The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-05-16
5RATTLEBoRo PAGEANT
Vermont Town to Have Celebration
Next Month

The pageant of Brattleboro, VT,
which will be held in that town on
the evenings of June and and
June and s, will be unique among
the pageants that have been present
ed in New England, in that 1t will be
given on an island in the Connect
cut river, the water forming an i'm
portant factor both in the setting and
in the action of the various episodes.
The Indians will fish from canoes as
they did 200 years ago and the fiat
boats that were used for transport
ing merchandise before the days of
railroads will be part OF the pic
. ture in the 18th century episodes.
The town received its name from
William Brattle of Cambridge, Mass,
who was the first of the original
grantors of the land 1t is not known
that there is another town OF the
name in the world. The first English
settlement in the state OF Vermont
was at Fort Dummer, which was
erected in the southeast corner of the
town OF Brattleboro in 1924,
The pageant will embrace episodes
from the history and traditions of the
town from the time OF the building
of Fort Dummer to the present day
Seven hundred of the townspeople
will participate, and much enthusi
assn is being shown at the rehearsals
which are well under way. Many OF
the characters of the various cpl
sodes will be represented by theiI
descendants. among them a descend
ant of Ethan Allen, who rode oveI
the mountains from Bennington with
300 Green Mountain boys to repair
the politics OF Brattleboro.' He read
the riot act TO the Inhabitants who
up TO that time had been loyal to the
state of New York. Col. Allen tolC
the people that unless they would
'peaceably submit to the authority
of Vermont" their territory should
be made as desolate as Sodom and
Gomorrah." The town remained 10y
al to Vermont from that time Othel
descendants are those of John Sar
gent of Fort Dummer: Howe, who
was taken captive by the Indians a
the Great Meadow; Several descend
ants of Deerfeld captives, and many
others
The executive committee Of tn,
pageant are Dr. II. ID. Holton, G. L
Stickney, Major C. Houghton, w. A
Shumway, Mrs. L. F. Adams, Mrs
j. G, Estey, Mrs. C. s. Pratt, Mrs
II. c. Rice, Mrs. c. l.. Stickney. TIL,
director of the pageant is Margare
MacLaren Eager.
One of the interesting features o
the pageant will be the production
of The Contrast, the first American
play ever acted on a regular stage
A little hall near the pageant grounds
will be fitted up to represent the oil
John street theatre, New York wher
the play was originally produced. Al
excellent cast has been selected 70
the pageant production. The frs
subscriber to the original production
was George Washington, then pres
dent Of the United States. The coul
try Jonathan in The Contrast on
visit to town, drops into the theatr
with the expectation of seeing IA he
cus-pocus man. and sits out pei
Torrance of The School for Scanda
without any notion that he has visit
ed playhouse On being asked
he saw the man with his tricks
Why, | VOW says he, las wa
loking out for him, they lifted up
great green cloth and let us loo
right into the next neighbours house.
At the close, he asks for his none
as he has not had the show. 9Th
dogs, a bit of sight have seen, III
less you call listening to people
private business a sight"
Royal Tyler, author OF The Cor
trast, was born in Boston, near Far
euil hall, about the year 1856 II
graduated from Harvard in 1916, an
then studied law in the Office of job
Adams, In 1900 he was elected b
the legislature of Vermont chief jus
tice of the supreme court In 1897
Judge Tyler moved to Guilford wher
he practiced law. and he later wen
to Brattleboro, where he died, Angus
l6 1926. His writings contain wi
| SDirit. and nantnagS If atvla