorious
athlete in the act of receiving the chaple
of victory at the hands of the judges Th'
whole float was surrounded by laure
leaves.
The cactus was symbolized in a scene
from Mexico; in which Montezuma is
being carried to the great temple by sE
men. He is attended by his guards. Th'
great temple was encrusted with stuccO
richly sculptured. A fetch was seen upol
the side of the temple. In the center o
| the float was the sacrificial stone, Will
| figures and emblerns carved upon it. o.
the sides were Aztecs. kneeIing down ane