College News, 1932-12-14, Vol. 19, No. 08

              *       I
s
The College News
VOL. XIX, No. 8
BRYN MAWR AND WAYNE, PA., WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1932     ^Kttg^SSLi^SP             PRICE 10 CENTS
William Butler Yeats
Speaks at Bryn Mawr
Names   Lady   Gregory,   Synge
Leaders of Irish Literary
Renaissance
READS  HIS  OWN   POEMS
Bryn Mawr had an unusual treat
last Wednesday evening, December
seventh, when William Butler Yeats
spoke on the movement of which he
himself is a leader, the literary Ren-
aissance of Ireland.
The history of Irish society, Mr.
Yeats said, divides into four periods.
The first of these was the long period
of feudalism which ended with the
dawn of the 17th century. Secondly,
the Protestant Ascendancy, "forcibly,
cruelly, but effectively, modernized
the structure of Irish society." Irish
national spirit was discovered in the
quarrel with England over the wool
trade, and found its voice in Swift,
in Burke, and in Berkley whose an-
swer to Hume was "We Irish do not
think so!" Then the rude shock of
the French Revolution awakened the
Irish peasant; he became the Agrar-
ian Party, and the Ascendancy be-
came the Garrison Party; there were
two parties but no nation. There was
no literature but the Agrarian rhet-
oric which eulogized the virtues of
that party and the vices of the other;
no drama but the Garrison entertain-
ers; and outside of these a few who,
like. George Bernard Shaw, could not
breathe in either party. By the late
19th century Ireland, had produced
four world figures: Berkely, to whom
"earth and all the funiture of heaven
exist in being perceived;" Swift, who
dared to deny the value of life;
Burke, whose repudiation of the
French Revolution saved Europe from
possible anarchy, and Shaw, the "in-
carnate social conscience."
Forty years ago the death of
Charles Parnell was the birth of the
fourth period of Irish history, the
period of renaissance. Parnell had
been leader of the Irish party when
the Parnell-O'Shea divorce case had
gone against him* and in spite of re-
election by his own party, Gladstone
had forced his expulsion by com-
manding the party to choose between
their leader and the success of their
cause. Parnell died^rom sorrow and
from strain, and on his death there
went up from all Ireland the cry that
he had been betrayed. The cause of
the party was lost, and with it the
all-absorbing squabbles over politics
and religion sank into oblivion; and
in their place arose the legend and
deification of this dark, misunder-
stood, solitary man at whose burial
meteors and strange lights were seen
in the sky. Two things had happened
as a result of-Parnell's life; unity
and passion had come to Ireland.
Literary societies were started in
(Continued  on  Page Three)
Ting Elected President
rff New International Club
An International Relations Club
was organized Tuesday evening, De-
cember 13. Vung-Yuin Ting was
elected president; Dr. Fenwick, honor-
ary president; Nancy Hart, secretary;
Sarah Flanders, treasurer. Meetings
will be held every three weeks, and
as the first speaker, for a meeting to
be held the second week in Janu-
ary, an effort will be made to secure
Mr. Ma^cMurry, former U. S. ambas-
sador to China.
The following were chosen as mem-
bers of a committee to co-operate with
- the International Student Committee,
in editing the committee's official
magazine, the Student International-
. tit: Rebecca Taft, Anna Martin
Findley, and Nancy Hart.
The club will be entitled to obtain
speakers from the Carnegie Founda-
tion, and will receive its publications,
which, if the librarian gives her per-
mission, are to be placed in the New
Book Room, and all faculty members
of the History, Economics, and Poli-
tics Departments will be invited to
become ex officio members.
Cast of "The Royal Family'
Standing left to right: Eruce Jones as Jo; Susan Daniels as Delia;
Sidney Hollander as Wolff; Janet Marshall as Julie; Henry Vaux as Gil
Marshall; James Stoddard as Herbert Dean. Seated: Del McMasters
as Fanny Cavendish; Philip Truex as Tony Cavendish; Betty Lord as
Given Cavendish; and Russell Richie as Perry Stewart.
Royal Family Stage Set
Efficiently Constructed
The set for The Royal Family was
designed by Janet  Barber from pic-
tures of the set used in the New York
production, with certain changes ne-'
cessitated  by  the  limitations  of  the
Goodhart stage and equipment.    For
instance, there was no back exit from
the balcony, the players having to be;
content with the exits on either side. I
The stairway in the original produc-
tion curved down  from  the balcony,
but to facilitate construction, this one
was made square with a landing part
way down. Moreover, the position of
Fanny's and Julia's rooms was some-j
what shifted around.                           jj
The actual cost of"building this set';
was very little, as it was composed of
parts   of  old  sets   used   in   previous
years.    The first week that the stage |
crew   worked   was   spent   in   taking
apart some old French Club scenery,!
that the lumber might be used over'
again.    Practically the whole of the
Berkeley Sqare set was reconditioned,1
some of the flats having been cut up,
and all rearranged.   The greatest dif-'
ficulty that was encountered was the
job  of  painting  the  canvas  on  the
flats.      The    creamy    white    of    the
Berkeley Square set had to be turn-
ed into a rough gray.   Four different
coats of paint were tried before the
proper effect was obtained, as the re-
sult  after  each   coat   seemed   to   be1
either too white still, or too blotchy,
or too smooth.    Finally Becky Wood
gave the  set "the  measles" by pat-
ting dry  gray  paint over the back-
ground tone with a blackboard eraser.
