Richmond Palladium (Daily), Volume 44, Number 65, 25 January 1919 — Page 13

mrs tuu TTTKTrni? pat r a mr timi I I IMrraoiuru I oovMiumiT WEEKLY SECTION OF RICHMOND PALLADIUM ' Richmond, Indiana. Saturday, jan. 25, mt .. . A Pageant on School Garden Work, Written For the Enjoyment of the Users of Hoes and Rakes

Remember those gardens we made last year? (My, how I remember mine!) Well, there's a lady in a town in Pennsylvania, who was especially interested in those gardens, and in you boys and girls all over America, who made them. So she thought of a little play and wrote it all about you and your gardens. We decided lo print the pageant in the Junior so that you can give it in your Bchool, or wherever you want to give it. Whoever gives it, please write a story about it for the Junior, and be sure to come to the Junior offlice and sell Aunt Polly a ticket. A GARDEN PAGEANT By Louise Carter. School of Horticulture, Ambler, Pa. Characters: The Nation's Need. The Little Citizen. The City Government. Seed Packets. Mother Nature. ' The Sun and Her Sunbeams. Clouds. The Storm and Raindrops. The Rainbow. The King of the Weeds. The King of the Insect World. The Growing Vegetables. Winter Days. The Lord of the Harvest. Stage Setting: The curtain rises and seated on a low platform in the center of the stage is the Nation's Need, clad in a loose garment of soft gray and upon her head a small coronette bearing the American shield. She is silent for some moments looking downward, her attitude one of dejection. At length she raises her head and speaks: Nation's Need: "Oh my people! It is a heavy burden that rests upon us at this time. I would there were some

better way to lighten it The new of the great war Unzen in

mighty headlines before us, and

ever its tales of ruins and suffer

ing and bloodshed are borne across the seas to us. Men we, have sent,

and many thousands are we train

' ing; money and medical aid have we given and still the cry rings back to us that people are starving over the seas that old men and

women and little children are perishing of want and hunger. And

now the time has come when the people of this nation must take each his share of the burden and

. give his aid."

(The Nation's Need rises slow

ly)

"For this war is waged for the great cause of Democracy in which

America must nobly play her part.

And every man and every woman and every child must now do his share in the great task. Oh! my

people, hear my voice!" The Little Citizen enters, clad in a straight, short garment which reaches the knees, the legs and arms being bare. He hesitates a moment with a gesture of salutation and then goes slowly forward to where the Nation's NeeJ is standing and looking up to her he speaks: The Little Citizen: "Oh my nation! I have heard your plea and in my heart there is a great desire to aid you in this time of need; but I am very young and very small and I know not what it is that I may do. My brother is in France today, but I am far too young to fight, they would not even take me as a little drummerboy. My sister has gone with the Red Cross, but they say they do not need me there for I asked to go. Oh ! tell me, therefore of what service I may be!" The Nation's Need: "Ah, my little citizen, fret not that you be too young, for there are scarce any so young or any so old .that they cannot render service to their nation at this time. Before us now there lies a mighty labor, that of filling the granaries and the storehouses of our allies with the fruits of our rich lands.)

The people of France are oft hard pressed for bread and in little Poland they stretch forth their hands in supplication to us to save them from starvation. Onr armies on the field must needs be well provisioned and for the wounded behind the lines there must be generous supplies. On every hand, wherever we turn we find this need which will not lessen but grow graver as the days go on. And this, my child is what you can do that will aid me most. Go now, and take a little plot of ground, prepare it carefully and upon it plant a garden. And through the season I bid you tend it patiently, for though you may not fight in lands across the sea, you may do battle here against the enemies of your garden, and if you are victorious over them you will find when the time of the harvest has come that the garden will most generously repay your labor. Do this and you may know that you are rendering service to your nation." The Nation's Need turns as if to go. The Little c4- out his bjToiraln her. -TheXittle Citizen: "Oh do not go! I do not understand it all. It would be only such a little garden that I could have that I do not see how it could help to feed the people there in France or how it would be of much use to you." The Nation's Need: "Ah, yes! You, my little citizen, are but one of many millions. And now if you and your playfellows and in turn their playfellows, if every man and his neighbor far and wide over our country will plan and plant a garden of his own this year can you not see what a great service it will then be? That by so doing each one can at least partly supply his own home with food which will save the railroads, already over burdened, from transporting it to him, and that by using the things which he 1b able to grow in greater quantities than before and in many different ways, he will need less of the foods that are so sorely wanted by our army and our allies and it will enable us to send them there in greater quantities. And is this plain to you?" The Little Citken: "Oh, yes I see it now! I never dreamed that it could mean so much or reach so far, for it Beems such a little thing to do at first before one understands. But tell me, what am I to do for I have no land? We live in a great crowded city and we have no yard at all. Oh! lsnt there some way in which I can get some land?" The Nation's Need: "Indeed there is a way, my child, for those who really wish to aid us and who have no land. Your City Government is ready to grant you the use of some vacant lot where you can have your garden and you will find a Supervisor there to direct your work when you so need. Ah! The City Government comes, and I will tell him of your desire." Enter the City Government, a pompous yet kindly individual dressed In a black suit. The City Government: "Greetings to the Nation!" he

