The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-03-05
OUTRIvAL ANY FOR-
 MER OCCASION.
Flowers, Flags md Lights Used in Artistic Profusion to Make Court of Pension Building
 Beautiful.

Beautifui.
 Washington, March 1.-The great court of the Pension building which has been the scene of the chief social function incident to the induction into office of six Presidents of the United States. Is tonight picture of rare | beauty.
 The decorations for other inaugural balls have been greatly admired, but | there can be little doubt that the Com- mittee of Architects and Decohators | who have had charge of the present work have secured wonderfully beau tiful effects rarely. If ever, before &C., complished.
 | The greatest care has been exer- cised to avoid anything in the illu- minating or floral work that would be | obtrusive or garish. and soft lights | and perfect harmony among all the | elements of the decorations have been l the result. The great height of the roof of the building was serious obstacle to satisfactory treatment by the decora- l tors, and to overcome 1t 1t was found necessary to reduce 1t some forty or | fifty feet this was done by skillful use of bunting forming canopy or | vault arching across the entire width | and length of the building. about one hundred by three hundred feet. This | vaulted canopy Is composed of se- | ries of ten by twelve foot panels. and | the bunting Is so disposed as to pro- duce the effect of sunken panels. The reduction of the height of the roof | necessarily shortened the eight mas sive pillars that support 1t and so temporary doric capitals were intro- duced at the point of intersection. l This brought the shortened pillars in-
 to proper architectural proportion I with the temporary construction. The | color scheme of the vault is deep cream or ecru tint which is also car ried behind the two-storied collonades
 which encircle the court. and this forms background to the floral dec | orations in this portion of the build- ing This effect. together with the light yellow and gold of the ar | cade, makes the general scheme cream I and gold and serves as paler foil for | the more brilliant colors at each end l In the decoration of the Presidents box l and of the music stand. This stano' which Is in the form of half octagoh amphitheater, fills the east end or the large hall for about forty-ive feet anu | has a seating capacity sufficient Tor a band of seventy. and an orcnestra oi I25 people, with supplemental accom- modations for chorus of 300 people, | who will sing at some of the five con | certs to be given tomorrow ana sue ceeding afternoons. The seats or the
 strnd rise in tiers toward the east
 wall where large masses or tropicll l plants and flowers. rising to height of forty-five feet, frame in the decora- tive vista at that end. The intervai between the back of the stand and the
 railing of the second gallery IS Hlieu by a series of metallic panels, serV- ing as sounding boards, treated with a gold finish and embellished with gar tFa akAn with the general plan of the decora-
 tions.
 | Many American Fiags.&
 1 Above the music stand large
 trophy of American flags Is suspehoeu
 from the vaulted ceiling overhead. Ihe
 front of the stand Is finished with a
 series of panels, the upper one Tn each ) series being filled with golu gtn nes work against which large Bougain viIlea plants from the Philippines | placed about, producing at this poin' a light and transparent effect or palt
 rosy purple and gold as a foregrouno , to the orchestra, hnd particularly te the uniformed bands occupying the |, central portion of the music stand. The presIdent's box is the most ornate anc A very pleasing feature of the whoie . scheme. the box is located at the wes' end and projects about fifteen rect lh' to the hall at a lower level than the floor of the second gallery, with whlcl it Is connected by flight Of broao . steps, This balcony extends to thf
 floor. and in order to enhance it's archi'
 tectural effect, as well as to reduce i the amount of space occupied on the main floor, the corners are cuf OH forming an octagonal bay. This ar rangement brings the Presidential par. ty Unto full view. The Presidentia
 box occupies the width of three sec
 flo oh in extent and depth has been made by
 opening the central one of the sections , and draping 1t so as to form loggia. This loggia Is lined with scar let and is indirectly lighted to produce :. a soft glow. The central opening wltn
 its arch and columns of gold Is hank eo bv two broad side curtains of rich fab ric. and crossed overhead by a . heavy lambrequin with bands of golo
 and gold fringe the whole crowned b!
 n trophy of American flags with golo
 ball and eagle as its central feature.
 Brilliant Iliuminations.
 The illumination of the great pal , room is carried out on radically diner ! ent lines from those followed hitherto Instead of embodying the lights In tho floral decoration. following the struc' turaI lines of the cornice or arches, tho principal groups of lights are placee with A view to securing the best gen . l eral illumination failing equally upoi the decorations and the guests. Thi' result Is secured by suspendingT iron the vaulted ceiling eighteen large fix
 lures composed of hexagonal frames supporting clusters of 125 globulal : lamps of frosted glass;, each lamI hanging from a separate wire. and tht whole arranged in a bowl-shaped mass : Each bulb hangs from white .rosett' which reflects and softens the light. This mass of dropping lights Is sus pended by six gilded chains secured tt ? a. sturdy ring and heavy chain above } L9uspending the entire fixture from thu 4 yauIted ceiling. The scheme Is clus ter of many small lamps and is strtk t ingly beautiful and artistic. Supple l menting this provision for general IL luminetion, half octagon brackets, eacf l with a cluster of twenty small lamp suspended from 1t. suspended singlS from 1t. are placed over each Of tn = first story columns of the arcade. Th' supporting frames for these serve a. receptacles for large blooming plants the large branches of rambler roses l azaleas and yellow forcythia presen r the appearance of huge bouquets, ani y as there are a hundred or more of then t extending around the four sides of tn s great interior, the effect Is extremel! l pleasing, and at the same time giv
 the needed strong color in the decor
 ation of the arcade.
 From these points ferns, palm leaves
 Southern clematis with flowers inter