Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-12-31
NEW YEAR ASSURED
OFMERRY WELCOME
Mummers Ready for Signal to
Usher in 1918 With
Fun and Motley
16 CLUBS TO PARADE
Tableaux and Costumes Will Portray
Comedy Side of Life and
Topical Events

Young Mr.. 1918 will be given = g'o-
rious welcome. The glad hand viii be
extended to him from all sections OF
, Philadelphia and the United States as
we'll optimism will resound with
mighty ring, beginning with the last
stroke OF the midnight hour. There Will
be music in the air. mingling with the
crash of revolvers. the blowing OF horns
and the voices of thousands of mighty
sirens.
And just a few hours after the dawn
Of the New Year the Mummers. in spec
tacuar array. will add the finishing
| touch to the glad greeting with their
| glittering pageant on Broad street.
with prosperity reigning everywhere
all the big hotels are assured of the usual
| New Years Eve crush The fellow who
/ has not nailed" a table will have to eat
ON his ieet or dine at home, for there Is
not Nestige of seating capacity in the
| hosteries or popular cafes.
While thousands will welcome the ad-
vent of 1918 with feasts and fun to the
clirlinG of glasses, many thousands
| more will send out a joyous greeting
( from the midnight watch meetings in
/ churches in all sections OF the city. And
there viii be an abundance of New Year
parties at family firesides to join in the
big send-off.
In view of the preparations. the New
Year has every reason to come with
/ confidence and give us a twelve-month
that will he credit when an account
ing is made on next December 81.
Thousands of Uncle Sans fighters who
are home on leave win join in the fes-
| tivities. They have resolved that the
: stars and Stripes will be we'll on to
] Nifi hnfnpa do pf a
The Mummers are eagerly awaiting the
rise of the curtain.
| Shortly after the dawn of the New
! Year tomorrow morning. Broad street.
from Porter to Girard avenue, will be
an immense stage on which will he re-
nected Worldwide events Of 1917.
Nothing will escape in the big review.
Politics. baseball, inventions. golf. food
saving campaigns. the woman in indus
try. the war and other important mat
ters will be touched upon with the ut
most candor.
Twenty-Five clubs have obtained per
mits TO parade aud of these II is eX-
/ pected that at least sixteen Will be in
the official pageant on Broad street.
Prizes totaling nearly S5io0 have been
offered by Councils. They afford no end
of opportunities for the contesting clubs
and the individual mummers who have
/ orig inality. In addition to the prizes
offered by Councils, there will be others
giyeu by various neighhorhood organi-
.a,ions in the southern part OF the city
Special prizes will be offered by the
merchants of Girard avenue 20 the CLUB
ilarading on Girard avenue from Broad
q, Second street. Although the official
route ends a. Broad and Girard avenue
all of the clubs will parade to Second
street to compete for the additional
prizes which total nearly $500
on account of the keen competition
among the Mummers 1t Will probably
he difficult to pick the prize winners
The official Judges are Ben Is. Raleigh
q. y. Garde, and Private Paul j. Nc
U;ahan, headquarters company 3llth
Field Artillery. Private McGahan was
formerly a newspaper man and was al
WAYS keenly interestad in the Mummers
shows. He was granted special leave Of
absence to come here and odlciate.
In the fancy division of the parade. OF
course elaborateness of costume will be
the strong point in the prize winning.
Although the parade is scheduled to
leave Broad and Porter streets at S:l5
O'Clock It Is highly probable that il will
be some little time after that before
II gets undei way.
The mummers will be led by the Silver
Crown, the oldest New Year club in ex-
istence, with its veteran captain, Mich
ael j. Quigley, in his accustomed place
There will be acres of velvet. silks and
satin I'm the gorgeous line. More than
$50 pages will be required to carry some
OF the capes of the royal mummers as
they march up Broad street.
Common Councilman John H. Bailey
will. of course. be the grand marshal,
and lead the way on his white charger.
The horse which he will ride has APP
peared in many mummers' parades of the
past, and it is predicted that he will
figure in several more before retiring
from the field of honor II. Bart Nc
Hugh will be the stage manager, and
expects record-setting celebration.