The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-07-11
CENTENARY
CELEBRATION
COLUMBUS
fnIJInl
Positively Closes
Sunday, July 18th

Written by William C. Free
man. Associated with Paul
Block, Inc, New York, Chicago,
Detroit, Boston.
One of several policemen on
duty at the State Fair
Grounds where the Centen-
airy Celebration has been in
action since Friday, June
20th-day and night-re-
marked that he did not
know why he and other Of
ficers had been assigned to
this work because he said
there was really nothing
for him and the other Of
ficers to do-except, per-
haps, to assist those who
might be overcome by the
heat.
Quite a tribute to the be-
havior Of a great crowd of
people-averaging over 49,
900 a day since the Centen-
airy Celebration opened-is
it not?
The City of Columbus, with
its 100000 population, could
not sustain an average at
tendance in excess of 10000
daily - therefore, m any
thousands of visitors had
to come and did come from
all sections of the country.
AS an illustration: on the
train from Chicago to Col
umbus, I met a man and his
wife and three children,
who lived in North Dakota.
They were on the way to at
tend the Centenary Celebra-
ton. AS a matter of fact
l met people from practic-
ally every state in the I'm
ion.
The great crowd-over 10000
that attended the Centenary
Celebration on July 4th express
| sed itself as nightly pleased
that the attendance exceeded
that at the Prize Fight, Toledo,
by more than 10000.
| The world sure does move on
ward, and it seems to be moving
| in the right direction.
The most remarkab BILE scene ]
| have ever witnessed was that
| on July 4th and 9Th when thous-
ands upon thousands of people
| patiently stood in line under a
| broiling sun waiting for an OPP
portunity to purchase an admis-
| sion ticket to see the GREAT
| PAGEANT, written by Rev. DR..
| J. E. Crowther, and wonderfully
| staged.
| Another remarkable thing about
this Pageant is that the story 1t
tells is founded on life as por-
trayed in the Bible-and yet
thousands of people wanted to
see it and did see 1t, filling the
great Coliseum with it's 1900
seating capacity, every time it
was presented.
| Another outstanding feature Of
| the Centenary Celebration is
that it assembled so many strik-
ing attractions that d. W. Grit
fith-one of the Masters in Mo-
ton Picture life-kept force OF
experts at the State F a r
Ground for more than two weeks
taking motion pictures that will
introduce patrons Of movie pic
ture houses all over the world
to the really wonderful events
that were daily part Of the
exposition.
The Victory Parade on the even
ing OF July 4th, in which over
II 5000 people took part was a real
II fZation of a dream OF ten years
ago when the managers OF this
II Centenary Celebration conceived
the idea that it would be an In
spring event to show the people
il OF America what had been accom-
II plished by Methodist missionaries
II in foreign lands.
II 1t is striking statement that
II there We're as many people in
/
II Der. S,000-as the Methodists mis-
Il sionaries had converted during
i the first fifty years of their eff
II forts in heather lands.
i And now it is equally striking to
il say that converts are made at
II the rate of 10000 month
! through this one great agency
II alone.
Il And think of 10000 people wit
II Messing this parade. Think also
II Of 800 people piling into the
! Coliseum to see the big Pageant
II a the same time Think also Of
| the big tent being filled to cap
| aCity at the same time where
| people went to hear Bob Jones'
| the Great Southern Evangelist!
II Think also OF the moving picture
II houses filled up with interested
! and eager crowds at the same
II time
But the one great outstanding
II feature that towers far and above
II all others is this:
II The Centenary Celebration has
II brought together in a splendid
II bond Of unity the North and South
IL Divisions of the Methodist Church
IL which have been separated in
II their activities for many years.
II And this fact. coupled with the
II approval given in rich measure
IL it's big motive power in world
III reconstruction by the representa-
II tives of other RELIGIOUS
II FAITHS, is most significant.
II A celebration that started on Fri
II day and ends on the 13th-that
II and ends it's 18th advertisement
II today. Friday, July 11th-cer-
II tainIy defied superstition and
III came out with flying colors and