Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-07-20
PAGEANTRY and OUT
DOOR DRAMA.
By Frederic ]. Haskin.

Between five and six hundred villages
and towns in this country celebrated
safe and sane Fourth this year. there
by reducing the roll of injuries and
deaths from explosives to a fraction OF
what might otherwise have been eN-
pected. In each of these celebrations
some form of pageantry was introduced
to give interest and enthusiasm to the
program. While national patriotism
was the sentiment back of these pro-
auctions most of them presented some
bit of local history stimulating to COM
munity pride.
When a town has grown up through
some leading industry, a pageant show
ing the development of that industry
creates enthusia SIN. Thus, the Fourth
of July pageant of Superior. WIS,
showed the evolution of the lumber in
dustry A lumber jacks log cabin was
the central feature. lot OF stahdlhs
pine trees on one side contrasted Win
the huge timbers handled by genuine
red-shirted lumber jacks using can't
hooks of primitive design. The proc
esses of manufacturing lumber were
also demonstrated.
The Fourth of July celebration this
year introduced many features bearing
world. The peace sentiment was every
where dominant. The white-garbed
Youth bearing the dove of peace shared
honors with Uncle Sam and the eagle
in many pageants, while the activity
of the American Red Cross. both in
Europe and Mexico, was enacted in
many forms
The American pageant differs from
that of Europe. There it is chiefly
spectacular, consisting of parades or
professions. Here it has become me-
dunn for conveying sentiment by
utilizing the natural dramatic instincts
of all classes of people. The American
pageant, as developed within the last
five years, is huge out-of-door drama
in which every citizen may share. 1t
is free to all, and those who are not
acting in it's production have usually
contributed to its success by SuggeS-
lions or by lending costumes or other
articles needed to produce the desired
scenes. The local pageant representing
historical events is the one most in IA
vor. This has recently been character
lied as "a new form of drama in which
place is the hero and history the plot"
The tendency of these pageants is to
strengthen community interests. 1t
exerts mighty influence in overcom-
ing race prejudices.
Fields and wooded hills are generally
the background of a pageant. but the
Pageant of the
Tenements Give Tenements," Civ
July 4 Pageant. institute In III aae of so Pub
lie School No. IS, in New York, was as
successful in the spirit and patriotism
il developed as the most elaborate rural
production on record. The participants
included Italians, Germans, Russians,
Poles. Huns and Jews. They united
in a great outdoor play given upon
vacant lot with the side of a building
as a background. The fire escapes
and roofs of the surrounding tene-
ments served as the grandstand. They
were crowded with enthusiastic spec
tators. The pageant presented the folk
dances of all the nations represented.
The players wore national costumes.
Some of them had been brought from
the old country and others ingeniously
copied in American materials. In the
grande finale, America and it's ideals
were represented in tableauX form, and
the voices which had given European
national airs in the different scenes
blended together in the great chorus OF
America
A Fourth OF July pageant given in
Springfield, Mass, had thirteen differ
ent nationalities represented in it In
striking contrast to the pageant of the
tenement city school was that recently
produced upon the academy campus of
Meriden. n. H.. village of less than
800 inhabitants. The coming of the
pioneers to the country, their settle
ment, the founding of the academy, tine
circumstances which opened it's privi-
leges to girls, some incidents con-
nected with the civil war, the public
life of some of it's graduates, were
among the features included. They
were of sufficient interest to bring
back hundreds of former residents for
visit to their old town and they gave
the young people a new pride in their
academy.
The difference between the pa geant as
given in this country and the open lair
play now coming into popularity is that
the pageant is an original and informal
drama composed and acted for some spe-
cthc purpose. while the open-air play
usually presents a classical production,
such as Euripedes THE Trojan Woman"
given in New York a few weeks ago at
the dedication of the new stadium Of
the University of New York. The cas-
steal dramas of the open-air th.aater in
Berkeley, Cal. are Of this class.
The most elaborate and costly drama
ever gwen in this country was produced
in st. Louis
CoSt1le3t Drama last year. 1t
Given in America. n,dae.e IN
nected with the earliest history Of the
region, going back to its Indian inhab-