Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-01-01
BIG PAGEANT GIVES
WOMAN VISITOR NEW
IMPRESSION OF CITY
Spirit of Ancient Revelry
That Would Amaze Old
"Mummius' - How Pa
rade Looked From Tower.
nr A WOMAN sTRANaER

Shades Of old Mummlus, or whoever
the ancient Roman gentleman who was
responsible for the first mummers' page
anti What would that Individual have
said could he but have risen up from his
grave to watch the shooters paradel
What would his emotions have been as
he observed Broad street, Philadelphias
most stately thoroughfare, transformed
into an avenue OF carnival and revelry.
the like of which is seen In no other
city of the United States, or of the whole
universe for that matter.
II is not at all improbable that stand
ing there In his robes he'd have been
so filled with the spirit of the thing thai
no amount of restraint no consciousness
of his years or his garb or the fitness OF
things could have prevented him from
Joining In.
Speaking personally and from the stand
point of one who never before had seen
the far-famed mummers' pageant OF
Philadelphia, that was exactly how felt,
1t seemed TO me that here was the one
great opportunity to give expression to
the secret longing nourlshed In the breast
of every human being; that is, to get
out of character for the time being; to
be something different; to play part
which the humdrum order of everyday
commonplace respectable life does not
permit to be played
And the question rose in my mind:
why are there only 1900 OF these shoot
ers? Why isn't every single solitary one
of the individuals in Philadelphia cavort-
ing UP Broad street actually, as they
must surely be doing In spirit7"
IT'S DEMoCRACY's HOLIDAY.
Who hasn't at some fond period In his
life thought that were he but given the
chance he could make Marcelline, the
world-renowned clown. look tame by
comparison? Or Genee the toe-dancer,
seem a thing of lead? Who doesn't be-
lieve that, given the royal purple and
ermine. he could be stood side by side
with George of England, and seem q twin
brother?
True, the gentleman in the crimson
robes and powdered wig. with lackeys ut
his heels and pages at his side, this morn
ing the cynosure of thousand eyes. may
tomorrow come to your house In answer
TO a hurried telephone call regarding
stopped pipes. Today he is king among
men. If you need anything further to
convince you of that, the bill which fol-
lows his repairs will prove adequate tes-
tlmony to the fact that his is a regal pro-
fesslon.
But in his dream-life your plumber may
be every inch prince, your ashman may
ents of a clown. On New Years morning
In Philadelphia the dreams come true and
the plaudits of the admiring curbstone
multitude, overawed by the prince, tickled
to the grinning point by the clown. are
doubtless n years meat and drink to the
animated performers.
SEEN FROM CITY HALL TOWER.
OF all the cities in the world 1t seems
strange thing that Philadelphia should
be the one to have mummers' parade
domain OF Brotherly Love the City of
Seven Sundays. BY that phrase he
wished to impress upon his readers that
here was one city which never forgot
its difnlfied sabbatical manners, never let
Madame Grundy leave its side for an
instant. Other cities right unbend once
in while, but Philadelphia, the conser-
vatlve. never!
'Twould have been a right good thing
for that gentleman to have been perched
up in the tower of City Hall. let us say,
at this morning, to have been looking
down Broad street as far us the eye could
see; he might have detected what appear
ed to be huge ant toddling up the. wide
avenue with burden a bit heavier than
1t was built to bear.
Nearing Ine point Oh vantage the OBJECT
lost its ant-like appearance and became
sort of vitalized, animated crazy quilt
of the lnsanest pattern drawn onward and
onward by unseen hands. AS II came
close, however, the whole separated into
a thousand grotesque units, dancing,
whirling, swirling, twirling in a hundred
different movements, Behold. 1900 con-
servative citizens of conservative Phila-
delphia seemingly having the time of their
lives!
1 wondered II this were really true, II
the mummers were really having the
time OF their lives, or If they were merely
to because this parade business
is a Philadelphia institution of many
years standing. which, II was felt from
a sense OF duty, should be kept up.
And so / interrupted a RooseVelt-a
pearing person leading n huge army worm
by the naDe OF its neck.
do you enjoy this sort of thing?" I
asked him namely
"Do enjoy it7" and the grinning teeth
took on an even wider grin. why, miss,
I've been a part of this parade for IS
years. wouldn't miss II for the world
There amt nothing we fellows put so
much stock in as this here mummers'
parade"
UNIQUE PHASE OF CITY's LIFE.
don't know how the people OF Phila-
delphia feel about it-Philsdelphia, which
might be expected to be a staid and con-
servativs onlooker at such a spectacle
rather than the fantastic. grotesque par
II seemed to me that there
was a sight worth going a days Journey
to see. an institution worth being a little
bit proud OF as contributing to the hu-
manity and democracy of a city which is
inclined to have an outside reputation of
holding itself little bit superior to other
places, a wee bit unbending
l enjoyed the mummers' parade because
II showed me a phase OF Philadelphia
which / otherwise might never have
known existed and which the gentleman
who was responsible for the cognomen.
THE City OF Seven Sundays" doesn't