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_ Page rour

THE. COLLEGE NEWS







Shaw Is A Dead God,
Austin Gray Asserts

Thought, Laughter Siidulated,
But Plays Often Sacrificed .
To Dialogue





BORES NEW GENERATION



Deanery, April 14.—Mr. Austin K.

Gray, speaking on “Bernard Shaw in
Retrospect,” announced that Shaw is
honorably dead; he has outlived his
generation and today is considered a
bore. Shaw did two things in his
plays: he stimulated people to think,
and having done that, he made them
laugh at what they thought. These
were Shaw’s most important assets,
and even they led to a fault, that of
sacrificing the play to the dialogue.
Characterization, save for one or two
3 exceptions, is almost completely lack-
“a ing in Shaw’s plays.
. Recently one of the English week
a lies conducted a poll to find out who is
3 the biggest bore in England. There
were more than a thousand candidates,
and of these, Shaw, won by a hand-
some majority. His victory indicates
that whatever he may have to say
will be heard with that respect ac-
J corded a voice from the dead. Al-
; though Shaw is honorably dead, he is
j not yet honorably interred; “West-
minster Abbey still yawns for him,
in more than one sense.” The younger
generation of today has turned com-
pletely away from him.

Of the pre-war generation, Shaw
was the leading god. Besides stimu-
lating thought and making the thought
ludicrous, Shaw “talked a lot-of non-
sense about socialism, the slums, and
supermen.” He had, too, a loudly-pre-
claimed doctrine that women were not
individuals, but were merely custod-
ians of morality, the home and the
race. They were a “cosmic urge for
babies,” and men were necessary only
in so far as they satisfied that urge.
Shaw’s doctrine was as much_ sex
theory as the younget generaton could
stand. :

It was not until Mr. Gray was eight-
een that he realized Shaw’s existence
as a playwright; this occurred when
he went to seé You Never Can Tell.
He was thrilled and: shocked at the
unconventional scene for the first act,
a dentist’s office. In this act, the gen-
eral comedy situation was skillfully
produced. In the second act, the com-
edy seemed to change suddenly to
tragedy, and it was obvious that the
third act would be completely tragic.
The third act actually started toward
such an end, then “everything petered
out in talk.” Candida was the next
Shaw play that Mr. Gray saw; this
comedy followed the same general out-
line as You Never Can Tell.

It is true that Shaw, like all play-
wrights, has his own dramatic form-
i ula. His first act consists of an
5 introduction to the general situation

and the general characters,-and a dis-
cussion of issues such as the slums,
doctors, and the British empire. Al-
ways, too, there is Romantic Love. The
second act is a series of tragic knots.
eS In the third- act, everything disap-
pears except Romantic Love, which
remains only Jong enough to be kicked
off the stage. St. Joan and Caesar and
Cleopatra differed from Shaw’s form-
ula because they both dealth with his-
torical situations.
4 ' The test of Shaw is to see his plays
4 on the stage. Certdin of them are
good, even if they are “old stuff,” as
Candida and You Never Can Tell.
Caesar and Cleopatra, St. Joan, and,
probably, Pygmalion, will survive.
Other plays, like Getting Married, are
intolerable.

One of the main criticisms of Shaw
4 is that he has no sense of character;
; his plays consist merely of dialogue

and paradox. Shaw is at his porst
in characterizing women. Poze. t of
his doctrine of women’s lack of soul
and their single biological purpose, his
women lack rey and verisimilitude.



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GREEN HILL FARMS

City Line and Lancaster Ave.
Overbrook-Philadelphia

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a |



| A reminder that we would like to




er rome.
veacbatasale





| take care of your parents and |}



Center Gifeuleure

~" Gbnitinued from Page One



Monte Cassino Was |
|
|

temperate Rule which became, with |
the rapid grawth of the Abbey, ‘the |
Rule for most of the western monks. |
Late in the sixth century the monas- |

tery of Benedict was destroyed by the,
Lombaids, but the monks, after a cen- |
tury of seclusion in Rome, returned to!
their site, and at the time of Charle-
magne the abbey became a quiet and |

tranquil center of monastic life. At,
the end of the ninth century it was:
raided by the Saracens and destroyed;
but in the eleventh century Desiderius,
an energetic builder, erected a huge
monastery which rapidly became the
most important one in Christendom.
Many changes have been made since,
particularly in the late Renaissance.



?
Correction

The College News wishes. to
announte ‘that it. is planned to
hold the Summer School in New
York state this summer. Because
of a misinterpretation of the
article on the Summer School
which appeared in the issue pf
April 10, the headline which
read “Summer School Omitted
One Year For Changes” should
have implied that there would
be an “intermission of the
School on the campus in 1935,”
and that it will not be omitted
altogether.







