Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-06-23
DRESSED UP.
GAYLY DECORATED FOR QUEEN VIC
TORIA's JUBILEE.
GORGEOUS BUT NOT ARTISTIC.
DAY DISPLAY SURPASSED BY THE
NIGHT ILLUMINATION.
The Metropolis AbIaze With ColOred
Lights worked Into All Manner
ofDesigns and MOttOes-The
Lighting of the EN-
pire's Torch.

pIre's Torch.
| London, June 22.-The decorations for her
majesty's jubilee were universal and with
out stint. Even in the narrow, nlfaVored
| alleys, where pale-faced children come TO
| believe tho sky is only yard wide Where
| there are want and hunger and disease all
| the year round, there were displays. The
West end, with its crimson glory, great
banners, triumphal arches, portieres OF
| costly blossoms, attracted the greatest at
| tention, but showed plainly that the art
| of street decoration is not understood IN
| London. While here and there much that
| is beautiful met the eye, II Is not possible
| to escape the fact that the ensemble was
! ruined by lack OF concerted effect. The
| means employed were as varied as the ends
achieved. The greatest reliance was placed
| on royal crimson trimmed with gold. Mot
| toes were bountiful with scrolls, banners,
| flags, the royal arms, the imperial mono
J gram portraits OF the queen In every pos
| sible form Of reproduction and unlimited
i illusions to "1S37-lS97." In the Hcher
| streets were countless costly blossoms, but
paper flowers were not disdained, especial
| ly in such decorations as were in the street
i proper, and the green of evergreen and nr
and laurel garmented the triumphal arches
| Venetian masts, with pennons, shields ana
| standards of flags, flowers and ferns lent
more of the picturesque than perhaps any
thing else. There were no scrolls or decor
| atoms stretched across the street, by the
queens express desire, owing TO an acci-
dent in the jubilee ten years ago, when
falling motto bid fair to frighten her
horses. ,.
| buckingham palace itself was undecor-
ated save for the roy3l IN fron9 nGd
/ along the garden wall as far as hyde park
corner, which were filled with clylI SER
| friends, were more to be noted for the
| bright faces of those they contained than
for decorations, although the long lines of
! national colors under. the trees were de-
All the houses and clubs of Piccadilly
| from Hyde park corner TO st. James street.
| were ablaze with multi-colored drapertes,
| relieved with masses of flowers. Red,white
| not only in this bunting and cloth, but also
| in scarlet geranium. white marguerites and
deep blue Iobelias. OF the great palaces
1 peries, festooned in ground of yellow and
4 red stripes, escutcheonS and groups OF
tbags, tbaTs WIZ TSa pniyersal Nv with the i'm
| perial crown were not lacking.
| A little further, on at the Pail Mall east
| entrance to st. Martins parish more am
! bilious decoration was attempted. Between
| this point and Exeter hall the Vestry had
placed eighIeen srS9es hoT9d @ 9t t SInd
| used in Paris during the cars visit. The
4 supporting poles were about nYe feet hlgh'
decorated with oritiammeS or banneretS,
| escutcheoned with two flags The masts
| carried garlands of us globes to each arch,
and every balloon contained an electric
| lamp of ten candle power. .1-
AT Exeter hall. entering the domain of
| the Strand board Of works, an abrupt
| to line of Venetian masts, parallel with
the footways. extending to the law courts
| andthe city limits The masts were OF gilt
| with bannerets between in graceful loop
| ings, garlands of paper and muslin flowers,
| which were quite effective, the design being
| light and striking.
| Nard-was so covered with decorations for
I both day and night as to be almost un-
! recognizable. Garlands, shields and nation
| al flags were on the four sides, while
| among the mottos, the least common was,
\ Victoria, Our Beloved Ruler of Great
1 Britains Realms" The prevailing color in
| Fleet street was white and gold and a light
| arch spanned the street unlike the majority
of arches. suggesting the Indian empire. as
| decorative use was made Of the elephant.
| On Ludgate hill high walls of color and
| immense seas Of faces sloping up 10 the
| great gray walls OF Christopher Wrens
| masterpiece-St. Pauls cathedral-which
| really seemed to rise out of the midst Of
/ the people, were impressive. Around the
| cathedral the roadway had not been deco
| rated, but the abutting premises were
| clothed from cornice TO cornerstone with
! decorations rejecting and emphasizing the
| whole genius of people.
| At the turning into Cheapside there was
/ plenty of color, plenty of money spent, but
l eftect thaI WAS noteworthy until the
| Mansion house stood revealed perhaps the
| most gorgeous and artistic bit OF decoration
| on the entire route. From the central flag
| staff was flown the royal standard sur
| rounded by twenty-five national banners
| mounted on flower wreathed poles. In the
center of the pediment stood the shield of
handsome trophy Of national flags and
| flanked on either side by large cornucopias.
on the central cornice was the inscription,
| God Bless our queen, in gold letters
and in either side the dates '1S37-1S97." The
| windows were decorated with crimson
| plush draperies. gold ornaments and en-
| blems typical of the nation. A number Of
| heraldic shields backed by ermine mantles
| and trophies of national flags adorned the
| cony there was profusion of blue plush
| drapery, ornamented in gold with imperial
| crowns and rnonograms and finished with
bullion fringe. rosettes and tassels. The
columns of the building were entwined with
wreaths and here and there between de-
| pended rich baskets of flowers.
| London bridge was quite effectively dec
| GRATED, both sides supporting tall masts,
topped with royal crowns in gold, and
nate mast carried floral wreath tied with
gold silk, and the letters, ". r." The sec
| ond and each alternate mast was entwined
with evergreen festooning bearing shield
| backed by a trophy of five national flags.
Each eDnss mast n.p or lamp post bore suspended pc
bridge was a graceful floral arch, the sup
porting uprights of which displayed the
tween carried 1881" 1884," and an i'm
perial crown.
| South of the Thames the decorations were
less effective, though by no means scanty.
| The Westminster bridge road was slliiven-
ed by two lines of high Venetian masts
with entwined evergreens surmounted by
golden crowns and adorned with trophies
of national banners, shields and baskets of
| flowers alternately. The masts were gar
landed together with double lines of arti-
fetal flowers. Parliament street had some
what similar mastS with banners, crowns
and ornate mouldings. The lines taken by
the festOons were varied and presented
pretty succession of curves.
| With the coming of night, the crowd
which had filtered out of the procession
streets after the show wedged back again
| to view London alight. The illuminations
were achieved more artistically than the
| decoration by day. Tonight, those OF the
| metropolis are, like everything that had
| previously transpired during the morning
hours, greater and more resplendent than
! anything in her history. The symbols of
| loyalty and affection. OF imperial grandeur
| and the growth of the empire that had met
| the eye in painted and gilded notices. de-
| vices of paper and bunting and spangled
of fiaring gas, glow worm oil lamps, opal
| globes, paper lanterns and transparencies,
| incandescent lamps, celluloid flowers and
| hundreds of devices in thousands OF color
| ed crystals. Everywhere was brilliancy
| sparkle, color.
decorations by night were confined princi-
pally to the route taken by her majesty
| this morning, and may be said to have be-
| gun at Hyde park corner. Every house
| showed light in some way, and where it
was sufficiently brilliant, the effect was
| decidedly enhanced by the day draperies.
though the empty stands added rather a