THE PAGEANT IN ENGLAND The 20th century has seen in England what may in some re spects be looked on as a revival but in general as a new departure in the shape of semi-dramatic spectacles illustrative of the history of a town or locality; to such spectacles the name of "Pageant" has been appropriately given. Coventry in its procession in com memoration of Lady Godiva's traditional exploit, has since 1678 illustrated an incident in the history of the town. A pageant consists of a series of scenes, representing historical events directly connected with the town or locality in which the pageant takes place. These are accompanied by appropriate dialogue, speeches, songs, etc., and with music and dances. The effect is naturally much heightened by the place of the performance, more par ticularly if this is the actual site of some of the scenes depicted, as at the Winchester pageant (1908) where the background was formed by the ruins of Wolvesey castle. The Sherborne pageant
of 1905 was the first of the series of pageants. In 1907 and 1908 they became very numerous ; of these the principal may be men tioned, those at Oxford, Bury St. Edmunds in 1907; at Win chester, Chelsea, Dover and Pevensey in 1908; and that of the English Church at 'Fulham palace 1909• The artistic success of a pageant depends on the beauty or historic interest of its site, the skilful choice of episodes and dramatic incidents, the grouping and massing of colour, and the appropriateness of the dialogue, speeches and incidental music. It is here that the skill and talent of the writer, designer or director of the pageant find scope. The name of Louis N. Parker (b. 1852), the author of the Sherborne pageant, the earliest and one of the most successful, must always be associated with the movement, of which he was the originator. (X.)