The children of the city of Brooklyn, Long Island, are fortunate in
having a day of their own when they have the right of way. The schools,
public and private, are closed, and some of the finest streets are given
up to the little folk on the day of the annual Sunday-school parade.
For weeks before May 24 bright eyes were wide with pleasure whenever the
"Anniversary" was mentioned. In the various schools special songs were
practiced, and mothers, whether rich or poor, were very busy at home in
making the pretty dresses and suits which were to be worn on the
occasion. At last the time drew near.
Then the little hearts had only one anxiety--the weather. Would it rain?
Would it be clear? Oh, how many little people spelled slowly through the
newspaper reports the day before, and lisped their opinions about the
probabilities! The joy was great when the sun rose on Wednesday, and the
sky was as blue and soft as if it had just been swept free of cloudy
cobwebs on purpose for the Brooklyn procession.
At 11 A.M. the City Hall bell pealed out grandly, and its tones were
answered by church bells all over the city. There was a perfect chorus
of chimes.
Noon had scarcely struck when the pavements were thronged with boys and
girls hastening to their several schools. There the exercises consisted
of addresses and music. As soon as these were ended, the parade began.
There were 60,000 children in movement at once through the beautiful
tree-shaded avenues: 112 Sunday-schools took part, arranged in seven
divisions. They marched, with banners flying, to the music of military
bands, which played their most triumphant strains. Mottoes, emblems,
flowers, white dresses, rainbow ribbons, floating curls, and cheerful
faces altogether made a pageant which it did tired people good to see.
Twenty-three schools formed the Prospect Park division.
The Park itself had been dressed by nature in the brightest of green and
the loveliest of early-blooming shrubs. The long meadow with its velvet
sward was staked off for the children's evolutions, and protected from
the crowd by genial policemen. On the grand stand sat his Honor the
Mayor, and with him were a number of clergymen, and persons of official
dignity.
Brooklyn has been called the City of Churches. She might be styled the
City of the Innocents, so many lovely little ones does she gather every
year at her wonderful May Anniversary.
When the march was ended, the scholars returned to their places of
meeting, where they were feasted on cake and ice-cream before going to
their homes.
No doubt some of them were a little weary, but not too much so to
prevent their sleeping sweetly after their happy day.
[Illustration: THE CHILDREN'S DAY--FIFTY-THIRD ANNIVERSARY OF THE
BROOKLYN SUNDAY-SCHOOL UNION.]