Bryn Mawr College - Bryn Mawr Yearbook (Bryn Mawr, PA)

Page 25 text:

THE CHARM OF 1916 — A CRITICAL PAPE R 17 tions to the extent of rewriting The Totem ' s Taboo a la Midsummer Night ' s Dream. The identical structure of the plots — the search for the pearl and the lovers search and wander- ing — is of course obvious to all, and a simple twist of the wrist would transform I am a lit tle Gossip into Puck ' s I am that merry wanderer of the night. In the second place, il must appeal to the eye. Freshman Show had wonderful scenic effects. On that account we had planned to draw a series of cartoons of the drill which we in Rock used to delight in practising as we sat at the dinner table. Cartoon I. Leader saying: Swimming meet. Company drooping somewhat from normal position. Cartoon II. Leader saying: Hockey. Company half under table. Cartoon III. Leader saying: Water-polo. Heads of company alone visible. Cartoon IV. Leader saying: Freshman Show. Company upright, with swelling chests and broad grins. Head proctor speeding sternly toward table. This plan we rejected for the simple reason that we can ' t either of us draw. Finally, our write-up must be funny. Freshman Show was scintillating. Therefore we outlined a scheme by which Miss Donnelly should write a Hashimura Togo letter to Nelson (she has of course lost her fluency in English while in Japan), in which she would reprove him for having lowered his lit ' ry standards to the poinl of admiring 1919 ' s Freshman Show after having seen 1916 ' s piece. We even began this and wrote: To honorable Mr. Nelson, who scrub floor oftenly: Dearest Sir: I have deceive your latter-day letter which have at firstly give me peeve. Can you be him of enlarged intelligence so strong anciently for mortality plays? . . . This we dropped because it did not fulfil its prime requirement: il was not funny. Resides, as we later discovered, 1915 had used it. Thus, being neither original nor scenic nor funny ourselves, we give it up. Trow is forgiven. Anyhow, everyone in 1910 can recite the libretto of our chef d ' eeuvre from memory and can sing every song and execute with grace and precision every dance, so why bothe r? Emilie Strauss, Louise Dillingham.

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16 THE CHARM OF 1916— A CRITICAL I ' APKR I. Cfje Jfount of urnor Ceaseo to Jfloto Photo bj H. Parker Rolfe THERE is a half page in the ads marked Reserved. Tins suggested to US a way out when we discovered that Trow was not going to keep her promise to write up Fresh- man Show and we considered for a long time inscribing this page: Reserved for Katharine Trowbridge and Freshman Show. We feared, however, that the other classes would misunderstand our reticence, so we began to plan a write-up. In the first place, it must be original. Freshman Show was that if nothing else. So we decided not to let ourselves be infected by the present epidemic of Shakespeare celebra- Reader ' s eommenl: Ambiguous. Make clear the rather astounding fact that this reserved half-page does not merely fill space, hut has been bought and paid for.

Page 26 text:

18 THE (HARM OF 1916 A CRITICAL PAPER ii. OTe ' re not tfje Class! tfjat pougftt tfte ropftplacttts; Juniors and Seniors were stowing away Chicken, endive and banana parfait, And loving each other in a banquety way. Which is simply a dressy endeavor to say They were having their annual supper that day. Outside in the darkness shapes might have been seen. Pushing excitedly round on the green, Bearing two forms, strangely wilted and lean. Could this he the class so famous for bean, The highly intelligent class of sixteen? In the niches up over the library door They placed the pale creatures we mentioned before; From a distance they looked almost human, what ' s more. The face of the first and the clothes that she wore Looked strangely like something we ' d all seen before. The lady was clad in a ruffled affair. Superfluous hows and pull ' s everywhere: She had a most notably pre-college air. It was secretly mentioned and whispered with care. The frivolous person had frizzled her hair. The second was pale as the moon in the sky. She boasted a bulging and near-sighted eye. And wore cap and gown. On her forehead so high Were brain-bumps, denoting to those that know why. Deep interest in Chemistry, Physics, and Bi.