126 HISTORY OF THE 



Meanwhile, it seemed that "the loveliest, and the best" of- 

 Louisville, of Kentucky, and of the nation, were "star-scattered 

 on the grass" of the clubhouse. In fact, the Rubaiyat of the 

 Kentucky Derby was written to-day, and the chestnut-coated, 

 satin-smooth Omar Khayyam won no less in the clubhouse than 

 on the race course for everywhere the Far Eastern, the Persian, 

 the Oriental touch was in evidence. There were Arab coats, 

 pongees, and tussahs, silks of Oriental weave, and fabrics that 

 were dyed in the self -same tints, and embroidered in the self- 

 same designs and motifs as those that greeted the eyes of 

 Omar Khayyam centuries ago. 



Automobiles in a long line that narrowed close to the course 

 and bore thousands from all quarters of the city filled all the 

 inclosures and the open spaces near the park. Street cars, em- 

 bracing nearly all the emergency equipment of the railway com- 

 pany, ran in an almost continuous line, southbound, for several 

 hours on Fourth street. Many lovers of the sport and the 

 occasion took the footpaths for the exercise. 



At any rate, 1 :30 o'clock found no less than 30,000 persons 

 within Churchill Downs. It found them likewise at attention as 

 a body of soldiers, led by a soldier band, marched in from the 

 north gate, drawing up before a large flagstaff in the center 

 of the infield. 



When 30,000 persons are of one mind, and are gathered in 

 silence in one place, there is eloquence in the air. The very 

 breeze gives a thrill. When the Star Spangled Banner and a Ken- 

 tucky Derby in wartime are turned loose on such a vast gathering 

 of Americans the heart thumps mightily. In that gathering were 

 men who have seen the ravages of war and men who expect to 

 feel its blight; men in the khaki and men hoping soon to don 

 it. And so, when the regiment boys burst into the anthem as 



