El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-06-16

HE open air performance of AS
You Like 1t" on the White House
grounds in Washington tonight
will mark another great step in the re-
vival of pageantry. This entertainment
given under the patronage of Mrs. Taft,
Will attract special attention TO out-of-
doors festivals because 1t will be the
first performance ever given within the
limits of the White House grounds at
night. The remarkable revival OF
pageantry, both in England and Ameri-
ca, is one Of the most interesting evolu-
lions OF entertainment in modern times.
This ancient form of procession, tab
leau and symbolic depletion of histori-
cal and religious events had dropped
into almost entire disuse until within
the last five years
Revival Starts in England.
When the little village of Sherbon,
England, decided in 1905 to enact its
II centuries of growth the idea was
locked upon more with derision than
interest, but the entirely creditabIe
manner in when that community's 500
tOwnspeOple enacted the whole history
Of England from the time of Alfred
the Great caused the Britishers to
awaken suddenly TO the fact that here
was a form of education and patriotic
entertainment which had been allowed
to fall into disuse without reason.
Immediately there was a great re-
FlVaL The town of Oxford followed the
example of Sherbon with a great pag-
cant which lasted six days, the chief
events naturally being in connection
with the history of the university.
Then the ancient town of Bury st.
Edmunds presented its past in a pro-
cession in which 1000 performers took
in review before the spectators in two
and a half hours of kaleidoscope color
The great celebration of Warwick is
remembered by all readers as well as
that at old Chelsea. Naturally one
would expect to find that the revival OF
pageantry had taken a stronger hold
upon the British than upon the Ameri-
can mind, because our history is so re-
cent as to preclude any very extended
parades- But such IS not the case In
deed America may be said to have set
the pace for England
Boston Gives Performance.
The first great pageant on the Ameri-
can continent was that given in Boston.
Mass, June 8 and s. 1908, when the his
tory of educa tion was depicted in most
remarkable series of tableaux and pro-
cessiOns in which hundreds of per
formers took part. The pictures of the
advance of civilization We're presented
with a brilliancy of color and accuracy
OF detail which set standard for the
world.
Closely following this came the great
tercentenary celebration OF the founding
Of the city of Quebec The pageants
took place on the historic heights of
the city where many of the most thrill
ing episodes in the history of the Ameri-
can continent have taken place Then
Evanston, Ill. came forward with a pa
geant of the great Middle West Phila-
delphia told the history of the Ameri-
can people in the pOmp and panoply of
rageantry when its 225th anniversary
was celebrated with 5000 people taking
part. And last fall New York cele-
brated the anniversary of Fulton and
Hudson in similarly elaborate fashion.
Elaborate Celebration for Artist.
As sort of foreFunner to the popular
pageants of the day there was held in
Cornish, New Hampshire. in the summer
Of 1905 celebration which in point of
artistic merit perhaps eclipses anything
of the kind ever undertaken before or
since in the United States. It was a
masque given in honor of the great
sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens. in
which some 20 prominent artists took
part. The masque was given late one
> uHe evening IN the grove on the estate
of the sculptor. 4 symphony orchestra
was hidden away behind a pine thicket
Two giant pine trees marked the limits
OF stage and served to hold the great
green curtain in place.
The masQue represented the determ-
ination of Jupiter 10 resign as ruler
Of Olympus and when he announced his
intention to the assembled lesser gods a
great golden bowl was presented TO
him and he drew from it the name Of
Augustus Saint-Gaudens who was
thereupon presented with the token and
given command over the assembled
gods of the world. From one of the
current accounts of the celebration is
taken this vivid recital of the process
sion of the gods and goddeSses:
First came Pluto in black and gold
and purple; then Neptune and Amphi-
trite with their attendant nereids in sea
green and blue; Venus and her body
guard in varying shades of tender rose;
Diana and her nymphs in white and sill
yer and pale blue: the Wood Gods IN
green and dun and yellow; Apollo and
the Muses. in white and gold grouping
themselves about the altar of Ceres
who was clad in yellow and crowned
with corn; Pan gilded all over and ex-
actly initiating an archaic Greek statue;
Mars a gigantic figure in blond red
draperieS AMI .'rmor. and last ChirOn,
the centaur, frankly comic, at the head
of band of wildly spOrtive children
half clad, representing fauns and satrys
and spirits Of the earth and air
Many Artistic Presentations.
Last summer the old New ED0land