South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-10-04

JUST A PERSONAL OPINION
OF THE PAGEANT AND THE
WORK DONE BY "THEYS"

just worCI-as a member OF
the board of directors. and. perhaps.
one of the most skepticaI,-rcgard-
ing the first presentation of the Cen
tenniaI Historical pageant.
IL was everything that the most
enthusiastic of the committees adj
vertisement writer's promised. It
measured up to- the most sanguine
expectations. IL worked like charm.
IL was hard tO believe that such
"a living picture of "a community's
devcIOpment-it's Iifc,-nOt alone
for "a CcntHry. but more than CEN
fury. could be 80 completely told i'm
less than three hOurs-actually fit
for the movie screen.
From Father Marquette to- the
flags of all nations. it was one con-
tinuous historic panorama. Great
credit il due To Mrs. W. Il. Lamport
for her scenario, ands tO Mr.. +. Il.
Barnes. pageant chairman, and his
assistants. for the manner i'm which
10 has been worked out.
IL has been no small task to or
sanize the $500 who constituted
last nights cast. Less than year
ago we were all paying mental COM
pliments ~ ID. ". Griffith for his
staging of the Birth of Nation,
but when we consider tie ineXperi-
ence of the people who have staged
this pageant, and their remarkable
success, our admiration of Griffith,
a professional. goes glimmering.
Several scenes i'm the pageant,
while not riyaling the battle scenes,
or the performances OF the Ku KluX
Khan, i'm the birth of "a Nation. as
to observation-disclosures more than
rivals in historical reality.
The battle between the IroquOis
and Miami Indians is just "a real as
Griffith. with his trained act
Crs could make il in the valleys of
California. The show of United
States troops rounding up the Pot
tawatomies and cscorting them TO
the frontier, Father Badin casting
his lot with them. i'm their baDish-
ment. is mt least spectacular enough
To- force lovers of Justice To blush.
But the purpose here il not 10
review the episodes. It il rather to
utter confession Of-keenly en-
jOyable surprise.
South Bend. MishawalIa. and sur
themselves. IL is great opportunity
for their people. The like of IL may
never cOme again.
As 50 here il To the "theys' of
whom the community. or certain
skepticaI portions of il. have been
inclined To- smile and say, lit can't
be did"
Who arc they" Well. in addi-
ton 10 the writer of the scenario. and
the pageant chairman, take the
board of directors. who have Labor
ed. and toilcd. unseIfishly for
months. that this thing might be.
"They"-thc gentlemen, i'm ques-
tiOn.-arc 4. \. Miller, president
G. Il. Stephenson. vice president:
Albert V. WelgeI, secretary; Il. l..
Burch. treasurer, and Il. l.. Dennis,
c. c. Hanch, c. y. LippincOtt. J. ID.
Oliver. Louis KuhnS. \. Frank. c.
- NINN-iofk. ana F.
W. Keller. directors: these. plus the
writer Of this. whose identity is un-
important.
These men worked. and 80 far aS
the production is concerned, sue
cess has crowned their efforts. There
were other assistants. other commit
tee chairmen anG committeeman
VINO worked too: too many to men
ton hcre-grcat credit being due
also To the principals and teachers
i'm the public schools. for the corral
ing and training Of the school chill
dren; a decidedly important factor
There i nothing here anywhere to
bc ashamed OF. There is everything
to be proud of. VIII the public now
do a. well? That il the unsettled
question. IL is for the public To say
and there are two more chances
tonight and the next.
Their" SSent Partner.