College News, 1933-12-13, Vol. 20, No. 09

              w
he College -News-
VOL. XX, No. 9
BRYN MAWR AND WAYNE, PA., WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 1933
JopyriKht   BRYN  MAWR
COLLKOE  NEWS,   1933
PRICE 10 CENTS
Miss Millay to Give
Poetry Reading Here
PuKtzer   Prize   Winner   Known
for Libretto and Mastery
of Sonnet Form
TALENT  SHOWED EARLY
Varsity Hockey-Team
Sets Splendid Record
More  Accurate  Passing,  Better
Stickwork Must Be Urged
for Next Fall
TEAM     IS    SOLID     UNIT
With the coming of Edna St. Vin-
cent Millay to Bryn Mawr to read
from her poems on Monday evening,
another of the great names of mod-
ern writing will be signed upon our
register of distinguished visitors.
Those who have heard Miss Millay
read her poetry will need no fur-
ther introduction to her, but for
those who must take on faith her
ability to read her poetry as well as
she writes it, let it be said that she
has captivated her audiences in the
past as few have done, and that she
is not a writer who is tied down to
pen and paper and to whom are de-
nied the powers of speech. Miss Mil-
lay not only understands the mechan-
ics of the sonnet form, but she also
understands the implications inher-
ent in it, and in her reading brings
out all that she sees in the form, as
well as in the thought.
Miss Millay is in herself a strong
argument for the contention that
"heroes are born, not made," for she
has behind her genius descent from
a distinguished literary family. Her
mother was a writer of children's
verse; her sister writes lyrics of great
beauty, which would bring the name
before the public on their individual
merit; and the third sister in the
family, Norma, is an actress of no
mean ability. As a child Miss Millay
wrote verses which were enthusiastic-
ally published by St. Nicholas, and
awarded their gold and silver medals
with a regularity which must have
made the other young contributors to
the magazine feel a bit futile. At
her graduation from high school one
of her essays in verse received the
graduation exercise prize, and so it
went throughout her college career,
which began at Barnard, but was
quickly transferred to Vassar, where
since her graduation she has been re-
vered as a Daniel come to Judgment.
In Vassar she maintained the even
tenor of her way to the amazing ex-
tent of actually getting a great many
things acomplished, such as winning
the Intercollegiate Poetry Contest,
contributing the words and music for
her own graduation exercises (pre-
(Contlnued   in  Page Three)
The Varsity hockey team ends its
season with one of the best records
in several years and has more than
lived up to our expectations follow
ing early squad practices. Of the
eight major games played, Varsity
won five, tied two and lost one, but
bowed both to the Faculty and to
Haverford.
Although  the  season  started  with
only  six  of  last  year's  team,  Kent,
Carol Service
The Christmas Carol Serv-
ice will be held in Goodhart
Hall on Sunday, December
17, at 7.45 P. M. Dr. Leicester
C. Lewis, Rector of St. Martin's
in the Fields, Chestnut Hill,
will be Speaker.
The Choir will render the
following selections. There will
also be carols in which the au-
dience is asked to join.
"Here We Come a Wassailing,"
English Traditional
"Christmas Day,"
Vaughan-Williams
"Christmas Night,"
Vaughan-Williams
"Break Forth, 0 Beauteous
Heavenly Light,"
"Within  Yon  Gloomy
Manger,"
Christmas   Oratorio,   Bach
"O  Jesu,  So  Sweet,"-----Bach
"Now the  Rarest Day,"
"Sleep, Baby, Sleep,"
Czech Carols
"At the Cradle".......Franck
"Today Is Born Immanuel,"
Praetorious
SELECTIONS from the
MESSIAH    ......HANDEL
Aria and Chorus�
"0  Thou That Tellest Good
Tidings"
(Solo by Miss Mary Earp)
Recitative and  Chorus�
"There Were Shepherds,"
� "Glory to God"
(Solo by James E. Polachek,
'34)
Faeth, Brown, Taggart, Bishop and
Rothermel, the incoming Freshman
class produced Bright, Evans, Smith
and Lamed, who fitted in so well that
they were playing in regular Varsity
berths at the end of the season. Such
a combination of thoroughly seasoned
veterans and energetic new blood was
a great factor in the production of a
successful team, not only in scoring,
but also in playing technique.
