The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-04-29
MEN OF IS NATIONS
IN LABOR PAGEANT
Gay Scene at Central Opera
HOusc-OratOry and
Pink Ice Cream.
LIKE TOWER OF BABEL

There was a Tower OF Babe at the
Central Opera House last night. Men
and women Of fifteen nationalitics-
Chinese. Russian. Irish. English, Spanish,
German. French, Lithuanian. Swedish.
Finnish. italian. Greek. Polish. Hun
garian. Iapanese-and "a few plain
Americans. gathered in the big hall at
Sixty-seventh street and Third avenue
and gave a pageant of labor for the
benefit of the Rand School Of Social Sci
ence.
There were $50 girls and boys. men
and women In the pageant, and many
hundreds OF their admiring friends and
relatives gathered TO see them distin-
guish themselves. Almost every one wore
the socialist red. and lots of IL. This
there was added the picturesque
costumes Of the visitors from New
York's foreign colonies. Then there
were the Roman gladiators, Greek slaves.
Egyptian generals. and go forth. mostly
bare legged. bur very gorgeous in the
upper stories. who came down at in
tcrvals In the pageant and mingled with
the populace on the floor.
Thu story of the pageant is described
In the Pageant Herald. "A competitor OF
the can. born Yesterday and due to die
with the end of the entertainer, on
May 2, as "a series of dramatic stage
pictures representing the notable strug-
giles In history for the freedom Of the
people from the oppression OF the ruling
classes"
The first struggle is Egyptian. and
shows slaves In nice clean red and yei-
low and white garmentettes. not very
long. but very pretty compared with
hat the toilers OF to-day hav. TO wear.
toiling ~dreadfully at carrying thrSe
bricks on a board. each board supported
whipping them with "A whip made OF
ropes.
The Egyptians revolt against Pharaoh
and then the curtain goes down amid
applause. and Henrietta Crosman. in "A
beautiful white evening gown. comes oLt
and tells the audience that the Romans
are coming. Barbarians being sold ~
slaves. gladiators rebelling under the
leadership of Spartacus. and other scenes
by more barelcgged young East Side
citizens in colorful though scant cos
tunes make good Miss C~rosman's prom.
Use. and then she talks some more and
the An~glo-Saxons in 1881 are shown.
The French Revolution follows and i
grand f'uturist picture ends the pae.
cant. representing how beautiful tn.
world Will be when peace and happiness
have been gained 10y triumphant labor.
The production was staged under tbs
direction Of John W Mitchell, who wa
almost In tears last night because IN.
Rand School extremists insisted upon
importing "A futuristic person from IN.
BandboN Theatre to paint the sag,
scenery. Mr.. Mitchell * ~ the Older
school.
A labor song written especially fo'
the pageant by Arturo ~iiovanni,ti. her
aided IN the programme as an | W W
strike leader from Lawrence. was a fea.
ture OF tn, entertainment. After III.
strains OF this died aw.y there was a
debate on preparedness by a man from
the National Security League, who spok.
for IL. and several Socialists. who w.r.
against war with such fury that 'h.ir
red banded arms fairly sawed the all
In the energy NJ their arguments.
Then all ceased from talking and
peacefully ate pink ice cream.