bows formally. "All is now in read

ness for our spring campaign. Our Garden Supervisor has the work

well organized and we are prepar

ing to soon give out the garden plots to our citizens who have no land and are urging others to get theirs ready for the planting time

and all is going well." The Nation's Need:

Glad indeed am I that early prep

arations have, been made. They are much needed, for this year we must strive to have a full five million of those gardens in order to gain our end. And here now is a little citizen who earnestly desires to aid us in this work. Therefore, give to him his garden land and let him be among the first of the five million.'- She places her hand upon his head. "I must go, for I have tarried long with you here. And unto you I give this opportunity for service. Play well your part and God aid you in the work and lead us on to victory.' ...The Nation's Need j)ao""r; 1 nere is a h- ..use. The City Government: "This land I give to you. Upon it plant and rear your garden well, that when your Nation comes to you again you may stand proudly forth before her as one who has done his part. Come, and we will find the Garden Supervisor and set the land in readiness for the sowing." Exit. The curtain falls or a brief pause ensues. PART TWO. The Little Citizen is standing, spade in hand, surveying his garden. He gives a skip of Joy. The Little Citizen: "It's ready now, I think. I have spaded it all as deeply as I could and raked it too. How nice it looks! I wish my Nation could see it now. I'll run and get my seeds. "He runs to center left, disappears a moment and returns, leading in dance four little packets of corn. With hands joined they dance to the center of the stage and sing. The Corn Song. Oh, four liftle packets of corn are we, " Selected and judged most carefully You may sow us either in a drill Or plant five seeds in every hill; Then thin us out till three remain And you will find it quite a gain. So from all weeds please keep us clear And we will yield you many an ear." A dance follows to interpret the

sowing of the seed, and the group

dances off center right. The Little Citizen returns, leading the packets of salad crops. Salad Crop Song. Three crisp little salad crops are we, Lettuce, endive, chickory, We love a rather sandy soil And with your hoe please dig and toil. We like it when it's not too hot, And then we'll yield you quite a lot. The dance follows and the Little Citizen leads in the packets of beets. Beet Song. Oh, fine little packets of beets are we.

As good as beet seeds well can.be.

Now here we are for you, to sow

All so carefully In a row When we come up and are getting

tall

Then thoroughly please, thin us all

Come you must help your coun

try's need

And plenty plant of this good seed.

The dance follows and the pack

ets of peas and beans are next led

in together. -

Song. Oh, sister pea and brother bean

We are both good when eaten

green. Or when put up for winter days

We may be served in many ways;

So patriotic you must be And plant a generous quantity." As they dance off. The Little Cit izen is left alone with his garden

He walks around it, surveying it

lovingly. The Little Citizen:

"There, that is all I shall sow today. And it does look bo nice. The

City Government will be so

pleased when he comes by and sees it." He pauses and then

looks upward, his hands half clasp

ed as if in supplication. "And oh,

Mother Nature, will you please bo

very kind to my garden and help

me to perform my trust? You won't forget it, will you, just because it's little, for there are 'going to be ever and ever so many more gardens just like mine and The Nation needs them oh, so much! So please remember them all." The voice of Mother Nature is heard. Mother Nature: "Fear not, my little one, none will be forgotten. I will send my snn to shine upon them and my rain to give them drink. All that is within my power I shall do and they will grow and flourish." The

