Sixty Years of California SongAlverson, Margaret Blake
History
Sixty Years of California Song
Alverson, Margaret Blake
Music -- California -- History and criticism
It would require too much space to present the criticisms of each
character of our booth as they appeared in the papers daily. It is
enough to say that after the carnival was over the committee of the
carnival in thanking us for our valuable services said that had there
been prizes given, the Pecksniffs should have received the first
prize. Each night as the procession started it began with our booth
and as we passed each booth they would join in the motley crowd of
characters until all the booths were in the procession. As we appeared
the people of the different booths would cry out, "Here they come,
here comes Charity Pecksniff," forgetting their own parts when they
saw the funny Pecksniffs leading off the procession. One evening a man
in the audience made a wager that he would make Charity Pecksniff
lower her elevated and scornful nose. As she passed he said: "There is
a twenty dollar gold piece at your feet, pick it up," but she refused
to betray her character and the ruse did not succeed.
One of the features of the carnival was the procession of each booth
to the center of the immense stage where the spot-light was turned on.
It was a most admirable detail. It looked like a long caravan of the
past sweeping onward through the vivid light of the present. The
intense light revealed the endless variety and marvellous beauty of
the costumes. It was understood that the same pageant would be
repeated each night so the people came early to witness the procession
of this immense number of participants winding slowly along until they
reached the stage. When the Pecksniffs arrived on the stage a shout
rent the air each night and we were obliged to remain in the spot
light until the cheering had subsided. It was ten days of notoriety
wholly unexpected by the Pecksniffs. We were only carrying out our
idea of these characters and had become the chief attraction of the
motley procession. While some of the characters had individual
pictures of themselves taken, there should have been large groups
photographed as a permanent reminder of the carnival. It would take
volumes to describe the separate costumes of these well represented
characters. There was but one incident which marred the happiness of
the revelers in the booths, the death of Mr. Biddle Bishop, the Don
Antonio of the Cervantes booth, who was drowned in the Alameda baths.
By his affable manners and intelligence he had endeared himself to all
of his associates who felt as though they were themselves bereaved.
Out of respect to his sudden death the Cervantes booth was closed for
one night. He was also one of the young deacons of Calvary Church and
was a well beloved pupil of mine with a fine baritone voice which was
fast developing and he would have been classed among the singers of
his time. I know of no one more worthy to meet his Maker for he was an
exemplary young man, full of Christian love and charity toward all.
The funeral services were held in Calvary Church, Rev. John Hemphill,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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