At half past seven the rush began to be terrific and even dangerous. Ten policemen were not enough to keep back the eager masses which filled all the streets leading to the Opera House. There were more Germans inside than had ever been before in one building in Chicago. The expectation of a deficit has not come true, on the contrary, in spite of the low admission fee about $800 will go to the benefit of the invalids.

The Singers of Chicago and their director, Otto Lob, have covered themselves with glory. The program opened with the Jubilation Overture by Carl M. von Weber, so brilliantly produced that it was surpassed only later on by Beeth oven's Funeral March. In the treatment of the pianissimo and crescendo passages the example of Theodor Thomas was easily recognizable. The main speaker, Fritz Annecke spoke for twenty minutes, examining the causes of the war and of the German victory. The main cause of the first was the insolent greed for conquest of the despot Mapoleon III. Of the second, the intelligence of the Germans - "Primarily," he said, "it was intelligence in which the Germans from the private 2to the general staff were vastly superior in every direction to the Frenchmen." The main advantage derived from the war: The unification of Germany. The next aim: Realization of the ideal of freedom through humanity in order to increase the ascendancy of Germany over other nations.

There were four impressive lebende bilder (living pictures, tableaux) arranged by the painter Conrad Diehl - but apparently somewhat diminished in effect by the non-appearance of Frau Pelissier, the Goddess of Peace in the fourth tableau, who was to recite a long somewhat involved poem. The poem remained unrecited, but is printed by the Illinois Staats Zeitung.

The Staats Zeitung finally characterizes the celebration as "impressive though remaining somewhat behind expectations."