REPRINT FROM VOGUE MAGAZINE, NOVEMBER 15, 1917
THE AMERICAN STAGE PAYS ITS TRIBUTE TO THE AMERICAN RED CROSS
In the open-air theatre at “Rosemary Farm,” the Long Island estate of Mr. Roland R. Conklin was given, early in October, a most gorgeous pageant, which proved to be, at the same time, one of the most successful of war benefits. This pageant, which consisted of episodes from the history of each of the Allied nations, and the presentation of the case of each Ally before the bar of Truth, Justice, and Liberty, was organized by actors and actresses of the American stage as their contribution to the American Red Cross. It had been long in preparation, and many noted men and women had given generously of their time and effort, --an effort which found its reward, for this single performance brought a net profit of fifty thousand dollars, and the motion picture films which will carry the pageant all over the country will afford an additional income to the Red Cross for some time to come.
The book of the pageant was written by Joseph Lindon Smith, of Boston, and Thomas Wood Stevens, director of dramatic arts at Carnegie Institute and President of the Pageantry Association of America, and the rehearsals were under the personal direction of Mr. Stevens, Daniel Frohman, and B. Iden Payne, while decorators and artists collaborated in the settings and costuming. The result was a pageant of rare beauty and dramatic worth, as well as of historic accuracy and patriotic inspiration.
Of the two parts which composed this pageant, the first was given over to historic episodes in the lives of the Allied nations and presented a glowing and sumptuous picture. The prologue, spoken by Edith Wynne Matthison, dedicated an altar to Peace and was followed by rhythmic dancing by Florence Fleming Noyes and her pupils. A scene from early Flemish days followed, and four famous cities, Bruges, Ghent, Ypres, and Louvain paid their allegiance to Flanders, personated by Ethel Barrymore in the gorgeous costume familiar in Flemish painting.
The Italian scene which followed was succeeded by the scene of the birth of English liberty, as represented by King John signing the Magna Charta, and Medieval Russia was personified by John Barrymore as a tyrant borne upon the shoulders of his serfs. Most dramatic of the events of this first part, however, was the French episode, in which Ina Claire appeared as Jeanne D’Arc riding her white charger and the whole audience sprang to its feet in silent tribute to France.
In the second half of the pageant, called “The Drawing of the Sword,” each nation among the Allies appeared to present its case before the court of Truth, Justice, and Liberty. Serbia entered first and told her story of the opening of the war, to which Truth spoke assent. Belgium followed, and to her aid came England and France, while Russia came to the support of her ally, Serbia. Next, England called upon her overseas colonies, and Japan also, brought her pledge to maintain the cause of liberty on the Pacific. Armenia came to tell her wrongs; and Italy, shaking off the bonds of the Triple Alliance, cast her lot with the defenders of liberty. The grand climax was reached with the entry of America in the person of Marjorie Rambeau.
REPRINT FROM VOGUE MAGAZINE, NOVEMBER 15, 1917
THE PAGEANT FOR THE RED CROSS
Seldom have New Yorkers looked upon anything so beautiful and impressive as the great pageant for the benefit of the American Red Cross, recently held in the open-air theatre on the Lloyd’s Neck estate of Mr. and Mrs. Roland R. Conklin. The setting was a perfect one for this spectacle, which is to be compared in magnificence only with the famous Allies’ Ball of last winter. From a treestudded height, a winding path dotted here and there with flaming salvia gave entrance to the theatre, while at the left the bay gleamed through the trees. To add to the picutresqueness of effect, medieval banners stenciled in dull blues and purples were hung here and there among the trees. Between stretches of woods on either side, the great green amphitheatre rose tier upon tier toward the low gabled house at the back. Behind a blue lagoon with its white swans was the grassy stage, with an altar-like stone structure serving remarkably well to throw the voices of the payers over the vast space, and behind it all was the dull gray of the waters sweeping out to the horizon. A great company soon occupied the stage—Jeanne d’Arc, King John of England, Cossacks, and dancing-girls, with hunting-dogs and horses in velvet trappings. Barges hung with old tapestries floated along the lagoon, and in the blue waters splashed mermaids and tritons in a series of pictures. Perhaps the most impressive figure of the entire pageant was that made by Ethel Barrymore, who, in the black robes of stricken Belgium, voiced the desolation of that country in tones which carried to the farthermost points of the amphitheatre.
The audience, which had gathered from New York and the surrounding country, included many smartly dressed women. Blue was the prevailing colour for costumes, not navy blue, but a lighter tone mixed with green and gray, while next in importance came deep purple and plum shades. Among the dark furs, one noted chinchilla and squirrel, and now and then leopard skin, which is popular for strictly outdoor wear. One slender young person wore the scarf pictured at the left of page 52, near the middle; leopard skin was combined with a tawny brown fur with interesting effect. The hat sketched at the upper right on page 52 was also worn that afternoon. It was of tête de nPgre satin trimmed with two sweeping sprays of osprey.