The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1911-05-12
PICK COMMITTEES
IN ANNIVERSARY
CELEBRATION
Meeting Held Last Evening at
Bennington Club Rooms
WORK is APPORTIONEO
For Pageant In Observance Of 15oth
Anniversary Of Settlement Of
Bennington

At a meeting of the general commit
tee of the proposed Bennington l50th
anniversary pageant held in the rooms
of the Bennington club Thursday eve
ming Miss Margaret Eager of North
ampton, Mass. who's management OF
a number OF other celebrations OF
this character has been marked with
pronounced success and who Will have
charge OF the local pageant, gave an
interesting and enthusiastic descrip-
ton of some Of the pageants of which
she has had charge. Miss Eager de-
clared that celebration OF this ma
ture in order to be a success must
have the hearty support Of the entire
community. She declared that Ben
nington was especially rich in histori-
cal material from which 10 draw for
pageant, but that without the cooper
alton OF everybody the celebration
would not be successful. After the
various committees had been announc-
ed and approved, Miss Eager describ-
ed the work of each. Following is
list of COMMITTEES;
Executive Committee-Dr l.. II. Ross
II. ID. Fillmore, Mrs Alfred Norton,
Rev Isaac Jennings. Mrs. George +.
Graves, Miss Hilda Pratt
Finance Committee-C. NJ. Graves,
/ T. L. Bates, Miss Mary Sanford, r. S.
/ Drysdale, s. H. Blackmer.
Advertising Committee r.
Howe, William p. Hogan, Emory S
! Harris
Addressing Commistee Miss Eliz-
abeth Keller, Miss Anna Putnam,
Miss Jennie Valentine.
Costumes Committee Fred c. Mar
tin. Mrs. II. S. Bingham, Mrs. i. l..
Sibley. Miss Edith Van Santvoord,
/ Miss Mary Cone, Miss Hazel Mcleod,
Mrs. A. S. NJ. Chisholm. Mrs. r. w.
Bradford, Miss Ruth Eddy, Miss Flor
ence Walbridge Miss Eugenia Nc
Candliss.
Properties Committee:-Har ].
Norton, George Robinson. Miss May
Root, George Worthington, Miss Es-
Their Mccullough, Miss jeanette Per-
kins.
Program Committee. "A. w Var
ney, Mrs. Laura Cole, George b. Well
ing, Miss Edith Lyons.
Music Committee Robert Il. Hea-
ly, Mrs. George S Mills, Lawrence L.
Gokay.
Information Committee; Edward
c. Bennett, Mrs. c. w Thatcher, John
p. Mulligan.
Ticket Committee: S. Pratt, A.
Buel Sibley.
Historical Committee Henry C..
Day, Miss Kate Hubbell, Rev. Isaac
Tnppfpgc Mice Mary Sanford
Grounds Committee "A. J. Holden,
f. Il. Larrabee, Edmund LaFranchise,
George Dewey. George NJ. Hawks,
Everett Harwood, c. w. Thatcher, A.
c. LaMarre, John p, Morrissey Guy B.
Johnson, c. c. Jones. William H.
Nichols. Henry T. Cushman.
A pageant has been defined as a
drama for and by the people, and in
which the whole community partici-
pates. The important events in the
history of a city or town are reenact-
ed. If possible, by the descendants Of
those who played prominent part in
the history of the community. There
are several kinds of pageants-the
educational, the symbolical, the his
torical. etc. The historical pageant
is, however, the most common. Con
trary to q somewhat general impress
sion, a pageant does not take the form
OF a procession, but is held in a park
or other suitable place, In some cases
the scenes have been enacted on the
identical spot on which the original
event took place. The pageant is
perhaps, the most natural, vivid, con
vincing and yet entertaining way Of
presenting the local history.
Although a comparatively new idea
in this country, this form of celebra
2 ton is an old and also q very popular
one in foreign countries. This is es
l pecially true of England, where many
S large and elaborate Representations
. of the historical events are depicted
( with the most painstaking regard fol
: detail. There is hardly a city or tow
t of any size that has not had a pa
t geant In the National Pageant o
Wales were over 5000 participants
representing kings and queens, mount
ed knights in armor, lords and ladies
of the court, ladies in waiting friars
!. testers and large retinues of retainer
down to the artison who cheerful,
contributed his services even at TN
z expenses of his wages. Perhaps tn
I most notable pageant is the Passion
L Play of Oberammergau.
,, Perhaps the first pageant ever he'll
d in the United States was held durin
Founders Week in Philadelphia, whic
was during the week of Oct. $40, 1905
The city was blaze of electrical dt
vises. Grand stands holding thou'
10 ands were erected in the streets, lodt
ing accommodations, If obtainable
all, sold at a premium, and crowd
~ were continually parading the streets
.. The pageant began with a float repr'
IL senting the "Onrust", the ship of Hell
d dric Hudson, while others deplcte