i i I m mSgaSSSBfflar? X, K.'«?*- \: ■ ' <*F*tr,i nnanwKU H ill ' ; •■"' tf*i; ■ ■ v".' I ■ -, • '..''■■■/■■' ■B St rafe m flMrjfcj i ■•■'''■' IBs mm ■w MjffiMffi '■'.'■■'■■'■'* 1837 MA SCO UTAH WsmmW •■."'■'".■'■■■ ■ ■ ■ "■ vmmBBR ■fc »■■'.-'• "".v.- ".■ ■ - - ; - ■■ I -j " • ■ >■.-'■■ . v ' '.■"■■'■■■•.'• "■■ , ■."■•■■'• •'-''■. mm. ■■■■■-'• '. '«'''' '■'■■••.. ' . ■■•■•■■■■'--■. HB BH •.■■■•.•:■■ • B - 1 .:+■ I 1^ :*•■'■■-. dRw£ m ■HHMKi£ ■ '■■■-.■ ■I 1831 . MASCOUTAH » 1937 "As Time Goes On 5 ? WRITTEN • DESIGNED • DIRECTED BY W ILLARD FR-IEDERICH Mascoutah Public School Grounds August 8th and 9th, 1937 REV. A. W. HOELSCHER J. D. MOLLMAN Pageant Chairman Chm. Centennial Committee IHANK YOU The Centennial Commission wishes to extend its warmest apprecia- tion to all those loyal citizens who in any way contributed to the staging of this production, whether through the donation of time and service, talent, costumes, properties, or general support. The finished product stands as a symbol of their efforts; without them it could not have- been done. Mascoutdh ""HH^ Publishing Co. PREFACE History is the recounting- of the major events in the lives of human beings. It tells when and where a thing- happened, and it tells how a thing- happened. But usually, it does rot tell why a thing happened. The reason for this is per- fectly obvious. In the first place, the how, when, and wherefore of an event is well known. Tiiis information is all grouped under that accurate but often- times dull heading, 'Facts". On the other hand, to know why the action ocurred is not so much to inquire into fact but rather to inquire into the inner motives of the men who figured in the action. It is not factual but spiritual. Therefore, of necessity, it lends itself to personal interpretation, and accordingly is not accurate enough for history. In collecting material for the writing of this drama covering the 100 years of Mascoutah's existence, I have found it to fall into two categories: (1) that which lends itself to dramatic reproduction on the stage, and (2) that which does noi. Material of the latter type was, of course, discarded at once as im- practicable. Upon careful consideration, the first type of material, or that which could be produced, was found usually to lack the conflict and vigor which is so necessary to dramatic production. There was that acute lack of the human quality which made it sound so very true but so very unmoving. The further impossibility of authentically representing real characters did not help the problem any. It was, therefore, the most advisable procedure to discard this material also. The following plan was then adopted: — To present the history of a purely fictitious family and show how the history of Mascoutah and the United States might have affected it. Consequently, the characters are all imaginary, and no resemblance between them and real people was intended. The situations which they themselves create are also unreal. The time and actual historical events used, are, however, as perfectly true and authentic as the information I was able to obtain. It has been my endeavor to show how this city might have influenced — and probably did — the lives or" people living in it. I have been concerned not so much with what happened, but rather why I think it happened. This production is therefore dedicated to that spirit of romance and adventure which mad^ men and women pioneers — and shall always make men and women pioneers, no mat ter what age they live in. If your imagination is stimulated a trifle to think a bit about what may have gone on behind the scenes of history in this e'ty, tins production will have done all it was intended to do. — The Author SYNOPSIS - "AS TIME GOES ON" "As Time Goes On" has its beginning one June afternoon in 1837 in the camp of the Maseoutans on the Great River. The chief is bargaining with White Star, Chief of the Tamaroans of Turkey Hill, for the marriage of his daughter, Tahasee, to White Star. Before an agreement can be reached the news of the arrival of the white traders from Fort St. Louis down the river, puts the camp into instant pandemonium. The traders find an eager group awaiting them. Among the traders is a young man who automatically becomes the leader of the group — Jack Barrows. He suddenly sees the Princess Tahasee for the first time and engages her in conversation. She very naively discloses that she does not wish to marry White Star, because she has fallen in love with Jack himself en one of his earlier visits there. Making a spur-of-the-moment decision, Jack decides he will marry her in spite of the mixture of races and the opposition from old Chief Mascoutah. After successfully repelling an attack by White Star, Jack and Tahasee leave the camp for Mechanicsburg. The old Chief calls the curse of the Great Spirit down upon his disobedient daughter and disowns her forever, as the entire tribe joins in the Death Lament for the death of their Princess. Nineteen years later finds the tiny settlement of Mechanicsburg grown into a fair sized town. The townspeople, under the guidance of Barrows, have called a meeting for the following day, July 1, 1856, to see about incorporating it as a town. The interest shown is very favorable until a sharp agitator, Jasper Johnson, comes from Belleville and stirs up trouble. Faced by the crowd, he and Jack have a show-down and Johnson is cleverly defeated. He is taken over by the townspeople, who plan to run him, out. But due to sympathy from a few, he escapes them and comes back to Jack. He begins a voluntary quarrel. In the fight that ensues, Tahasee endeavors to shield Barrows and is accident- ally shot herself. By the time the Civil War breaks in 1862, Jack Barrows is a man of about 45. He has been married again and his two daughters by Tahasee — Jane and Meredith, are 12 and 15 years of age. Jane, the younger, is greatly thrilled over her father's appointment to Gen. Grant's staff, but Meredith dreads the thought of losing her father. His commission finally arrives through Commodore Foote in St. Louis, and he prepares to leave at once. It is the first of a series of pain- ful goodbyes to Meredith Barrows. In 1898, we find her a woman of 51 with a son, Gordon, of about 25. TIk- war with Spain has been carried from Cuba to Manilla, and need for enlistments are getting more urgent all the time. Jane Barrow's son, Pdchard, arrives from New York enroute to California and the Philippines, and adroitly talks the level- headed Gordon into leaving his mother and sweetheart, Janice Lawn, and going with him. Upon Gordon's return, he and Janice patch up the break his going caused, and are married. In October, 1918, we find them a middle aged couple, who have a son themselves of about 19 years of age. Harley thinks he should join the army, but his mother dreads the separation. She calls in his grandmother, old Meredith Barrows Haymer, but even she cannot change his mind. The final stroke comes when a Liberty Loan Team comes to Mascoutah and gives a pro- gram on the street corner. Harley makes the break oil family ties and leaves with the Team for the War Office. The present finds the fifth in the line of Chief Mascoutah's descendents, young Meredith Haymer, celebrating her engagement to Brian Webber of New York. To them comes old Meredith Haymer, now over 90, to wish them well. At first her rather dreary views of the future, based on her past experiences, damp- en the youthful ardors of young Meredith. But eventually, youth's optimism comes to the fore, and Meredith and Brian voice their steadfast belief in the future — the visicn of a perfect city in a wiser and kinder world. ACT I - IKE BEGINNING SCENE I - INDIAN PERIOD Time — June, 1837 Place — The camp of Chief Mascoutah near the Great River CASE - ■■■'■ ■■■ V •■••■-.- I ■'■■.•.,-■-■: " ■ ■ •■■■,•> ■R1 i^l m vi: - : c' s • « mm MdSH ■ ■■'■ r. ■ ■ ■ Hi 1111 HH ¥mmm 119 •cv ■ HHP , i w>&." BHL