The building of the ceiling was an
ambitious undertaking, as it had to be
28 feet long and 10 feet deep to cover
the stage, which was unusually large,
measuring thirty feet across the front
and twenty feet across the back of
the stage. While it was under con-
struction it occupied the entire stage,
and- inconvenienced Miss Latham and
the play-writing class considerably.
Nine or ten people were required to;
hoist it up into place, three of them
being occupied in pulling the ropes, ,
The making of the bannisters for the
stairway was an interesting bit of
work, and a great deal of credit is
due to Dr. Flexner for his valuable
assistance. The repainting of these
banisters, which had been done too
smoothly and was out of keeping with
the rest of the set, was the only job |
left to be done after the dress re-j
hearsal.
A carpenter was hired to build the1
platform, which supported the bal-
cony and the stairs, which took him
three days to complete. He did a fine
job, and built it in so many pieces |
that it can be put away ajid then used
again with very little trouble. Lois
Thurston, *31, who was in charge of
the scenery for the Varsity Dramatic
productions when she was in college,
came back to lend a helping hand.
She worked all day every day, and
< Continued   on   Pare   Four)
Plantation Songs and
Spirituals Discussed
Splendors of Heaven and Hell,
Old Testament Stories,
Form Subject Matter
MR. LOMAX IS LECTURER
Mr. John A. Lomax, who lectured
at Goodhart a few weeks ago on Cow-
boy Songs, gave a second talk Mon-
day night on Plantation Songs and
Spirituals, many of them unpublish-
ed, which he has gathered by means
of his phonograph. The compara-
tively recent adoption of Christianity
has caused a great change in the
Negro. A century and a half ago he
had no notion of Anglo-Saxon moral-
ity, and ethics is still widely sepa-
rated from religion in his mind. Mr.
Lomax said that never during his
wanderings through the South had he
heard any native preacher urge thrift
or "better lives" upon his audience,
but only the splendors of Heaven and
Hell.
Negro Spirituals indicate this pre-
occupation, as they are usually clever
paraphrases of the Bible, especially
the Old Testament. The specimens
quoted by Mr. Lomax show a clear
idea of the ridiculous, which refuses
to be stifled by the religious Even
under the influence of formal church
phraseology, the Negroe's mind and
emotions, work freely. His fondness
for highly-colored words and striking
phrases comes out often in song:
"Lightnin', flashin', thunder roll, make
me study 'bout my ol' soul," and "I
want to go to Heaven when the devil
is a-howling.' He also likes to talk
about death and the "starry crown"
he will get when the "messenger of
death comes for to carry me home."
One of the songs Mr. Lomax quot-
ed was familiar to his audience as a
class song of 1931 and 1932�"I know
moonlight, I know starlight." Mr.
T. W. Higginson has said of this
song, "Never, it seems to me, since
man first lived and suffered, has his
longing been more movingly ex-
pressed.'-'
Satan and Hell possess much inter-
est for the Negro's mind. "They are
real, almost visible entities, not ab-
stracts of the mind." Satan is a fa-
miliar personage�"Satan's mad and
I   am   glad-----Old    Satan's   got   a
mighty  big  shoe,  and  if  you  don't
watch out, he'll fit it on you."    Hell
(Continued   on   Pare   Four)
COPYRIGHT
The Editorial Board of the
College News takes great pleas-
ure in announcing to the world
at large that it is now fully
protected by copyright All ar-
ticles, reviews, and editorials
may henceforth be reprinted
only by special permission of
the copyright owners.
Varsity Dramatics and Cap and Bells Club
Give Good Production of "The Royal Family"
#                                                                                                ���-                                            �.
McMasters Gives Outstanding Performance as Fanny Cavendish;
Other Generations Are Less Convincing; Truex
Overacts Part of Tony Cavendish
STAGE   SET   IS   INGENIOUS   AND   WELL   DESIGNED
(Especially Contributed by Dr. Stephen J. Hcrben)
The standard of excellence set by the previous performances of the
Varsity dramatics makes it impossible to judge any of their offerings with
the reservations usually assumed in behalf of amateur productions. Per-
haps the expectations are too high; charity would make one wish,that the
reservations might be applied in the case of The Royal Family as presented
last week-end. It would be a more pleasing task were the present writer
required merely to compare the relative excellences of the various players
and to praise the production as a whole. Unfortunately, there are reasons
why this is impossible and these reasons were apparent during the whole
play.                                     �
There can be little question of the possibilities for a vigorous and
lively performance inherent in the vehicle chosen. There is, to be sure,
one extremely difficult part in the play, that of Fanny, doubly difficult
for a young actress, but the remaining roles offer no greater obstacles than
those, say in the Constant Nymph. Further, the lines are for the most part
sprightly and much of the effectiveness of the play lies in situation
rather than in very subtle characterization. It is not an easy play to
perform, but it is not an insuperable undertaking.
