The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1918-11-13

Official word from Washington that
thearmistice had been signed by the
defeated Germans, who had uncondi-
tionally accepted it's terms reached
this city on Monday morning at 5
o'clock and the central office of the
Citizens Telephone Co. local exchange
sent word over to the men who at
tend to the big steam power plant at
Belding- g-Hall's factory A and within
few seconds the whistle cord was
securely tied so that it kept blowing
for long time until the other whis-
ties, bells and other noise producing
agents in the city had taken the good
news up and such a pandemonium Of
noise reigned in this city as the oldest
inhabitants have no remembrance Of.
1t was taken by some as another
false alarm and these fellows, on
hearing the whistle blinked their
eyes, rolled over and tried to go to
sleep again, but something told them
that this time the news was genuine.
Previous and false alarms of peace
might have given cause for rejoicing
and the participation in a general
good time, but many made up their
minds after the splurge of Thursday,
that the next time that they went to
celebration, it would be only after
the reseipt of a personal letter from
the president to the effect that peace
was an assured fact. For this reason
it might be, that it took little longer
to get the fellows out of bed and get
a crowd collected on Main street. but
when that good old merry crowd did
kind wanted to make the day one of
Aa IN. ha htcfn Of PnIA
Some of the factories started up,
but all it took was the nucleus of the
first parade to pass these places of
employment to draw them from them.
the worners from the machines
and the benches and join the
ever increasing throng Of patriotic
celebrators who had started out to do
thinos and do them right. The pa
rade marched from one end of the
pavement on Bridge street to the ex-
treme other end, all of the paraders
in their working clothes and about
one-half f the men carrying dinner
pals for which they had no use that
great day. 1t became augmented in
numbers and strength at every street
intersection until when it finally stop
ped it contained nearly one thousand
people.
A more formal affair in the way of
a parade was staged again at nine
o'clock when the procession, led by
Ben Friedly, Pearl LaBrique and Lot
tie Holiday started south on Bridge
street, followed by a crowd of people
which numbered close to 1000, among
which was a goodly number of pat
riotic truants from the city schools
who had forgotten that such institu-
tions were in existence and when the
parade reached South Bridge street,
these truants, in some manner conniv-
ed to get the procession headed over
on Alderman street and then down
Center street, past the Central High
school building where they halded
the procession and held a demonstra
ton for the especial benefit of Supt.
Skinner and those of the students who
had gone to school in the morning in
stead Of remaining away for the par
ade- School room decorum faded
away when the procession appeared
and the scholars flocked Unrestricted
to the windows, professor. teachers
and all and took in the sight, while
the gathering on the street outside
sang patriotic songs.
Dignity was cast to the four winds
as men and women, boys and girls, in
ordinary every day dress, in comic
costumes of every description cavort-
ed gaily about, happy in the know
ledge that the Yanks had turned the
trick over in Europe and had brought
the Bully Of Berlin to his knees. Young
ladies Of our city, who ordinarily look
neither to the right or left when pass
ing down the street to maintain their
standing in the community, forgot
themselves and danced and joked with
the ragged. blackfaced artists, Of
whom thereappeared to be . plenty.
These Same darkies also forgot their
prejudics which they hold for tbs
white race and mingled with the or
dinary white trash in the jollihca-
tiop A. Il progressed.
,1UsiBg TIE fcrenooa. wiser hssds
~ ~ s snd 6ssaH e Plan fes .