The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-04-13
Harmony of Color, Music and
Song Delights Crowded
Horse Show Building
NINE HUNDRED TAKE
PART IN PERFORMANCE
Four or Five Thousand Peo-
pie See the Spirit of
the Y. w. c. A.
Visualized

cling rain made Richmond out-of-
doors gloomy and uncomfortable, nine
hundred young women and girls dress
ed in various costumes and all coll
ors, earring flowers and multi-col-
ored scarfs made the interior of the
Horse Show building Il scene of splen-
dor and beauty, yesterday afternoon.
City girls, country girls, college
girls Get nine hundred such young
women together as graCed the Horse
Show building to take part in the
Young Woman's' Christian associa-
ton pageant yesterday and you have
a scene that would make the veriest
misanthr0pe brighten with the joy of
life and the gloOmiest weather ever
visited upon a city be forgot. Take
thse nine hundred young women and
deck them out in the colors Of the
rainbow: Clothe them in college caps
, and gowns. costume them to repre-
sent gaily clothed women of the East
and South; give them flowers and ban
ners and wells and sCarfs; let them
I dance as gracefully as the fairies
some of them represented and march
with the precision Of soldiers on pa
rade and sing with the voice Of choral
chorS. and for two hours or more
you have paradise on earth.
The Building Crowded.
That was the scene staged for the
benefit of the four thousand people
who walked and rode through rain:
stood damned in street cars and
waded through mud and water to see
it. In five minutes the inconveni-
ence of the journey to the far West
End was forgot and al thought Of the
| Inconvenience of the journey back
/ home vanished in the contemplation
of the sight before them
1t has been intended TO stage the
pageant at Bryan park. but on ac-
| count of the weather 1t was necessary
I to make use of the Horse Show build =
! ing. Those who had been sorrowing
all day over the rainy weather which
| positively negatived the plans of the
| writer's and managers of the pageant,
! found before the allegory had been
/ half told that the splendid manner in
! which it was conducted and the beau
! ty OF players, costume and arrange
ment was such as to make them won.
/ der what would have been the effect
/ OF the same performance on green
/ f1elds and under sunny skies
! The pageant yisualized the spirit
| and purpose of the Young Woman's
| Christian association, which is hold
J Ing its biennial convention in Rich
/ mond. 1t was written for out-of-
doors production. but so arranged
that 1t could be modified for indoors
without losing much of it's beauty and
! effectiveness. 1t was written by Miss
Helen Theburn, who is in attendance
on the convention and staged and
managed by Miss Letta A Clark. sec
rotary Of the American Pageant as
| ISOLATION. 1t was the first national
pageant ever presented in America
and the largest pageant Of any kind
Work of the Association.
The scenes represented the work OF
the association-the work in city
country, colleges and foreign coun.
tries, and the various phases Of the
work in each of these localities and
sections. College students from all
over the United States, girls and young
women from Richmond, Baltimore
Norfolk, Lynehburg. Pittsburg and
Cleveland others from the normal
schools. and the rural districts and
others from foreign countries-nine
hundred or more in all--participated.
each group differently costumed and
differently arranged. but all working
in harmony under the skilful direc-
ton of Miss Clarke and Miss Louise
Holmqulst, the association spirit. Miss
HolmQuist was clothed in royal blue.
the colors Of the association. Her
. head was crowned with wreath and
star and in her hand she bore the
long wand OF magic and authority.
Four couriers, dressed in white, and
carrying bugles slung over their
shoulders aiding in directing the per
Torrance.
The pageant opened with grand
march Of all those participating. the
association spirit leading Following
came the Couries-Misses Anna
Brown, Martha Chickering. Mary F
Porter, Eleanor Richardson Six hun
dred students from colleges in every
section of the nation. dressed in white
n -py r. L..
In caps and gowns. marching four
abreast, turned into the floor from
the right being followed by the rep
! resentattVes Of the county and city
/ associations
The pageant proper was divided into
/ four parts. representing the associa-
/ ton in college life. in the open coun-
try in he city, and in foreign lands.
! The epilogue, or grand finale, closed
( the performance with a march by all,
4 In order singing Father of Lights,
/ In Whom There Is No Shadow"
| The association In college life was
| presented by students from Randolph
| Macon Woman's college, Farmville
State normal school, Sweet Briar col
! lege and Hollins' college. While the
| association orchestra, seated at the
south end of the pavilion, played the
Heidelberg music from the prince of
A4TNiAf ti'' AiNAtecaAiCiiS from tneSe
/ colleges entered, one group dressed in
middies and white duck skirts. car
rying basketball, tennis rackets, note
/ books, Bibles, one with q megaphone.
! one group wearing tramping skirts
and boots, sweaters and carrying
walking stats; one group in light
dresses and scarfs, as the girls dress
! for dinner at a conference--some car
! rying musical instruments; and one
group in cap and gown. Some of
/ the two latter groups carried bright
colored cushions to sit on when the
I service began. The delegations min
/ Rled to indicate a representative con-
4 ference gathering,
When all had entered they formed
a lockstep and march around the as
ISOLATION spirit, singing.
They then spread out in a semi
circle around the association spirit,
and with arms thrown across each
others shoulders sang the Blue Ridge
encampment song. Ringing of bells
announced vespers and all sat down,
and the association spirit. in the CEN
ter of the circle formed charged them
to hold fast the purposes caught here
in this place of discipleship."
The association in the open coun-
try was presented by the State Normal
School of Greensboro. N. c. The
couriers entered with a MaypoIe
around which the girls gathered