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

, town Gloucester gave pageant Of re-
! markabIe artistic beauty. 1t took the
! form of an acted drama and was called
| The Canterury Pilgrims" One of the
! most magnificent outdoor performances
! ever given in America was that which
! took place in the stadium at Harvard
| last June when Maude Adams, assisted
/ by 1900 performers, all of the princf-
pals being professional actors, presented
Schiller's Joan of Are" Fully $4,000
people witnessed the performance, and
every seat in the stadium was sold
! many days before the pageant was en-
acted.
This summer the center of out door
activity viii be the Far West Two not
able performances viii be Margaret
Anglin's presentation OF the Greek trag-
edy "Antigone" at Berkeley, Cal, and
Maude Adams's performances of las You
Like IT. also in the open air.
One of CaIIfornIa's Customs.
California is accustomed to spectacu
lar open air performances. out only to-
a limited circle of spectators. In fact
the east might have gone to the Call
fOrDians more than 80 years ago to
learn how to celebrate in the open. The
Bohemian clubs High links" in the
redwood forests have been an estab-
lished institution for three decades. The
Bohemian club is composed of about
1000 prominent San Francisco citizens
who each year go to the redwood forests
to indulge in revels in the open No
better idea of the character of one of
these revels can be given than to quote
the description of Percy MacKaye, the
poet who wrote of the masque Sons
of Baldur''
After three magical dawns. three
I
nights, spent in fellowship with the
noble pagan brotherhood of that natural
monastery. stepped in the sylvan seclu-
| sion of 5000 years, / found myself by
| moonlight seated between two COM
paniOns on one of the ancient logs that
| form the seats of the forest auditorium;
facing the canyon hillside which
formed the stage. Above us the in
termfnable tree bOleS touched the stars.
Around US. robed and cowled like our
selves. in red and black, huddled the
unbelievable audience
Before US from the glow-worm lights
Of a pit rose the prelusive magic OF
violins. Slowly then, as the overture
waned, out Of the moon-flecked dark
ness Waxed an imaginary world. OF
plot or theme or episode 1 was only half
aware-held by a grandeur that gripped
the throat and stung the spirit by its
keen beauty. AT times, almost intOl-
erably, I felt the impulse to put my
brow to the earth like an aboriginal. I
remember that for an instant-some 200
feet in midair-between the giant tree
trunks, a spirit of rOse-hued fire ap-
peared suddenly and as a spirit spoke
TO those on the stage beneath. 1 re-
member notwithstanding as on view
less rounds of a ladder let down from
some heaven of William Blake-little
children fluttering white in rhythmic
chant and choir And again. the death
of warriOr-hiS soul as II flashed sky
ward tingeing the sequoia tops with sill
YER flame. How TO convey a sense of
1t. Impossible
Poetry for the Masses"
Pageantry has been fftly character
lied as poetry for the masses" Il pre-
sents in symbolic form incidents or ideas
as the case may De. appealing to the
imagination through the senses. This
particular form of celebration dates
from the earliest time The Greeks were
fond of il, and the triumphal return of
Rome's conquering heroes leading in
their train the captives and the booty
of their successful warfare were moth
ing more or less than martial pageants
depicting the battle and the conquest.
The great pageant on the Field of
the Cloth of Gold" when the French and
the English mOnarchs embraced each
, other in a great show of outward affec-
| tion. was probably the most gorgeous
event Of the kind ever held. Dickens In
writing of it describes how the white
wine and the red flowed like water from
fountains. and that the warlike hosts
OF the two grand monarchs gave them
selves over TO the celebration of the
pledges of peace.
Great Advertisement for Cities.
The fact that pageantry was allowed
TO become one OF the lost arts" so to
speak, for a number Of years does not
man that such celebrations are apt TO
drop out Of fashion again in the near
future. On the contrary, they seem TO
have come to stay and no surer guaran-
tee Of this can be found than the fact
that they have proved to be great bust
ness successes No form Of advertising
has been found so effective for cities
as great pageants. The people flock TO
the celebrations from all parts of the
country and the enactment of his
torical, educational or symbolic scenes
is a matter of nationwide comment re-
ceiving the Endorsement of educators.
civic benefactorS and clergy
In future no exposition will be con-
sidered success unless some vast pa
geant is given to symbolic and typify
the event The field for novelty in
ventiOn and artistic effects in pageants
is unlimited, and the planning OF such
event is q task worthy OF the most
inventive mind and the most artistic
perception.
Tomorrow: Prize Fight Legislation