The forward line began a bit slowly
so that the brunt of the work fell on
the backfield, but we were especially
glad to see that, except for one or
two games, the tendency toward in-
dividual playing which was so prom-
inent in last season's play seemed to
be dying out in favor of a more co-
operative and hence more compact
forward line. Unfortunately we can-
not say as much for the progress in
accurate passing and clever stick-
work, although the William and Mary
game showed what could be done. It
happened all too often that poor pass-
work and fumbles almost gave the
game to the opposing team.
The backfield is the best we have
seen in many a season and, except for
the All-Philadelphia game, three
points were the most that could be
scored on it in one game. More than
any other part of the team, the back;,
impress one as playing continuously
as a solid unit, not only on the de-
fense, but also in backing/up the for-
ward line attack. To the backfield
and to Smith, playing her first sea-
son for Varsity, and doing an excel-
lent job of it, must go much of the
credit for the successful outcome of
the season. Of all the team, the de-
fense will be the only part hit by
graduation, as both Bishop and Roth-
ermel, Varsity captain, will be lost
and a hard task it will be to replace
two positions so ably filled by these
two veterans.
With nine of its players left, how-
ever, and with the prospect of more
new material next year, Varsity
should continue its splendid work and
progress next season.
(Continued  on  Tape Three)
CALENDAR
Thurs., Dec. 14. Mrs. Hope
Woods Hunt will speak on Tht
Drama in Poetry. Tea will be
served before the lecture. Dean-
ery,  1.30  P. M.
Sun., Dec. 17. Christmas
Musical Service. The Rev. Dr.
Leicester C. Lewis will present
the address. Goodhart Hall
Auditorium at 7.45 P. M.
Mon., Dec. 18. Edna St. Vin-
cent Millay will read from her
ems. Goodhart, 8.20 P. M.
Seats are on sale in the Pub-
lications Office.
Tues.? Dec. 19. Dr. Fenwick
will speak on current events.
Common  Room, 7.30 P.  M.
Wed., Dec. 20. Maid's Party.
Gym at 8.00 P. M.
Thurs., Dec. 21. Christmas
parties in the halls.
Fri., Dec. 22. Christmas va-
cation begins at 12.45 P. M.
Deanery Is Setting
for Sunday Carolling
Mrs.   Biddle   Reads   Christmas
Play "The Lady of the
Inn," as Prologue
FESTIVE   SPIRIT   SHOWN
Varsity Play Is Enthusiastically Applauded
for Tempo and Unity of Effect as Whole
Performance of Knight of the Burning Pestle Called Best Bryn
Mawr Production in Years�Actors Are Praised
0            Without Exception
COSTUMES   AND   SCENERY   SHOW   AUTHENTICITY
(Especially Contributed by Miss alone, and suffers strange changes of
Enid Glen)                         mood; and she was marvelously con-
The Varsity Players on Friday and vincing as a ghost. The character
Saturday last gave a thorougMy^uc- of Luce in the play is ill defined and
cessful   performance   of   The   KnigKt*tjtfigue,  and  her  changes   of  attitude
The Christmas Carol Service given
on Sunday afternoon, December 10,
was arranged with much more taste
and rendered with more feeling than
the choir and speakers were ever able
to achieve in the austere setting of
either Goodhart auditorium or the
Music Room. The Deanery has a
charming atmosphere for just such
festive occasions, and the presenta-
tion of a Christmas play was consid-
erably more in keeping with the carol
service than a speaker could possibly
be in the short time which in previ-
ous years was alloted to him in the
middle or at the end of the program.
