Omaha daily bee., 1899-12-03

OF all the distinguished profe ms filled
by women the most unusual is th occupied
by Miss Mabel Hay Barrows, ri, she can
safely be said to reign without rival in
her particular field. From the b nning of
the college year in october to H end in
June Miss Barrows is in const'N' demand
from universities and preparat sch OILS
the country over to train It's stu r Is in all
tho varicuo arts necessary to 1. produc-
tion of Green and Latin plays.
Miss Barrows early showed lc.c " Greek
and Latin, combined with pas for the
drama, and when only 1S years a.e wrote
q play founded upon the crusade ~ which
tho crusaders addressed one mother in
Latin. She had also a natural t1ste for
archaeology, which she Inherited from her
father. When a student OF JIG II the Girls
Latin school in Boston she dram ii ed por-
tons of the Aeneid and began training me
Of her classmates for its presentation iu
the home attic. The production however,
developed so marvelously under her skillful
management that it was finally gwen before
a distinguished audience in D. Edward
Everett Haes church parlore II tween the
acts Secretary Long read alCul his own
translation of Virgil and a member of the
Boston Symphony orchestra, who ad written
the music for the drama, played The harp.
After graduating from tho Latin school
Miss Barrows went with her father, Hon.
Samuel j. Barrows, to Greece, where she
made a special study of old Greek customs,
games, dances, etc, getting many of her
ideas Of costuming from tho vase plintings
and figuriues. After this she visited yari us
continental galleries and museums, finally
taking a course in archaeology and Greek
art at Leipsic.
Soon after her return to America she en-
tered Radcliff and while there gave her first
Homeric play, which attracted wide atten-
tion from it's entire novelty and distinction.
This was really the foundation of Miss Bar
rows professional career, for although after
leaving Radcliff she took the course at the
Boston Normal School of Gymnastics, with
the purpose of making the teaching of gym
nastics her profession, her services were in
such frequent demand at the various COL
leges that she gave up her original inten-
tion and gradually drifted into profess
sional trainer and coach for Greek Sud Latin
plays. Once launched into her career Miss
Barrows found that all her previous train
ing seemed to have been with this one end
in view. Even the athletics and the hours
spent in studying the violin we're iudis-
pensablc.
Dancing Before hinE.
Be it said that with all the rest Miss Bar
rows had studied gymnastics in both Ger
many and Sweden and has always improved
every possible opportunity for getting hold
of national dances. In Sweden she had the
honor of dancing before the king and she
learned the Scotch dances from an old High
land dancer whose Office it had been to dance
for the queen. German, Italian and French
peasant dancing she learned from the peas
ants themselves and modern Greek dancing
in Greece. Nor has she neglected our own
cid fashioned country dances
The whole aim of these productions Is to
resurrect Homer and Virgil from their text
book graves and make them live again. Such
portions Of the great epics as possess the
most inherent charm and greatest dramatic
possibilities have been thoughtfully selected
and are presented in their original setting
and language, forming character play in
six acts. The scenery and costumes were
chosen with respect to their archaeological
correctness. Some of the stage furnishings
she brought with her from Greece and many
n = - - y 4 a ri II