The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-10-31
is BEWILDERING.
State House Being Turned Into
Gigantic Reception Hall.
Decorations More Elaborate
Than Ever Seen in Kansas.

There has been hamnering all day in
the Kansas capitol, the creaking of
pulleys, the swishing of yards upon
yards of bunting, the rattle of flag
sticks and the sound of many feet as
dozens of workmen hurried through the
corridors and across the floor, and up
and down the stone steps outside. And
out of the confusion of sounds has come
banquet tables and band stands, decor
ated windows and walls, and monster
Inscriptions in incandescent electric
globes reared to positions on the four
wings of the state building.
1t is all in honor of the Fighting
Twentieth Kansas regiment. When the
soldiers reach the capitol on Thursday
morning they will see it in an attire it
has never worn before.
Fourteen hundred electric globes
have been used in arranging the in
scription for the four wings, and on the
night of the reception the Twentieth
Kansas boys will read the sentiments
of the people of the state in letters of
blazing light. To the north and the
south and the east and the west Kan
sas will proclaim the prowess of her
famous soldier sons.
Inside the colors of the union in flags
and bunting will meet the eye in every
the red, white and blue, and flags will
hang pendant in a thousand places and
form draperies for balustrades and bal
comics. Above it all, from the very top
most of the dome, huge Kansas sun
flower will hold place below the chan
delier of lights.
The work will be completed by Wed
nesday night. Thursday will find the
state house ready for the greatest re-
ception in the history of the state.
11- .AwSr. II h. h
wing of the capitol will be the most
pretentiOus of the four. Six hundred
and eighty incandescent globes will
form a. blazing flag and this inscription
q" Twas Well Defended" On the north
wing will appear the words Our Fight
ing Doth" "Au Kansas HonOrs the
Goth" will shine out from the top of the
east wing of the building, and "Wel-
come Home from the wing on the
west.
The stone columns at the four en-
frances of the capitol will be hidden in
bunting, and bunting and Tags Will be
draped from the windows and across
the exterior walls. Inside the corridors
will represent two lines of decorations,
and every. office will be Respondent in
red, white and blue in all manner of
artistic draping. The balustrade con-
Meeting the legislative houses will be a
mass of festOoned flags.
In the new library rooms, the ban
Quet chamber of the reception, decOra-
tive effect will reach it's limit. Each
window will be a bank of draped bUnt-
ing and the ceiling will be hidden by
rows of hundreds of colOred streamers
and sashes of red, white and blue. The
Twentieth Kansas boys will find them
selves surrounded on all sides by the
national colors when they sit down to
refresh themselves with the good things
provided by an admiring Topeka public.
The long banquet tables have been
built complete, and a speakers stand
erected at the north side of the hall
Strings of incandescent globes will glow
above the banqueters' heads, as the eff
feet will be heightened by the use of ar
tificial light alone.
In the center of the rotunda of the
second floor of the capitol a band stand
has been erected, and here several
bands will take turns in dispensing
music Above, in the senate chamber
and the house of representatives, or
chestras will be stationed throughout
the afternoon and evening.
The state officers are sparing no pains
in decorating the state capitol fittingly
for the occasion. They realize that
Thursday will be a day the like of
which has never been seen in the state
possibly VIII never be again. The cap
itol is the reception hall of the state for
the Twentieth Kansas soldiers, and the
most elaborate efforts will only be weak
in expressing the admiration and eS-
TEEN in which the fighting regiment is
held.