The San Francisco call., 1909-10-22


able, Indians, representing fraternal or
ganizations. who. furnished a splen-
did comedy spirit with the antics OF
the forest.
The fraternal orders went into the
game OF pageantry with spirit each or
der having a handsome float topped
with bundle of girls. The Druids
wore cowls and presented floats depict
ing historical Druidical sacrifices.
Then there were German societies
and vereins. men OF many medals and of
serious mein, who marched with skill
and elasticity. The San Francisco Eiks
followed their brothers from Los An
geles and Oakland and had as their
trophy a live elk Gagged in bowery
float. The Greek colony had the feast
Of Dionysus depicted on a spirited float
There was no compromise with the fact
that Dionysus was a merry wight and
that his jovial associates had talent
for throwing confetti.
THE ORIENTAL DIVISIONS
But the glory of the parade was in
the oriental divisions. First came the
Japanese, with the goddess of cherry
blossoms, attended by the ancient cav
airy of Nippon. in their obsolete armor.
with their fierce weapons. The float
on which the goddess and her maids
Under the shower of pink petals stood
the Japanese girls in their native cos
tune and habiiiaments. The thing was
dainty. delicate, profound compl
ment to the city. 1t gave q sweetness
to the atmosphere of the parade which
perhaps was needed. Some of the most
American of the floats were breezy if
not brazen, but there was an oriental
daintiness and beauty in the Japanese
al s<@l.
miles of marching men and crude
humor.
CLASH OF BRAZEN GANGS
The 1000 Chinese were a world in
themselves. They came on with clash
of gongs and the thin scrape of fiddle.
There was glorious standard CARRIED
at the head, silver and green and
crimson device such as no other people
but the Chinese could contrive. There
were the silken banners, scarlet with
the heavy golden embroidery of the
dragon; there were children perched
on the most fragile devices to symbol
ize some little story in Chinese myth
or religion. There were more stand
ards. more silvery devices. and then
the wriggly, bounding dragon with the
iridis discent scale like the sheen of
peacock's tail, writhing in the commo-
ton of travel, botbing its great, fierce
head and moving at a jog trot. All
this to the sound of gong and cymbal:
all this to the radiant color of red.
yellow, gold and blue and green; all
this from across the Pacific in honor of
San Francisco, in token of the festival
of Portoia. Most delicate in hue, but
raucous in music, the Chinese gave a
picture and a fury to the Portola
pageant that was marvellous in its eff
feet on the people, the hundreds of
thousands who stood on tiptoe or hung
from the eighteenth story window to
follow the dash of purple, lavender, red
and gold and listen to the clang of
cymbal and the shriH boom of Canton
drum.
There were Mission floats illus
trative of the Christian influence of
California; there were floats with sweet
girls spelling in their caps the word
California;; there were floats bearing
groups of children, showing that even
the cradle was contributing its pro-
phetic zest to insure the greatest San
Francisco, and there was a heavy
wagon which carried structural steel
for the new city and county hospital
building, and showing that while the
rehabilitation of San Francisco is an
assured fact. the job is not yet COM
its endeavors; but above the clash of
the bands playing Those Dreamy
Eyes" II Love My Wife" etc, and
1.-The Stars and Stripes Forever" there
sounded the riot of the Chinese gong
and CLEANED the sparkle of the rides
cent wiggles of the bobbing dragon.
GAY MASQUERADE BALL
The street carnival last evening was
the gayest of the Portola festival to
date. and the merrymaking in the
streets delayed many from going to
the masquerade ball at the Auditorium
until midnight. But when the jam did
arrive the fun was swift.
The pavilion was decorated in honor
of the festival. Everywhere there
were Portola colors, entwined with
their companions of the week, the
American flag. AT an end of the hall
was a raised throne on which sat
Queen vergilia and Governor Portola.
viewing the merry capers of their
loyal subjects, who came on bended
knee and saluted her majesty and her
commander.
Portola costumes were in the ma
jority Every one. apparently, wanted
to dress as did the contemporaries of
Portola in the reign of Charles II of
Spain.
Along the side of the ballroom were
ranged the boxes from which the
dowagers and papas might watch their