voice ceases and there is a pause as the Little Citizen moves slowly toward the upper right side of the stage. -Soft strains of music begin and , the Sun Comes forward in dance, leading the Sunbeams. An interpretive dance follows; gradually the clouds gather and float in and out among the sunbeams slowly driving them away. As the Sun withdraws, leaving a stray sonbeam here and there, the Storm rushes in. The last of the sunbeams flee and the Storm and raindrops and clouds give their dance. At' length the group gathers in a far corner, a cloud or two left drifting about and a few shy Sunbeams venture forth, retreat, and venture out again, and then the rainbow dances in and entices out the sun. A tableau is formed and then they dance from the stage leaving the Little Citizen alone with his garden. He comes slowly forward to the center of the stage and stops to pick up a handful of the soil. The Little Citizen: "How nice and damp the earth is after the rain, and how my seeds will love it!" He turns toward the west and shades his eyes with his hand, "But the sun is setting, it is getting late and I must hurry home to supper. Goodnight, little garden, good-night, He He skips off. There is a brief pause. The King of the Weeds comes stealthily in. He is dressed in tattered green garments. He glances cautiously around and nearing the center of the .stage he turns and beckons. The King of the Weeds: "Hist! Hist! All is safe." The King of the Insect World: (Steals forward.): "Hail, King of the Weeds! I bring you greetings from the Insect World." The King of the Weeds bows in acknowledgement and the two stand together in the center of the stage. The King of the Weeds: "We have much work before us tonight to lay the plans for our spring campaign. What report bring you from your kingdom? The King of the Insect World: "Ah, great preparations have we

made. Many thousands chrysalis

es .have we and soon now the

moths and butterflies will start to venture forth and then it is not

long before the eggs are laid and hatch into the worms and cater

pillars. Tomato worms we have in great plenty, tent caterpillars and

potato beetles too. There will, I

fear, be a shortage of the cabbage worms. Last season was pretty

hard on them for there was a deal of spraying and many thousands of

them were kiled." The King of the Weeds: "Yes, yes I know,", he nods -thoughtfully, "last season was hard on all of us. We weren't given half a chance. Never did I see . such cultivation as went on in the gardens last year; no sooner did we poke above the ground than off came our heads and up came our roots and we were left to wither and die in the scorching sun. And as for getting a chance to go to seed in most cases we simply couldn't manage it at all. Of course there were exceptions and although they waged such a war against us in the gardens they usually forgot the waste strip;! along the fences and roadsides and let us revel there, so when autumn came we really had a fair quantity of seed for the winds to carry off over the gardens and fields and well still have a pretty good crop of weeds this year." The King of the Insect World: "If this goes on for many seasons more I feel that we will have grave cause for alarm. There is scarcely a species in my kingdom that they have not found seme deadly poison for. It's a fairly sim

ple matter to attack the potato beetles and cabbage worms and tent caterpillars for of course they eat the stuff and any stomach poison will finish them, Paris green or arsenate; but I did think that the little aphis and scales which are immune to these were really safe; but now it seems they use kerosene emulsions, tobacco ex

tracts, and lime sulphur for them and it stops their breathing and kills them off by the million. I've heard them called contact sprays, I believe. Ah me! things have come to a terrible pass!" The King of the Weed: "Yes, a bitter struggle lies ahead and we meet tonight to form . a compact between our kingdoms that in all things we will aid one another. Pause one moment now, ... and think of the power that we , possess. You have it within you might to wipe out whole orchards and vineyards and gardens with' the aid of the different species in your kingdom; and I can spring up almost in the space of a night and strangle and overcome fields and acres of garden stuff if given half a chance. But on the other hand, if this wanton destruction of our kind continues we shall soon be reduced to a most pitiful state and all our efforts will be lost. So give me your hand in pledge now that our kingdoms may work together hereafter and let us form a league to do our utmost to destroy the green and growing things of the earth." They clasp hands and then follows a brief dance to interpret their evil designs, and the curtain falls. When the curtain rises again the Little Citizen is seen in his growing garden. The former seed packets -not stand in row to represent the various vegetables that grow in the garden and they sway very gently to and fro. The child is in the midst of them at work with his hoe. The Garden Supervisor is busied at the far end of the patch. The Little Citizen: "Are these too close? Must I thin them too?" He calls to the Supervisor. (She comss forward.) ' "Yes, they are far too thick; six inches you remember, between each plant. And here's a hill of corn with six stalks. If we leave but three the ears will be much better and much larger." (Continued on fs four)