Evening star., 1934-04-18
Dawn to Usher in First
RituaIS-C0rOnation
at 2 O'Clock.
WASHINGTON CROWDED
FOR 3-DAY CEREMONY
Parade to Be Held Friday Night.
Merchants Invited to Decorate
Stores for Event.

The weather man today promised
an auSpicious start to the three-day
Cherry Blossom Festival, which is to
begin at dawn tomorrow. Fair and
warmer" is the official word, and
Festival Committee members hailed
the promise. The scene of the
queens coronation in Potomac Park
was a miniature lake this morning,
after two days of rain.
Washington is so full of visitors
that many of them cannot find ac-
commodations at the hotels and large
crowds for the many events in the
program are expected.
After the dawn has been suitably
greeted tomorrow by bevy of dane
ers on the banks of the Tidal Basin,
performing sunrise rites. the main
event on the program Of the day is
the coronation of Miss Eleanor Roose-
welt, daughter of Mr.. and Mrs. Henry
L. Roosevelt, as queen Of the cherry
blossoms.
The coronation is to take place west
of the roadway to Highway Bridge,
adjacent to the horse show grounds
recently fenced off. At o'clock the
Sd Cavalry Band from Fort Myer will
arrive on the grounds, followed by
five automobiles in which will be
riding the queen and her ladies
in waiting-Misses Alicia ROBBERS,
Valeria Prochnik. Eliza Mitchell,
Anne Eustis, Teenie Eckengren, Eliz-
abeth Walker. Mary Preston Gibson,
Gertrude Laughrin, Isabel voorhees,.
Suzanne Hill. Beatrice Phillips and
Julia Zimmerman, and the trainbear-
ers, Elizabeth Goring Bliss and Grace
Colgate Rumbough, and the crown
bearer, Betsy Baker.
Flourish of Trumpets.
Four trumpeters of the Marine
Band at their station will sound
flourish, the band will move forward
along the west side of the field, to the
south side. and then to the center.
The queen and her attendants will
alight and will be received by the
District Commissioners, who will es-
cort them to the platform before the
throne The queen will then be
crowned by Rev. George F. Dudley,
D. D., and will be escorted by him to
her throne.
The words of the ceremony are:
The Priest:
The cherry blossoms tell that Spring
has come;
That Earth has wakened from her
Winters sleep.
Their beauty is Gods covenant with
man
For glorious years ahead. And so your
youth
Is radiant promise to waiting world
OF better, happier, holier things to
come.
Now, therefore, lovely maid. I crown
you Queen
And bid you rule with courage and
with love.
The Queen:
I take the oath, o Priest, and pray
that God,
Who made the glory Of these blossoms
rare,
May guide my steps with such a sure
control
That I may carry out His great de-
sign.
After another flourish of trumpets
an elaborate horse show will be put on
for the visitors. Before the last num-
ber of the horse show the Queen will
leave with her attendants.
Seats for Sale.
There will be 5000 bleacher seats
for sale at 40 cents each, a limited
number of boxes at IS per box of six
seats and l.500 chair seats at so cents
each for the coronation and horse
show
Tomorrow night and each night
during the festival the cherry blossoms
will be Illuminated by a special ar
rangement of flood lighting apparatus.
On the program for the rest of the
festival are a parade Friday after
noon, fireworks display Friday night,
presentation of The Mikado" at Syl-
val, Theater Saturday afternoon, a re-
gatta on Tidal Basin Saturday after
noon, a parade of floats around Tidal
Basin Saturday night and a reception
and ball at the Mayflower Hotel Sat-
urday night.
The Commissioners, In an official
proclamation yesterday, invited the
people to attend the festival and asked
merchants to decorate their store
fronts with flags and cherry blossoms
and home owners to do the same to
their homes.