Mrs. Francis Biddle, known to the
readers of  her poetry  as  Katharine  and  has  little action, lacking diver-
of the Burning Pestle. Some of the
audience was heard to say that it
was the finest production Bryn Mawr
had done for years; others could not
remember anything so good. It was
played with great spirit from the mo-
ment when the Citizen opened the ac-
tion with a bang, and�this was the
most notable achievement of the piece
� with an admirable sense of the
whole effect, setting, directing and
acting, each very fine and complete
in itself, all working closely'together
to make the finished and brilliant
whole.
The scenery and costumes for
which Miss Barber was responsible,
deserve perhaps first mention: the
costumes were beautiful in detail and
color, and in grouping; the setting
was authentic in a neatly convention-
alized way (incidentally, to Miss Bar-
ber, too, must be given the credit of
finally deciding, by her enthusiasm,
the choice of the play). The direct-
ing was done with alertness of im-
agination in the details, and again
with a very fine appreciation of the
effect of the whole.
It can have been no easy task; the
greatest difficulty must have been in
maintaining the quick and even tem-
po, but here there were no pauses,
no dragging; the connection between
the parts of the stage onlookers and
the personages of the main play was
briskly kept up, and the difficult First
Act�which introduces a great vari-
ety of characters for the first time
B. M. Sends Two Delegates
to Washington Convention
Bryn Mawr sent two delegates,
Carmen Duany and Pauline Reed, to
the Middle Atlantic International Re-
lations Club Convention held in
Washington University. More than
a hundred delegates were present,
representing thirty-five different col-
leges  and  universities,   making   thisv as satisfying in  its completeness.
the largest conference of its kind ever
held, a fact which correlates with
the amazing increase in the number
of International Relations Clubs
from 180 in 1929 to 580 now existing
in all parts of the world.
Since the Pan-American Conference
is now meeting in Montevideo, the
central topic of the discussions was
American relations with Latin Amer-
ica. The opening session was held
at the Pan-American Union. The gen-
eral concensus of opinion seemed to
be that some Pan-American organiza-
tion was needed to supplement the
work of the League, but that the
United States is too dominant and
the Monroe Doctrine should be either
modified or abolished.
Chapin, read her own play, The Lady
of tlie Inn, almost as a sort of pro-
logue to the service, setting the tem-
po for the afternoon and by its posi-
tion in the program preventing the
sustained effect of the singing from
lapsing either in the middle or at the
end. The play itself, written in a
medieval manner, suited the occasion
and complemented the traditional ele-
ment, in the carols.
Mrs. Biddle did the play as a "read-
ing," and she is to be complimented
for her rendition. Her costume, her
quiet, even intonation, her easy and
graceful gestures gave to her audi-
ence a dramatic illusion, excellent in
itself, and rare because of the unfre-
quent attempts made to do so difficult
a thing as to keep several charac-
ters on the stage in the person of only
one actor.
The choir, under the direction of
Mr. Ernest Willoughby, completed
the program with its rendition of
Christmas carols. The arrangement
of the carols was particularly de-
lightful: the inclusion of such a fav-
orite as the "Wassail Song," in ad-
dition to other English traditional
carols, less familiar, although equal-
ly as pleasant to hear, and the vari-
ation secured by a Bach chorale, and
several Czech and Old French carols
made the program diverting as well
Mr. Willoughby is to be praised
for his untiring and expert direction
of the choir; the technique evident
in the various selections made even
the popularly known and sung carols
delightful to hear anew. The "Cov-
entry Carol" is memorable for the
way in which the full, sweet tones
the choir attained in the sustained
phrases gave intensity to the melody,
written in a minor key, and to the
words, a lament for the "Little
Child." The contrapuntal singing in
the Bach chorale was done delicately
and well, and was aptly followed by
a more vigorous Czech carol.
The "Besancon carol" had a high,
sweet, fantastic melody that lent it-
(Contlnued   on  Tf  Flv�)
sions like the stirring fighting in Act
II and the coffins of Act III�was
played quickly and enthusiastically,
with every ounce of value extracted
from situations and people. I was
privileged to be present at a rehear-
sal and was impressed by the energy
�mental and physical�and the im-
agination of the directors, and by
the instant and complete response of
the actors.
