tremendous fervor and power.

In many cases the pageant will, of necessity, have to be rehearsed
indoors. Outdoor places to rehearse in are not always obtainable, nor
weather always propitious; moreover, with young people the out-of-doors
has too many distractions. Armories or halls are excellent places to
rehearse in; so are gymnasiums. The episodes should be rehearsed
separately. Rehearsing in a small room is fatal. It gives the youthful
performers a tendency to huddle, from which they seldom recover. Their
motions are cramped, and they lose all sweep and freedom. There should
be understudies for all the principal parts, and there must be at least
one full-dress rehearsal. The ages of the young people taking part in
the pageant should be from eight to eighteen. The principal parts will,
of course, be intrusted to the older boys and girls where the occasion
demands. John Smith, Powhatan, and others need a certain amount of
height and dignity.

The number of young people taking part in The Pageant of Patriotism
will be determined by circumstances. From two hundred to five hundred
young people may take part in it.

It should be kept in mind that a Children's or Young People's pageant
differs widely from a pageant given by older actors. It should have
about it an atmosphere of entire simplicity. There should be no
striving for effect. Naivete is to be desired rather than ornateness.
Scenes filled with crowds of young players should alternate with scenes
where solitary little figures appeal by their quaint remoteness, their
suggestion of innocence and candor. The Pageant of Patriots is not only
a pageant of country but of life's springtime, and interwoven with its
episodes should be the glamor of the youth of the world.