The title of the play is The Royal Family; as presented, it might better
have been called The Matriarch. Certainly the outstanding member of the
cast and the one whose work most Clearly remains in the mind was Miss
McMasters in the role of Fanny Cavendish. There was a dignity and com-
petence in Miss McMasters' portrayal of that austere but not unhumorous
old relic which made her a completely convincing creation. Even the last
scene, dangerous and trying though it be, was negotiated successfully. At
all times she gave her part the careful and intelligent performance which
the Hnes required, sometimes in the face of obstacles not in the script.
Unfortunately, there were only two, instead of three, generations on
the stage. The differences in age between the rest of the cast was more a
matter of make-up than of playing. Wolfe and Gilbert Marshall seemed
too much less middle-aged than their parts required, and this is with
recognition of some fine individual scenes to the credit of both. Other minor
characters    were,   noteworthy�Gwen
V
and Kitty were memorable, Stewart
and Dean rather more than adequate.
Tony Cavendish is a role that re-
quires more than a boisterous willing-
ness to run about the stage and to
shout. The real Tony, the artist with
a great devotion to his work and to
the stage, is in" the last act, but no
one would have known it Saturday
night. All was continuous rant, ob-
trusive rant and, in any case, not
very good rant. The part was not
well conceived by the player and was
mercilessly overplayed, both in itself
and with relation to the others in
various scenes. Less over-eagerness
and a realization of the possibilities
of the role would have made a great
and welcome difference.
The part of Julie was miscast most
unhappily. With regard to minor
matters, it was noticeable that the
acting was better when there were
several on the stage than when there
were few. No one seemed to be able
to cross the full width of the stage
without striding or trudging. The
incidental music for the play discov-
ered by Tony was fumbled and cer-
ried no conviction, as a result. A
greater variety of pace would have
helped matters.
The setting showed ingenuity and
good design. One might have wished
fo�. a rail instead of a solid wall cut-
ting off the staircase from the audi-
ence, to give less of a bisected ef-
fect to characters who ascended be-
vond the landing, but constructional
difficulties doubtless entered in and in
general the scenery and lighting
were completely satisfactory.
The plajyas very well received by
a   sympathetic   and   large   audience,
Mile. Souberan Speaks of
Visiting Fiji and Australia
(Especially Contributed by Olivia
Jarrett)
At the French Club tea on Monday,
the second of a series of teas at
which French can be spoken and some
members of the club or of the faculty
will speak, Mile. Souberan told us
something of her trip to New Zealand
and the crossing of the Pacific, the
name of which had always promised
p#etry and beauty.
After a trip across the prairies in
late May, the coolness of Vancouver
was most welcome, but on reaching
the Pacific itself, the agreeable cool-
ness became considerably frigid.
There was no heating on the magnifi-
cent Niagara, and the English, real-
izing the power of suggestion, had
put red lighted glass in the fireplaces,
but even this deception was eventual-
ly discovered. Adding to the frigidity
of the atmosphere was the lack of
passengers, of which there were about
twenty on the big boat. Nevertheless,
they felt the invasion strongly when
crowds of home-going Australians and
New Zealanders boarded the boat at
Fiji. '
At the Fiji Islands they went on
shore to a native village, where Mile.
Souberan saw her first cocoanut palm,
with two large cocoanuj^s at the top.
Upon her asking to drink milk from
one of them right from the tree the
tribal chief shook his head and re-
plied that she might get the milk in
the village, but those two cocoa nuts
could not be picked.    "They must be
there   for  the   tourists.     But  I  can
who'evttiy  appreciat'ed   the  long  climb UP' if.y�u would like- and you
hours of work which its production
represented. It was good entertain-
ment. It should have been still bet-
ter.
Carols Sung by Choir;
Miss Earp is Soloist
Sunday evening, December H, the
choir presented the annual Christmas
Carol Service in Goodhart. The mu-
sical program, under the direction of
Mr. Vernon Hammond in Mr. Wil-
loughby's absence, consisted of alter-
nating congregational singing of the
more familiar carols and renditions |
by the choir.
The interpretations ol the two Bach |
chorales, Hush, My  Dear,  Lie  Still]
and Slumber and O Jesu So Sweet,
(Continued   on   Page   Four)
can take a picture of me about to pick
one, for one shilling!" The picture
is now one of her prize possessions.
At New Zealand Mile. Souberan had
wo days, a Packard and a chauf-
"eau at her disposal to cover the north
island. She got off at Oakland and
drove from five to ten P. M. through
practically unpopulated land, where
the people get up and go to bed with
11 '��ntimicrt   on   I'aice  Three)
COLLEGE CALENDAR
Wed., Dec. 14�Maids' Par-
ty.    Gym, 8.00 P. M.
Thurs., Dec. IS�Christmas
Party in Pembroke West at
8.00 P. M.
Fri., Dec. 16�Christmas Va-
cation begins.