Perhaps the most difficult parts in
the play are those of Jasper and
Luce. Miss Bruere played Jasper
very well indeed�a restrained, sen-
sitive performance, every gesture and
movement correctly timed and placed,
the poetry well spoken. She was par-
ticularly good in the very difficult
scene of the testing of Luce, when
for a long time Jasper holds the stage
are difficult to play; but Miss Hop-
kinson made her entirely convincing,
a delightful girl, and played the part
with simplicity and charm. She was
at her best when she was pert and
firm in the absurd scene with Hum-
phrey, and again in her soliloquy and
dirge beside the coffin of Jasper.
Miss Righter Was very fine as the
swaggering Rafe; her enunciation was
splendidly clear, her smallest move-
ment in character; shevremembered
throughout Rafe's naivete, and never
exaggerated the absurdity. Miss
Fouilhoux' Merrythought was delight-
ful�her drunken merriment and
Father Christmas benevolence could
not have been bettered; Miss Kidder
played Mistress Merrythought with
great spirit�she was excellently fus-
sy and furious and ridiculous. Miss
Kellogg's Humphrey had exactly the
right blandness and gentlemanly im-
becility, not at all easy to sustain,
while Miss Canaday played very well
the difficult, because so conventional,
part of the Father,�without exag-
geration, and subduing it carefully
to its proper place in the general
scheme.
Every minor part�the Squire, the
Host, Tapster and Barber, and the
idiotic Michael�was performed with
care and exactness, with no flagging;
Miss Stevenson as little George re-
peated the pleasant ludicrousness of
her very good performance in the
Midsummer Night's Dreanu The
Ladies and Gentlemen of the audi-
ence, impressive and lovely in their
costumes, helped matters greatly by
their attention, and their continual
movement, and enjoyed themselves
during the intervals.
The songs were delightfully sung,
especially   Luce's  and   the  boy's;   the
music of most of  them was contem-
(Contlnued  on   Page  Two)
Contributions
Not long ago an editor of the
News wrenched open the box
in Taylor marked College News
and found a letter. She got a
grip on herself and took it out
of the box, expecting to find
it time-yellowed and definitely
passe. What was her surprise
to find that it had been in there
only two weeks and so was com-
paratively hot news.
In regard to this question of
whether the News box is ever
opened by the slack members
of the board, the News wishes
to announce a new policy of
investigating the box every
Monday evening at six o'clock
to see what the week has
brought forth of testy com-
plaints or contributions to
Wit's End. The latter type of
communication is urgently re-
quested; and, in fact, should be
forthcoming in greater quan-
tity than has been the case so
far. Think of the opportunity
to say what you feel, and to
say it anonymously. What
could be lovelier?
Shakespearean Authority
Commends Varsity Play
The following letter was received
from Dr. Leslie Hotson, professor of
English at Haverford College and
well-known Shakespearean scholar:
The gay burlesque, Knight of the
Burning Pestle, we are told, was turn-
ed oft* by its author (or authors) in
eight days � a brilliant impromptu.
The Varsity Players have held to the
tradition of pace by turning it on
again after three centuries in a short
couple of weeks of rehearsal. This is
an astonishing "feat of activity,"
highly creditable to the nimble-tum-
bling wits of Bryn Mawr, and most
of all to those who doubled as players
and  producers.
Written for sopranos and altos in
the mocking mood, The Knight is per-
fectly suited to the production it
found in Goodhart Hall; and its
thumping success marks an undenia-
ble step forward in undergraduate
producing at the College.
The performance has a rare unity
of taste, which could spring only from
a high degree of understanding, both
sensitive and robust. The costumes
and the set are an unqualified pleas-
ure. Pantomime in the intervals is
an excellent thing when one has a
stage-audience, and it offers tempting
possibilities for development.
Not venturing in my ignorance to
pass out selected nosegays to individ-
uals, I shall limit myself to one con-
structive suggestion: let all the
words be heard. On Saturday night
I was in L. For many of the
speeches, L to me was Heaven, but
for some few others it was little bet-
ter than Purgatory.
Dr. Leslie Hotson.
la-i