The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1922-08-09
HISTORY PAGEANT
GIVEN LAST NIGHT
EARLY HISTORY OF IDAHO is
SHOWN BY DRAMATIC
PRESENTATION

Z In the university auditorium SUNNI
er school students last night enacte
one scene, the coming of the printiI
press and permanent white settlemen
to Idaho, which will be part of tn
larger history pageant which will b
given at the university mex
spring, under auspices of the senio
class.
A brief explanatory address relat
ing to the historical Significance 0
the coming of the printing press ant
OF the permanent white settlement il
Idaho was given by Professor Bros
nan. Mr.. BrOsnan outlined il few
words the westward movement of thu
missionaries and took up their worl
and incidents Of life at that time il
the Oregon and Idaho country.
Following the professor, Joe Ken
tuck, fullblood Nez Perce, of the ole
type, took the stage and graphically
described the relations of the white
and red men from the early days tC
the present time. His talk was greet
ed with considerable applause.
Two solos, Cadman's "The Land OF
the Sky Blue Water" and Far oti
I hear Lovers Flute" sung by Miss
Olga Anderson, university student irl
music, transported the audience to
the days of the Indian maid and buck
lovers as they voiced their longings
in tender melody.
Large Crowd Sees Pageant
Those in attendance almost filled
the auditorium. The interest an1
spontaneous enthusiasm Of the audi
tors spoke very highly of the success
of the pageant.
The scene. '"The Settler and the
Printing Press,' depicted he life of
Rev. and Ms. Henry Spalding and
little daughter, Eliza, who settled
near the place now called Spalding,
Just above the junction Of the Clear
water river and Lapwai creek, and
the arrival of the printing press at
that place.
A cast Of nine characters portray
ed the ambitions and the hcmcly joys
of the early missionaries to the Clear
water country and to the state of
Idaho
The costumes worn by the charac-
ters of the pageant were genuine
beaded costumes, secured largely
through the cooperation Of the In
dians of the Lapwai district whose
forefathers featured in the scenes so
dramatically set forth in the pageant.
The historical setting of the pageant
and the historical facts that comprise
the foundation of the drama were
furnished by the class in northwest
and Idaho history, under instruction
from Prof G. J. Brosnan of the de-
partment of history Of the university.
Staged BY DR.. Miller
DR.. George Morey Miller, head of
the English department at the uni
versity, staged the pageant and the
story was dramatized under his di
rection.
The "Book Of the Pageant" written
by Mrs Florence R. Parish, sum-
mer school student who is instructor
in English at the Kellogg high school,
was a determining factor in success
of the scenes.
The scene opened with Mrs. Spald-
Ing, little Eliza, one traveller and two
Indian women. one learning to knit,
the other to sew, on the stage. Mr..
Spalding then entered and conver-
sation about the hardships and the sue
csse Of the mission work ensued
Directly Jim Elk Tooth and Yellow
Coyote who had been to Fort Walla
Walla for supplies. appeared on the
scene accompanied by Francis Erma-
finger, a trader of the HudsOn's Bay
company. and Colonel William Craig. |
American trapper
The braves brought back with them
the firt printing press west Of the
Rockies which had been shipped up
from Honolulu for missionary work.
After greetings. followed the examin-
alton of the press with accompanying
upon the advantages that
would be used to print hymns and
transcribe the Bible into the Indian
language.
Throughout the pageant converse
ton Mrs. Spalding voiced the long |
Lngs of every woman for white com
pany and predicted that some day
the country would be well settled by
The whites.
The pageant scene showed with dra
matte force the Importance in the
settling of the state of Idaho, of the
press and the work of the |
early missionaries who bravcd the
harships and privations of life among /
strange Indians in the western cOun-
Try.
The settler and press scene, though
founded on historical fact, violated in
4 place or two for the sake of graphic
The printing press,
which was pictured as being brought
In at the time of the first settlers real
" antedated white permanent settle
ment.
Printing Press Came in 1889
The printing press was brought into
Idaho, and it was the first one west
If the Rocky Mountain, except poss
bly, for California, in the year 1889
while in the first permanent white
settlement established in IdarO by
Colonel Craig took place in 1916.
The characters making UP the cast
If the pageant represented persons
who really lived during the early
settlement days of Idaho Francis
was really representa-
i've Of the Hudson's Bay company,
Colonel Craig was actually prom
nent mountain man" who spent his