The San Francisco call., 1913-11-01
Pageant ofthe Seven
SeasArouses Much
Social. Interest

The Pageant of the Seven Seas"
stupendous performance which will be
given in December as a benefit for the
Seamen's Institute, is arousing the in
terest of society and club men and
women, and already the various groups
have begun the rehearsals for their
episodes. December 2, and 4, after
Moons and evenings, are the dates now
definitely set for the performance.
Teha Seamenss. Institute IS the local
home for sailors and seafaring men
from aIlsover the world. and is nom
sectarian institution which has for
years been kept" up by the English
speaking people of the community. In
the Iast:xear the institute. has become
inadequate to the increased number of
men who have sought its friendly
shelter In view of this. fact and in
anticipation of the greater increase
which viii follow the opening of the.
Panama canal the pageant benefit was
projected 10 obtain funds to build a
more CQmnOOloGS NOME
Recently the institute has been
handed over to the care of the Ameri-
can mission. and it devolves upon the
people Of California to maintain and
carry. on this valuable and much
needed organization. It is a charity
that should appeal to every resident
. OF: San Francisco, including the for
eign population, for the sailors of
every nation. will be made welcome,
and will ..be. cared for. in illness and
assisted in. every way possible. A
special effortwfll be made to inter
est the young. sailors
Mr.. Harshe of the exposition is
much Interested. in. the progress and
aim. Of the: pageant.
Pageantry now occupies a large
place among the entertainments of
the English summer season, and is
becoming more and more interesting
to Americans: II is a comparatively
new idea and dates from the year
1906, when Messrs. Louis and Parker
produced at. the little town of Sher-
bourne in Dorset a play which at
traoted the attention of all England
Since then there have been many such
pageants. At Warwick the play was
given in the grounds of Warwick
castle, where Pageant Queen Eliza
beth spoke the actual words on the
actual. spot upon which the original
queen uttered them more than 800
years ago; at Dore, Warwick, Win
chester and York Messrs. Louis and
Parker directed very beautiful and
impressive pageants, while Frank
Lascalle presided over those of Ok
ford. Quebec and Bath.
i In : the English towns noblemen
and their ladies. archbishops. mayors
and. other persons of the highest po-
sitions in the community take the
principal parts: and thereby lend the
pageant an Importance which it could
gain in. no other way
The entertainment has enlisted the
assistance of prominent men and
women from all walks of life, and So
eiety women especially are taking
lively Interest. More than 1000 per-
sons will ]. take part. and these are
being coached by Garnet Holme.
There will be six episodes" to de-
pict. the maritime achievements of
popular. heroes since the beginning
of history The episodes will be
.Jason and. the Golden Fleece" Co
lumbus at the Court of Ferdinand and
Isabella. .. Drake at the Court of
Elizabeth Magellan Rounding the
Horn, John Paul Jones at the Court
Of Marie Antoinette" and .Peary at
the Pole
The. scene of Jason and the Argo-
nauts has been written by Mrs Ber-
tina Newberry, the Carmel writer, who
made so great a success last year
with @The Toad" Mrs. Grace Nc
Gowan Cooke the novelist, contrib
utes the Columbus scene, and Guy
Moyston, author of many recent dra-
matte successes, the Magellan episode.
II. NJ. Rideout. a Boston writer, who
is sojourning in California prior to
a long trip in Europe. has written
the episode of Drake. and Sidney Coe
Howard, a young writer of great
ability and promise, that of John Paul
Jones. s.ATl the books are the result
of careful study of times and incl
dents by the authors. and are marked
by literary quality They will be
assembled into a booklet which will
be selda during the pageant for the
guidance: of the spectator and which
will be fine souvenir of the occa-
sion. g..
The Paul Jones episode is the one in
which society is taking an especial in
terest.e Mrs. Charles o. Alexander,
Mrs. William. .Geer Hitchcock and Mrs.
william Hinckley Taylor aresdirecting
this scene, and Incident to it will be
number Of attractive tableaux, notably,
that Of the manteaux blancs (court.
ladiss) and of the American republi-
cans at the French court. In the man
teaux blancss group, which is being
chaperoned by Mrs. George Kelham
and Mrs. Cuyler Lee, are the follow
ingss Mesdames Agnes Lane Leonard,
Max Rothschild and Kenneth MacDos-
aid; Misses Marian Newhall, Genevieve
King, Agnes Tillman. Louise Janin.
Marian Zeile, Fernada Pratt. Harriet
Alexander. Corennah de Pue. Merritt
Reid, Constance Davis and Enid Wat
kins
In the American republican group
are Misses Ruth zeile. Beatrice Nickel.
Gertrude Hopkins, Helen Keeneys
f.anar,iava T3athin Gertrrda Csr2rfan