Evening star., 1923-06-07
Week of Utopian
& ETY. Ends
Here Tonight.
BIG PAGEANT AND
DANCE FEATURES
Final March Promises to
Surpass Others in
BrilIiance.

! When the midnight bells peal forth
from their towers high over Wash
ington tonight they will proclaim
the closing hour of the greatest con-
Ivention in the history of the Ancient
Arabic Order. Mobiles of the Mystic
Shrine. 1t will be the muezzin call
ing again-this. time directing the
caravans of the faithful homeward
until one year hence, when they will
be summoned forth to another con-
! claye in a new Mecca.
Down in the tinsel and glare OF
the brilliantly illuminated street be-
low the world will be dancing to
the swinging time of carnival music.
But smiling faces will mask heavy
hearts, for in every breast there will
come feeling of deep regret that
the merry band of jolly good-fe-
lows who have been the city's
; guests for nearly week must say
/ adleu so soon.
! 1oudy " Is ma KING the
! most OF the few joyous hours
naming, crowding the crowning
program OF the convention into every
minute. Starting with the last ses-
| sion OF the Imperial Council in
| keith's Theater and a massed CON
cert OF the Shines visiting bands in
| American League Park, led by Noble
| John Philip Sousa, the program calls
! for constant procession of events
until the climax is reached at mid
| night with the singing of America"
down the entire length of Pennsyl-
vania avenue-the closing anthem of
| the conclave.
Parade mt PM.
At 8 o'clock tonight a pageant
eclipsing in beauty even the gorgeous
parades with which the Shriners
opened their convention will pass be-
meath the golden arches of the
Road TO Mecca 1t will be the his
tory of America and the soul of
Free Masonry passing down the ma
tion's most historic Avenue, In tab
| leau- Eight full divisions will be
| in the line of march, including every
branch of the nations fighting arm.
some of them wearing the uniforms
or Americas earliest soldiers; sailors
| and marines.
! Led by tableaus of the inspiration
of Free Masonry, the pageant will
depict the story OF the birth of the
Smith up to the discovery of the north
pole by Admiral Peary. himself a
Mason. the days of Theodore Roose-
Velt. also a member of the ancient
order and the progress of the Mystic
Shrine itself. One float will show the
little known charitable work of the
Shrine-reclaiming thousands of Grip
pied boys and girls to a real healthy
life Of usefulness.
] President to Review.
| AS the last division passes in review
before President Harding in the
Garden of Allah, the heavens them
selves will fairly rain fire as the
greatest display of fireworks ever
bombs, fired simultaneously. will an
nounce the opening of the display and
for nearly an hour there will appear
In the sky above the Washington
colored flames. Some of the displays
will tell part of the story of Free
Masonry. from the first admission OF
the poor blind candidate to his ex-
| haltation as a Master Mason.
While the skies are still shoulder
| ing with the flame of $4,000 worth of
fireworks. the dance of the states
will get under way on the Road to
are expected to dance up and down
the entire length of Pennsylvania
| from the Peace Monument to the
| Garden of Allah in front of the White
House. 1t might better be called the
! Dance Of the Nations for virtually
; every government in the world will
| be represented some time during the
| night by members of the diplomatic
| corps and foreign-born visitors here
; to behold the spectacle Of the Shrines
! wonder convention.
Sing "America" in Farewell.
| Just as the city's bells announce
the passing of the midnight hour. a
mighty choir will sing America"
Illuminated section of the Avenue. 1t
will mark the official close of the con-
| vention. but it is likely to be several
hours later before large part of the
homeward. 1t will be the greatest
night Washington has ever seen,
/ barring not even the frenzied cele-
bration of the signing of the ar
rniStice, according to those in charge
| of the program.
Before daybreak the exodus of the
Shrine hosts will begin. Many of the
| motor caravans had made arrange
! ments to begin the long trek back
| home as the first rays of day streak
! the eastern sky. A few of the spe-
cial trains already will have left. 1t
| probably will be Monday, however.
before the last clan has folded up
| suit cases, probably not so silently as
| the Arab of the poem, for most of the
patrols have planned to march back
| to their trains behind their bands
: just as they marched from them last
Sunday and Monday.
Repeated for Children.
I Although the forty ninth conven-
| ton of the Ancient Arabic Order,
! Mobiles of the Mystic Shrine. will end
at midnight, the Shriners will repro
| duce the pageant of tonight tomor-
I row morning for the benefit of the
| school children. Every grandstand
will be turned over to the children,
who will occupy the seats by classes.
! each under the careful direction OF
their teachers. The children will lose
| none of the beauty of the affair, eth
er. for every float is to be parked
! around the Lincoln Memorial over
night and brought out again for the
special parade tomorrow.
But only half of touay's program
! has been explained yet. While Noble
Sousa and Noble White were alter
| nately leading the 100 or more Wis
| iting bands en- masse at American
League Park, the United States
coast guard service was again dem
| onstrating it's ability to save lives
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