New-York tribune., 1912-08-17
CHURCH SCHOOLS CLOSE
10000 Children Assemble for
Great Pageant.
MANY NATIONS FEATURED
Plain American Boy Lonesome,
but Has Fine Military Dis
play as Reward.

Little JOnn smith, Just pain American
| had q Crouch. Little John Smith, just
plain American, sat in a back seat at the
closing exercises OF the Church Vacation
Schools, in Wanamakers auditorium, yes
terday afternoon, and listened while the
audience applauded the wee alrnond-eyed
Orientals from the Chinese Mission, and
the kinky- haired pickanlnnies from the
Baptist Mission and the Abyssinian Bap-
tst Church, and the blond Norwegian
tots who sang Ia. vi cIsker dette lon
det" and the dusky little Italians who
warbled Santa Lucia" in their native
tongue, and-was il any wonder that John
Smith sulked and wondered II he wouldn
have had a Jollier time II he'd been lit
tie immigrant boy. too?
TO be sure. little Pat O'Shannon, who
sat next him. and whose father Is a
ward heeler. reminded him that sure
this country was the home fr VERY
body" but little John Smiths soul was
bitter within him, with bitterness that
could only find relief IN muttered jeers
at them silly Chinks a-carryin paper
umbrellas"
les, it was certs'nly pageant OF the
nations. the affair yesterday. There were
twenty-five little Cslestials from CHINA
town. ali IN the gayest of native dress
except n few boys who looked dreadfuliy
uncomfortable in stiff trousers and coats
Of American make. and loud was the clap
ping when they marched on the stage LED
by solemn-eyed Low Donk. who Is three
years old and two and one-half feet high.
Sang Plantation Melodies.
The little negroes numbered thirty-nNe
and when they sang plantation me!cdIea
well. whatever race prejudice theT2 Il
in this country doesn't exist IN the biDIo
schools that Is sure.
But when al the small foreigners han
gonc-tAc dancing EOhemians In their gay
skirts and jackets. and all the rest, smau
John smiths eyes frightened. For there
came some boys on the stage who were
Just plain Americans, TOO. and one held
nag and the others carried guns. and
john Smith murmured to his teacher,
Gee, Wish e I could carry gun en
we have tn o,os!n' exercises next year
and teacher answered, BE good boy
and yoJ snail
And John Smith felt so good that ne
didn't say the mean things he had been
going 10 say about the little Chinese girls
~ trousers.
II was most ambitious rrogrammr.
for, in addition TO tho pageant. there wera
some historical tao!eaux called America
Before l7.5'
one might have guessed, even without
the printed programmes that sOmetal1g
IN the dramatic line was going 70 nap
pen, Tor tie schools had hardly assembled
when tie Church Of the Rcdeemer chill
dren proceeded to make Uloodthlrsty Ind
iaus of themselves right there IN their
seats. out oi properties brought under
their arms
The Indians came on IN the play nrst
and they had Eioriousiy awful way
dance around the stage. with nylF be-
hind them thcir-what? Old red table
cloths and striped shaWls? Perish the
thought, They were Indian blankets.
splotched with the gore OF their wearers'
enemies And do you suppose the CHIEF
no led the dane, would have admitted
that tho hatchot be Hourish"d was th'
ono pop cut hndiug with az home?
Never, Hc would have died first
Dutch Buy Manhattan.
After the war dance IN, Dutch came,
wonderful In tall black hats and white
caps. according 20 whether they were
boys or girls. and purchased Manhattan
Island With s.ittering beads.
Then the Pilgrims crossed the raging
water IN canoe The canoe being
t.ppy. they didn't exactly lit I'm it. bur
on the floor beside il; but the aGdicnc,
remained Loyalty unconscious OF the fact.
While the children OF the sixteen vaca-
ton schools Of the New York Federation
of Churches and the nine schools ot the
New York Baptist Mission Society were
having these high links Ia one place with
tho Rev Charles II. Sears. director. and
various principals and teachers to look
after them. at the Labor Temple. In East
Sth street. the children OF the ten
schools OF the Presbyterian Board OF
Home Missions had their closing eXer-
ciscs.
In all, twenty thousand children were
gathered toRetheT-most OF them foreign
born-and showed what they had learned
this summer OF the volunteer teachers,
college students mostly. who spent their
vacation with these little ones.