The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-05-21
The finest and Largest Parade
Ever Seen in Iowa Shows
Keokuk's Big Heart
in This War.

in This war.
Keokuk nut all OF her warm heart
- Red Cross parade last evening
M was the largest and nnest spec
Vie ever seen in the long history q
Weotnk and probably was never
annalled in the state OF Iowa.
IL hip features were many H0alS.
...is+;c and striking, but its most I'M
nnr.ant elements were the people VINO
pporticipated in it. Every religious de-
ppaoination. every section Of POLITICAL
md other thought, every kind Of peo'
nle in Keokuk we're out IN force.
There were more women marching
The long route than there we're men
~ line. and some Of the best spec
tacles were made BY women.
a Mile and Hail o. spsetaels.
For mile and half the long Nne
nf marchers and floats extended II
kaleidoscope chiefly OF WHITE tr1m.
med with red. but with 2 toucn ..
green by an Irish ofeaniza.on, sl
n1entv Of tricolor, both the Stars ana
bands of France. =.
Steadily it moved. interminibly for
almost an hour with not gap ana
mt q ragged place in 1t. It practically
doubled .he route arranged and Its
head countermarching passed its rear
near the Curtis statute while Its fold-
ed length wound up Main, across to
Johnson street, back to upper Main
and then back down street until the
'front.' could find q place to turn into
. cross street after the rear had
passed.
everybody Participated.
With four big policemen, led Dy
Chief Hennemann, followed by city
commissioners and mayor in the van,
the mail carriers and pOstomce clerks
carrying an immense flag held hat
nreceded the big Keoknk Concert
band playing war music
Then came the magnificent display
of Catholic patriotism In the church's
auxilliaries OF the Keokuk Red Cross.
a solid block OF women all In Wnlte
with the Geneva cross on their lore
heads. marching with high heads and
tender faces.
Another section later was as large,
tie Keokuk chapter marching in uni
form with Chairman c. F. Mcfarland
carrying a big nag at it's head. But
the most Illuminating thing was not
the display Of the Red Cross itself,
but the tremendous outpouring Of love
for it shown by everybody else doing
a large part in the parade.
And still They Came.
a There were school children, the
coming generation OF our democracy,
public schools with banners and flags,
and parochial schools with more or
nate decorations, automobiles covered
with flags and legends OF St Peter.
the militant apostle, and St Paul, the
true democrat Of his age.
There were Graham hospital nurses
in their gray striped uniforms, and
Daughters of the American Revolu-
ton with their colonial banner; there
were the Elks with their immense
flag upheld with careful hands and ex-
tending almost the width Of the street,
and the High Tension club showing
the treskellion Of Stone e Webster
and an immense solid red cross On a
big float; there we're the ladies auxil-
larry Of the Ancient Order of Hibern-
ians with their background OF green
for the tricolor, and the Modern
Woodmen in blue uniforms carrying
axes; there were the Royal Neighbor
ladies each carrying a banner shield
like on arms like Joans OF Arc, and
the Business WomAn's league re.
splendent in white in big car.
Remnants o. the Great Past.
In the line was q company OF veter-
ans Of the Spanish war. There was
also little squad OF members Of the
Grand Army that fought to solidify
this country once upon time and
now can muster hardly dozen gray
haired noble men to cheer on the
younger men fighting IN France.
There was a large troop Of boy
scouts. marching well and indicating
the strength Of America in the next
decade. There was the p. e. o. In re-
gala. the long line OF Rebekahs in
handsome collars and with banners,
the Monday Music club two hundred
strong singing Onward Christian
Soldiers" and Keep the Home Fires
Burning" There were the Knights
of Pythias in knightly garb, the girl
scouts as earnest as the men, and Odd
Fellows, too many to count, Of all
ranks, in collars bearing three links,
the colored band leading its bwn PEG.
pie, the Purity Oats crowd led by pref
" girls in costume on a float, the
Ladies Of Charity with baskets on
their arms and officers on noat, and
all the rest
In short every organization IN Keo.
kuk was In that parade, and it il i'm
possible to even name them ALL in
this column.
Iao,saus and Moving Pictures.
Nearly all were led by floats or dec
GRATED automobiles. The girl scouts