Faculty Show Achieves \
Heights of Comedy



Continued from Page One

taste—for her part. In the best Eng-
lish manner she delivered a dyed-in-



The Abbey owes much of its import-
ance and success to its location, for,'
far removed from the plain, it invited
the contemplative life and lofty medi-|
tations of the monk in retreat, yet its |
commanding position permitted the:
monks to exert a strong influence on|

active with the meditative life allowed |

ing the’ Renaissance of the twelfth)
‘century and to maintain peace in the
surrounding country so that arts and_|
culture could develop in the region of
Southern Italy. During the great

cathedrals, the universities, and the
growth of the scholastic philosophy,
the Abbey of Monte Cassino assumed
a leadership and enjoyed in the late
eleventh century under the Abbot De-;
isderius a golden age of political pow-
er and cultural influence.

Although some parts of the build-|
ings date back to early Christian cen-
turies, the principal structures are all |
late Renaissance. In 1349 one of the
earthquakes that periodically
this limestone region, destroyed many
of the structures, which were rebuilt,
while in the sixteenth century many |
buildings were torn down to build,
elaborate Baroque edifices. However,
the changes since the Abbey’s days of
glory have been principally surface |
and decorative, for the ground plan
has remained the same with few addi-
tions since Desiderius erected his unit
of church, dormitory, refectory, clois-
ter, courts, and accessory buildings in
the eleventh century. Today there is
little to suggest the Mediaeval and the
Romanesque for the richness of the
decoration, the Florentine marbles,
and the elaborate paintings and sculp-
ture of the church are all Baroque or
late Renaissance. Before the church
are two connecting courts, or atriums,
one above the other and separated by
a great flight of steps. The balconies,
pilasters, and ornate well-heads of
these courts reveal Baroque qualities;
the Egyptian granite of the pillars of
the inner court indicate again the Ori-
ental influences at work in the build-
ing of the monastery.

The church is now, like the other
buildings of the unit, a fine example of
Baroque architecture, and the interior
containing paintings by Bassano, is a
good illustration of the brilliant and
ornate seventeenth century Baroque.
Since excavations and restorations of
the Romanesque cannot be conducted
while monks still inhabit the hospice,
the fine manuscripts and documents of
the library are the chief source of in-
formation about the monastery dur-
ing the three centuries of great influ-
ence that Monte Cassino enjoyed.



Advertisers in this paper are relia-
ble merchants. Deal with them.



Meet your friends at the

Bryn Mawr Confectionery
. (Next to Seville Theater Bldg.)
The Rendezvous of the College Girls
Tasty Sandwiches, Delicious Sundaes,
Super‘or Soda Service
Music—Dancing for girls only







the .active. political and cultural life |
of the region. This combination of the |

the abbey to guide civilizing work dur- |

flowering of culture known chiefly to-|
day by the building of the Gothic)

shake |

the-wool British poem, Now Princess
Mary Has a Baby. Nothing we can
say would be half so interesting a
comment as that which we inadvert-
‘antly heard Miss’ Robbins saying her-
‘self, “Did you like my hat? Queen
Mary would pay a lot for that,
wouldn’t she?”

| s After Dr. Chew’s announcement, the
curtains parted on the fourth scene
of the show. Out stepped four serious
land intellectual gentlemen,~ Messrs.
| Blanchard, Herben, Watson and
'Turner, garbed in flowing black gowns
and green, pink and white Turkish
‘towel surplices, who opened their
mouths as if to sing with great rev-
erence. After having rendered Sweet
Adeline in the time-honored manner
and with really splendid harmony,
they sang a parody of The Man On
|The Flying Trapeze, during which
not only the audience but they them-
selves were nearly; overcome with
‘laughter. The wofds of this truly
| memor able song are herewith written
‘and though they alone cannot voduee
| quite the effect that was made at the
i|performance, we trust you will read



\them with a visual image of that ster-
ling quartet in your mind.

stranger I meet through a
mutal friend
me the same
- without end;
{No slight alteration does Providence
send
When he learns that I teach at Bryn
Mawr.
“Tell me, what‘is it like to be teaching
those girls?
Do you find that they have any brains?
Do they take their work seriously,
may I ask, or do you?”
And my answer is always the same.

ach

i Asks question world

O—tThey sail through each course
with the greatest of ease,
Candidates for various Bryn Mawr
degrees.

They’re damned hard to teach and
still harder to please,

And with murder they all get away.

They stroll from the halls at a
leisurely gait,

Arriving at class some five minutes
late;

But none ever misses the 1.38

When they’re off on a binge to New
York.

They complain of the grub that is
served in the halls;

They’ve not had a square meal in
weeks.







SUMMER

Residential Summer School
(co-educational) in the heart
of French Canada. Old
Country French staff. Only
French spoken. Elementary,
Intermediate, Advanced. Cer-
tificate or College Credit.
French entertainments, sight-
seeing, sports, etc.

Fee $150, Board and Tuition.
June 27-Aug. 1. Write for cir-

cular to Secretary, Residen-
tial French Summer School.

McGILL UNIVERSITY

MONTREAL, CANADA











SPORT
Price Range,
54 East Lancaster Avenue
















Ardmore 2512

HATS



$1.95 to $5.00

Ardmore, Pa.

