part of it. Then the parade started, disappeared down the
street, and in due time came back. Later in the day was another
parade, and a larger and more formal one. But it was not like the
early morning rallying of the "victory clans." Nothing again will ever
be like it. A spontaneous celebration of the victorious ending of a
terrible struggle that has rocked the world for more than four years
has a place by itself.

While the city was still seething with jubilant excitement and the main
street was getting more and more alive with people every minute, the
darkness of night began to give way before the dawn of day. And it was
a beautiful dawn, too. The eastern sky did not reveal itself in sullen
shade, but in clear color, more calm than brilliant, more in keeping
with a message of peace than of strife on earth.[1]

These celebrations were in many cases of the strangest character, the
chief aim seeming to be to march somewhere in some procession and to
make as much noise as possible. In one of the large cities of
Massachusetts, the first sight that struck the eyes of citizens rushing
into the square was fifty or more of the most prominent business men,
each in a tin wash boiler, being drawn by two men over the paved street
while its occupant yelled at the top of his voice and beat its sides
with a hammer. Auto trucks dashed up and down the streets as long as
these were clear, then joined processions or dragged behind them over
the pavements four or five empty galvanized ash cans. In New York at
the premature celebration, which occurred November 8 when a false
report was cabled from Europe saying the armistice was signed, and at
the celebration on November 11, thousands of pieces of paper of all
sizes were dropped from the windows of the great buildings, scrap
baskets were emptied, catalogues, directories, and other pamphlets were
torn up and dropped sheet by sheet until in some places the entire
street was covered by this "paper snow storm." It is said that it cost
the city $80,000 to clean the paper from the streets after the
celebration was over.

The tolling of church bells all over the country in the very early
hours of the morning not only announced to the people the signing of
the armistice, but also announced in many places church services of
thanksgiving.

Some cities and towns held two celebrations beside the so-called "fake"
celebration on November 8. The Governor of Massachusetts early on
Mon