California Institute of Technology Cal Tech - Big T Yearbook (Pasadena, CA)

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THE SENIOR PLAY KA RUSSIAN I-IONEYMOONN Un lfriday and Saturday evening, April 20 and 21, the Senior class under the direction of Miss Ada llfliller staged the beautiful little comedy, A .Russian Honey- moon. To say that it was a success, is only to half express it. liven our severest critic, llrofessor Stacey, said that it was the best amateur performance he had ever seen, and we realize the value of such praise. The rising curtain disclosed a group of peasant workmen, lounging around the breakfast table, singing a pretty Russian folk song, while finishing their meal, slyly casting glances at the sweet lllicheline, who stood by her father's side. Un a stool at the other end of the room a rather extraordinary looking peasant sat idly working, and our interest was immediately aroused, for we knew that this was by no means a common workman. At no time during the whole performance was our interest lessened, and we followed the quickly changing situations with keen pleasure, watching the introduction of each new character in turn. Will Crowley as Alexis, and later as Count Gus- tave, certainly deserves great credit. The character was one of the most difficult in the cast and the constant changes were well portrayed. Ruth Gaylord as Poleska, played her part with keen appreciation of a long and difficult role. She responded with remarkable naturalness to the demands of her part, whether they were anger, insolent pride, hauteur, gentleness, or love: and this response made her characterization an artistic success. 'Her work showed that sincerity and earnestness that bring suc- cess, whether in amateur or professional playing. Our Senior president, Walter Pittenger, entered into the characterization of the blustering, over-bear- ing Koulikoff with the same zest which has accom- plished so much in Throop. He was very Russian. NfVhat higher tribute can we pay? T Harriett Lewis made a most fascinating baroness, giving one of the best characterizations in the play. Adaline VVright, as the shoemaker's daughter, led her lover Usip a merry dance, with her laughing eyes and roguish ways. The part of Usip was well taken by Roy Hunt. The guards, the peasants, the choruses, Cunder the able direction of Miss Scobeyj, and the orchestral music in the hands of Ralph lieuerborn, were all important components of a very successful production. Archie Dunning, as lvan, the eccentric old shoe- maker, was easily the star. We believe that it will be long before a Pasadena audience sees a more pro- professional and finished portrayal of a character in the hands of an amateur., That Dunning has marked ability in the field of dramatics, no one who saw his work will doubt for an instant. He completely lost his identity in that of the quaint and original shoe- maker, and not once did he drop from it.

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A RUSSIAN HONEYMOON Scene nt End nf Actllll 16

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FAC U LTY Education is not found in books alone, indeed. to know books simply is to confess oneself uneducated. lt is for this principle,--the principle that thinking and doing are the crowning glories of knowing-that Throop Institute stands. It stands to bear out in concrete form, the fact that ideas are only effective when they find expression in results, making for the betterment of mankind. ' - It is, perhaps, for this very reason that many people misinterpret the mission of Throop Institute and sometimes misjudge our work. They assume that in a polytechnic school the. study of books is ignored: that science and mathematics and manual training are taught to the exclusion'of the literary side of education. Such an idea is entirely erroneous. InThroop Institute, even more than in the traditional school, the necessity for a rational training in the literary humanities is seen, and emphasis is accord- ingly placed upon such book and literary studies as to produce the broadest girls and boys, the most complete men and women. As I have had occasion to say elsewhere, the child or the man who is not at hom3e with books 3 who does not make friends with the best in literature: who does not read and from his reading draw inspiration and enthusiasm, and power for good, such an individual has been cheatefl of the best that the school should give. It is frequently remarked that the graduates of an institution make the school. The fiber of the student body, the character of those who instruct, the spirit of the Institution, the equipment of the various depart- ments, these all play a part in shaping and moulding the school. The library is one of the most important elements to be considered. Not a collection of leaves between covers simply, but a working library,--vol- umes containing the very best thought of the very best men and women, men and women who are authorities in the various fields that make for culture and in the several departments of education and research. Never since the founding of the school has the Throop library taken such a forward step as during the past few months. While all are interested in the movement, it is largely through the efforts of the librarian, Professor B. F. Stacey, head of the Depart- ment of History and Economics, that the great work has been made possible. Cataloguing, re-arranging, systematizing, have wrought many changes for the better, and through his personal solicitations, friends of the school have been led to see where they could greatly assist the student body, and to that end have subscribed nearly or quite 31,000 to the library fund. Additional subscriptions are expected to follow, so the amount may far exceed the figures given. Those who have already signified a desire to assist in the great work are: Mrs. Eldridge M. Fow- ler, Mr. O. S. A. Sprague, Mrs. C. A. Sharpe, Mrs. C. F. Dillingham, Mrs. E. G. Slade, Mr. C. W. Smith, Dr. Arno Baker, Miss Susan B. Stickney, Mr. W. A. Scripps, Mrs. Martha T. Vaughn, Mr. W. C. Leisti- kow, Mr. Byron Lisk. Several hundred volumes will be selected and purchased during the summer, and the school will open in September with remarkably good library facilities. A, H, C,