The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1918-11-14
HOURS GIVEN OVER To
GREAT REJOICING
The Day of Victory

Monday. Nov. II. will be fixed in
the minds of our readers as the great
est day of all history. The events of
the morning hours. the celebration of
the afternoon and the meeting of the
evening seemed very important and
portentious to US, but We shall remem-
ber the day and its place in the events
of the world long after We have for
gotten that We shouted with the
crowd, marched in the parade and
listened to the speeches.
The Independent Reporter had ar
ranged with representatives in down
river cities to telephone promptly the
first bulletin of German surrender.
and at 3.45 on Monday morning this
portentious message came over the
wire: "Armistice terms have been
signed 1t took an hour to make
sure that this was not another IN
founded rumor, and to get at the
subsequent bulletins which surround
ed this one tremendous fact. BY :
o'clock. an extra edition of the lnde-
pendent Reporter, with the first news
OF the most important event in the
lifetime of the present generation. was
on the street, and We were able to
mail this edition on the r F D. routes
going out of the Skowhegan Office At
meeting called at the Opera House.
at 10 o'clock, plans for the balance of
the day were definitely arranged. The
committee in whose hands they were
placed was selected to represent all Of
Skowhgan's fraternal organizations.
Everybody wanted to "gO some
where" and this universal demand WAS
best satisfied by big parade Even
a bare enumeration of the features of
this event would be impossible Broad
ly speaking it may be said that no
pageant. of the kind. equally cos
mopolitan ever before passed thru
SkoWhegan streets In it was repre-
sented about every fraternal society
ever organized here. all the principal
industries. and every division of which
SkOwhegan society is composed. Many
of he costumes were striking and
even beautiful; many were evidently
arranged to personify the spirit of
the day; others were hurriedly got
something perhaps even unknown to
the creators, and certainly not intelli-
gible to the watching throngs. The
First Regiment Band, jenkins Ma
rine" Drum Corps, and other filing
and drumming aggregations furnished
volume of music which veritably
"made the welkin ring The parade
was long enough to require all the
area in WaterBush-High street sec
ton for its formation The number
participating is variously estimated at
from 500 to 1900 There is a like
wide variation in the estimate of its
length. so great a divergence that
even a guess may properly be with
held The divisions passed up Water
street by way of Madison avenue to
Elm street returning by the way of
Pleasant street, Madison avenue, Rail
road Square, High and Water streets
to the point of disbanding near the
Municipal Building
Every available seat in the auditor
ium was occupied at ! o'clock by
those who were determined to get in
side to witness the program, which
was to commence at g. The 10Th
Regiment Band proceeded to the Is
land and marched over with the pu-
pills, who formed at that point, includ-
ing the Victory boys and girls These
loyal youths and maidens. on arriving
at the Opera House, found it almost
impossible to get into the building
This WAS deeply regretted by those
who had made such impromptu pre-
parations as were possible in the
hours of day turned almost topsy-
turyy by its succession Of events.
Several hundreds of the little folks
were crowded in somewhere and it is
to be hoped that they appreciated the
circumstances and did not take it too
much to heart that their patriotism
could not be better rewarded
Very much the same grouping Of
war workers assembled on the plat
form as at the meeting the preced-
ing Thursday evening. while a part of
the surplus audience filled the stage
area. outside the wings The speak
ers were. Rev Father Martin \.
CIary OF Portland and James II.
Baker hnancied Of New York City.
Edward + Merrill presided Rev.
Mr.. Clary is assistant chairman of
the Catholic War Council for Maine.
Mr. Baker was one of party OF nine
sent by the government To Europe 10
make observations especially prepar-
ing them to speak during the last
Liberty Loan. Both were excellent
speakers. and held the closest inter-
est Of young and old making up ~hat