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

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THE CHARM OF 1916 — A CRITICAL PAPER v. 0nt of jflap=Bap Wit Mere proton or, OTorbsi from tfje Casting Committee ALL Sophomore year we heard rumors of L May-Day, but they certainly were vague. All we could gather was that Bryn Mawr gave a lot of plays all over the campus to raise money for the Endowment Fund. So it was. wrapped in mystification and goloshes, that Betty and I made our way through the snow drifts to Mr. King ' s office in the Lib the first night of the second semester A. D. 1914 at 8.00 p. M. Two by two the august casting committee filed into the room, class by class as it were. We knew Con Hall and Jop (later Skipper ), and our Juniors, Katherine Ser- geant, our chairman, and Beany Baker. Mil- dred Jacobs and Dagmar we knew better — later. We waited for Mr. King (we usually did). We waited for him to divest himself of goloshes, ear muffs, mittens, scarf, great-coat and traveling clock, and we waited for him to invest himself in a pair of gold-rimmed spectacles. Then we began — breathlessly. We waited for the first words. They were a warning to our respective wardens to keep the H i % n . tt ' U mjn ,3HB P U. ■% ■-J ' ' ' v

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it THE CHARM OF 1916— A CRITICAL PAPER Captain. — Play your hardest, everybody. There ' ll he plenty of subs. Three third and two fourth team people have promised to come down. You all know where you ' re to play, don ' t you? It doesn ' t make much difference. I ' ll probably shift you all around to different positions. Hut I ' ll try to let you know what you ' re playing. Hasn ' t some one a trick to explain? For. — When you have the ball look in a different direction from the one you ' re going to throw in. No one is ever there to get it then — I mean no one on the other team. Captain. — That sounds good. Remember il. Now everybody don ' t eat or drink anything and go to sleep. Those Freshmen have Lab, so we ' ll be fresher than they are. And remember, WE ARE GOING TO WIN. {Exit team, leaving captain in her air-castle.) Eleanok Hill.

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24 THE CHARM OF 1916 — A CRITICAL PAPER balls open for us after half past ten every night. Then another warning — this was going to be very hard work and we must all take care of our health. Did we all have goloshes? Eight pairs of feet were raised in affirmation. A certain list of medicines, which I have since mislaid unfortunately, for I never meant to be without it again, was given out as invaluable in warding off colds and over-work. By this time it was twenty-nine minutes after ten and as we had not warned the wardens as yet, we left precipitately. The next night we began in earnest. Everyone had a notebook and pencil; the chair- man had a finding-list of every girl in college; and Mr. King had a list of every character in May-Day. Our task was to fit the two lists, with equal signs between the name and character as appropriately as possible. Mr. King had grown old and experienced in the service so he cast his committee first as far as possible. This method avoided friction. His treatment of my case, which I remember best, will serve as a model for all. It is typical. Mr. King. — Miss Packard, have you ever played before!- ' Me. — Ye-yes. Mr. King. — Ah-hum {looking over the list of characters). 1 think you may be able to do Will Scarlet. (Scrutinizing me over his glasses.) He is a courtier and a fop (nods his head on the last term an if convinced I could do that) and s omething of an exquisite. (Eyes turn very dubious. Muffled but plainly derisive snorts from the Committee.) Miss Rand, how are her legs? (Being reassured on that point, he assures me that he will have no com- punctions about removing me at once, if not sooner, if I fail to grasp his conception of the aforementioned fop. I quake audibly.) Mr. King. — Miss Perkins — I know myself what she is capable of — will play a perfect Campaspe. (7 was revealed to both Dagmar and Mr. King that Campaspe was made in Heaven for her.) Miss Baker will do a masterly Diogenes (Beany hadn ' t had the same revela- tion about Diogenes that had come to Dagmar about Campaspe. — Mr. King now leaps lightly to another character.) Now about Bottom? (With an upward inflection, meaning: Com- mittee, you may offer suggestions.) The din is terrific. Each one offers a classmate upon the altar of friendship. Betty and I repeat in unison at discreet intervals: Larie Klein, Larie Klein, Larie Klein