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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 4, 1903)
OST appropriate to the uses of Ak-Kar-l!cri is tin' llu'ini' chos-n for 1 1 1 it i ti i ti :i t ioti ly the royal him pageant this year. The poems of llonry Wndsworth Longfellow are more people In the Kingdom of than any other book except the read by Qulvera, Uible, nmi their illustration will, for this, If for no other reason, appeal to them. The artist has worked in entire sympathy with tho theme, to the end that the illustrations are not only beautiful In the point of ar tistic excellence, but are almost perfect applied in relation to the text. lie has liapplly caught the spirit of each poem taken as a subject, with the result that each rould be thoroughly understood and appreciated without the descriptive titles and suggestive quotation with which each Is accompanied on the official list. Twenty floats make up the pageant de signed for the great electric parade to be Riven next Thursday night. First of course, is the float of the king, on which Ak-Sar-l!en IX will enter the city and proceed to the citadel, there to receive the homage of his satrap, the mayor of Omaha, and the nssembled multitude of tils citizen. As lias been the custom from the first, this float will be of Fpecial design, one In keep ing with Its Importaneo to the whole theme Of Ak-Sar-nen. After the king's float romes the title float. Illustrating the theme of the pageant. This Is Itself a poem, showing Pegasus ready to mount the Parnassan heights, bearing with him the inspired writer of beautiful thoughts In beautiful language. It Is decorated In keeping, symbolical of the purpose to which It la devoted. Float No. 3 deals with tho vicarious courtship of that most valiant of Puritan captains. Miles Standish, showing how ho approached the house where Prlsellla sat Spinning; 0nd how John Alden did the mission on which his puissant rommander had dispatched him. Miles Standish miy have been "a laggard In love," but he was not "a dastard In war." and records of bis valor have come down to us along with his maxims, most precious of which Is that which Informs us that "he who would be well served must serve himself." sacred even to this day to the lover. The picture most striking. Catawba Illustrated win Is by float No or Its 4, the time vintage and attendant i r y fVl I Ak-Sjir-lUn is tlu tlitMiu- rlios-n hire shown. Ius llor.z can To trusted 10 ft ' ' T iv S , ffJEit V rMS.I V2Sy 7 homely tale of k tQsUr' "The teU ot MTi" V'yrf Illustrating how the TM'UV Wr starving horse of the v-M- - iff rV' niggardly knight secured t-SP ' I ISsLS AmirWti and Provender for vVTAir-rMfe float No. Wy'lJWvW Float No. 9 Illustrates Orion, mM1!, MkW the hunter, who was rebuked by 'WmMmW the moon; the giant figure b.lng fa ifyZi JKy' " Begirth with many a blazing star, 'I'WrV'ilU'yW'K. W' ' Blood the great giant Algebur, t1' iTfcQV0)rM'.W Orion, hunter of the bntit, I if 7fcsfsiNC-v-- -ofiwa.f AM1. T.f:' in uu.,.r.i liiiriu cleamlni; bv his bide. merry-making hrtnr; the spirit of the pic ture shown. !us llenz can Tie trusted lO catch the Inspiration of this picture. On float No. 5 Is shown Helen of Tyre, the msterious beauty, who through the ages cast her spell over men of might anil who enmeshed thrones and peoples in the sheen of her flowing hair. At her feet re clines Simon Magnus, the i-eer of ev 1. whom she followed through the lands until his power was dissipated and they both vanished. One of the dark tragedies of the sea. "The Wreck of the Hesperus," 1- shown In float No. G. Lashed to the I elm the skipi -cr, I daughter. to the mast ms nax.-. - turned to tee by the c. througu " fuel hand of death clutching the MK.l v"s"el as It drives on the cruel rocks of Norman's S -e Another of the mysterUs of the past, this time of. Kgypt. is the subject of float No. ?. "Hermes Trlsmeglstus," the l.