PAGEANTS AND CELEBRATIONS. The celebration of historic events by dramatic reproductions of scenes con nected with them is at least as old as the Greeks and Romans. In modern times, in many countries of Europe, developments have been added to them according to the time and place, and carnivals, masques, popular parades, ex positions, and military maneuvers are some of the exercises in vogue in dif ferent lands. In the United States the celebrations attendant on the commem oration of Independence Day led to the development of many of the elements in pageantry, and a great fillip to the movement was given during the celebra tion of the centennial of the Declara tion of Independence in 1876.
The central idea of the pageant is simply that of the unspoken drama given on a larger scale out of doors, the pre dominating feature being that of a mov ing tableau in which a procession of characters take part. The scale is con fined simply to the number of persons taking part, and the dress, bearing, man ners, and grouping is in accordance with the period represented and the event commemorated. In France the art of the pageant has been carried to a high degree of perfection, and as a rule its frequency and success • has been most marked in countries like France, Italy, and Spain where the climate is favora ble to outdoor representations of that kind. From France the idea spread to Great Britain, where in recent years a succession of successful pageants have been given, despite the uncertainty of the English weather. Thus in 1905 an historical pageant on a scale surpassing that known to the modern generation of Englishmen was carried out with suc cess at Dorset. The fashion spread
throughout England, Ireland and Scot land, and since then many successful pageants have been given in those coun tries. The celebrations have usually been held on several days in a week, and the proceeds have been used for public purposes.
The equable climate of America has tended to the development of the pageant and historic tableaus have become the fashion, particularly at women's col leges, during the milder half of the year. In 1889 New York saw a national pag eant reproducing "Dramatic Events in the History of New York." The car nivals of the Southern States have never been without their pictorial representa tions. At New York in 1914 was staged a pageant of the various nationalities of America who exhibited their national costumes and sang historic songs. Tableaux of various kinds, in which large numbers of children take part, have become increasing features of cen tennial and similar celebrations. The Hudson-Fulton celebration of 1909, the 'Lake Erie celebration of 1913, and the Star-Spangled Banner celebration of 1914, had also numerous dramatic fea tures, and were conducted on a scale un known in Europe. The course of the World War, particularly after the United States had entered into it, led to numerous celebrations intended to excite the warlike ardor of the people. In 1920 the events connected with the can onization of St. Jeanne d'Arc gave oc casion to pageants in New York and elsewhere reproducing episodes in the career of the girl-warrior and expressive of sympathy with France as chief suf ferer in the World War.