Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-04
Neutrality-suspicious.
Elaborate Scheme Thoroughly
Worked Out.
BRIGHT MASS OF COLOR
NATIONAL EMBLEM LARGELY IN
EVIDENCE.
Flags Large and Small Used With
Lavish Hand-Court Of
History a Marvel.

History a Marvel.
The decorations along the avenue were
finished this morning. and from Washing
ton Circle to the Capitol the great thor
oughfare which is one of the finest IN the
world for a parade, was a blaze or three
colors red, white and blue. This year
more than ever before there has been a
system in the distribution of draperies.
flags and other decorations. Probably 1t
foreshadows the time when there will be
a perfect system of identifying the avenue
for parades and great national festivals,
similar in a way to ItaIy's fete days in the
time of the Medicis. Such a contamination
is of course far eff, but the beginning is in
sight
One thing that would strike the visitor
gazing down the great valley of color, say
from the foot of the treasury TO the Capitol
is that the national colors are almost the
only ones used in the decorations. The
national tri-color hides the house fronts
in a continuous but eVer-Varylng pdno
There is. of course, a sameness In the
decorations but the entire effect Is dis
tinctly pleasing. and there is not foot
of ground where the flag. the most beautl-
full in the world, is not flying over the
heads of the marching hosts. There seem
to be three general ways in which the ma
tional colors have been used. Either the
flags hutter from their poles far out from
the house fronts, or they are hung in
broad bands of color fiat against the houses
and stands or else the flag and broad bands
of red. white and blue bunting are caught
in rOsettes and drape the house fronts
from every cornice and window ledge
How many flags have been used in deco
rating the line of march it would be i'm
possible TO say. The War Department had
at its disposal 5000 flags, and all these were
distributed to householders. There were
probably half as many more flags of pure
" private ownership, and these have all
been used, and the bands of bunting en-
ployed number perhaps as many as all the
flags together. So that II might not be an
overestimate to say that there was an aver
age of twenty more pieces of bunting to
every one of the 1900 houses along the
avenue line of the parade.
Court of History.
The court of history has far exceeded the
expectations even of it's projectors as fea-
ture of the decorations. Taking in the great
square of the avenue between 18th and 18th
streets bounded by the beautiful snow-clad
grounds of the Executive Mansion on the
south and the forest-Ike stretch of Lafay-
cite Park on the north, it is a spot that
particularly lends itself to decoration. Here
were brought bodily the great statues from
the ST. Louis exposition, and they add a
feature TO the inaugural decorations Such
as has never before been seen. Lining both
sides of the avenue are white figures of he
roic size of the men who were prominent in
the explora ton, settlement or purchase of
the tract comprised in the Louisiana pur-
chase. Here La Sale and Marquette
the heroic first missionary TO the Indians of
the interior: De Soto and Navarez. whose
exploits of Savagery and conquest softened
by the kindly light of history lend an added
brilliance and romance 10 the opening up of
the new world Livingston, Jackson and
Monroe, who had to do with the acquisition
of this great and fertile addition 10 the
United States. Benville and score of 9TH
ers. all of whose names are linked insepara-
bly, with the great purchase strip. These
figures simple white staff as they are, have
much the effect Of marble, and are GER
tainly works of art worthy of any festival
of the nation. They are placed at intervals
each on high white pedestal, down the
length of the court. Behind them rises on
one side the presidential stand and oppo-
site IL the great stand that occupies the
whole of the Lafayette Park front save a
corner cut off al each end to give a view of
the two masterpieces of bronze statuary
Lafayette and ROchambeau, the permanent
and silent guardians of the square Placed
at each OF the four corners of the court are
massive quadruple columns of white rising
from artistic white pedestals and sur
mounted by urns. Between the statues at
intervals of sixty feet are smaller urns also
on white bases, filed with palms and foil
age plants The whole is finished nv an
outer line of triple bamboo poles. each fifty
feet in height, bearing at it's summit n
wreath and half way up a shield of one of
the states or territories The poles are
linked together with double garlands of Iau-
rel. and electric globes giving the finishing
touch of color to what would otherwise be
too cold and white a work of art
With the court of history begins the
symmetrical arrangement of the stands
themselves. and in this the wishes of the
inaugural committee have been CLOSELY fol-
lowed. Nearly all of the stands along the
line OF march. both public and private
have the broad white base and diamond ,
trellised balcony rail backed by light green
or old gold. that adds so much TO the har-
mony of the street vista There Is really
little TO choose among the house decora-
tons. The widest divergence in types are
close together, the Riggs National Rank ar
the corner of the upper avenue and 18th
street having confined itself to immense
American hags hung nat along the front of
the building, with a bright electric trophy
over the front door and a touch of green
given by a thatch of holly along the roof of
the stand. The Corcoran building on the
other hand, close down 18th street runs
altogether to small flags of every conceiv-
able sort and shape, closely distributed
over the whole front of the big structure.
Treasury Building.
The Treasury Department stands are. as
usual. a blaze of the national colors flags
draping them and bellying in the wind.
while the distinctive custom house flag
With its cross bars and circular field of
stars. is also much in evidence. The New
Willard quite appropriately. as the home of
the inaugural committee is almost hidden
In flags and streamers. The Southern rail-
way building is a mass of flags. both big
and little, while in the middle of the front
is a great American flag outlined in electric
lights. which will be feature of the night
decorations. The white front of the Ma
tional Theater Is almost but not quite COW
cred with great flags caught in graceful