Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-04
READY FOR FOUNDERS week
PHILADELPHIA HAS PRELIMI-
NARY EVENT LAST EVENING.
Children Of the Public Schools Dedi'
cate Twenty-Eight Electroliers
Surrounding City Hall.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
PHILADELPHIA, Pa, October g.
Founders week does not officially begin
until tomorrow morning. but one OF the
prettiest Of the preliminary events took
place this evening Bands of school chill
dren massed' and with music playing
dedicated the twenty-eight electroliers
which have been placed in position on
the plaza surrounding the city hall.
At exactly 1880 o'clock each lamp. rep
resenting one OF the twenty-eight indie
pendent districts surrounding the city
prior to the consolidation. In 1854. blazed
forth for the first time.
The ceremonies were performed almost
entirely by children from the public
by a girl. with James Hazlett. tr.. son OF
James NJ. Hazlett. president OF select
council, the leader.
While the ceremonies connected with
the dedication were carried out by the
school children. they were attended by
Mayor Reybur2 and Directors Clay.
Stearns, Mem and Klemmer.
Girls in White and Gold.
The twenty-eight girls were attired In
white, and wore blue and gold sashes,
emblematic of the city colors. and the
boy was also dressed in white. with a
blue and gold cap.
The dedication party assembled in the
reception room of the mayors suite at
city hall, and were summoned to per-
form their task by four boys, as heralds.
attired in colonial costume with gray
wigs. Accompanying the children were
the mayor and his party.
AT the sounding of the signal by the
heralds the little folks proceeded to the
place at the respective lampposts al
lotted to them. Each child made an APP
propriate address. which had been memo
rized under the direction OF Prof. Ma
honey Of the Northeast Manual Training
School.
At the close Of the addresses one girl
lighted the first lamp, and Immediately
the light on all of the others burned.
Light the Lamps.
Each girl was provided with a bamboo
pole twenty feet in length. with a stor-
age battery at the bottom. and by push
ing button small light at the top of
the pole shone. which each girl placed
among the cluster of lights. and instant
ly the current was turned on in all of
the no lamps.
Each girl advanced with her illumi-
mated bamboo pole at the close OF her ad-
dress, which had been timeA to mark
the words, Il chriSten thee" touched the
pole to the highest light in the lamp.
About the same time each of the other
children used the same words of chris
tening, naming. of course. their own ter
ritory, such as Southwark, Northern Lib
critics. etc. Immediately all the lights
burned.
The lamps will be a permanent fea-
ture and add much to the beauty and
adornment of the city hall plaza.
Tonight the streets are a perfect food
of light. The city hall Is blazing with
the 100000 incandescents, and the arms
of the city effigies of William Penn. the
banner of the city and the Stars and
Stripes outlined in brilliant lights shine
out while thousands of people cheer.
If this is an earnest of what is TO
come. Founders week is 10 be a great
and glorious success. The streets swarm
with gOodnatured crowds, who parade
up and down in joyous but orderly lines.
The police have absolutely nothing to do.