The age-herald., 1900-04-29
A MAY PARTY.

The music of the New York May party is in the air, and if you go up to Central Park and travel across to the Maying grounds you will hear the hammering of the May-poles as they are being driven into the soft spring ground, and, perhaps if you come home by way of one of the public schools you will hear a May party rehears- ing it's choruses or preparing it coronation speech, for all the children of New York indulge in Maying parties.
 The park commissioners grant permits for the use of the lawns of the park on Satur- days in May, and they erect May-poles and otherwise make the May parties pleasant; i; but they allow the lawns to be used only on those days, and on no account will they extend the permission a day over.
 The way of conducting a May party is known to every one who has ever gone to school or who has read "The Queen of the May"
 There must be a May Queen, who must wear white gown and be garlanded with flowers, and then there must be d May-pole, around which the subjects dance, while the Queen, seated at the foot of the pole, joins in the songs and allows them to crown her at the proper place in the ceremonies. Then follow luncheon, more songs, and a romp on the grass, when the Queen throws aside her crown and her queenly dignity; and, finally, a march home through the streets in the late afternoon.
 May parties such as this may be seen by the hundred any Saturday in May. From 8 in the morning until 8 at night they are passing through the streets with songs and beating of drums And pretty sight they are, too.
 But the children of the last of the cen- tury have gotten into new and improved ways of doing old things, and very much more elegant are the May parties of these fine little ones. It is only the children of the streets who are content with such ceremonies, and even the children of the public schools demand more variety and elegance.
 Last year nearly every May party that started for the the park had a court jester, who walked beside the king, and who made queer antics, walking upon his hands, blowing upon his fingers and being amusing as possible. And on the other side of his royal highness was the court bugler who played funny tunes and kept the step for the party.
 The queen, who walked ahead of the king, wore a veil so long and so heavily garlanded that it had to be carried by four maids of honor, and in front of her was a tiny flower girl who scattered blos- | soms for the royal feet to tread upon. After the royal party came the court carriers who bore baskets of luncheon; {; and, finally, the chaperon of the party, who miaht have been the teacher of the @~i@ss in school, or obliging aunt, or older sister borrowed for the occasion.
 Each year sees new May songs, and what becomes of the old ones no one knows, for they are never heard again. Their words and tunes seem borrowed from the winds. Yet they are very quaint and pretty. One of them runs like this:
 ., pleasant day for the May Queen; Bright sun, fair winds betide A pleasant day for the May Queen q The King is by her side Another song ran:
 Bend your knee to our queen; Turn and gaze upon the green Bend your knee to our queen; Fairer queen you have not seen The actions accompanying this were very pretty. At the first line all bowed the knee. sinking to the grass. At the next they quickly arose, put the right hand over the eyes to shield them, and gazed right and left, searching the May ground At the third they quickly wheeled and sank to their knees again. and upon the last line they clapped out the verse.