-irvntlan master of magic and occult lore, Is shown in liU majesty. rv. . UT ifV, ' rinn of the y And on his arm, th - lion s hid -. Scattered uit-ms the iiililulght air, The golden rill- ance of its huir. Probably the in 'st familiar of all the hubjects comes tenth In line Hiawatha. The legendary hero 1 Miowu as he Is l.shing for the gre.it Balmon. king of all the llsbe i, a most realist Ic scone and o:ie f the triumph- of the show. "Kvanuellne." that sweetly sor rowful romance of Acadia. I.i th: subject of the central float of th ; pageant, No. 11. It shows the Acadian peasants, with ICvangellne und CabrKl as central figures, and recalls most vividly the utory of the love and separated lives. From float No. 12 the spirit of war and defiance Issues. Thor, the Thunderer, the war god, raises uloft his uU-crushlng ham mer and breathes his boast: I am the god Thor; I am the war god; 1 am the thunilerer! Here In my northlmid, My fastness and fortress, Kelgn I forever. Float No. 13 shows "The Cobbler of Hage nau" explaining to the justice of the peace that he did not need to huve mass ald for his wife on the occasion of her death, for the reason that he held "a priestly title deed to her." The Justice acknowleJges the force of the plea. "The Hcturn of Spring" Is illustrated in float No. 11. From a ledge of rock gushes a stream of pure water, flooding the low lands, where a stork stands, gravely watch ing a maiden as she drives a group of but terflies. This Is one of the prettiest concep tions of the whole list. Fifteenth In line comes "The Spanish Student," showing a famous scholar of a famous school. Vlctorien of Alcala, ad dressing the gypsy muiden, I'reciosa, whom he loes. . y . . if Float No. 1C I another of t , (. beautiful allegorical ,,-itio!lS of tilt con-dii- It bar- H.uni'i , 'Tlic llath typllies H I'eariM love '"' niony. ii. . the farm folka 1 to nil,, i, w il'tll t'l' 111 l-o. ...i.l I ll II1S raise crop tlic .uibjccl w I' " ,,f flint N. 17- ,.r K'.l'.ingw" - ..Tll. turns .-.l.-S the iciu;n tho 1 1 i""' l,ent ha.l had birds after tin- cm---- ..o niui t ii- i ii ii v nroven a i.i - - - ....ii,. forth t" wel l-oin- th realt. ere i tels, even If the crows urn iuu up corn. laiclfi-r's vain e-vbavor, with the alii of the powers of darkness, to tear down tho cross "The tloldcn Legend" is the subject of float No. IS, a subject that lends It self readily to Illustration and gives an opportunity for a striking grouping of llg u res. "Flowers." in simplicity and beauty, are shown In float No. lit, a most effective com position. Last of the line comes "The Village Ulack smilh." with his smithy under a spreading chestnut tree, his forge anil his anvil a picture dear to everybody, nnd carried out most faithfully hih! artistically. Monster Uird Cage The monster bird cage which the V lilted States will erect on the World's filr grounds, just south of the gove-i'.nioat building. Is shortly t ) be commenced, F. L. llatchebler, coutr.ictltig muuagcr of the St, Paul Foundry company of St. Paul. Minn., having arrived to close the subcontracts for the work on the building. The aviary Is lo be of steel tru.ts c in struction, ;h) feet long, 1K feet wide and G) feet high, covered throughout with wire, the trusses which support the cage hav'.ng a ch-ur span of UK) feet. A walk, arcade or tunnel lifteen feet wide and arched over with wire netting runs through the eatire length of the cvige, enabling the vl.-ltur to obtain n closer view of the cipllve b'rds. It Is proposed to show the birds under the conditions of foliage und flight In which they exist naturally, and the cage will con tain, us far as possible, the natural con ditions of wood and water of their wild state. The cage to be built Is the only one that the government has ever constructed nt an exsitlon. St. Iouis Olob-.'-Uemo-crat. Daring Man "I'm anxious present." said to get the names of all the reporter. "Will you oblige me " "Oh," said the meek little man, "you may put down 'Mrs. Henry Peck and hush ind.' " "You mean 'Mr. und Mrs. Henry Peck don't you?" "I would prefer that." he replied, with a furtive glance over tils shoulder, "but for goodness' sake, don't say I gave it to you that way.' "Philadelphia Press.