Miss ‘Howe’s choice of menus most
frightfully palls,

But, My God! What they eat at the
Greek’s!

(Chorus)

They discuss in extenso your personal
affairs,

Whether: your neck-tie be blue, red or
green.

God save him who most tna vebantle
swears;

They report you at once to the Dean.
They bring uninvited mamas to the
class,

Crocheting and knitting as well,
Making you feel like an absolute ass,
And impatiently wait for the bell.

(Chorus)

They I am

govern themselves
happy to state;
They all sign a book when they’re
going to be late.
And Joe Graham’s — shoulders
feminine weight
Are sprained every night after two..
But be that as it may, yet we hasten

with

to say,

With our tongues in our cheeks as we
say it, |

We count every day to October from
May,

And we’re sad when they all graduate.

(Chorus)
As a freshman, one soon . learns

where the “English Basement” is,
but few of-us really understood what /-
happens there until we saw that most
magnificent little melodramatic skit,
entitled The Hepburn Papers. Miss
Woodworth, Miss Koller, Miss Meigs,
Miss Linn, Miss Stapleton and Miss
Palfrey all had parts. There was
sométhing too delightful about the
huge ears which they proudly wore.
That they are an extremely clever
group was undoubtedly proved: they
trapped one of the most violently ac-
tive villains that ever graced melo-
drama. Dr. Weiss had a laugh which
surpassed that of ‘the most merciless
Montague; he curled his. mustache
with an intensive fervor, and _ he
swooped from one side of the stage
to the’ other like a crafty animal,
waiting for the kill. Though he fail-

something better: the aforementioned
members of the English Department
made Hollywood stars of the utmost
sophistication and grace.
contintedtheir dance and song for
long, the entire audience would have
been rolling in the aisles.

Dr. Helson, dressed in the costume
of an Indian mystic, completely baf-
fled the entire audience. His psychic
powers, his memory span for digits
and his mysterious ability for answer-
ing questions which he could not pos-
sibly have seen, amazed _ everyone.
There is something particularly nice
about a Hindu mind-reader who
stamps on .pillows in Dr. Helson’s
manner.





JEANNETT’S
BRYN MAWR FLOWER
SHOP, Inc.

Mrs. N. S. T. Grammer

823 Lancaster Avenue
bRYN MAWR, PA.
Phone 570





‘reappeared first as Physic

ed to get the Hepburn papers, he got |

Had they



































































































_ All of the song-birds of the south,
the Sophie Tuckers and the Mae
Wests in the world have. been sur-
passed. Miss Schenck, waving dia-
monds over the audience and wearing
a heavenly blue feather boa, sang
After the Ball Was Over in’ an un-
deniably unique manner. She sang
slowly or rapidly, high or low, with
the greatest complacency; she warbled
with pathos and with gaity. Her lis-
almost drowned her out with

al scene of the first group
was an \extravaganza entitled. The
Sciences Coordinate. Ballets may
come and they may go, but the ballet
in this sketch will remain in the minds
of those who saw it as an outstanding
and spectacular achievement in the
dance. There was much subtle feeling
in the gentle action of a dancer as she
broke away from a silent, stationary
group to pick up her knitting, eat a
bit of a chocolate bar or light a cig-
arette.. Each of the major sciences
was represented. There was a huge
dog-fish, the eternal symbo] of Biol-
ogy, which swayed to rhythms played
by Dr. Hedlund on the piano. Miss
Brady not only was the dog-fish, but
’ dreadful
demon, the Probable Brror, and then
again as the spirit of Flame, so eas-
ily invoked by Dr. Crenshaw.. The bus
of Geology field trip fame was de-
picted with all of the skill displayed
in the bicycle riding in the American
Ballet. The first half of Much Ado
But Not For Nothing ended _ as: the
bus, loaded with dancers and that por-
tion of the faculty which teaches in
Dalton, chugged off stage.

If you have ever doubted that it is
“Freshman Week that makes fresh-
men weak,” the ninth scene of the fac-
ulty show would have shown you your
error. Mrs. Collins was such a path-
etic little newcomer that all hearts
went out to her. The emotion she ex-
pressed as she bravely straightened
the bow at her neck while wearing an
“angel’s robe” was so sincere that all
of the audience would have been mov-
ed to tears, if they nad not been so
busy laughing. The dear freshman,
inspite of her tribulations, was put
into good hands; five wardens

Continued on Page Five





W costs no more to live In
the very heart of town—with
all the modern comforts and
conveniences! The suites (one
and two-rooms) are large and
airy, with Pullman kitchen and
bright bath. You will have to
see them to appreciate them.



Of course, rentals are
not beyond your budget.

: CHAS. C, KELLY
Managing Director














the line’”’.’.



less than
you think

It costs less than you
think to telephone out-
of-town. Tonight,
instance, you can enjoy
. achat with friends 300
miles away for as little
as 80 cents. After 8:30
P. M. (Standard Time)
just give the operator
their number and “hold























for






¢