New-York tribune., 1911-01-01
POETRY OF TOLL
CM7dren's Pageant to W"s-
trote Romance of Industry.

There are q good many thousands OF
people I'm New York City laboring unner
the impression that life Of toll IN the IN
dustrial field is bound to be rather uull'
drah thing. The Arts and Festivals Cohl-
nittee OF the Association OF Neighborhooo
Workers intends TO show. some hne dav
next spring that they are wrong. 1t VIII
take a thousand children and no ehd VI
hard work TO show II. pageant Is What
the committee plans-a pageant In Central
Park. I'm which the thousand children VIII
.,help out" to make workers feel, by means
OF symbolism, that poetry and music are
right in their tasks. no matter now soTuid
those tasks may be"-to quote Miss kath-
crime Lord. OF Greenwich House, chairman
Of the committee.
II was Greenwich House that began this
thing OF pageants with children as actors
two years ago, when Jones street, where
this settlement stands. was closed 10 tratnc
for an afternoon. and the small boys ana
girls of the neighborhood acted the story
of Robin Hood and his merry men, under
Miss Lords direction. That was Ne"
York's first children's pageant Others
followed. but the one TO take place next
snring will be on far larger scale than
any Of them.
Imagine a great moving frieze, composed
of children, TO picture the Age or Ma
chinery-children carrying the uprights
OF bridges. children carrying huge wheels
and boilers and engines, all, OF course
fashioned OF some light material and not
too enormously huge for children to carry.
Imagine children in front ~ this frieze
doing dances 10 symbolic electricity. the
discovery Of radium, and other marvels or
modern times. This will he only one part
OF the pageant. which will be based on
Richard Ely's Tho Evolution OF Industrial
Society" II is to begin with the cave man,
who will be seen carving out his rude tools.
in costume. of course; performing his part
in the far-off beginning OF industrial de-
velopment. And from the age OF the cave
dwellers It will show all the grades of the
development OF industry up 10 the present
age.
Then there will be special features-the
making Of the bread, with children plant
ing grain in pantomime. children reaping the
harvest. small girls kneadins the loaves, in
pantomime OF course.
There won't be any floats Miss Lord
said IL mention this because IT is rather
a common mistake to confuse pageants and
professions, and professions do have floats.
while pageants never do. One thousand
children will stand and move and dance on
their own feet-mostly dance, for there is
10 be a great deal OF this in the pageant
What we want 70 do Is to make the chill
dren, the future workers understand that
the tasks they will have to perform In
factories and shops are not Just drudgery-
not separate, meaningless things-but are
connected with the past and the future
are a part OF the growth of the world
From settlements all over the city the
children will come-from Greenwich House,
from the University Settlement in Riving-
TON street. from "Helrs Kitchen" and
Little Italy" and every other point where
tenements are and where settlement work
ers reach. Naturally. the undertaking VIII
take a good deal OF money, but that IS
mostly raised. AS to the work, the arts
and festivals committee is meeting weekly
TO carve out the plans. Different members
are working on the book Of the pageant
end artists are drawing the pictures. Ar
thur Farwell who composed the music for
the civic pageant in Boston last Novem-
her will do the same for this. After the
music is ready and the arrangement of the
raPeaut is decided ON the training OF the
children VIII be begun.