HISTORICAL PAGEANT.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1887, 23 October 1913, Page 9

HISTORICAL PAGEANT.

♦ ! 3 In brief sketches the first six groups a of, the Historical Pageant have been p outlined, the last being Bruce with his p victorious Scots after Banuockburrt. n The next episode, organised by Mrs. t James Hannah, says a contributor, n shows the quaint and picturesque cos- j: tunics in tho timo of Chaucer, the d court poet of Edward 111. The group p will consist of women and . children, f several of them characters' from the ii great poet's "Canterbury Tales." The c Countess of Salisbury is represented by a Mrs Frank SyniOn, and she is escorted p by her children, pages (among whom a are Misses Cecil Haines, Zeta and v Loma Chapman),, jester, and servant. Nobio ladios will' bo seen ini contrast l] with the lyives of prosperous mcfchants, 1 pilgrims, and nuns, with peasants a-ntli j poorer townfolk. Tho Wife of Bath, who entertained tho pilgrims to Canterbury with so excellent a story, is represented by Miss Nettie B. Riley; tho Alewifo and the Fislnvife by Mrs. Martin Williams and Miss Lena Poyudor respectively. Tho scene is supposed to ho laid in Southwark in 1350. Following this group is a tableau n commemorative of the beginning of printing in England, William Caxton t(Mr. H. Mason) presenting tho first book printed in EilgliUid to King Ed- g ward IV (Mr. P. Fleming) at Westminster in A.i). 1477. This episode is t organised and presented by the Govern- . merit Printing Office Association, and the tableau includes a reproduction of t the actual press'used by Caxton. Other characters shown are Queen Elizabeth 11 Woodvillo (Miss 1. Ilargreaves), Richard t Duke of Gloucester, afterwards- tho humpback, Richard 111 (Mr. A. May); 2' tho Duko of Clarence, remembered now- t adays moro for tho method of his death tliaii for tho acts of his life; Edward, l> Prince of Wales (Miss Wilson), who as e Edward V was murdered by Richard in t the Tower. Mr. H. Palmer is the u pressman, and associated with him aro Messrs. Baker, A'. M'lntyro, G. Bruce, 1 and' J. Molfitt as compositors and book- 2 , binders. Following this is another tableau 2: representing a scene twenty years later, " at tho commencement of the Tudor t ; period. John Cabot (Mr. Deslandes) is seon with his sons narrating to 2' Henry VII (Mr. E. W. Hursthouse) the a tale of his discovery of North America. 2 ! Among the /court party aro Queen s: Elizabeth of York (Miss Scales), whoso marriage eot tho final seal of peaco to 1 tho disastrous civil Wars of the Roses, % and Princess Margaret (Miss- Penrico), tho ancestress of the Stuart dynasty. L - The group ;is completed by ladies, t ] courtiers, guards, and Indians from tho new continent. This episode, organised t| by Mrs. J. C. Penrice, may be regarded as the opening of colonial history.