Altars to the madonna are erected in the open street and hundreds worship at brilliantly lighted shrines.

The Sicilians of the Nineteenth Ward celebrated the assumption of the virgin last night. On Polk St. near Halsted, the largest of the altars was built. Five large arches were erected, covered with green branches and vines, and Sicilian and American flags were swung above the arches. At the end of the bower-like avenue was the altar in a high, broad inclosure. Tiers of lighted candles flickered and flared in front of the image of the virgin, which had been brought from Sicily and set up in the open air according to the old custom.

Two blocks of Ewing St. were hung with lanterns suspended above the sidewalks on green-covered lines; while on Jefferson St., the green arches were so close together that they made almost a perfect bower.

There are at least 1,100 Sicilians in Chicago, and with few exceptions, they live in the Nineteenth Ward. They were all out, wearing the national costumes and full of the spirit of the holiday. The Italian headdresses and scarfs, 2and the soft Italian voices made this religious ceremony as foreign in appearance as though it had been celebrated in Sicily itself. Tonight and tomorrow night the candles will be lit again before the altars, and the crowds will fill the streets. On Sunday there will be a parade.